Doll Dressmaking Series: The Fun of Rick Rack

It's easy to like rick rack. It's simple, fun, retro and even a bit kitchy.

The trim, also known as ric-rac, is a flat braid woven to form zigzags and used  as trimming often on clothing. Although it exudes a retro look and was extremely popular in the 1970s, it actually goes back to almost a century earlier and was a zigzag crochet braid used to decorate collars and cuffs. 

If you sew doll clothes, rick rack works on many levels:

1. It's cheerful and seems to belong on children's clothing, including children's doll's clothing.
2. It comes in many sizes. There's rick rack for Blythe clothes (1/8th of an inch from peak to peak) and for the American girl. You can play with scale, small ric rac on larger clothes, larger ric rac on small clothes. Or mix two sizes. Lots of ways to be creative 
3. It comes in many colors. again, lots of ways to be creative. Same color, different sizes. Different colors, same size, different everything. You get the idea.
4. It's easy to get.
5. It's inexpensive compared to other trims.
6. It's easy to sew on (more on this further on).
7. It's the original chevron fabric.
8. It's a classic.

TYPES OF RICK RACK:

There are three basic types of rick rack: cotton, polyester and nylon. The three materials have a different look, feel and capacity for withstanding heat. Cotton rick rack is soft, can be directly ironed and is the hardest to come by. Polyester Rick Rack is a bit stiffer and cannot be ironed directly. I place a cotton cloth between the rick rack and the iron. It can burn and melt if over heated or heated a second too long. Nylon rick rack, the least expensive, is designed for scrapbooking, not sewing, and melts into fumes even near the iron. I discovered this the hard way. Our smoke detectors were still blaring an hour later when dinner guests arrived. 

If you aren't sure what type of rick rack you have, iron a small piece at medium temp for a few seconds before stitching it to something you don't want to ruin.

Wright's Rick Rack (polyester) sold in the little cellophane cover packets is available many places online. It comes in over 20 colors. You can order Wright's here:

• JKM Trims and Ribbons
• Joanne's

Cotton Rick Rack can be found at:

• Farmhouse Fabrics
• Harts
• Elegant Stitches

Rolls of Rick Rack (polyester)

• Create for Less carries a cool brand called Cheep Trims in addition to having Wrights and lots of other cool stuff.

To sew rick rack on doll clothing, just sew down the middle. I often have my top thread match the rick rack and the bobbin thread match the fabric, so you cannot see the stitching on the back side.

For most uses, you can apply rick rack by just sewing down the center

Below are a few Phoebe outfits with rick rack trim.

Rick Rack can be used to create a pop

Rick rack can be used as edge trim

Here I used Rick rack to cover a seam

Things I Love: Crosshatch Fabric

I have a collection of crosshatch fabric.

Maybe it's my fine arts background, or maybe it's my love of good basics, or probably both, but either way, I love this fabric.

I often prefer to us these almost solid fabrics, instead of a true solid. To keep things lively, but not too busy. I use it for PeterPan collars, lining, hair flowers, pockets and waist bands. 

There are several lines of crosshatch fabric. My pile happens to be from the Alexander Henry Heath Collection, which is discontinued but still available at Cias Palette, Fabric. com, and on Etsy.

But there are other lines of similar crosshatch fabric.

Architextures by Carolyn Friedlander for Robert Kaufman is also crosshatch, but on the diagonal, which is lovely. Right now a half yard set is on sale at Fabricworm. 

Timeless Treasures makes a line called Sketch that is similar. They also make a diagonal version called Hatch.

The best way to find lots is to do a search for crosshatch fabric on Etsy.

Having a small collection of this on hand is useful for doll clothing, quilting or sewing gifts. Below you can see a few ways I have used it just in the past week.

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Doll Dressmaking Series: Questions and suggestions???

It's been about ten months since I began The Doll Dressmaking Series. It's been a lot of fun and judging from my inbox, others seem to think so too. 

Not only have I received an overwhelming amount of people requesting patterns, I have received lots of appreciative emails, too. Thank you—I appreciate the appreciation!

I've got a lot more tutorials and patterns that I want to do, but first, I thought I'd pause and ask if you have any questions.

I've already had several about tweaking and resizing patterns to fit various dolls. I will go into that in more detail soon.

But in the meantime, what's confusing? What is not there? What would you like me to do for future tutorials.

I'd love to hear from you. either post your questions in the comments or use the form below.

Thanks!!

Several New Pajama Sets

In case your Phoebe doll is tired, or just likes lounging and taking a day to hibernate, I ve listed a few more pajama sets in my Etsy shop.

A Little Bit of Doll Magic

Since I started Phoebe&Egg I’ve met a lot of cool people. All sorts of people all over the world. It is part of what I hoped would happen when I started my business.

What I didn’t expect was to meet to a long lost friend. That was a totally unexpected bonus.

It all started with this blog post and The Making of the Rag Doll. After I finished the post, two things happened.

I reordered another copy of the book from Amazon because I could not find the dress pattern piece. I had looked everywhere and decided to give up and buy another copy of the book just for that piece. I figured I could copy the missing piece and use the book as a giveaway on my blog.

