For your free patterns and tutorial videos, please scroll down to the third set of bullets.
That’s right! The tank top pattern I’m sharing with you today is reversible! But please be advised: I’m linking you to a tank top tutorial for making a Bratz-sized reversible tank top. That’s okay though… Bear with me! The patterns look slightly different, but the instructions are exactly the same.
Your Tall Barbie tank top and shorts will make a fantastic outfit to give a child for Valentine’s Day, too, which is (as you probably already know) right around the corner.
For those of you who are new to sewing, today’s project will include a tutorial, showing how to make a pair of 12 inch fashion doll shorts with a front fly. Making a fly is a little trickier than making shorts with an elastic waist, but don’t be put off by that!
My tutorial video for making the shorts should make the steps easy enough to follow. So be brave! Learn to tackle something new!
To make today’s doll clothes projects, I recommend that you use the following items:
- small print cotton fabric for the outer fabric
- or (optional) Valentine’s Day small-print fabric
- cotton broadcloth in a solid color for the lining
- Dritz size 2/0 snaps(2 of them)
- sew-on Velcro for the back of the tank top
When buying fabric for a tiny project like this, you may just use scraps, but if you’re buying fabric new, you won’t need much at all. Online you can order a third of a yard and that’s more than enough. (In fact, you’ll have plenty of fabric left over to make another outfit.)
To those of you who follow my website pretty regularly, you may have seen this pattern before. I’ve designed it for regular Barbie as well as vintage Barbie in the past, but today I’m posting this pattern for Tall Barbie and any dolls that have similar body proportions.
In the image above, you can see how the reversible shirt looks from the opposite side.
Today’s patterns will fit these dolls:
- Queens of Africa Dolls
- modern and Made-to-Move Barbie dolls
- Tall Barbie (12 inches tall)
- vintage Barbie dolls
- vintage Francie dolls
- Liv dolls
Here are your free, printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making the outfit shown at the top of this page:
- Free printable PDF sewing pattern for an 11 inch fashion doll summer shorts and tank top outfit
- Tutorial video showing how to make the shorts
- Tutorial video showing how to make a reversible tank top (video shows a Bratz doll, but the instructions are identical for today’s tank top pattern)
- How to do a whipstitch
- How to sew snaps on fabric
- How to do a backstitch
You may have heard that I’ve designed a new class for the folks at Creative Spark. It teaches you how to design your own doll clothes patterns for making pants with a fly, as well as overalls. Click here to learn more about the paid courses in doll clothes pattern designs and alterations, that I’m offering on the Creative Spark online learning website.
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.
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.
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.