Last week I showed you the Christmas-themed boxers that I made for Ken, using Simplicity 9054 (view 8). At about the same time, I experimented with the view 4 bikini from this pattern.

I used a stretchy green and white striped fabric to make the undies and the bra from View 4, and even though the instructions for making this bikini top/bra suggest using a strip of elastic as a closure, I wanted to see if I could apply Velcro instead, so the bikini top/bra would fit dolls with a little smaller upper body.

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In Figure 1 above, you can see that I traced my pattern onto graph paper before I cut out the basic bra shape. It’s good to know this because traced patterns can have imperfections.

In Figure 2, you can see that I clipped my seams and used a straight stitch to hem the edges of the garment. The instructions for the View 4 bikini in the Simplicity 9054 pattern didn’t say to clip it first, but I thought that would prevent it from curling, since I’m using a very stretchy type of jersey fabric (purchased from iSewForDoll on Etsy).

If you look closely at Figure 3, you’ll see a piece of thread extending out the top of the bra, right at the front where the fabric has been gathered. This gather thread is supposed to create a sort of ruched effect at the front of the bra or bikini top.

After ruching the front of the garment, I attached a strip of Velcro to each side of the bra, and you can see that in Figure 4.

As you can see in the image above, the ruching at the front of this bra or bikini top hangs a little droopy on my Disney Princess Merida doll. I actually re-did it a second time, pulling the ruching thread even tighter, and it didn’t look any better.

I mean, Simplicity 9054 was designed for a busty Barbie from the 1970’s, so it makes sense that this bra is a little too big for a Disney Princess doll. They don’t have a lot going on in the chest department.

Furthermore, the hem didn’t stay down, probably in part because the garment is just too big for my Disney Princess Merida doll.

See how the hem is poking up through the top edge of the bra in that image?

I’ll probably try to make this bra again, but in Round 2, I’ll make the following changes:

• I’ll alter the pattern so it’s narrower (vertically)
• I’ll give the garment a lining (to prevent the hem from popping up)

I might even give it straps, even though that’s not part of Simplicity 9054‘s design in any way, shape, or form.

I also wasn’t very happy with how the panties turned out. As you can see in the image below, they really don’t fit a Disney Princess fashion doll.

But I’ll save that discussion for another Me-Made-Monday.

Questions: Disney Princess fashion dolls are notoriously hard to find sewing patterns for. What solutions have you discovered will work best? Have you made alterations to Barbie patterns (like I tried to do in today’s blog post), and if so, do you have any tips for the rest of us?

Or perhaps you’ve found certain patterns work better for Disney Princess fashion dolls. If so, what patterns do you recommend for them?

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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.