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.