A different way to make a pair of doll’s underpants… but is it easy? #SewingTips #VintageBarbie

The Advance 9939 vintage Barbie doll clothes sewing patterns are shown in close-up. View 1 shows a yellow business suit with a double-breasted coat and A-line skirt; view 2 shows blue plaid culottes with a solid blue sleeveless top; view 3 shows a red evening dress with below-the-knee pencil skirt and 1960's style thick collar; view 4 shows an ice skater's flouncy skirt and long-sleeved top in solid bright blue fabric; view 5 shows a shirt and skirt that look deceptively like a light blue shirtwaist dress but are actually separates; view 6 shows a yellow cape with arm holes (below the knee length), and the drawing also shows a pillbox hat with it. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

Advance 9939 has a pair of bloomers that go with the View 4 ice skating outfit, but it also has a random pattern for a pair of so-called “panties” for Barbie as well.

Now my regular followers know that my website, ChellyWood.com, offers free, printable PDF sewing patterns for making underpants for various dolls, from little Barbie dolls all the way up to the big 18 inch dolls, but for today’s blog post, I’m going to share a different way of making underpants, using Advance 9939.

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Four Ideal Tammy or Pedigree Sindy dolls are framed by purple and turquoise stripes which surround them in an artsy pattern. On the left, the Tammy/Sindy doll models a long-sleeved top with flouncy ice skating skirt and cowboy boots. In this image, the flouncy skirt is a bit tamed, but still sticks out as if it has a petticoat underneath, with very flouncy blue fabric. The next (center left) image of Tammy or Sindy shows her barefoot in the long sleeved shirt and bloomers, but it shows her from the back. The shirt snaps down the back with poppers (snaps) and the bloomers or underpants fit her little bum nicely, as if designed precisely for Tammy or Sindy. The center-right photo shows the same top and bloomers from the front, and we can see that the elastic around the top of Tammy's thighs is a snug but acceptable fit, while the shirt fits with a slight wrinkle just below where her less-than-ample bust is. The far right image of Tammy or sindy shows the doll with her hands extended in front of her and the blue flouncy skirt in full "twirl mode" as if she's ice skating and spinning around, but she's again wearing silver cowboy boots instead of official Sindy/Tammy ice skates. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

To clarify, I will not be talking about the bloomers (referred to in the pattern as shorts) which are part of the ice skater ensemble. Rather, today’s underpants pattern from Advance 9939, are labeled as pattern piece H, “Panties.”

My Advance 9939 pattern was used and pre-cut, so it’s possible this panties pattern wasn’t originally included in this pattern set. Furthermore, in my instructions (which are labeled Advance 9939, by the way), it calls the panties pattern “Piece G,” even though it’s labeled “Panties H.” So that tells me something’s gone awry between when the pattern was originally created by the designer and when it got to me.

This underpants pattern, as you’ll see in Figure 1 below, threw me for a loop. I took one look at this pattern and thought, “How in the heck do you turn a rectangle into a pair of panties? Oddly enough, the pattern in the instructions for Advance 9939 does look exactly like this — a rectangle with these same markings — even though the instruction tissue page calls this “Piece G.” So that’s good, I guess.

Figure 1 shows a rectangular pattern which says "Panties, H" right in the center. Other instructions on the pattern state "Fold line for casing," "Leave open," "back seam," the number 12, "place at seam" (atop a circle), "hemline," and one fourth inch seam. Figure 2 shows a rectangle of orange fabric that has had its longest sides folded in; at top, it's folded and stitched to form a half inch wide casing; at bottom, it's folded in to form a quarter inch hem. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

Following the directions as best I could, I created a single-folded half-inch casing and a little quarter inch wide single-fold hem (see Figure 2 above). The instructions for this garment seem to imply that one should stitch the front seam first, up to the X, but to me, it seemed like a wiser move to simply create the casing and hem first.

Why? I just think it’s easier to hem a flat piece of fabric than it is to hem a tiny round opening.

However, the instruction page was pretty vague, as you’ll notice in the image below, so “following the directions to a tee” is pretty much impossible unless you also have “Barbie’s Sewing Book,” which I do not have.

A section of the instructions for Advance 9939 for vintage Barbie is presented here, with three diagrams and two paragraphs of instructions. The three diagrams show the following: (left) a rectangle of fabric has been folded (like a taco) and stitched from the X to the bottom of garment; (center) the same rectangle has been hemmed and given a single-folded casing; (right) elastic has been sent through the casing, but also a pair of snaps (poppers) have been sewn where the elastic opens, just above the area marked X in the right-hand diagram. The text reads as follows: (Heading) Panties Piece G... 28. Let us really finish our little outfit by making little panties which match or, from bits of lace or embroidered edging which Mother may have handy. Just be sure the piece is as large as the pantie pattern. (Second paragraph...) Let "Barbie's Sewing Book" tell you exactly how to make them, on page 8. stitching from cut edge of hem to cross on center back and matching notches 8. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

As you’ll see in Figure 3 below, once I’d finished the hem and casing, I created the back seam by sewing from the hem to the X location. And if you look closely, you’ll see that I did account for the hem, which I had already created, by holding the garment up to the pattern at the hemline.

