American Doll Closet/clothes hangers Tutorial

Sweet pea recently received her very first American Girl Doll, so you ladies know I just had to sew her Isabelle doll clothes!! Ellie Inspired has so many great AG doll patterns, in fact almost every pattern she has there is a doll version of them. I am sewing my way through every single pattern too! Now that brings me to today's blog post. Right now Miss Isabelle has 7 dresses and a shirt/skirt set with nowhere to put her clothes so I had to make her one. (Now I say that like I didn't want to, you know I did!!!) You can find all her doll patterns here.

This closet is really very easy and quick to make. I used a crafting crate from Jo Ann's but you can find these at Wal-Mart as well. I paid $8 for mine on sale. I also bout a 1/2" round dowel rod a 1/4" dowel rod.

To make the curtain rod and the clothes rod I marked on both top sides of the crate. For the clothes rod I marked the center of the second from the back panel, 3" down. (I used the 1/2" dowel rod for this one)

For the curtain rod I marked the first panel on the front top side down 2" from the top. (I used the 1/4" dowel rod for this one) My wonderful dad then drilled both holes for this using a 1/2" drill bit for the back and 1/4" for the front. Then cut each dowel rod to the same width of the crate then glue in with wood glue. At this point if you want to you can paint or stain the crate.

Here is the view of the top od the closet, the curtain rod in the front and the clothes rod in the back.

Now onto the clothes hangers!! These are just as easy and quick. I took some wire hangers from the dry cleaners and cut off part of the top curved part and the sides/bottom just like the photo above. I used wire cutters for this part.

I then used needle nose pliers to bend the top into a curved shape and the sides in to make a bottom. I bent the sides at the at the second indentation  on the clothes hanger.

Now to keep the two ends together I used duct tape so there would be nothing to snag on the clothes. You could even use the fancy colored/printed duct tape too for this part.

Now they are just the right size for the doll's new wardrobe! This is her EL pink Ballerina dress. I am not done yet! Now for the curtain!

Cut one big rectangle 16 1/2" x22" and four smaller ones 2"x3". The smaller
ones are for the curtain tabs. Then pressed the curtain a 1/4" then another 1/4" to make a narrow hem.  Then stitched just the two short sides and the bottom, leave the top unstitched for now.

 

Next fold he curtain tab in half the long way to make a narrow tube. Stitch the end and the long side, leaving the one short end unstitched. Turn and press. Then top stitch the three stitched sides. (see the picture above)

Now take the four curtain tabs and place them evenly spaced under the narrow pressed hem of the top, pin in place, then stitch the across the top sewing the tabs into place.

To finish the tabs you can add buttons and button hole but to keep it simple for my daughter so that she can change the curtain herself I use hook and loop tape. I cut four small squares of the hook and loop tape and sewn them onto the front side of the curtain a 1/2" down and to the tab on the front side. Lastly just add your curtain to your new closet and you are done!!

Now your daughter's American Girl doll has a place to store all her beautiful home made clothes!

Isabelle is modeling her Ellie Inspired Miss Merry Mack dress. It is the very same dress as Sweet pea's too. Sweet pea loves that her doll ahs all matching clothes as hers. They will look great this Christmas!

Next up will be all the clothes I have made her so far!

Until then Happy Sewing!!

Sharon