Maxine loves winter sports, especially snowboarding and ice skating. She is currently practicing both a long and a short ice skating program, so she needs a couple costumes to wear. This pattern for a Flexible Kitty Friend will make a Bodysuit and Circle Skirt with appliqué decoration (which is glued on to make things easy). Add a pair of ice skates made from felt, and Maxine is ready to impress the judges!
Download Maxine’s Ice Skating Outfit Here!
I am looking forward to seeing all the Kitty Friends and outfits that you create. You can join the Kitty Friends Facebook Group and share your photos and stories with other group members.
Maxine’s Ice Skating Outfit Instructions
Materials
Stretch knit fabrics for bodysuit and circle skirt
Felt for ice skates
Size 3 white crochet thread
1/4” wide ribbon
Needle for hand-sewing
Tapestry needle (with large eye)
Sewing thread to match fabric
Straight pins
Craft scissors for cutting out pattern
Small embroidery scissors for cutting fabric
Iron and ironing board
Fabric marking pen
Size 4/0 snaps
Elmer’s Glue All
Aleene’s Tacky Glue
Fray-Check
Ruler
NOTE: Please supervise children and take safety precautions when using an iron or a sewing machine.
STITCH DIAGRAMS
HAND SEWING VS. MACHINE SEWING
This tutorial will focus on hand-sewing techniques. If you are a beginning sewer, it will probably work better for you to hand-sew the pieces together. However, if you feel like your machine-sewing skills are up to the challenge, go for it! For sewing knits on the machine, a ball-point needle will be less likely to snag.
CUTTING OUT PIECES
Download and print pattern. Cut carefully around the outline of each pattern piece with craft scissors (save the good scissors for fabric so they won’t become dull). The fabric for the ice skating outfit needs to have some stretch. Polyester double-knit sportswear fabric is a good choice.
Knits can be tricky to cut out because the fabric tends to roll or slip. Pin the “Bodysuit” pattern to the fabric. Make sure that the arrow on the pattern is aligned with the stretchiest part of the knit fabric. You can pull on the knit in both directions to see which one is the stretchiest. Some knits have a right and wrong side (but double-knit is the same on both sides). Check to see if your knit has a right side and be aware of that when you are sewing. Cut carefully around all the curves.
Pin the “Circle Skirt” piece to the fabric. You don’t need to worry about aligning the pattern piece in any particular direction. Cut out the outer circle, then carefully cut out the circle in the center. Cut through each of the red lines in the inner circle.
The outer edge of the skirt will have a raw edge (no hemming required). Double-knit fabric does not fray very much. However, if your knit needs finishing, you can add a bead of Fray-Check around the outer edge of the circle. Test on a small scrap first to make sure that the Fray-Check does not discolor the fabric.
Cut a 2 1/4” long piece of the 1/4” wide ribbon and treat both edges with the Fray-Check to prevent them from fraying and as reinforcement for the edge with the snap.
Cut out four pieces from white felt using the “Ice Skate” pattern piece. Make sure to reverse two of the pieces and mark the black dots for the laces with a fabric marking pen. From gray felt, cut two pieces using the “Blade” pattern piece.
ATTACHING THE APPLIQUÉ
If you choose to embellish your bodysuit with an appliqué design, find a fabric which isn’t likely to ravel. I used a vinyl fabric for the heart and star shapes. Cut out the appliqué carefully. Spread a layer of Aleene’s Tacky Glue or other fabric glue on the back of the appliqué and press it into position on the front of the Bodysuit. Allow to dry thoroughly before sewing.
SEWING THE BODYSUIT
To finish the edges of the Bodysuit, start at one side and fold down 1/8” from the edge. Use a single knotted thread and start sewing a hemstitch. Do not use a double thread, because it can easily become tangled. Continue sewing with a hemstitch until you get to the top edge.
Fold the top edge down 1/8” and hem it. Fold the other side down 1/8” and hem that as well. Then knot the thread and cut off the end.
