Doesn’t my “28-inch Best Fashion Friend” Barbie look fabulous as a figure skater? Wait ’till you see the stop motion movie I made of her skating! It will appear in this week’s tutorial video.

This week, for #TapeMeasureTuesday, we’re taking measurements of a 28″ Barbie, but while we’re on the subject of Jumbo-sized dolls, I’d like to mention the 36-inch Barbies too.

Every now and then I get a request for 36-inch Barbie doll clothes patterns. Although my daughters used to have one of these very large Barbie dolls when they were in grade school, we got rid of it long ago. So all I can say about 36″ doll clothes patterns is this: I’ve heard rumors that you can put a 36″ Barbie in a Onesie and make tutus to go with it. That seems simple enough…

Therefore, as part of this week’s sewing adventures, I’m going to offer you some links to tutorials showing how to make a simple tutu for dolls, using elastic and tulle. So that will help, if you’re sewing tutus to go with a Onesie for a 36-inch Barbie doll.

But I digress. Today we’re actually going to measure a 28-inch “Best Fashion Friend” Barbie, which has been manufactured and distributed by the Mattel toy company.

Here are the 28″ Barbie “Best Fashion Friend” doll’s measurements for sewing purposes (seam allowances not included):

• Neck circumference… 10 cm
• Neck to shoulder seam… 3.7 cm
• Bust 31 cm
• Collar to true waist… 13.5 cm
• Underarm to true waist… 8.5 cm
• Sleeve inseam (underarm to cuff)… 20 cm
• Sleeve from shoulder seam to cuff… 21.8 cm
• Sleeve circumference…  9 cm
• Waist… 22 cm
• Hip circumference… 31.2 cm
• Pants inseam (crotch to just below the ankle bone)… 35 cm
• Pants outseam (waist to just below the ankle bone)… 45.5 cm
• Pants leg circumference (upper thigh)… 17.5 cm
• Height not including hair… 28 inches or 71 cm

I love to dress my 28″ Best Fashion Friend Barbie, so I’m sure this week’s sewing adventure won’t be the last of its kind. Feel free to leave a request in the comments. What would you like me to design for 28″ dolls after this?

And please remember, website renovations are going on behind the scenes, so be patient while I try to re-design the site to allow easier access to the patterns you really want to sew.

Meanwhile, don’t forget to tell the world about my FREE sewing patterns:

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• Use any other form of social media that appeals to you!

To read more about my free sewing patterns and tutorials, please visit the “Helpful Tips” page.

ADDENDUM:

I got several comments on this page, asking for foot measurements for the 28-inch tall Barbie dolls. My doll has painted-on shoes, and I’ve been told that other versions of this doll do not. Their feet are shoeless, with plastic shoes that can be worn over the top of their bare feet.

So please keep in mind that these measurements are for the doll with painted-on shoes, not the barefoot version of the doll, but with that said, these are the measurements I’ve taken:

• 68 millimeters toe to heel
• 156 millimeters in total circumference around the bottom of the foot
• 30 millimeters wide at the widest point of the foot
• 70 millimeters from ankle to bottom of the foot, for making a short boot

In the photo shoot for this blog post, my 28 inch Barbie is wearing a pair of American Girl ice skates over the top of her painted-on shoes. The doll’s heel pokes out just a little above the boot of these ice skates, but otherwise her foot does fit in the ice skates.