“I try to make the inside look as neat as the outside…”

Some people have wondered… do I really make the inside of my doll clothes as neat as the outside like I say I do in my description? Well I thought since I had Isabelle’s dress on Ebay right now it was a good opportunity to show the inside of it… and you can see for yourself. Now you couldn’t necessarily wear it turned wrong side out, but I’ll show you what I mean by neat!

This is the outside… Pretty cute on Isabelle isn’t it? She’s going to have a fit when I take this one off of her!

(If you click on the pictures they enlarge.)

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I had a doll customer tell me a few years ago that when she receives a doll outfit, the first thing she does is smell it and the second thing is to lift up the skirt and see if there are loose threads hanging anywhere. That always stuck with me and I’m an eagle eye when it comes to threads on the insides. They are always snipped when found.

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Everything that can be stitched down flat is! My iron is on the entire time I’m making something and I iron as I go… every seam, every time something gets added on…it gets pressed flat! (Oh by the way, I am LOVING my new Shark iron!)

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Corners are squared up, hems are done by hand most of the time and snaps are neatly sewn on.

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When it’s all stitched down, it makes for much less bulk inside. I don’t like bulky tiny dresses…

Everything should lay flat and be smooth.

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Okay, so do you think I meant what I said? Hope so…. Here’s a shot of inside and outside again…

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See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne

13 thoughts on ““I try to make the inside look as neat as the outside…””

  1. Hello Jeanne!

    You do a beautiful job of keeping the inside as beautiful as the outside! I remember those days in Home Ec. in high school, trying to do the same, and then in 4-H, making aprons and such for the local fair Home Economics exhibit. How frustrating to keep everything neat looking INSIDE, where I was sure no one was going to look! Silly me, but it served me well, and now I know the mark of a good seamstress is how things are on the INSIDE!

    1. Hi Linda,
      I too, remember those judges in 4-H being pretty tough, so if a seam was even an 1/8th of an inch off, I’d rip it out and redo it! I guess it paid off because I either went to State or had my outfit sent every year I was in 4-H! Oh, the memories!
      Thanks Linda,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  2. Well, well, well….. I think I am going to throw all my home made outfits in the bin ! Because the insides look so horrible !!!! Shame on me !
    It is an amazing sewing Jeanne ! Contrats .
    Sophie

    1. Now Sophie,
      Don’t go throwing anything away…. my things didn’t always look neat inside. I’ll be showing some of my first things I made in a future post.
      Just keep trying and make little changes every time you make something… you’ll begin to see improvement.
      Blessings, Jeanne

  3. Jeanne in IL, This is a wonderful post !! Yes, your garment does look perfectly finished on the inside. You have given me reassurance that I am on the right track in making a fully finished garment for my girls. I have seriously wondered if I was doing enough and also in the correct way. Based on your example I have a few tweaks to make in my assembly process and then I will feel very good about my finished product. I have not sold on any forum as of yet {though I have tried} however, now I will feel more confident that what I present is of the best quality. No one wants an unhappy customer!
    Thank you for sharing this important information!!!

    1. HI Jeannie,
      I’m so glad you found this post helpful. I was a little nervous about sharing the insides of my outfits…thinking, what if it’s not what everyone expected… what if they truly did expect that they could be worn inside out… yikes!
      Anyway, glad it helped you see where you could make some tweaks in your sewing. Thanks for being a faithful reader every day!
      Blessings, Jeanne

    1. Hi Jan,
      Maybe I can show that in another post. Do you mean the back edge at the waistline or the hemline?
      Blessings, Jeanne

  4. I wondered about the skirt back edge at the waist. It is so neat without a stray thread and not bulky either. It would be nice to know how you finish the hem edge too. Just lovely technique in all you do.

    Jan

    1. Jan,
      I hope you see the post for Saturday, Sept 20th. I addressed your questions…
      Thanks for asking…it gave me something to write about…
      Blessings, Jeanne

  5. Pingback: The back of Isabelle’s dress….

  6. Donnell Wisniewski

    My grandmother taught me that the inside should look as nice as the outside. That’s always my thought when making anything for my “girls”. Love the way you finish everything so nicely.

    1. Hi Donnell,
      I didn’t have a grandmother who taught me that, but I sure did hear it from the 4-H judges a lot!
      Thanks for the compliment and thanks for reading…
      Blessings, Jeanne

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