©2013 jessica hamilton, …static1.squarespace.com/.../1463371663728/closuresfordolls.pdfbegin by...

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Closures for Dolls: A Doll Project Tutorial ©2013 Jessica Hamilton, www.dollproject.com

Closures for Doll Clothing

Ready to hand sew some fully functional closures for your doll’s clothes? This

tutorial will walk you through how to create buttonholes, sew on metal snaps

and install zippers—all without a machine. Look for lots of extra tips

throughout this guide to ensure that your closure installation experience is

frustration free!

Let’s start with the basic supplies. Note: the following supply list includes all

of the materials used throughout this tutorial, so your supply needs will

depend on which type of closure you are creating. See the ends of the item

lines for an indication of which supply is needed for each type of closure. If the

supply is not marked for zippers, buttonholes or snaps, the supply is needed

or recommended for all three closure methods. For any unusual or difficult to

find supplies, see the resources section at the end of this tutorial.

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Supplies and Materials

Doll scale buttons, Size 4/0 sew-on snaps and/or doll zippers

Waxed thread, such as prewaxed Silamide beading thread

Scissors

Sharp sewing needle small enough to pass through buttons & snaps

Disappearing ink Marker or fabric chalk

Ruler or straight edge

Thin Permanent ink pen or fabric pen—optional (buttonholes)

Awl or large needle (buttonholes)

Steam Iron--Recommended

White Tacky Glue: I like Crafter’s Pick “The Ultimate”-Optional (snaps)

Fabric chalk—optional (snaps)

Sewing Pins (snaps & zippers)

Fray Check (zippers)

Silamide thread is hands

down my favorite thread

for hand sewing. This is a

beading thread, and is very

strong. The thread is also

prewaxed, which means it

tangles less. And it comes in

many colors. I use white

and tan the most. The larger

500 and 900 yard spools

will last through years of

hand sewing.

While Silamide will work

for most doll scales—I

recommend a finer thread for dollhouse miniature scale doll garments.

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Ready to begin? Let’s

make some buttonholes!

Buttonhole Closures

Doll buttons are tiny,

shiny and awesome! I

admit, I am a hoarder of

tiny buttons. It turns out,

hand-sewn buttonholes

are actually pretty easy to

make. The buttonhole

stitch is commonly

confused with the blanket stitch, but they are not the same. With the

buttonhole stitch, you wind the thread around the needle so that each and

every stitch forms a knot along the edge of your buttonhole. These tiny knots

provide extra strength and durability so that even if part of the buttonhole

breaks or unravels with use, it is still functional. I’ll show you the buttonhole

stitch in a bit—first let’s talk about button types.

Button Types: There are three types of buttons commonly used in doll

costuming: the flat or sew-through button (the most common type usually

with 2 or 4 holes), the shank button (features a loop at the bottom which you

stitch through to anchor the button to fabric) and the third button type isn’t

really a button at all, but rather a bead. Round beads are often used in place

of buttons for very small or cumbersome doll clothing where traditional

buttons would be difficult to fasten. All three of these buttons use the same

type of buttonhole.

Note: There is another type of button called a “stud button” rarely seen in doll

clothing. The stud button, also called a “pressure button,” is the super strong

button used for denim jeans. Rather than being stitched in place, the back of

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the button is anchored to the fabric using a strong metal rivet. Stud buttons

are usually made of brass.

Below left: the flat or sew-through button in plastic. You can also find sew-

through buttons made of wood, metal, stone, shells etc.

Below right: round mother of pearl beads make great buttons for very small

doll garments because they are easy to slip through a buttonhole.

Below left: Vintage shank style buttons in metal, glass and mother of pearl.

You can also find doll scale plastic shank buttons. The smallest buttons shown

here are just 1/8” (3mm) wide and made of mother of pearl (shell).

Below right: Very small antique crochet buttons. These buttons would be

sewn in place at the back center where the fabric bulges slightly. Though these

are without loops, the fastening process is similar to a shank button.

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Cutting the buttonhole: First we need to determine the hole-size needed.

Measure the diameter of your button OR lay the button right on the fabric and

use a fabric marker to mark the placement of either edge. Some sewers

recommend cutting the buttonhole slot smaller than the diameter of the

button; others recommend making the hole length larger than the button. I

recommend making it the same length as the button, or slightly larger.

