Some people are disappointed with the appearance of a knitted dolls garment after it is sewn up. We have been asked how to avoid bulk on seams, which cause the dolls clothes to look lumpy and misshapen. The secret lies in the seam allowances, most people find that if they adjust the seam allowance it will solve the problem.
When sewing up areas of rib, oversew the edges as you would on a human garment, but make sure you insert your needle as close to the edge as possible, this will produce a much flatter seam, with little or no bulk. Do not be tempted to pull the stitches very tight as this will also add bulk – looser stitches lie much flatter.
Back stitch can be used on flatter areas, such as lace or stocking/stockinette stitch, but your needle must be as close as you can get it to the edge of the work (see photo above), again do not be tempted to pull stitches too tight. Your stitches can be made slightly wider apart than you would make them on a human sized garment. Dolls will not be pulling garments on and off as frequently as humans do or flexing seams through movement. A row of very tiny densely packed stitches could add considerable bulk to a really tiny seam.
The photo above shows the inside of the seam and the amount of seam allowance you should be aiming for, the right side of the seam is shown below.
