by Dena
(Kansas)
When I sew doll clothes or other tiny items like parts for small stuffed toys or holiday ornaments, I like to borrow a technique from patchwork and sew chain style using a sewing spider. Chain style simply means to sew several components of your project without cutting the thread between them until after you have finished all of them, and it seems to help keep tiny corners from getting sucked down into the machine. The easiest way to do this is begin with a sewing spider, which is simply a folded scrap to sew through to begin the chain. The name spider comes from the fact that this little scrap is re-used a number of times, and the bits of thread sticking out of it after it has repeatedly been cut from the beginning of a chain resemble a spider's legs. I also find that chain sewing keeps me from losing tiny parts of the doll clothes I'm making.