Once you have marked the location and the length of the buttonhole, it’s time

to create the slotted hole in the fabric. The sturdiest way to create a

buttonhole cut is to begin with an awl or large needle to create the initial

holes on either end of the fabric marks. Just run the awl through the marks

you’ve made for the slot ends. The awl separates the fabric fibers rather than

breaking them; the separation results in stronger ends that are less likely to

fray. The punctures also provide a starter hole for the tip of your scissors!

Use small, sharp fabric scissors to cut the buttonhole slot. If the fabric is likely

to fray, use fray check along any cuts you make. For most doll scale buttons, a

simple straight cut will be fine.

You can also vary the slot shape

a bit, making it wider, or giving

it fancy ends. If your awl tip is

large enough, you will

automatically have rounded

edge shapes which will be nice

for stitching around.

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Tip: When first learning to sew a buttonhole, I recommend you work with a

fabric that doesn’t fray, such as ultrasuede. Easy to work with fabric will allow

you to concentrate more on your stitches and less on the integrity of the

fabric. Sturdy felt can be used as well.

For my buttonhole demonstration, I have cut the slot a bit larger than I

normally would so you can better see it.

Begin by knotting the thread and bringing the needle up through the

back of the fabric so the knot is concealed. Always start at either end of the

buttonhole slot. I like to use doubled thread so my needle won’t slip off, I

recommend single thread for buttonholes smaller than ¼” (5mm) for scale

purposes.

Tip: For doll clothing, the button area should be reinforced with 1-3 extra

layers of fabric folded over along the edge. Conceal the thread knot in between

these layers so it is invisible from the front and the back of the buttonhole. For

a very old or fragile fabric, I recommend adding a layer of interfacing or

similar fabric between the front and back folded fabric layers.

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The buttonhole stitch is done

entirely from the front side of

the fabric—no need to guess

where the needle needs to

come out! When buttonhole

stitching, always push the tip

of the needle through the slot

and come out along the top

edges. We’ll talk more about

stitch width in a bit, first let’s

get this stitch down!

Push the tip of the needle

through the slot and back

up through the area where your knotted thread end is so that the thread

appears as a continuous loop. This placement will hide your original starting

point so that the buttonhole appears the same on both sides.

Now grab the end of the thread loop where it comes out of the fabric (not

the needle eye end).

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Wrap this thread end behind your needle clockwise.

Continue wrapping around the needle clockwise so that the thread loops

around and behind the needle on both the eye and pointed ends to form

a circle of thread.

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Pull the needle away from the buttonhole slot so that the loop becomes

smaller. When the thread loop shrinks to about an inch (2.5cm), change the

direction that you pull the needle so that it pulls from across (toward) the

buttonhole slot. This change of direction is what places the knot along the

inside edge of the buttonhole.

Repeat the same knotted stitch over and over and you’ll have yourself a

buttonhole! It may seem a bit complicated reading these steps, but once you

get rolling, you’ll be churning out buttonholes in no time!

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When sewing the

buttonhole stitch, keep

your stitches very close

to each other and keep

the edge where your

needle comes out

straight so that your

buttonhole looks neat

and tidy. Here I have

blown up a few pictures

for you so you can see

the individual knots and

stitches.

Additional Buttonhole Tips: Technically, the buttonhole below left is

complete. The stitches and knots along the center slot are close together,

resulting in a durable buttonhole, ready to use. But if you are using a

contrasting thread, like this green here, you will probably want a more solid

looking buttonhole.

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There few a couple ways to make your buttonhole appear more solid in

color. First, you can go back over the original stitches with more buttonhole

stitches, making sure to hit all the areas with gaps. The problem you may run

into here is that the tiny stitch knots do create bulk along the button slot and

when you are working in doll scale, bulk is not good. So, you can also try

simply a whip-stitch around the outer edge to fill in any color gaps. These

stitches will not be nearly as strong as your buttonhole stitches, but the

buttonhole is already sturdy and these stitches are merely for appearance.

A fun alternative to solidifying the appearance of the buttonhole is to use a

different color thread (previous image, right).

If your thread knots are just too bulky along the center and you can’t get the

stitches close enough, try a single thread (rather than doubling it), or use a

thinner thread. Make sure you still wax the thread if it is not prewaxed as the

wax adds strength.

Another tip is to use thread that matches your fabric (below right)—the

buttonhole will blend in to the surrounding fabric and gaps or any uneven

stitching will be less visible as a result.

