Scroll down to the second set of bullets for the free PDF sewing pattern.
This week’s tutorial shows you how to sew a pair of denim capri pants to fit 18-inch dolls with pre-teen bodies (like the vintage Crissy doll from Ideal and the wonderfully articulated BFC Ink dolls).
This capri pants pattern will NOT fit the 18-inch American Girl dolls and other dolls with that body type. However it does fit the vintage Velvet dolls as a sort of blocky ankle pants pattern.
I should also make note of the fact that the pattern appearing in the video looks slightly different from the one you can download below. But they’re actually the exact same capri pants pattern. I just removed the shirt part of the pattern because it doesn’t fit Crissy very well.
Today’s free printable PDF capri pants sewing pattern will fit the following dolls:
- 16-inch vintage Velvet dolls from the Crissy family of dolls* (the pants fit them as a longer garment)
- 18-inch dolls like vintage Crissy*
- 18-inch BFC Ink dolls*
And here are the patterns and tutorial videos you’re looking for:
- Here’s my PDF sewing pattern for these capris
- The tutorial video for making these capri pants is found at the top of this page
- Here’s my tutorial for making a casing (which I mention in the video)
- Here’s my tutorial for doing a whipstitch
- This helpful tutorial will show you how to mix and match fabrics using the guide on a swatch of selvage
You’ll most likely need 1/8 inch white elastic for making these pants (although 1/4 inch will work in a pinch). That link will take you to PensPins on Etsy, which is where I bought the elastic shown in today’s video.
Furthermore, it’s hard to find lightweight cotton denim that’s eco-friendly and thin enough for making doll clothes, but I managed to find some on Etsy. Their shop is low in stock, though, so you might want to buy yours quickly. This link will take you to a cotton-hemp blend fabric that’s lightweight enough for making doll clothes, and it’s sold by the Eco-Friendly Textile Company.
I bought a yard for myself, so I think when I design a pair of longer jeans for Crissy dolls, I’ll use this stuff. It looks fantastic!
I’ve asked Amanda at EcoFriendlyTextilesCo if she has any additional remnants she can sell me. I’d really like to start buying more fabric that doesn’t harm the earth. So watch for future blog posts about that.
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Disclaimer/Credit/Affiliate Marketing Link:
*ChellyWood.com earns money by linking to Amazon, eBay, Michaels, Etsy, and other online affiliate programs. Links provided above may be affiliate links. For a full list of my affiliate programs, and to understand how cookies are used to help this website earn money, please see my “Privacy Policy” page.
To honor the trademark rights of the doll companies mentioned in this blog post, I am including links to their websites here. Please feel free to visit their website and consider purchasing one or more of the dolls mentioned.
The Crissy family of dolls which includes dolls like vintage Crissy, Velvet, and other dolls, were produced by the Ideal Toy Corporation, which held the registered trademark for them. That company is no longer producing the dolls, and at the time of this blog post, no known company has purchased the trademark to re-produce these dolls. But if you wish to purchase one of these dolls, you can sometimes find them on eBay (see link in the first set of bullets).
MGA Entertainment is the company that produced the BFC Ink dolls, and it still holds the trademark rights to them (™). The BFC Ink dolls (aka Best Friends Club dolls) were in production, starting in 2009, but at the time of this blog post, they are no longer available in stores. You may be able to find a used one on eBay, though, if you’re thinking about collecting them (see link in the first set of bullets). These dolls can swap clothes with Crissy dolls, but their bodies are much more articulated. They have very lovely faces.