Fairytale Doll Set Pattern Materials List

It's on its way!

Thank you all for your interest in the Fairytale Doll Set pattern. It should be ready for sale next week, if all goes well. I am excited for it to be finished so you can buy it and start making gifts for all the little girls in your life! I appreciate your patience and encouragement as we test and edit-to-improve the pattern. As you know, it's massive: it contains 16 individual projects, one of which is the sleeping bag/tote that should really be an entire pattern on its own. Grandma G, my fabulous and assiduous pattern tester, is amazing at her job (nothing escapes her eye!) and she's been working hard on it. Even then, it takes a while to put all 16 projects through their paces and I'd rather take the time to ensure everything works as simply and as well as it possibly can before letting you guys have a go at it.

In the meantime, here is the master Materials list, so you can start gathering and shopping for what you need to make the different projects in the pattern. It's a long list but you won't need a lot of each fabric, since they're for doll clothes. The actual list in the pattern instructs you to look at the templates for more accurate suggestions of needed amounts, but since you won't be seeing the templates till you buy the pattern, I'll try to estimate the amounts as best I can here. Many of the materials (e.g. felt, cotton) will be used in more than one of the projects, so you'll see repeated mentions of them throughout the master list.

Most of the materials can be bought in any fabric shop e.g. JoAnn. I'll try to include links to online sources if the material is more "unusual". The only thing that you are unlikely to find in physical stores is the pair of 5/8" swivel snap hooks and coordinating 5/8" D-rings for the sleeping bag.

Please note that you can easily

• change the width of your straps to fit hardware you may already have i.e. you don't have to limit yourself to 5/8" hardware. 
• OMIT these and turn the detachable strap into an attached strap, just like a regular bag, and the pattern shows you how - here is the short carrying handle; the pattern also shows the long shoulder strap version

However, I am including the link to Sewing Supplies, the etsy sewing hardware store I frequent, for you to go shopping. LoraLee has a wonderful, extensive selection of hardware that she sells in small and large quantities. I've corresponded with her about making these snap hooks available to you guys in "single servings" (i.e. just one pair; enough to make one sleeping bag) and you can find that here:

However, it is obviously more cost-effective to buy more than one pair, so go ahead and convo her for more sets and combined shipping rates. She works fast!

Some FAQs I can think of:

Q:   How big is it?
A:   51 pages, that include

• 1 cover page
• 6 pages of notes
• 36 pages of instruction
• 7 pages of full-size templates (no sticking-with-tape assembly needed)
• 1-page cutting plan for the pieces that do not require templates

Q:  Are there photos or illustrations?
A:  There are 129 color photographs, most of which are annotated for instruction, and one diagram.

Q:  What's in it?

Q:  What are the instructions like?
A:  Like my tutorials, except more detailed.


Q:  What sort of sewing level is required for this pattern?
A:  Obviously, you will need to be familiar with using the sewing machine. In addition, these are the specific skills necessary:

Q: What special equipment or tools might I need?
A: Not a whole lot. Here's the equipment list:

Q:  The doll is not part of the pattern, since it's already in the free tutorial, right? Is there any way you could include that in the pattern, too?

A:  For your convenience, the templates for the Basic Doll and her Basic Dress are in the pattern, too. However, the instructions to make the doll and dress are not (they'd just make the pattern even bigger). The pattern includes links to the Basic Doll tutorial and the Basic Doll Dress tutorial, as well as ikatbag tutorials in the archives that offer additional help with some of the some techniques used e.g. 4 ways to attach bias tape, how to make attached straps, etc.


Q:  What's it going to cost?
A:  I'm still mulling over the price, but given the size and scope of the pattern, it's going to be pretty similar to that of the Owie Doll pattern - i.e. about $18. If you have any questions about the pattern, leave a comment or shoot me an email.


Q:  What if I can't find some of the materials used? Will you offer alternatives and substitutions?
A:  Yes- the pattern suggests alternatives.


If you have any other questions, leave a comment or shoot me an email.

Okay! Here is the Master list:

And here are the lists of materials by project/project section:

Section (I) : Shoe Variations 

• Wool or wool blend felt - a  9"x12" sheet is more than sufficient for each shoe variation
• Narrow ribbon 6"long
• Small buttons or felt circles

Section (II): Hairstyle Variations

(A) Felt Hairstyles:

• Wool or wool blend felt - a  9"x12" sheet is more than sufficient for each hairstyle
• (Optional) Ribbons of various widths

(B) Yarn Hairstyles:

• Yarn - a skein usually makes about 3-4 "wigs", depending on the thickness of the yarn. I used both the (approximately) 1/4" and 1/8" thick yarn.
• Fabric glue, craft glue or tacky glue
• Hand-sewing needle, and thread
• Cardboard (or similar) to make a form for winding yarn

Section (III): Outfits

(A) Reversible Pinafore:

• Light to medium weight fabric (e.g quilting cotton, twill) for each of the two layers.
• 2 pairs small snaps (press-studs)
• 4 small buttons and/or wool or wool-blend felt for accent details

(B) Ball Gown

• Knit fabric for bodice
• Light fabric (e.g. quilting cotton, satin) for skirt

(C) Fairy Dress

• Woven and non-stretchy medium to heavy fabric for bodice (e.g. twill, felt, vinyl, home-dec, heavy cotton)
• Wool or wool-blend felt for skirt and wings- a  9"x12" sheet in each color is sufficient
• Fabric glue/craft glue/tacky glue
• Narrow (1/2") ribbon or 1/4" double-fold bias tape, 20" long
• Trim for waistband, about 10"
• Template plastic like this.

(D) Mermaid Bra

• Wool or wool blend felt - a  9"x12" sheet is more than sufficient
• Soft narrow elastic or stretch lace enough to wrap around the doll's chest

(E) Mermaid Tail

• Fleece
• Knit with good recovery and not too stretchy/loose).

Section (IV): Sleeping Bag/Tote

• Various light to medium fabrics (e.g. quilting cotton/homedec) for different layers - depending on whether you're using a single fabric for all the layers or multiple fabrics - anything from 1/4 yard to 1 yard.
• Heavy fabric (e.g. canvas, duckcloth) for one inner layer -1/4 yard or fat quarter size is sufficient
• Craft-weight/medium fusible interfacing - 1/4 yard
• Heavy sew-in interfacing - 1/4 yard
• Low loft or medium loft batting - 1/4 yard or fat quarter size is sufficient
• 1.5 yards bias tape - 3/8" is my preferred finished width (I make my own) or 1/2" store-bought, which you can trim and re-press to 3/8" or not. Do not use 1/4" bias tape - it is too narrow.
• Two swivel snap hooks, 5/8" internal dimensions
• Two D-rings, 5/8" internal dimensions
• 9" all-purpose zipper.

Watch out for updates here!