I made these decorated "Barbie Doll Clothes Trunks" for my great-granddaughter who loved her Barbie dolls and wanted to take them everywhere she went along with every shoe, purse, and dress those dolls owned.
I am surprised at how well they held up over the years. The wine boxes are amazingly sturdy.
The trunks are very easy to make. Just a matter of cutting and pasting for the most part. You may (as I did) choose to paint the box first, then just embellish it anyway that you like.
I spent almost nothing to make the trunks, just using up materials and supplies that I already had left over from other projects.
It took me about 4 hours total of actual working time to complete the 2 trunks.
Approximate Time: 1 hour for painting, then overnight to dry. The next day, allow 1 to 2 hours to cut out and paste whatever you choose to decorate the "trunk" with. Again, you'll need to allow drying time for the glue now. I let it sit overnight again and it was enough.
Barbie fits in the "trunk" along with her clothes so that she's always ready to spend the night at Grandma's with your little granddaughter. Lucky you!
Having 2 Barbie dolls meant they each had to have their own trunk...so I made 2.
By Julia from Boca Raton, FL
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I would like to know where to find doll clothes for Skipper, Stacie, Chelsea, or Kelly Barbie dolls? Or simple ways to make them.
Thank you!
By Aleah Y. from Herriman, UT
I don't know what sizes the dolls you mentioned are, but look in the regular pattern books that fabric stores have. They have patterns for Barbie clothes so more than likely they have patterns for the other dolls, too.
You can find some on Etsy and EBay for Kelly/Chelsea - kind of spendy though - $4-10 per dress plus a couple bucks shipping. For Skipper and Stacie, try some of the tighter-fitting Barbie items. A little ribbon as a "belt" to hold them on helps and they look really cute. If you have the time/ability, a bit of elastic or elastic thread will alter these items nicely.
Also, some of the other "fashion" doll clothes will fit. Some Monster High clothes will fit Stacie and Chelsea, Liv clothes will fit Skipper and Stacie, some Lalaloopsy will fit Chelsea, and I've had luck with some of the Winx doll items (their shoes are huge, but fit the Barbie Star Dolls, as will Liv shoes). Some of these dolls have deceptively tiny bodies (with oddly enormous heads), but again a bit of elastic helps, and the non-Mattel makers seem to put a lot more detail into their items.
Good luck!
I am trying to make a new set of clothes for my grandaughter's barbie dolls, but am finding it difficult because they are so small. Has anyone any good tips on how to do this? Many thanks.
By helen from U.K
Thank heavens I am well past having to make Barbie clothes. I don't know of any advice to make it easier. They are a real pain to make. The only advice I have is I never made any of the fancy ones. I made basic A-line dresses & skirts. The tops were ones that didn't have darts in them, maybe just the side bust darts. I also made basic pants and shorts. If I made coats they didn't have set in sleeves, they were more the raglan type sleeve. That goes for the tops and dresses too. Set in sleeves are too hard on something that small. For fasteners I took tiny little pieces of velcro and sewed them on, just going forward, backward and forward again.
When my younger sisters were in their first couple years of high school they made this type of Barbie clothes to sell for spending money. They had so many orders for them that there were times our Dad was even sewing snaps on them. Oh yes! For hemming the necklines do that after you sew the shoulder seams but before you sew the side seams. The same goes for if you make a sleeveless dress or top. Only for the sleeveless ones hem the arm holes before sewing the side seams.
To make an evening gown you could just make the A-line dress long and put either some lace or sequins that are already sewn onto a ribbon type deal that all you would have to do is hand sew the sequins to the dress. If you are looking at patterns you might even find one that has a strapless evening gown pattern in it that is just like the A-line dresses. The dresses that have a separate top with an attached skirt are too hard to make. Hope some of these ideas help you out. Good luck and happy sewing!
Serge the crotch of the pants legs together with the right sides facing each other, then turn the pants right-side out.
Sew the Shirt
Step 1 Fold the strap pieces in half with right sides facing each other. Sew together. Turn the straps out and press each strap.
Step 2 Sew the straps to the top of the shirt with the right side of each strap matching the right side of the front of the shirt.
Step 3 Sew the back piece of the shirt to the front piece with right sides facing each other. Turn the shirt right-side out.
Step 4 Serge along the lower edge and sides of the shirt. Sew the lace to the lower edge of the shirt, if desired.
Step 5Gather the top edge of the bottom portion of the shirt to match the width of the top of the shirt. Sew the gathered piece to the top portion of the shirt with right sides facing each other.
Step 6Sew the back of the shirt closed but leave the top portion open near the straps. Attach Velcro to the portions left open. Good luck.
Ha! Ha!! I escaped from having to sew Barbie's teeny fashions. We had a son!
:0) :0)
Happy Hanukkah! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
I have a little sister, age 5. She is in love with Barbies. I know how to sew, but I am scared that if I try I won't have enough time to finish in time for Christmas. Can I make no sew Barbie clothes?
You can buy something in fabric departments that replaces sewing, but I don't know who durable it is and I also don't know what it is called. That being said you should be able to get two or three items made before Christmas, that is providing you will be using a sewing machine, and don't make the items real fancy. There was two-three years when my sisters were in middle school that they made and sold Barbie clothes to earn a little spending money.
One year they had so many orders that when our Dad had time he would sit and sew the snaps on the back openings to help out. I made Barbie clothes when my girls were little and I really hated making those little things, it isn't that they were hard to make, they were annoying. Stick to making items like a cotton A-line type dress, a pair of cotton pants, and a sleeveless shirt. They will be the easiest to make. Also sew little pieces of velcro to close the backs of the items.
Does anyone have a pattern, or know where I can buy a pattern, for making clothes for the soft Barbie and Me doll?
Mary from Lake Geneva, WI
