Today I’ll be exploring how elastic changes the fit of a pair of fashion doll underpants, when sewing the View 4 bikini bottoms from Simplicity 9054.
As you can see in the image above, the View 4 patterns offer a bikini swimsuit option, which of course, can become a bra and underpants, if you’re creative with your fabric choices and the execution of that fabric in a way that transforms it into lingerie.
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If you’ve been following my Monday blog posts, you’ll remember the picture above. I made some alterations to Simplicity 9054, hoping both the bra and panties would fit my Disney Princess Merida doll, but as you can see above, the fit was not ideal.
After that, I tried making the same ensemble with cotton fabric, making even more alterations to the bra for my Disney Princess Merida doll, and I was a lot happier with that version (see below).
These cotton underpants definitely fit Merida better than the super-stretchy jersey version of the View 4 underpants from Simplicity 9054.
And what’s the difference?
I added elastic around the leg openings, using the “Pull Method.” If you don’t know what the “Pull Method” is, you can watch this video to learn more.
As you can see in the image above, I first sewed the two panties pieces together; then I sewed a casing; next I clipped along the leg openings and basted them down like a hem; and finally, I added sew-on elastic (one-eighths inch wide) to one of the legs (shown on the left), but the other leg, which arcs widely, has only been basted.
Of course I finished sewing the elastic onto the right leg’s hem area too, eventually, but I wanted you to see how wide these leg holes are from the Simplicity 9054 bikini bottoms pattern. It’s pretty wide!
So no wonder it looked so funky on my Merida doll! For curvier dolls, though, it was a perfect fit without the elastic, as long as I used a highly stretchable jersey fabric for the underpants.
Of course Simplicity 9054 was designed for a vintage Barbie (although she wouldn’t have been as “vintage” back in 1970, when this pattern was released). Yet when I look at the panties on my Bubble Cut Barbie (above, left), the bra fits perfectly but the panties… meh.
I DO, on the other hand, like the way they fit Mirabel Madrigal and Curvy Barbie dolls. However, the panties have the same weird “wingspan” problem on my MTM Barbie as they had on my Disney Princess Merida doll.
Once the elastic was applied, using 100% cotton instead of the jersey fabric, though, it was impossible to fit the panties on Mirabel and Curvy. Had I used the elastic on the jersey fabric, they might have looked a little nicer on my vintage Bubble Cut and my modern MTM.
In the image above, the doll on the far right is my Spin Master Liv doll (the same doll I use for my body double, in the intro to my sewing tutorial videos).
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that, as long as I went with the cotton version that had elastic around the legs, the underpants from Simplicity 9054 could also fit Spin Master Liv dolls — so that was a fun and exciting new discovery!
Like my Disney Princess Merida doll, though, Liv dolls didn’t look very good in the stretchy version that didn’t have elastic around the legs. And honestly, my favorite underpants on all the dolls — and maybe I’m just biased here — is actually my own underpants pattern design, which as you can see in the image below, will also fit a wide variety of dolls.
Why do I like my own pattern the best? Here are the main reasons:
- I’m familiar with it
- It doesn’t require any elastic at all
- If you cut it out along the edge of a T-shirt, it doesn’t require any hemming along the top
Although lately, I’ve been experimenting with my own panties design as well. I sort of like the idea of taking off the little extensions that stick out from the front pattern piece at the lower hip area (see pattern image below).
I’ve played around with those little extensions, and I think it makes a nicer looking finished product if I cut the pieces out without the extensions. At some point, I may re-issue the new version, but since nobody has complained about it, I’ll let it rest for the time being.
Granted, this pattern typically makes a pair of briefs, rather than bikini panties, but for little children’s hands, I think that’s a bonus. They’re easier to get on and off.
Questions: Have you used my underpants pattern for dolls? And if so, how do you think my pattern can be improved? Feel free to offer your critique of the pattern you’ve used in the comments area below. (Please mention which doll you were sewing for, as I have three different sizes of free panties patterns here, on ChellyWood.com.)
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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.
Do regular Barbie clothes fit with underwear on because my cause bulkyness and the outer clothes don’t fit well?
I’ve found that underwear for Barbie dolls is best suited for the following purposes:
a.) They can wear under garments when their clothing fits loosely
b.) Barbies can wear under garments when the fabric isn’t filmy (because filmy fabric will show the bulk from the underwear)
c.) Barbie can wear underpants under a dress that has a full skirt (not a good idea under a jersey-fabric pencil skirt)
d.) Barbie dolls can wear undergarments when they’re between clothes — waiting for you to make them something, for example! 😉
I love your question, Cecelia. It might be a fun one to address in anther blog post. But in February, I’ll be taking a break from my underwear-themed Monday posts. I’m ready for a change. So I’ll add your very relevant and helpful question to a list of blog post ideas that I keep in my Google docs. Thank you for this question!