For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets.
I designed today’s sundress 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 dress, together with a child, in a “mommy and me” sewing format.
Mom can sew the darts and the hem, while the child sews the ribbon straps and gathers the fabric, using a needle and thread.
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.”
Here are some helpful sewing instructions: This is one of my older patterns, so although the seam allowances are not drawn directly on the design, the seam allowances are included (and as such, you don’t have to add the seams to the pattern).
I used 1/8 inch Offray ribbon for my straps, but you could also use 1/4 inch Offray ribbon for most fashion dolls.
The bodice should be cut from felt, and the more flexible your felt swatch, the better. The skirt should be cut from cotton or a cotton-poly blend fabric.
If you follow these guidelines, you’ll find that this dress is pretty much a universal fashion doll dress, which will fit a large variety of fashion dolls.
Today’s patterns will fit these dolls:
- Queens of Africa Dolls
- Momoko dolls
- modern and Made-to-Move Barbie dolls
- vintage Francie dolls
- Liv dolls
- Disney Princess 11 inch dolls
- Disney Princess 10 inch dolls
- Momoko dolls
- Petite Barbie dolls
- Skipper dolls
- Project MC Squared Dolls
Here are your free, printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making the basic sun dress shown at the top of this page:
- Free printable PDF sewing pattern for a fashion doll — simple sun dress (long or short)
- Tutorial video showing how to make the dress in either the short or long version
- 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. If you can’t find a specific pattern, just submit a question to me directly.
Disclaimer/Credit/Affiliate Marketing Link:
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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.
Queens of Africa dolls are products offered by the Slice by Cake company, which holds the trademark for them (™). They were designed by Taofick Okoya. Please visit the Queens of Africa website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys, books, and fashions.
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.
Barbie, MTM Barbie, Francie, and Vintage 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.
Liv dolls were products designed and distributed by the Spin Master company, which still makes dolls and toys today (although the Liv dolls are no longer in production at the time of this blog post). The Spin Master company held the trademark for the Liv Dolls (™). Please visit the Spin Master Toys and Games website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys and games. Please be aware that the Chelly Wood animated doll is a Spin Master Liv doll that has been re-painted and had its wig colored to appear to look like the real doll clothing designer, Chelly Wood. This was done as a creative project by Chelly’s daughters, and the Spin Master Toys and Games company was not involved in the doll’s makeover in any way.
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.