Hitty Fabrics Part 1

UPDATE: July 2023

I can no longer find the website for My Fabric Designs! This is very concerning because I am not able to order any more fabric. When I find out what happened, I will post another update. I have disabled any links to their website as a precaution.

I must admit that I have an obsession with fabrics: specifically, the fabrics used for Hitty’s dresses. Some of these dresses are fictional: they are described in the book Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field and appear in the illustrations by Dorothy Lathrop. Other dresses are real and belonged to the actual Hitty who now resides in the Stockbridge Library and Museum (see pictures in the post “Who is Hitty.”). For years now, I have been on a quest for the perfect fabric to replicate Hitty dresses, both real and fictional.

There are multiple companies which provide print on demand fabrics, but most fabrics that they offer are inappropriate for small dolls. It might be that the weave is too coarse, the fabric is too stiff, the material is synthetic, or the printing is not sharp enough. Spoonflower is one of the most widely used companies. Most of their fabric is not appropriate for dolls, although I do think their Cotton Poplin and Organic Cotton Sateen are the best options. Last month, My Fabric Designs offered a sale on Cotton Poplin and Cotton Silk, so I ordered samples of each.

PRINTING PROCESS

My Fabric Designs uses different printing processes depending on the type of fabric ordered. Cotton Poplin is printed with pigments which is a direct process, like using an inkjet printer. The inks are then heat-set. Cotton Silk uses a reactive printing process. The print is first made onto special paper which is then transferred to the silk using pressure. After that, washing and drying the fabric will set the image. This method does not add any stiffness to the fabric the way that direct pigment does.

PREWASHING

All fabrics should be pre-washed before using, and most can be dried in a dryer. Read and follow all instructions for washing as specified by the company you ordered from. Always zig-zag the edges of the fabric before washing to prevent fraying. After washing, iron the fabric on the back (unprinted) side using the recommended heat setting.

Cotton Poplin Washing Instructions: “Use a phosphate-free detergent in cool water on a delicate cycle for best results. Tumble dry low and remove promptly. Iron on the unprinted side of fabric using standard cotton settings.”

Cotton Silk Washing Instructions: “Use a phosphate free detergent in cool water using a delicate cycle for best results. Tumble dry low and remove promptly. If needed, iron on the unprinted side of fabric using the low setting for synthetic fabrics.”

FABRIC HAND

The way fabric feels against your skin is called the “fabric hand.” Fabrics can be soft and drapeable or stiff and coarse. Obviously, for a tiny doll, you need a lightweight fabric with a very soft hand for it to drape properly. Softness also makes the fabric easier to sew. Both the Cotton Poplin and Cotton Silk have a nice feel. The Cotton Silk is especially soft and drapeable.

SEWING TIPS

For the Cotton Silk, it is extremely important to use a brand new machine needle for lightweight fabrics. I tried a heavier weight needle, and it pulled the fabric as I stitched. When ironing, if the wrinkles don’t come out, try using a spray bottle with distilled water and spraying the back of the fabric before ironing. Use silk pins so they don’t snag the fabric. They are thinner and sharper than regular pins.

COLOR ACCURACY

My main criticism with My Fabric Designs’ fabric is that some of the colors seem a bit off. They tend to print with a more subdued and slightly greenish cast. This is especially apparent with the Cotton Silk, possibly due to the reactive printing process. Unfortunately, My Fabric Designs does not offer swatches of Cotton Silk, which means you must purchase an entire yard at the cost of $32 to test the colors! You can purchase 7″ x 5″ swatches of Cotton Poplin, for only $5.

*Color comparison between Cotton Silk on the left and Cotton Poplin on the right*

SHRINKAGE

While a design may look perfect on screen, once it has been transferred to fabric and washed the result may not be what you expect. After washing, the Cotton Silk shrank noticeably. The print appeared to be 2-3% smaller. My Fabric Designs states that the estimated shrinkage is length: 1%, width: 3%.

