Doll Checked Cotton Dress

Another day, another doll's dress. Luckily I don't have an audience of readers, or they would have deserted me for sure. Maybe I should embrace the doll-sewing-lady I have become and go out and buy some dolls for myself. And a house to keep them in. Kidding! Sort of.

These dresses are actually making perfect birthday gifts for the girls' friends. Even though we are in the UK, a surprising number of their friends have dolls too. I am very pleased that we got the dolls when we did because this is exactly when they really want to play with them, and they are getting a lot of pleasure from playing dolls with their friends.

Luckily, I can now knock out a doll's dress in less than a day. I think I could do two or three if I did them assembly line style. But I hate cutting out so much that by the time I have cut out 6 bodice pieces for one dress, I am so over it that I can't begin to think about cutting out a single thing more.

I used Simplicity 1443 again, in much the same style as the last time. I had a tight deadline for this dress and I didn't feel like playing around with variations. I cut the button band from the pattern this time, and added navy trim to each side. I cut the front band and the skirt band on the bias so that the check would run diagonally.

I doubled the width of the skirt band so I could fold it over and keep it knee length. I gave myself a huge pat on the back for having all seams nicely enclosed, the only exposed seams were the skirt back, so I bound them. I did them early, before I even attached the skirt to the bodice, so the edges are really neat. I am not sure about the opening of the skirt back, it seems a bit to flasher-esque. I might need to think about some kind of overlap. I'll have to go and inspect Emily Bennet's arrival dress a bit more closely and perhaps add a placket.

Otherwise, I give myself a solid 9 out of 10 for the dress. Plus a bonus point for upcycling a worn out sheet!

Doll Plaid Party Dress - knock off

It's my little sister's birthday today so this party dress is for you Angie! Sorry I can't make it to your birthday but the dollies will be there in spirit. X.

This is one of those happy times when you see something in a store and as a sewer your first thought is, "I could make that!" (Aside: yes, I am a sewer, not a sewist.)

American Girl Plaid Party Dress

My version isn't quite the same as the original. Aside from the colour and and size difference of the checks (plaid), mine are not on the diagonal and my trim isn't rick rack, nor have I applied it across the hem. Nevertheless, I am happy enough with the likeness.

I was fortunate enough to have another outgrown dress to refashion for this project. The plaid section of the fabric was perfect for getting the look I wanted. There was enough in the skirt for me to get the doll's dress and the belt out of it. I also used the wrong side of the pink section for the piping, and the lining for the bodice lining and seam finishes.

I used a pattern this time, Simplicity 1443 which I recently bought from Minerva Crafts. I loved View A on the cover, which is the view I made here. As I was making it up, I noticed that it is
not really any different from the free pattern I have been using up until now. I do plan to make View C soon, and the cardigan, Views G and H, but I don't really see there being much interest in the playsuit. What looks like a lot of patterns is really four, styled different ways: two dresses, one playsuit and one cardigan.

That said, it is a cute pattern, with lots of ideas for customising and the fit for an American Girl doll is really good so I am pleased to have it in my collection.

I customised it to make it closer to the American Girl dress that I was attempting to knock off. Firstly, I created a ruffle for the front bodice. I made it out of a tube of fabric, closed at the bottom, gathered, then stitched to the front bodice. The open edge gets enclosed in the seam allowance at the neckline.  I also had to break the skirt to make the front left opening. The pattern has one single piece for the whole skirt but I couldn't just swivel it because the doll needs the centre back opening to get the dress on and off. I guessed at the location, added 1 inch allowance on each side, and luckily, it hit in exactly the right place. I didn't have the original dress to compare with but I left this opening open but sewn closed with two non-functional buttons. I also added a belt and belt loops. I skipped the collar and added piping, instead of rick-rack to the front neckline and the top of the skirt band.

I do have a beef with a lot of commercial patterns in how they finish their insides. There are too many raw edges. For example, the collar is attached and left loose inside the bodice. There is a bodice lining / full facing, so why not enclose the the collar edges inside that? The skirt is attached to the complete bodice and lining and left exposed. It screams Home-Made! Instead, I attached the skirt to the outer bodice and then went back and enclosed the lining over the gathered edges with top stitching.

I went even further and tried out my first Hong Kong seam finishes on the skirt and the hem. This one is going out as a gift, so I wanted it to look as profesh' as possible. If I had an overlocker, that would have sufficed - I mean, who does Hong Kong seams on a doll's dress? - but I am pleased with the finish I got. The only problem here is that I didn't decide early enough so the edges that feed into the seam allowances are not well finished.

The dress has enough of the 7 year old stamp of approval that she doesn't want to give it to her friend. Luckily, the girls were given a dress each, so I have a second dress that can be refashioned in time for Christmas.

Cost:
Pattern: £3.25
Fabric: gift
Buttons: stash
Velcro: salvaged
Thread: stash
Time and effort: yes, but worth it.

Doll Party Cardigan

Another Doll Cardigan to match a party dress. This is my go-to pattern for a cardigan, with short sleeves, I can make it in less than a week, and in this bamboo yarn, it has a lovely drape and sheen.

This time I made the pattern as written but added one more row of rib at the end of the eyelets. Plus a buttonhole. My Ravelry notes and pattern link are here.

Another birthday gift ready to go...