Half way through the 2016 summer sessions and I’ve already seen some great creations come out of the American Girl Doll fashion camp that I teach at Stitch Lab.
I’ve noticed that many of the kids who take the class have an interest in design and want to express their ideas through custom wardrobes for their dolls. They often see an outfit they want to recreate themselves, and sometimes add their own unique flair, or they create an entirely new outfit of their own design.
The week-long course is a great way to get an introduction to fashion design and construction. The goal at the end of the course is for the kids to get first-hand experience with all of the basic steps of creating an outfit based on their original design.
It starts with the kids designing and sketching on croquis to demonstrate their ideas. We then cover all the steps that will lead up to the final production of their wardrobe. This begins with simple sewing techniques and gets more complex as we go . This enables the kids to build upon what they’ve learned, and I can also tailor the instruction based on their skill level and the techniques they’ll need to know to create their custom design.
Based on their sketches, I then create the patterns for each kid’s design, and demonstrate all the steps involved with sewing – cutting, pinning all the way to finally sewing – so they can see the process and walk through it themselves.
At the end of the week, the result is several finished pieces that started as their own sketches and have been turned into unique wardrobes, that often include multiple outfits and accessories.
Check out just a few of the completed projects below. I’m also available for private lessons or to make custom American Girl doll outfits.
If you’re interested in signing up for this class, here are the camp student prerequisites:
- Basic machine sewing skills: can thread & operate a sewing machine themselves. Not sure? Email and we’ll discuss it!
- Children must be between the ages of 9-13 years old.
Check out the American Girl Doll class for more information, and all of the Kids Sewing options.
