Scroll down to the second set of bullets for the free PDF sewing patterns.
With today’s free, printable PDF sewing patterns (including A4 patterns), you can make a pair of bikini bottoms for your doll (and yes, I also have a free pattern for the bikini top), or you can make a pair of underpants /panties for your 18 inch dolls.
I’ve tried this pattern on my American Girl, the Madame Alexander dolls from the early 2000’s, and Our Generation dolls, and all of these dolls will fit in my free pattern nicely. But there’s also a bulleted list of all the dolls that should fit into this pattern, in the first set of bullets below.
Before we dive into this project, though, I need to make my required disclaimer statement: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how affiliate marketing works on my website, please go to the Privacy Policy page. Thank you!
As some of my regular followers know, this pattern has existed here, on ChellyWood.com, for quite a while. However it was primarily associated with my 18 inch doll bikini set (shown at left, above).
When I first began working with this pattern, I originally made a prototype that was a pair of little white panties with a lace bum. But the prototype was flawed — it was a little too low-cut — so I put it on the back burner, hoping to come back to it someday.
And then life happened.
Now that I’ve recently retired from my career as a school librarian, I’ve finally had time to go back and re-design those panties so they fit the doll properly! In fact, I made the pair you see below for my mother-in-law’s Our Generation doll.
When you watch the video at the top of today’s blog post, you’ll see that I recommend placing your row of lace (or rows of lace) about 2 cm from the bottom casing line. I came up with that 2 centimeter number through trial and error.
My American Girl doll‘s lace is about one cm from the bottom casing line; my Our Generation doll‘s lace sits three centimeters from the bottom of the casing line. The “sweet spot” for the lace seems to be at about two centimeters, since the American Girl doll‘s lace looks a little too high and the Our Generation doll‘s lace looks a little too low!
So the idea that you should probably place your lace 2 cm down from the bottom casing line is a matter of “Do as I say, not as I’ve done!” LOL!
To make today’s underpants, I recommend using a stretchy fabric like jersey, spandex, or stretchy polyester. For your lace, you want to stick to the 3/4 inch wide (2 cm) lace. And it’s nice to buy a whole spool of lace, so you’re sure to have enough.
I also used a Dritz fabric pencil and a pair of Fiskars Stitchers mini scissors, so if you need either of those for your sewing project, those links will help you find them.
*Today’s free printable PDF doll clothes sewing patterns will fit the following dolls:
- 18-inch dolls like American Girl dolls
- 18-inch dolls like the Adora Amazing Girls dolls
- 18-inch dolls like the Journey Girls dolls
- 18-inch dolls like the Our Generation dolls
- 18-inch dolls like the “My Life As” Dolls
- 18-inch dolls like City Girls from the New York Doll Collection
- 18-inch dolls like Madame Alexander 45 to 46 cm (similar body type to American Girl) dolls
- 18-inch dolls like the BFC Ink dolls
- 18-inch dolls like vintage Crissy
- 18-inch dolls like Fancy Nancy
And here are the patterns and tutorial videos you’re looking for:
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- Free AMERICAN PDF sewing pattern for 18″ doll underpants or bikini bottoms
- Free A4 PDF sewing pattern for 18 inch doll panties (AKA “pants” in the UK) or bikini bottoms
- Tutorial for making the panties or bikini bottoms is found at the top of today’s blog post
- How to do a whipstitch
- How to do a backstitch
- How to pull elastic through a casing
- 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 attach ribbon to doll clothes
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.
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.
American Girl dolls are products offered by American Girl LLC, which holds the registered trademark for them (™). Please visit their website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.
Adora Amazing Girls are products offered by Charisma Brands, LLC, which holds the registered trademark for them (™). Please visit their website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.
Our Generation dolls are made by Battat (AKA Maison Battat Company), and they hold the registered trademark for them. Please visit their website to learn more about the Our Generation dolls.
Journey Girls dolls are made by Lotus Onda, but I believe their trademark is owned by Tru Kids Brands. (Someone please correct me if I’m wrong. I had trouble finding the origin of these dolls!) As I understand it, in the past, they have been distributed by Just Play LLC in the United States, but I’m unable to find the Journey Girls brand name on their website at this time. So distribution may have changed for these dolls. The Journey Girls dolls may have other companies involved in their trademark rights and/or distribution in other countries outside the US.
“My Life As” dolls are products offered by Walmart, which (although I couldn’t find it specifically listed in US trademarks) probably holds the registered trademark for them (™). Please visit their website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.
City Girls are products offered by The New York Doll Collection, Inc, which holds the registered trademark for them (™). Please visit their website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.
Madame Alexander 45 to 46 cm dolls were products that were once offered by the Madame Alexander Doll Company, LLC, which holds the registered trademark for them (™). Be advised that at the time of this blog post, they no longer (to my knowledge) offer dolls in that size range; however you can visit their website to learn more about their company and the trademarked toys they are currently offering.
BFC Ink dolls are products that were once offered by MGA Entertainment, Inc., which held the registered trademark for them (™), but those dolls are no longer produced, and as of this blog post date, the US Trademark Office has listed the trademark as “Cancelled.” However MGA Entertainment, Inc. still produces toys, and you can visit their website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.
Vintage Crissy Dolls are products that were once offered by Ideal Toys, Inc., but according to DollReference.com, they were “acquired by the CBS Toy Company in 1982, which eventually merged with Mattel in 1992.”1 Today Mattel holds the registered trademark for them (™). As far as I know, though, these dolls have not been produced since the 1970’s. However, you can always visit the Mattel website to learn more about their company and its trademarked toys.
Footnote 1: “Ideal Dolls 1970s.” Doll Reference, 28 August 2022, https://dollreference.com/ideal_toy_dolls1970s.html