I am not a big fan of ironing. In fact I will tumble clothes in the dryer over and over again to avoid ironing and one of my very favorite new products is Downy Wrinkle Releaser. Having made that perfectly clear, I would now like to state that there are sometimes when you just have to iron, and pressing seams is one of them.

Hand-sewn seams are most often not pressed open, because the seam will be stronger if the seam allowances are pressed together to one side.

Unless directed differently in your pattern instructions, machine-sewn seams should first be pressed to one side, just like hand-sewn seams, and then opened and pressed flat. This is probably an extra step that you aren’t used to taking, but trust me it will be worth your while to press your seams in this manner.

If you don’t already have one, you might consider getting a tiny quilting iron to use when pressing your doll clothes seams. They should be available at quilt and fabric stores in your local area, and they are certainly readily available online. This is a link to Connecting Threads, one of my favorite online sources for quilting supplies.

For all of you non-ironing fans, like me, cheer up. There is absolutely no reason at all for you to press seams when you are sewing your doll. You just need to iron her clothes.

If you already own a copy of my Izannah Walker Doll Clothes Pattern for 18-1/2″ Doll then you know that the buttons called for in the pattern instructions are small white glass buttons with a painted rim. If you are searching for buttons like these, the best source is antique button dealers.

I buy quite a lot of old buttons and while my very favorite way to buy them is by the jar full, (for some reason old buttons are very often found inside of antique canning jars and sold by the jar) I very seldom find this particular type of button that way.

More often than not I buy individual buttons of this type from button dealers. Probably the most famous of all antique button shops in the U.S. is Tender Buttons. Located at 143 E 62nd Street, New York, NY 10065, (212) 758-7004. They are open weekdays 10:30 am – 6 pm; Saturday 10:30 am – 5:30 pm. Tender Buttons is a lot of fun to visit, but they aren’t the most cost effective place to buy your antique buttons. I’ve had the best luck and gotten the lowest prices buying buttons at Brimfield, the thrice-yearly outdoor antique extravaganza that takes over the town of Brimfield, MA. There are usually multiple button dealers that set up in Brimfield, many of whom congregate in the same location, making it easy to go from booth to booth.

I’ve also had whole huge cards of these buttons given to me by a friend. Obviously I have the BEST friends in the world! So spreading the word around and about that you are searching for glass buttons is also a good thing to do.