For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the second set of bullets.
Today’s tutorial video comes with a free, printable PDF sewing pattern for making an adorable 1950’s style fashion doll dress with a stiff petticoat. I’m calling this Tammy’s “Sunday Best” dress!

And I’ll also be re-posting the pattern from last week’s tutorial for making a pair of gloves or mittens to fit your vintage fashion dolls today as well, so watch for those in the bulleted section below.

To make today’s 1950’s style dress with a petticoat, you’ll need some 1/2 inch rickrack, some lightweight interfacing, some white cotton fabric, some vintage-style printed cotton fabric, some 1/8 inch Offray ribbon, and a few size 3/0 Dritz snaps.
Just as it says in the video, I do recommend that you ask for help when you buy your interfacing, if you’re new to this stuff. It can be tricky to use, so a little guidance from the experts at your fabric store could be very helpful.
For the mittens or gloves, I recommend using lightweight, thin jersey fabric (lighter than typical T-shirt material).
Today’s patterns will fit these dolls:
- Ideal vintage Tammy dolls
- Ideal Tammy’s Mom dolls
- Ideal Misty dolls
- Ideal Samantha dolls
- vintage 12″ Sindy dolls*
- vintage Barbie dolls
- 12 inch Tall Barbie dolls
*Would you like to know Tammy’s measurements for sewing purposes? I’ve been told that older, vintage Sindy dolls can fit into Tammy’s clothes. Here are Tammy’s measurements, so you can be sure your Sindy is old enough to fit into Tammy’s doll clothes patterns.
Here are your free, printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos:
- Free printable PDF sewing pattern for a fashion doll 1950’s style dress with gloves or mittens
- Tutorial video showing how to make the dress (at the top of this page)
- Tutorial video showing how to make the gloves or mittens
- How to do a whipstitch
- How to sew snaps on fabric
- How to do a backstitch
- How to gather fabric
- How to do a baste stitch
- How to use a needle threader
- How to do a basic straight stitch
- How to choose fabric
- How to tie a knot using a needle and thread
- How to press seams open, using a hot iron
- How to sew rickrack
- How to use selvage
- How to attach ribbon to doll clothes

In case you haven’t heard, my Creative Spark class, “How to Alter Doll Clothes Patterns” is available on the Creative Spark platform. You can sign up any time you want!
For any class on Creative Spark, you don’t have to sign up any time soon. Just sign up when you’re ready.
And there’s no specific time limit to your courses. You can just take your time and learn at the pace that suits you.
As always, feel free to pin, like, or tweet about my free patterns and tutorials. Here’s an image you’re welcome to share on social media:

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.
Sindy dolls were originally created by Pedigree Dolls & Toys, but they have been made by other manufacturers including Hasbro, Vivid Imaginations, and New Moon. Currently (at the time of this blog post) a limited number of the newest version of these dolls is being manufactured by Kid Kreations of Staffordshire, England. I haven’t tried my doll clothes on this newer version, but sewists have told me my Tammy doll patterns do fit the vintage Sindy dolls created by Pedigree Dolls & Toys. Please visit one of these toy companies’ websites to learn more about the toys they produce.
Ideal Toy Company owned the registered trademark for the entire Tammy family of dolls, but that company is no longer in business. I’m including links to the Wikipedia pages on these topics for anyone who would like to research these dolls.
Vintage Barbie dolls are products that were once offered by Mattel, which holds the registered trademark for them (™). They can sometimes be purchased from Mattel as reproductions. 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.