When I think of doll clothes sewing patterns that are just flat WRONG, I always think of the shirt pattern from View 3 of Advance 2896. The pink shirt on the left (above) was made using the Advance 2896 shirt pattern exactly as the directions indicate on the pattern instructions. The brown floral version on  the right (above) was made with my own alterations to correct the obvious errors on this shirt.

So yes, sometimes even commercial patterns have serious errors!

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I’ve made this sewing project several times, and each time, the shirt just comes out altogether wonky, if I don’t make alterations to it right off the bat, in the pinning and cutting stage.

The problem with the View 3 shirt in this Advance 2896 pattern is a simple design flaw, but wowzers! If the shirt is designed incorrectly to start with, you’ll never get it to fit the doll correctly without some alterations.

For me, cutting down the neckline was all it took to make this shirt pattern functional. In Figure 2 above, those horseshoe shapes are where I cut the neckline back considerably.

And you can see a brown solid cotton version of the shirt and a floral version of the shirt in Figure 1 because I decided that giving this shirt a lining would make it fit better as well.

Another problem you can run across (besides basic design flaws) is misleading packaging.

As a teenage girl, I purchased the Butterick 6664 pattern that you see above because I wanted to make the pretty blue dress with white collar and cuffs for my 12 inch Marie Osmond fashion doll.

Unfortunately, that dress pattern only fits the 30 inch Marie Osmond “Modeling” doll. I can’t tell you how unhappy I was to open the pattern and discover this!

I’d like to be able to say that I learned an important lesson about reading the back of the pattern thoroughly before purchasing a pattern…

But over the years, I lost this pattern — maybe my mom sold it in a yard sale while I was away at college or something–and when I bought it again as a fully-fledged adult woman, I had totally forgotten that the blue dress with cuffs and collar didn’t fit Barbie-sized dolls!

So I made the same mistake twice, which is a little embarrassing to say! 😊 Oh my goodness! How could I have forgotten?

You should have seen my face when I opened up the pattern and discovered it was far too huge to fit Barbie! LOL!

Have you ever run across a commercially made sewing pattern that threw you for a loop?

Please leave a comment to explain what problems you’ve seen with commercial patterns that simply weren’t what you were expecting or had very obvious errors.

I always love hearing your stories! Please mention the pattern number and brand, if you can remember it, and let us know what sort of issue threw you for a loop…

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.

For more of my free tutorials, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel, ChellyWood1.

If you would like to make a donation to this free doll clothes pattern website, please click here. There’s also a “Donate” button in the main menu.

For anyone who would like to expand their dolls’ wardrobes, you should really check out my “How to Alter Doll Clothes Patterns” course and my “Design Your Own Doll Pants Patterns from Scratch” classes on the Creative Spark online learning platform. Here’s my bio page on their website, where you can learn more.

For any class on Creative Spark, you don’t have to follow a schedule. Just sign up when you’re ready.

It’s a one-time fee for the course, and there’s no specific time limit to finish your course. You can just take your time and learn at the pace that suits you. So go check out my paid courses on Creative Spark, using this link.

As always, feel free to pin, like, or tweet about my free patterns and tutorials.

To read more about my free sewing patterns and tutorials, please visit the “Helpful Tips” page.

Disclaimer/Credit/Affiliate Marketing Link:

*Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include Amazon, Etsy, and the eBay Partner Network. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my website uses affiliate marketing, please visit the website’s Privacy Policy page.

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.