Halter top doll clothes patterns are among the most versatile for clothes-swaps! Join the #SewingChat @ ChellyWood.com #DollClothesPatterns

The image shows Simplicity doll clothes pattern number 7208, which includes six baby doll outfits, one of which is a halter top with pants outfit, and another which is a simple diaper pattern.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

February is Black History month, here in the United States, and as I said in a previous blog post, I’m having a tough time finding images of African American dolls on my old vintage (and, indeed, even my newer) commercial doll clothes patterns. To join that discussion, look back at the blog post I did on Martin Luther King Day.

But I did find this pattern, a Simplicity 7208 doll clothes pattern, that has an adorable picture of an African American baby doll in a little yellow bunting. How cute is that?!

Baby buntings can be a lot of fun to make, but today I want to talk about the halter top pattern that you see both yellow arrows pointing to in the image below:

Simplicity doll clothes pattern number 7208 is overlaid with two yellow arrows. One points at the image of a doll wearing a halter top. The other points at a line drawing of a halter top with a focus on the closure at the back. There's also a purple arrow pointing at the line drawing of a diaper pattern. The watermark reminds us to visit Chelly Wood Dot Com to find free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

I have a similar halter top pattern on this website, and when people message me asking about a pattern that will fit most dolls, I always tell them that my halter top pattern is the most versatile of all.

That’s because of the way a halter top closes.

Take a close look at the image that the lower right-hand arrow is pointing at. This shows the closure of the halter top pattern.

Typically, a halter top is tied at the neck, but the closure at the back can be a ribbon tie, snaps, or even a horizontal strip of Velcro that makes it possible for the halter top to fit very slender dolls or dolls with a wider body. By sewing your Velcro horizontally, you create a sort of one-size-fits-all closure that can be made tighter or looser, depending on the doll.

That’s why my halter top pattern will fit the little 14.5″ American Girls Wellie Wishers, as you can see here:

Image shows a Wellie Wisher doll from the American Girl doll collection wearing a handmade halter-style summer shirt, dress, or swimsuit cover-up garment with rickrack and a pocket. The doll stands in front of a painting of a beach scene with a vacation house on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The doll's rubber boots keep her feet dry as she stands on a sandy surface. Overlay reads: "ChellyWood.com: FREE printable sewing patterns and tutorials for dolls of many shapes and sizes." Please visit ChellyWood.com for free, printable sewing patterns for doll clothes to fit this and other sized dolls.
Visit ChellyWood.com for FREE printable sewing patterns for dolls of many shapes and sizes.

But it can also fit the 18″ dolls like my Kaya:

The image shows the American Girl Doll Kaya wearing the doll clothes we are making at ChellyWood.com using Chelly's free printable American Girl doll clothes patterns. This week's free pattern will be for an 18 inch doll shirt. It's a summer shirt, shown on her Kaya doll from the American Girls doll company. This doll's shirt pattern includes a front pocket, ribbon ties at the neck, and remember, the pattern for this halter-style summer tank top is free, printable, and relatively easy to sew. The watermark on the image reminds you that free American Girl doll clothes patterns can be found at ChellyWood.com (free AG doll clothes patterns and free Madame Alexander doll clothes patterns fit most 18" dolls).
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for dolls of many shapes and sizes.

That’s right — I’m using the exact same pattern for both dolls! The only thing that’s different is how they close in the back…

Image shows the Madame Alexander doll wearing the home-made halter top with a ribbon tie at the back of the neck. She's at the beach setting, with her duffel or kit bag nearby (we made that project last week). Her lavender pants coordinate nicely with the purple zig-zag striped halter top. She looks off at the rolling waves in the distance, and the doll's hair is thrown up in a blond messy bun.
Visit ChellyWood.com for FREE printable sewing patterns to fit dolls of many shapes and sizes.

For this 18″ Madame Alexander doll (shown above), I used a series of snaps right along the edge of the garment at the back, but for the smaller dolls, I used a horizontal strip of Velcro, so the back closure could be made tighter for the smaller torso.

And as you can see in the image below, it even fits my little 12″ baby doll, but I have to tighten the neck strings a bit, and it’s a little longer on her, fitting more like a dress than a halter top:

Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns to fit dolls of many shapes and sizes. Image shows a free printable sewing pattern for the back portion of a halter-style dress (for 12 inch baby dolls) or summer shirt (for 16" dolls like the Velvet doll from the Crissy doll family). The website watermark on this free printable sewing pattern for baby dolls and 16-inch dolls says "ChellyWood.com: Free doll clothes patterns and tutorials." To see the tutorial that shows you how to make this summer halter top for dolls, please visit ChellyWood.com.
Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns to fit dolls of many shapes and sizes.

And yes, these are all photos of dolls wearing halter tops made from the exact same pattern!

If you’d like to download the PDF sewing pattern for this halter top, you can find it here. That link says it’s only for 18″ dolls, but that’s not exactly true. The exact same halter top pattern is used for each of the dolls you’ve seen in this blog post, and they range in size from 12 inches tall (30.48 cm) to 18 inches (45.72 cm)!

Do you have a favorite “versatile” doll clothes pattern that seems to fit every doll you make it for? Please tell us about it in the comments!

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