Figure 4 looks like I’m sewing the waistband together, but that’s not what I’m doing. I just put a little knot in each end of the elastic (after sending it through the casing), in order to hold the elastic in place.

Figure 5 shows me pinching the hem together, so I can stitch where that circle appears on the pattern (shown in Figure 6). Looking back on this project, I think it may have been wiser to invert the little shorts (called “panties by the designer) before drawing them together like you see in Figure 5.

In Figure three, a woman's sweater-clad hand holds a rectangle of fabric next to the underpants pattern from Advance 9939 Barbie doll clothes. With the rectangle of fabric pressed against the pattern itself, we see that she has hemmed the rectangle with a single-fold hem and a straight stitch. Similarly, she has created a casing with a single fold and a straight stitch. She then folded the rectangle in half with right sides together, and stitch part-way from the hem to the casing, stopping at an area marked with an X on the pattern. The pattern also says, "Leave open" from the X to the casing. In figure 4, the seamstress has added elastic. She's tying a knot at the edge of the elastic to hold it in place, but she has also (it seems) closed the gap between one end of the casing and the other. In figure 5, She holds the rectangle that's now starting to look more like a mini-skirt upside down, so we can see how she's pinching the hem together at the crotch of what tlooks like a mini-skirt. In figure 6, the illustration points at a circle, which marks the spot at which she draws the hems together (shown in Figure 5), and it states along the hemline, "Place at seam." The panties pattern piece also states "Panties" and is labeled piece H. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

So if I were to do this over again, I would invert the shorts (AKA panties) before tacking them together.

In the next image, you can see why.

Figure 7 shows what looks like a pair of shorts turned on their side. At the crotch, a little indentation brings them together, leaving the leg holes open. The indentation is shaped like a V in the fabric. Figure 8 shows the shorts held sideways by the woman, with an arrow pointing at the elastic waist. Figure 9 shows the same shorts on a blond, bubble cut Barbie, and the doll is facing away from us, so we can see how the shorts fit in the back. The arrow for Figure 9 points at a very obvious wrinkle in the shorts, which starts at the crotch and winds up at a 45 degree angle, almost to the elastic waists. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

I don’t know that I needed to label these images with Figures 7, 8, and 9 because no matter how you look at these shorts/panties, they don’t look right.

They look… lumpy. Poor Barbie! She’s going to be wearing lumpy undies!

I also think I put the undies on her backwards before taking these photos because the pattern called the point labeled with an X the “back seam.” So I guess the snap goes in the back, not the front.

In a close-up photo of a blond Bubble Cut Barbie's torso, we see that she wears two handmade clothing items: a handmade bra made of jersey fabric in a pastel sorbet orange, green, and cream color, and a pair of orange shorts with a very wadded up looking crotch and elastic waist. Strangely, the elastic waist is being held together by a tiny but slightly visible snap at the doll's belly button area. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

Yes, you’re seeing that right. These so-called “panties” have a snap in their elastic waist. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never owned a pair of underpants that snap. It’s kind of a weird feature for undies, if you ask me.

Now that they’re finished, I need to answer the question I asked at the start of this blog post… These are, indeed, a different way to make underpants for dolls, but is this method easy? Maybe. Maybe not. I think I’ll re-do the project with the crotch area sewn together from the outside, and see what I think after that.

From the get-go, I intended to give these “underpants” to a child, so before I gave them away, I sewed a little shirt to go with them. That way, if the child also interpreted them as shorts (as have I), then she could have her doll wear them as shorts too.

Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

Before I’m done, I’d like to ask a question.

Have you ever seen a pattern for dolly underpants that resembled this strange little pattern? And if so, do you remember where you ran across a panties pattern like this?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments, whether you’ve seen a pattern like this one or not.

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.

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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.

One thought on “A different way to make a pair of doll’s underpants… but is it easy? #SewingTips #VintageBarbie”

trishadee6676 says:

February 24, 2025 at 7:13 AM

Dear Chelly,

That Advance Barbie doll pattern piece doesn’t look like one to make panties. It looks more like shorts. You’re absolutely right. I’ll probably buy the complete pattern someday from eBay to make something pretty for my vintage bodied Barbie dolls.

Thanks again for another awesome blog,
Trisha

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