The Cotton Poplin also shrank a little, but not as much as the Cotton Silk. It appeared to be about 1-2% smaller after washing. That might not seem like a lot, but it is visually apparent when you put the prints side by side. The estimated shrinkage according to My Fabric Designs is length: 3%, width: 1%.

*Shrinkage comparison between Cotton Poplin (top), Cotton Silk (middle) and Cotton Voile (bottom)*

Hitty Prints

Since I have not seen Hitty in person at the Stockbridge Library and Museum, I have to rely on photos taken by others. Here are some photos taken by Julie Old Crow that show a variety of prints from the real Hitty’s clothing. I used her photos and others to help me design these replica fabrics, appropriately scaled, using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

COTTON POPLIN

**The top print** is a replica of the daguerreotype dress shown in the illustration from the frontispiece of the book. The real version of this dress was most likely Hitty’s original clothing when she was purchased by Lathrop and Field in the 1920s. In the illustration the dress is more of a golden color compared to the original brown sprig print.
**The bottom print** is a replica of the library dress print which the real Hitty originally wore while on display in the glass case at the library. The real Hitty now wears a replica of the sprig dress instead.

**The top print** is the “buff calico strewn with small red flowers” from the book, which was Hitty’s very first dress created by young Phoebe Preble.
**The bottom print** is the dress shown in multiple illustrations, including the one where Hitty writes her memoirs. It has repeating rows of dots and a shape that looks a little like a fleur-de-lis.

**The top print** shows two color variations of the striped dress shown in the illustration of Thankful’s sampler. Thankful was the daughter of missionaries in India, and her mother purchased Hitty from a snake charmer there. Thankful’s mother made Hitty “a rather voluminous dress of cotton print, in a far from gaudy pattern.” I kept the colors subdued to match this description.
**The bottom print** shows a pink and white pattern used for the real Hitty’s sunbonnet on display at the library.

COTTON SILK

**This photo** shows two variations of the daguerreotype dress print. The colors appear greenish compared to the Cotton Poplin. I have had a difficult time trying to get the right color for this dress. The next step will be to order a “Color Matrix” which shows color chips printed on a yard of fabric. By matching the RGB HEX values, it should be possible to pick colors more accurately.

**The top print** shows the library dress fabric. Although I used the exact same design for the Cotton Poplin, this one looks smaller due to shrinkage.
**The bottom print** shows a replica of Hitty’s real silk quilt. Years ago I found a color image of this quilt on the internet somewhere, but neglected to note where it was! If you know where to find a color picture of this quilt, please Contact Me. In the article, “Where is Hitty?” there is a black and white picture of it, and a caption which says, “Closeup of the silk patchwork quilt, showing the details of the tiny patches. This quilt was made with 130 tiny patches which fit together perfectly. The quilt measures 8 in (20.3 cm) by 9 in (22.9 cm) and each patch is 3/4 in (2 cm) at its widest point.”

**The top half** shows a replica of Kitty’s skirt fabric. This was Kitty’s first outfit in the book, A Tale of Two Hittys.
**The bottom half** shows a replica of her paletot jacket fabric.

Test Project #1

If you read my post about “The Dickens Dresses,” then you have some idea of the difficulty involved in replicating an outfit in miniature. Scroll to the end of that post to read more about how I made this latest version of the outfit.

My first two attempts to make Kitty’s Dickens Dress used Spoonflower Cotton Voile and Spoonflower Satin, but I had issues with both fabrics. However, my latest attempt using My Fabric Designs’ Cotton Silk fabric was a great success. The Cotton Silk sews like a dream! It doesn’t wrinkle much at all, and the finished outfit has a lovely sheen.

I plan to follow-up with future posts about my quest to recreate all the Hitty dresses. If you want to be notified when new posts are published, you can Subscribe to receive a monthly email about all the posts on the blog each month. If you would like to purchase any of these prints from My Fabric Designs, please Contact Me and let me know which designs you are interested in.

SOURCES:

Baker, Dottie. “Where is Hitty?” Doll Reader, February/March 1986, pp. 1-2-106.

Field, Rachel. Hitty: Her First Hundred Years. Macmillan Company, October 1943.