Rosie's Doll Clothes Patterns : Schoolhouse Review

 

Last Christmas Boo received some amazing doll clothes for her American Girl Doll that her Grandma had made, Including a matching Princess dress for them both. Ever since then she has wanted to learn how to make clothes for her doll. When we were offered the opportunity to learn how to sew using Rosie's Doll Clothes Patterns we were ecstatic.

So who is Rosie you may ask? Rosie is a stay at home mom from down-under. She has been sewing for as long as she can remember, and now has a daughter to pass her skills onto. You can read more about how her business started here. 

Boo and I are both visual learners, the so we found the Learn how to make Doll Clothes Video Course was perfect. The videos are designed for ages 8 and up and so since we both fitted into that age range, and I am a self taught sewer we decided to work through the course together.

We decided that we wanted all the information first and so we watched all of the videos before we started any sewing (Boo's idea). All together there are 130 instructional video's available on the site. The videos are very well made and although I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to see well enough (I imagined trying to pick over someone's shoulder) this was not the case. It seems that the cameraman new the perfect angle so you can always see what is going on.

Boo and I loved the fact that Rosie is from Australia. Is was nice to listen to the accent. Since we are originally from England people sometimes think I am from Australia I can honestly say we sound nothing alike.
There are two different sets of videos, general sewing instruction videos and then step by step videos for each of the eight bonus outfits. The video course subscription is available for twelve months. You can access the videos as often as you like during that time. There is also the option to purchase a DVD so you can keep it forever. We have watched many of them more than once.

I went shopping for material by myself - mainly because I hate taking all the kids into Walmart. Unfortunately they didn't have the orange felt so we are making that outfit after our next visit into the city. We are still working through the patterns, Boo is hoping to make more of them for her cousins.

One thing we did is extend the length of the crop top. Boo didn't want the soft stomach of her American Girl Doll showing, and Boo also doesn't wear tops that show her stomach so it was an easy fix to make her happy. The only negative thing I have to say is that I wish there was a few winter patterns included. However since they come free it is not a big deal. Plus there are a lot of other patterns available here. I know Boo has her eye on the winter patterns available on her site.

We have truly enjoyed this program and I know we have many more hours of fun to come. I love that I can pause the video when working, and rewind and rewind and rewind if I need a little extra help.  Oh I forgot to mention if you don't have a 18 inch doll don't worry you can always ask for patterns for a 18 1/2 inch Cabbage patch doll. In fact I remember seeing on of my fellow members of the crew adapted a pattern to fit a American Girl Bitty Baby. The skills you learn from these videos will help you for all of your future sewing projects. Think matching Halloween outfits for your daughter and her doll next year - how awesome would that be...or matching Christmas dresses - even better.

Boo followed the directions like a pro. She measured her own pattern after we printed (make sure you don't have the 'shrink' option ticked - you want it to print out the correct size. We measured ours and they were perfect. Then she cut out the pattern and pinned it to the fabric, making sure to follow the directions regarding the grain and pattern of the material. She cut out her own fabric and sewed (most of it) together. I helped with the shoulders of the crop top...I even had to watch that part of the video more than once.

So my final word on Rosie's Doll Clothes Patterns is that we loved them and will continue to use them. The patterns we have printed have been filed away ready for the next time (which believe me will not be a long time). I am definitely going to be looking at our used clothes before tossing them to see if they will make a cute dolls outfit.

The course costs $47.51 for a whole year and in our opinion is worth every penny. Remember it is suitable for ages 8 and up.

Check out what others on the crew thought...and check out the clothes. I have already checked them out.

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