The second thing was I received an email through my blog commenting on the Jess Brown post. It was from Amy B., an old high school friend who I hadn’t spoken to since high school graduation.

Although she and I were at Mark Zuckerberg’s high school, there wasn’t Facebook back then, so after graduation many of us lost touch.

Amy said she had always been curious about sewing a Jess Brown doll and she’d been following my blog and, well, the conversation, just took off from there.

Amy and I had been on the ice hockey team together.  We had spent many lunches and dinners (it was a boarding school) talking about hockey, assignments, college applications, clothes and boys.

We had never once discussed sewing, dolls or anything crafty or creative.

Yet for both of us these things have remained lifelong passions. They just weren’t at all cool way back when.

The next day, my second Jess Brown book arrived and I found my missing pattern piece…in my copier.

So I sent the extra book to Amy.

And we continued to text about the pattern and about sewing dolls and sewing in general, and knitting and crocheting and why we never ever brought any of these things up in high school.

Two weeks ago, Amy and I finally met halfway between our two homes.  Since we had last spoken, I had added three children, a masters degree and two different careers to my journey. She had added a law degree, a documentary film career and a PhD.

But what we both really wanted to talk about was sewing and doll-making. Amy had many awesome tips for me that I cannot wait to try. Like how to soften linen and make wool yarn ringlets.

And we both admitted we weren't very into hockey, we just did it for our college applications.

Thank you Amy, and indirectly—Jess Brown.

Below are a few of the dolls Amy made from the book.

New Clothes on Etsy

Over the next few days I will be uploading some new Phoebe clothes on Etsy. Had some good morning light this morning, so I took a bunch of photos and hope to take some more tomorrow. 

Two of my models shipped out to New York and Indiana this morning, but I have a few willing models left.

This outfit is on Etsy now.

The set includes a princess line dress, matching capris, stripey capris leggings, a dottie trench coat and Mary Janes. 

Stephanie is the Winner of the Deborah Fisher Sew Fun Book

I have 17 entrants as listed below.

1.     Brenda

2.     Tunde

3.     Melissa

4.     Jody

5.     Sewing Girl

6.     Rhonda

7.     Jeanne

8.     Vera

9.     Katy M

10. Kim C

11. June M

12. Kimberly

13. Courtney

14. Doris

15. Bekki

16. Marjory

17. Stephanie

Stephanie, you won! I will email you to get your mailing info.

Thank you everyone for participating.

Now, for some more doll dressmaking. I was thinking a tutorial on puff sleeves next.

An Adventure for Phoebe and for me

Being a doll-maker has its magical moments.  Often it starts with an uncertain request for a type of Phoebe doll that does not exist—a toddler, a Fancy Nancy, a boy doll, —and with this request I am both excited and nervous. I think and plot and sew and design and redesign and in the end I am often so excited with having tried and completed a new challenge.

I love these new challenges.  Part of doll-making, or being a maker of anything is pushing your boundaries.

A few weeks ago, I received adifferent new challenge….from a children’s book author.  She envisioned Phoebe as the main character in her book and was hoping I could share that vision.

The book is also on Amazon

The book is The Adventures of Piratess Tilly.

The author, Elizabeth Lorayne sent me a copy of her book.

First, it is gorgeous, illustrated in beautiful watercolors (by Karen Watson) and written in haiku, it is an ode to Mother Nature as much as it is an adventure.

Tilly is a budding naturalist who sails to the Galapagos to document flora and fauna. While she is there she becomes ensnared in a crime against nature and in the end becomes a rescuer and hero.

I loved making Tilly and flipping through the pages of the book to make sure my details matched hers—the patch work jeans, her hair, the map, the slippers, her patch.

The real test will be if Tilly’s creator loves her.

Tilly is on her way to Elizabeth and her new home (by the sea), but I captured a few photos of Tilly before she left.

For me the adventure of Tilly has been magical.

About the authors.

About Tilly and the book.

Calling all Waldorf Doll Dressmakers!

First, thank you for your patience. I have finally drafted the pleated dress pattern. The form to email me is at the end of this post. 

But my real reason for posting is that I'd love to see and hear about what you've been making from the Doll Dressmaking Series thus far. 

I'd love to see photos of what you have made so far...on your gorgeous Waldorf dolls. I don't own a Waldorf dolls so I cannot make the Waldorf size dress and try it on a doll and see if it works or needs adjusting. I am happy to give credit and of course I will include your business name.

I would also love to hear about any problems you have encountered. Especially in the fit.

Here...drum roll... finally is the pleated dress pattern. 

Fill out info below for the pleated dress for a 16" Waldorf doll:

A Sewing Book Giveaway

"Sew Fun" by Deborah Fisher (interviewed in my last blog post) is a great book for sewing for and with children.

I've posted the Table of Contents so you can see the amazing range of projects, that are not only fun for kids to help make, but to play with after. The book includes two doll patterns and a quilted doll house. 

I will pick a winner in a week from the comments. Please enter your email when you enter a comment. If there isn't an email I won't enter that name.