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So, you’ve got the stitch down, but how do you make it straight along the outer

edges? Well, you draw a buttonhole box. There are a few ways you can do this:

using a disappearing ink pen, a permanent ink or fabric marker, or use

stitches. All three of these methods will create an outer wall that helps you

line up your stitch edges so your buttonhole stays neat and tidy.

To draw the buttonhole guide box, I measure 1/8” (3mm) from the buttonhole

slot on all sides. I create these guides before I even cut the buttonhole slot.

Disappearing ink pens will disappear, so for a more permanent guideline, you

can try a marker. Below I am using a thin Sharpie in the same color as my

stitches to create the guide boxes. If you look closely, at the image below right,

you can see the colored marker lines below the stitch edges. This is a bit of a

cheat for getting a smoother appearance along the outer edges. Make sure

your pen will not bleed on the fabric! Especially when washing—do a little

testing first.

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Remember how I was

saying that buttonholes

are made into multiple

layers of fabric? Well,

this next technique will

help out in a few ways.

Create your stitch guide

box using the same

thread you’ll use for

your buttonhole. Use a

backstitch to make the

box outline and stitch

through ALL layers of

the fabric. These stitches will not only give you a good looking stitch guide

wall, but they will baste the layers of fabric together so that you don’t have

any slipping or shifting of layers.

So can you make tiny buttonholes? I found that even with single ply thread,

the buttonhole stitch knots were too bulky for the opening. For the 1/8”

(3mm) button below, I created the buttonhole using a simple whip stitch. It is

functional, but not very strong. If you are truly dedicated to making a

miniature buttonhole using the buttonhole stitch, it can be done with a very

thin thread (and a magnifying glass!). I would not use a traditional buttonhole

for miniature removable clothing as they are quite cumbersome to slip the

button through—unless you use a round bead button :).

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Spend a bit of time practicing your buttonholes. Challenge yourself to create

neat little rows of knotted stitches. It is quite therapeutic! :)

Buttonhole Variations: If you find that making the buttonhole stitch is less

than therapeutic for you, or if you want to try some other buttonhole methods,

I have a few additional techniques you can try.

1. Stitch a small loop of elastic in place of the buttonhole along the edge of the

garment, and slip the button through the elastic. This button closure is very

common with small-scale doll clothing.

2. Use a strip of leather or ultrasuede and stitch it along the fabric edge in

place of the buttonhole. You can cut small slits right into these durable fabrics

and there is no need for buttonhole stitching. Also try looking for bits of lace

or fabrics that already have little reinforced holes or slots you can attach.

3. And finally, you can use your sewing machine. Here is a bit about machine

sewn buttonholes--Many sewing machine models will make buttonholes for

you—even small buttonholes. Also, many sewing machines can sew the

buttons right on for you as well—even tiny ¼” (6mm) buttons! Ask your

sewing machine company which presser feet you will need for your machine.

Extra tip: for very small, rounded buttonholes, use the eyelet stitch on your

machine.

Now that you know all there is to know about buttonholes, let’s look at

another popular closure method, sew-on metal snaps!

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Sew-on Snap Closures

Sew-on metal snaps consist of two parts, the smaller male part (below left)

and the larger female part (below right). The most common snap-size

recommended for dolls is size 4/0. (Not to be confused with size 4, which is

much larger—the 0 is important!)

Orignally, metal snaps were made in an even smaller size, called 5/0, but these

are much harder to find and I found the size difference to be quite minimal.

5/0 are just slightly thinner than the 4/0.

Now the actual process of sewing the snap on is quite simple. You just use

sturdy thread and a whip stitch through all four (sometimes three) outer

holes on each side. The challenge with snaps can be lining the little rascals up

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and sewing them in the exact locations you want them. So we’ll spend more

time on that :).

First, let’s talk about stability. Tiny metal snaps are slippery on fabric. So, even

if you perfectly mark where they will line up on the fabric, they might slip

around when you begin to stitch them. Here are a two ways to make your

snaps stable on the fabric:

1. Most snaps have small holes

in the center. Use a thin sewing

pin and poke it up through the

center hole where you have

marked your snap placement

(we’ll get to placement marks in

a bit). Leave the pin in place

while you make your first two

stitches through the holes of the

snap. The pin will keep the snap

centered for you so your

stitches will be precise with no

slipping!

2. So, yes these little

guys are slippery. If

you have limited

dexterity (or patience)

another trick you can

try is place a small dot

of white tacky glue

under each snap part

and let it set a bit. The

glue is not a

permanent solution—it is merely to hold your snaps in place until you can

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stitch them down securely. No one will ever know the glue was there—do

make sure the glue is waterproof though!

