
For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets.
Today’s free sun dress pattern may look familiar to you. That’s because it has been available on this website as a JPG-only pattern. Today I’m converting it to a PDF pattern for your easy download.
I designed it for the absolute beginner sewists out there, after a mother requested a ball gown pattern for her child who was just learning to sew. This project’s super simple design makes it easy to create either a short or long doll’s dress together with a child in a “mommy and me” sewing setup.
Mom can sew the darts and the hem, while the child sews the ribbon straps and gathers the fabric.
Here’s the shorter version, which looks a wee bit too short on my Curvy Barbie:
If you’re going to make this short skirt, I recommend adding a pair of shorts to the project, to create more of a skort.
The pattern itself is easy to work with. Because the bodice has a sort of “bump” at the top, the doll’s chest will be well-covered, even if something goes wrong when sewing the darts.
If you’d like to know more about how to teach a child to sew, you may benefit by looking back at this post, entitled, “Tips and Tricks for Teaching Kids to Sew w/Doll Clothing Designer Chelly Wood.”
Today’s patterns will fit these dolls:
- Disney Princess 10 inch dolls
- Momoko dolls
- Petite Barbie dolls
- Skipper dolls
- Project MC Squared Dolls
- Curvy Barbie dolls
- Tall Barbie dolls (but the short skirt doesn’t work for her)
Here are your free, printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making the dresses shown at the top of this page:
- Free printable PDF sewing pattern for Curvy Barbie and similar sized dolls
- Tutorial video showing how to gather fabric
- How to hem a garment using the whipstitch
- How to do a straight stitch
Feel free to pin, like, or tweet about my free patterns and tutorials. This is what your pattern will look like, and you’re welcome to share this image on social media:

Credit:
Skipper, Curvy Barbie, Tall Barbie, and Petite Barbie dolls are products offered by Mattel, which holds the registered trademark for them (™). Please visit the Mattel Toys website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.
Momoko dolls are products offered by Petworks, which holds the trademark for them (™). Please visit the Momoko Dolls website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.
Disney Princess dolls are products offered by the Disney corporation, which holds the trademark for them (™). Please visit the Disney Toys website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.
Project MC Squared dolls are products offered by MGA Entertainment, which holds the trademark for them (™). Please visit the Project MC Squared website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.
Is there a pattern to make a Barbie doll stand?
I have a tutorial video showing how to hide a doll stand within a diorama, but I don’t have a pattern for making your own. Sorry! 🙁
Here’s the link to my “Invisible Doll Stand” tutorial video: https://chellywood.com/2017/08/28/doll-photography-tip-11-make-an-invisible-dolls-stand/