Stick to my design 'rules'... or not! Part 2...
- knit4dolls
- Sep 16, 2011
- 2 min read
Our knit4dolls Barbie T-shirt does conform to our general rules...
1. best to always go a bit bigger if you're unsure of the measurement,
2. always function as a child's item would, as far as possible.
My dilemma was that a smaller version of the T-shirt would fit Barbie, and it looked quite good too. However I was the one dressing the doll in the T-shirt... and I could think through what to do to get the T-shirt on the arms of Barbie and then over her head.
Even the larger size of T-shirt may be tricky for a child, but that is how we people put on T-shirts. And if dolls are to be used, for example, to help explain getting dressed with young and special needs children, then it is important that the process is the same for them too. However, if the design of the T-shirt was changed then it could be a lot easier to get on and off. This was a strong possibility, but sadly it would not reflect the true life of a T-shirt. A T-shirt must go over the arms and head!
So instead of knitting a T-shirt, the design could be renamed, maybe a 'Snap Strap' top. Hopefully with such a catchy, rhyming name, a child may be unlikely to have a similar item of clothing, where one strap would not be attached permanently but with a snap fastener. This could easily be achieved by making one strap 3 stitches longer, and attaching half a snap fastener to the end of the strap and one to the front (or back) of the top so that it alligned with the other strap.
Of course, you can involve the child in the design stage of the T-shirt, letting them discover problems and determine rational answers... I would be tempted to knit one T-shirt deliberately a bit too tight and see if, between the two of you, you could redesign it yourselves...
That's the beauty of knitting our knit4dolls clothes... They are so 'quick and easy' to make that items can be quickly knitted and with very little yarn that they are relatively cheap, thereby allowing plenty of opportunity to experiment...
I call that Science!
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