Lining up the snaps: I have three methods you can use to line up the snaps.

The first is the eye-ball-it marker method. The second is the chalk method.

And lastly, the template method. For any method, first determine where your

snaps will be placed along the fabric edge. I always create extra edges along

my clothing backs so that I have plenty of room to fold the fabric over and

create a clean looking back edge. Being able to fold the fabric over on either

side also means you can hide where the stitching shows along the backs of the

snaps.

Once you have the overlapping edges planned, use a steam iron to flatten

where the fabric edges will fold.

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Eye-ball It Marker Method: Line up the edges of the garment so that both

sides where the snaps will be sewn are facing up and parallel to each other.

Place one set of snaps—male or female, along the edge of your fabric to

determine how far apart you want them and how many you will use. Use a

disappearing ink marker or fabric chalk to mark the centers where you want

the snaps to be. (Below left). Now mark the other side of the garment so that

the dots are lined up parallel with the first column (below right).

I suppose you can measure or use a ruler to line up your marks if you aren’t

feeling adventurous. :)

The Chalk Method: This snap

sewing method begins much the

same as the Eye-ball it Method.

As before, begin by determining

the placement and spacing for

your first column of snaps.

But here is the twist—now sew

the first column in place using

the ‘male’ end snaps.

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Use fabric chalk to

mark on the centers

of each snap.

Note: I am using a

pastel chalk so you can

better see it in the

photo—I do not

normally use pastel

chalk for this technique

as it can stain the

fabric.

Now, very carefully fold the sewn snap side onto the empty side. Make sure to

line up the edges where you want them to be when the garment is closed. Feel

through the fabric with your fingertips and push/rub a bit over each snap.

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When you separate the two sides, you will have little chalk marks that

precisely mark the centers of your snaps.

Go ahead and darken the marks with a disappearing ink pen or additional

chalk. Blow off any excess chalk to remove it from the fabric surface. Sew the

second column (female) snaps in place using your fancy new center guides.

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The Template Method: Okay, so if you are making the same garment over

and over and you are lazy like me, you can make a snap template for yourself

using a paper or fabric overlay in the shape of your sewn garment.

Measure out and punch little holes on the ends where the snaps will line up. If

you prefer one side to have male (small) or female (large) snaps, mark it right

on your template.

Now you can lay the template right over your garment and mark the snap

locations with a fabric marker or pen.

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Ta-dah! Insert “It’s a snap” pun here. ;)

Extra Snap Sewing Tips: I use Silamide thread (surprise!) to sew metal snaps

in place. I make sure to whip-stitch through each hole twice to make each snap

side extra secure. Often I wait to knot the thread ends until the snap is sewn

into place and I tie the beginning and end threads together (less knot tying).

Use a thread that matches your fabric. Your front stitches might look like

below left, but the back ones will look similar to below right, so a matching

thread won’t be as noticeable as glaring tan on olive green.

Sometimes the metal of one snap side is distorted and won’t fit well with the

other side—this is especially common with the tiny 4/0 size snaps due to the

micro precision required at such a small scale. You can try using other male or

female parts and see if another fits. Buying snaps already on a card will

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guarantee that the snap halves fit together. You can also try testing the male

and female halves before you sew them onto the garment. Punch a small hole

in a piece of cardboard and push the snap halves together through the hole—

the cardboard will make it much easier to separate the sides and your

fingernails will thank you.

Zipper Closures

Zippers are perhaps my favorite device for garment closure because they

come in so many fun, bright colors. The zipper sewing method I will share

with you here is called a “hand-picked” zipper, which also just means “hand-

sewn.” Hand sewing a zipper doesn’t take as long as you might think. I sat

down one evening and installed 14 little dress zippers by hand.

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First let’s look at the

anatomy of the zipper so

we can use official

zipper terms in this

tutorial. The type of

zipper I am using is

called a “closed end” or

“non-separating zipper.”

This is a special scale of

zipper made just for

dolls (see resources

section). The full zipper

is just 4” in length.

Here are two zipper diagrams for you from “zippersource.“

Be sure you can locate the top stop, bottom stop, slider, chain, teeth, tape

and pull tab parts. Our zippers do not have boxes, pins or heat seal patches

as those are parts used in a separating zipper (such as for a hooded

sweatshirt). You can also purchase separating zippers for doll scales, but they

are a bit more bulky due to the separation device.