Hem both of the rounded leg openings the same way. With the iron on a low (polyester) heat setting, press the Bodysuit flat.
Fold the Bodysuit in half with right sides together and align the center back edges. Sew the center back seam 1/8” from the edge using a backstitch.
Now align both crotch sections and sew the crotch together 1/8” from the edge.
Turn the completed Bodysuit inside out.
ATTACHING THE CIRCLE SKIRT
Pull the Circle Skirt over the Bodysuit, and make sure the right sides are together and the circle is facing upwards. Pin the two pieces together.
The gray line on the pattern indicates where you will be attaching the Circle Skirt to the Bodysuit. Starting at the center back seam, use a single knotted thread to sew a backstitch to attach the Circle Skirt all the way around the Bodysuit.
Fold down the completed Circle Skirt.
ATTACHING THE RIBBON
With a double knotted thread (for extra strength), sew one edge of the ribbon to the left side at the top of the Bodysuit. Secure with a couple backstitches, then make a knot and cut off the extra thread.
SEWING ON SNAPS
Snaps come in various sizes such as 1/0, 2/0, 3/0 and 4/0. The larger the number, the smaller the snap. I used a size 4/0 snap, but if you have trouble sewing on such a small snap, you can use a larger snap.
Separate the two pieces of the snap from the card. These little snaps are slippery, so handle with care, or they may get away from you! Each snap has a “Ball Half” and a “Socket Half.” The Ball Half of the snap has a thinner edge than the Socket Half.
Make a knot in a double length of thread and insert the needle close to where you want the snap to be, on the free end of the ribbon. Center the Ball Half at the end of the ribbon. Bring the needle up through one of the holes. Sew twice in this hole, then move on to the next hole. Keep sewing around the snap until you have sewn twice in all four of the holes. Then make a knot and clip the thread.
Mark the snap placement of the Socket Half on the inside top corner of the bodysuit. Make a knot in the thread and insert the needle close to where you want to place the Socket Half. Bring the needle up through one of the holes. The Socket Half should be facing up to receive the Ball Half of the snap. Sew twice in all four holes of the Socket Half. The stitches on the opposite side will be visible, so make them as small as possible. Then make a knot and cut the thread. That’s it! Snaps can be a bit tedious to sew on, but they work really well for clothing on small dolls.
SEWING THE ICE SKATES
Place two of the Ice Skate pieces together. Use a double layer of knotted thread and insert the needle in between the layers of felt to hide the knot. Start sewing at the top of the heel using a whipstitch, and continue sewing to the bottom of the heel. Insert one Blade in between the layers of felt. Sew through all three layers to attach the Blade.
Continue sewing with a whipstitch in the toe area. Then knot the thread and bury it between the layers of felt. Do not sew all the way up to the top of the skate. You need to leave the top open for lacing. Repeat for these steps to make the other Ice Skate.
LACING THE ICE SKATES
Thread a large-eye tapestry needle with a 10” long strand of size 3 cotton crochet thread. Follow the lacing diagram below to lace both Ice Skates.
Insert the needle at the first dot, then follow the numbers to finish the laces. Make sure you note where the needle enters: from on top or underneath. Leave the extra tails of thread for now.
FINISHING THE ICE SKATES
Apply a bead of Elmer’s Glue All on both sides of the Blade. Use your finger to work the glue into the felt. Set the Ice Skate to dry on a piece of plastic (to protect your work surface). Repeat these steps for the other Blade. The Blades will look white until the glue has fully dried. After that, the blade will be stiff.
Place the finished Ice Skates on your doll’s feet. Pull the laces tight and tie a bow. Trim off the extra ends of the laces and put a small drop of Fray-Check on the ends of each lace.
Now you have completed Maxine’s Ice Skating Outfit! Have fun at the Olympics!
I have done my best to make the instructions complete and accurate. If you have any corrections, questions or comments about the tutorial, please Contact Me. And if you want to be informed when I add new patterns for Kitty Friends clothing or accessories, please Subscribe.
