Last week my inbox was flooded with people asking me questions and making requests. Yes, the holiday sewing season is upon us, and our kids and grandkids are hoping we’ll make them lots of lovely doll clothes for Christmas!

One of the requests I received was for a coat pattern for 18-inch dolls. In my response to this request, I pointed out that you can make a felt jacket from my long-sleeved shirt pattern. What I’m thinking of is something like the jacket shown in “View G” on the Simplicity 4786 pattern that you see at the top of this blog post.

You can take my pattern for this shirt, and sew it with the closure at the front instead of the back:

It would also help if you used the rounded neckline instead of the V-neck. This pattern’s neckline is the one I’m referring to:

Now cut each jacket piece (including the long sleeves) out of felt, sew it together like you would for a shirt, sew some snaps down the front (instead of the back), and voila! You have an instant winter jacket for your 18-inch dolls!

However if you want a variety of different jacket and coat patterns to fit your 18″ dolls, Simplicity Crafts Pattern #4786 is certainly a good choice. It includes a boot pattern too:

As I’ve said in similar blog posts of the past, if you’re unfamiliar with purchasing used doll clothes patterns online, I advise you to read through my blog post giving advice on this matter. It may save you from getting a raw deal.

Happy holiday sewing everyone!