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Match the zippers to the garment fabrics or use a contrasting color to add

some pop.

Note: The doll scale zippers I am using do not have top-stops installed—

instead you add the top-stops when installing the zipper. This means two

things. 1. The slider will pull right off the teeth if you zip the zipper up too far

(you can thread it back on, but it is a pain to do, so be careful with the zipping

before the zipper is sewn in!). 2. You can cut the zipper to any length, so if you

need just 2” of zipper, you can cut the 4” zipper to fit.

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Begin by folding and ironing the back flaps of the garment so that the exposed

edges are neat and line up over top of the zipper. Below left: the zipper height

is lined up with the sides of the dress. Below right: the back flaps are pulled

together over the zipper concealing most of it from view for a neat and tidy

hidden-zipper look.

Use a disappearing ink pen to mark

the location of stitches—make them

as close or far apart as you wish.

Stitches placed further apart will be

less noticeable on the outside of the

garment, but closer stitches will give

the zipper a sturdier bond, so choose

a width in between these. I like 1/8”

(3mm).

Always be sure your stitch guides are

far enough from the teeth of the

zipper so they won’t interfere with

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the movement of the zipper. Placing the guide marks at least 1/8” (3mm) from

the zipper chain edges on either side will ensure your zipper functions.

Once your guide marks are in place, line up the zipper again so the length and

width are where you desire them. Pin into place along the tape edge of the

zipper with small sewing pins. Below: front and back views of the pinned

zipper edges. Pin with the right side of the garment facing out so that the

fabric edge is straight along the center of the zipper.

Use a back stitch to sew the zipper on. The dashed stitches will be visible

along the outside of the garment, so keep them very small. The back straight

stitch line will be along the back of the zipper.

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Below: the back stitching is complete on one side of the zipper. The thread is

white and mostly blends in with the surrounding fabric—the purple dots you

see on the dress edge are just the fabric marker.

Here is a back view of the same stitching. Because the front stitches are so

small and wide apart, the back stitches are much longer in proportion.

Notice the bundle of white stitches along the top of the zipper above the pull.

This whip-stitching acts as a top stop for the zipper. You can make these

stitches on either side of the zipper chain to contain the slider. You can also

purchase small metal top-stops that can be pinched onto the zipper, but I find

the stitched top stops are less noticeable.

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While the zipper is still mostly zipped, pin the other side of the garment edge

in place. Sew the second side, opening the zipper as needed for easier access

inside the garment.

Once the zipper is installed, cut any excess length away and use a little Fray

Check on the edges of the zipper fabric to discourage fraying. If you know the

exact length of zipper you will need ahead of time, you can cut it before you

install it. Just be sure the bottom and top of the zippers are cut in the angles

you want to fit behind the garment edges.

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Oh delightful zipper fun! :)

Supply Resources

Silamide Thread

By the Spool: http://www.7beads.com/category/TS5.html

By the card: http://www.firemountaingems.com/search/?Keywords=silamide

Tiny Zippers (They have tiny buttons and separating zippers too! And say

hello to LeeAnn for me—she is awesome!)

http://zipperthatdoll.com/

http://www.7beads.com/category/TS5.html

http://www.firemountaingems.com/search/?Keywords=silamide

http://zipperthatdoll.com/

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Little Dress Kits (The garments featured here are available as kits)

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DollProject?section_id=11933016

Additional Web Resources

A blog post with some neat vintage buttonhole charts. http://www.coletterie.com/tutorials-tips-tricks/handmade-buttonholes

Back-stitch tutorial: http://www.sublimestitching.com/pages/how-to-back-stitch

This is a Doll Project Tutorial from Jessica Hamilton

I send out free projects (mostly doll-related) on the first Friday of every

month. If you are not a subscriber and would like to join my free email

newsletter list, you can sign up at http://dollproject.com :].

Copyright and Usage

© 2013 Jessica Hamilton, dba Doll Project

All rights reserved. No part of this tutorial may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise

without prior written permission of Jessica Hamilton. All patterns are original

designs created by Jessica Hamilton.

Purchaser may sell the projects created using this tutorial without restriction as

long as it is the purchaser making the product (not a factory).

https://www.etsy.com/shop/DollProject?section_id=11933016

http://www.coletterie.com/tutorials-tips-tricks/handmade-buttonholes

http://www.sublimestitching.com/pages/how-to-back-stitch

http://dollproject.com/

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