Please take a close look at View 2 in the Simplicity Tressy doll clothes pattern #5731, in the image above. I was very curious about this frilly little blouse that the doll is wearing in View 2, and I especially wondered if Tressy (a 12 inch doll made by American Character, Inc.) could clothing swap with my Made-to-Move Barbies.

So to nobody’s surprise, I sewed an outfit like the one shown in View 2 in the Simplicity Tressy doll pattern 5731!

It was part of an ensemble I put together for a little girl. Look back at this earlier blog post to get the whole story behind this doll clothes wardrobe:

Anyway, I absolutely adore the little white cotton blouse with its 3/4 length sleeves, its ruffles at the ends of each sleeve, and the ruffle front. I wanted to look through the pattern’s directions and really see how they created all the frills on the shirt.

I was a little disappointed to find that the pattern’s written directions recommended adding pre-made ruffles (as lace trim or eyelet trim), rather than providing a ruffle pattern for the garment. But I decided to follow the instructions as they were written (more or less), and this is what I came up with:

Granted, it doesn’t look nearly as frilly as the image in View 2 on the pattern, but it still looked very pretty on my Made-to-Move Barbie.

The skirt in these photos was made using my simple short “bell” skirt pattern for Barbie and Queens of Africa dolls. This is a super easy skirt to make!

But let’s take a closer look at the details that make the pattern seem “frilly”…

By adding lace without a ruffle, it really changes the look of the blouse altogether I think. Let’s look again at how View 2 looks on the pattern’s artwork and compare it to these images:

Does my shirt look as frilly as the image on the cover art for Simplicity Tressy doll clothes pattern #5731? Not really. I think, to make it look really ruffled, I’d have to create a true ruffle from the white cotton fabric, or some lighter weight white fabric. Of course that would take more time than just adding some pre-made lace trim.

The other thing I want you to notice is the fit.

I don’t own an American Character Inc. Tressy doll, but I’m guessing she’s a lot curvier than my Made to Move Barbie because when you look at the outfit from a distance, it does make MTM Barbie look just a wee bit curvier than she would normally seem:

My mother is no longer living, but she would have used the word “frumpy” to describe the way this blouse fits Made-to-Move Barbie.

So to answer my own question, “Can Tressy doll clothes fit Made-to-Move Barbie dolls?” the answer is yes, but they aren’t going to fit her with tailor-made style.

Regardless of this, it was really fun to sew the little “ruffle-trimmed” blouse from Simplicity Tressy doll clothes pattern #5731, and I’m sure the little girl who receives this blouse will truly enjoy the frilly appearance of the lace trim, as well as the versatility of having a plain white shirt that will mix-and-match with just about anything!

Most of the commercial patterns I display and talk about here on ChellyWood.com are also available for sale on eBay. However, if you’ve never purchased a pattern on eBay before, it’s a good idea to read the article I wrote called, “Tips for Buying Used Doll Clothes Patterns on eBay.” It will save you time, money, and will likely prevent buyer’s remorse.

And by the way, if you use the links I’ve provided to make your eBay purchase, this website will receive a small commission, which helps fund the ChellyWood.com website, so I can continue to provide you with all the free patterns and tutorial videos offered here.

By now you’ve probably heard that my Creative Spark class, “How to Alter Doll Clothes Patterns” is now live on the Creative Spark platform. If you own a Tressy doll clothes pattern, and you’d like to make it fit your Made to Move Barbie dolls with more of a tailor-made look, “How to Alter Doll Clothes Patterns” is exactly the right type of class to teach you how to do that.

And finally, if you’d like to learn more about my free sewing patterns and tutorials, please visit the “Helpful Tips” page.

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Chelly Wood and the ChellyWood.com website are not affiliated with the pattern company or companies mentioned in this blog post, but Chelly finds inspiration in the doll clothes designed by these pattern companies. To purchase patterns from Simplicity, McCall’s, Butterick, Vogue, or other pattern companies shown and discussed in this blog post, please click on the links provided here. These links below the “Disclaimer” section do not help raise money for this free pattern website; they are only offered to give credit to the company that made these patterns.