Tutorial on inserting elastic into doll clothes

On my previous post GiGi's favorite sewing accessories that I use for making doll clothing I posted a photo of straight Bodkin.  I decided to make a tutorial on how I use it for those that are not familiar with it.

 

Her is the bodkin laying under the casing I sewed for the elastic.

 Insert the bodkin in one end

 Pull in through to the other end. You will notice the hook on the end. This is where you hook your elastic.

 

 

 

 I pull the elastic through until I have the edge of it and stop. 

 I then sew it so it stays put.  I use to pin it and then pull it through to the side and some times it would come lose and I would have to redo it. 

 You can see from this photo, I still have the bodkin attached to the elastic. I do not pull it all the way through - this prevents tension on the other end.

 Now that I have the other end secured I pull the bodkin out with just enough elastic on the edge to sew.

 Securing the other side of the casing with the elastic.

I have sewn the "back pants" together and serged the raw edges.

 Here is the finished product.  This technique is very fast in inserting elastic into pants, shorts, and skirts.

Here is the pants on the doll. The doll scrubs pattern is from Love U Bunches.  I really like her patterns.  They are colorful and easy to follow.  Check her out on Pixie Faire or on her Facebook page.

 

 

I hope you found this tutorial helpful. As always thanks for reading.

 

GiGi