Scroll down to the second set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns.
Crissy dolls were “created in the Ideal Toy Corporation’s prototype department in 1968,” according to Wikipedia. My cousin, Virginia, and I both got one for Christmas in about 1974 or 1975, and we absolutely loved them!
But today, it’s hard to find sewing patterns for Crissy dolls.
For one thing, their “hair that grows” comes out of a hole in the top of their heads, and the “growing feature” is mechanized by using a knob in the center of the doll’s back. Because of this, they have to have shirts and pants that fit around the knob.
My Crissy doll’s “Beachcomber” outfit’s patterns (illustrated at the top of the page) do allow extra room for the hair-growing knob.
The tunic pattern also has a pretty round collar, which is embellished with 1/8 inch blue ribbon.
Now collars can be challenging for beginners who haven’t done much sewing yet, but this little sailor-style tunic is made of easy-to-sew felt. So although it’s not recommended for a person’s first sewing project ever, it’s not a bad introduction to the sewing techniques used with collars for anyone who has gotten their sewing basics down.
For today’s sailor shirt with rounded collar, you’ll need to use some craft felt, Offray ribbon, and snaps. The capri pants can be made with 1/4 yard of cotton gingham, and you’ll need a little elastic for the waist.
Today’s free printable PDF doll clothes sewing patterns will fit the following dolls:
- 14 and a half-inch Wellie Wishers* from American Girl doll company*
- 16-inch vintage Velvet dolls from the Crissy family of dolls*
- 18-inch dolls like vintage Crissy*
- 18-inch BFC Ink dolls*
And here are the patterns and tutorial videos you’re looking for:
- Free printable PDF sewing pattern for making the “beachcomber” doll clothes
- Tutorial video showing how to make the tunic*
- Tutorial video showing how to make the capris
- Tutorial video showing how to do a whipstitch
- Tutorial video showing how to do a backstitch
- Tutorial video showing how to do a baste stitch
- Tutorial video showing how to sew snaps on fabric
- Tutorial explaining how to create a casing for the elastic
*A word of caution: when you seam rip your baste stitch in the tunic, be very careful not to hook your whipstitch with the seam ripper (the un-picking tool). Use good lighting while you work, and baste in a sharply contrasting color to make this step less difficult.
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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 Wellie Wishers and the 18 inch American Girl dolls mentioned in this blog post 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.
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.