How to Alter Crocheted Baby Doll Clothing Patterns

Baby dolls come in all different shapes and sizes. Most crochet patterns you will have to adapt somewhat to fit the chosen doll. The dolls you will find today for your kids generally have large heads, which makes crocheted clothing a little bit more difficult than it was in the past. You need to fashion clothing that will pull up over the doll, rather than down, or fasten in the back for little fingers to take on and off easily.

Measuring your doll

Before you look for patterns, you will need to measure the dolls approximate height using a tape measure or a hard ruler. You will also have to determine how the clothing has to go on. Will you need to pull it up over the legs or can you easily make a fastener in the back?

Patterns

Most baby dolls will have patterns that can easily be altered to fit them. The 18" American girl dolls and their imitations are easy to make clothing for because of their popularity. You will be able to use simple dress designs to cover these cloth-bodied dolls. For smaller dolls (in height and circumference), you might have a harder time. For example, the Bratz baby dolls have unusually small bodies for a baby doll and a huge head. If you aren't skilled at altering patterns yet, you will have to work up a bigger doll pattern of choice, study how the garment is constructed, and then custom make it for the smaller size. Most patterns for baby dolls are made with simple shaping and a lot of repetition of rows or rounds. This makes them easy to alter in this matter.

After you have tried a few patterns, you are ready to add your own touches. Using elements of shaping you learned from the former patterns, you can construct your own. Many times you can embellish a skirt with just a different bottom design to make it different, as well as varying the lengths. For shirts, you can use a different trim, length the sleeves just by keeping the rounds even, or make different dresses with varying stitches.

Once you have a perfect fit for your doll for pants, dresses, shirts, and hats, you should record the amount of basic stitches you needed to cover the doll in a notebook. Keep careful track of the beginning chain count for the waist, so you can make different outfits with the same well-fitted look. Most patterns start with the same basics-a waist band, a neckline, or a round. Keep these constructions in mind and you can create anything you want.