When you own a doll with a big bust or a curvier figure than the average modern day Barbie, it can be challenging to find sewing patterns to fit her. People reach out to me now and then asking for patterns to fit dolls with curvier figures, from a variety of different doll making companies.
So today’s blog post will show you an evening gown pattern that has a little better chance of fitting your full-figured 11 to 12 inch fashion dolls.
Before I go on, 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!
The dress you see my vintage Bubble Cut Barbie wearing in the image above was made using the vintage Barbie pattern, Advance 9938.
The skirt has been altered, but the bodice for the view 3 dress was made from several different panels. And it’s these panels that made the dress flexible enough to fit other dolls as well.
I also made the longer skirt version of the dress, which you can see in its final stages of construction, in the image below.
See how the bodice is made from five different panels? That’s what makes the dress such a flexible fit for dolls that have a variety of bust shapes.
It also helped to use Velcro at the back of the dress instead of snaps (see Figure 1 below).
That doll is from a series called Jem and the Holograms. Jem was a slightly bigger doll than Barbie, in height, bust, and pretty much all of her measurements. Jem can fit in some vintage Barbie clothes, but not all of them.
This five-paneled bodice, though, fits her very nicely, as you can see in the images above.
But what about modern Curvy Barbie dolls? Will they fit in this dress?
I absolutely love my Ida B. Wells Barbie doll, which is based on a real woman — an American hero from the Women’s Suffrage Movement. From the front, she’s stunning in this little strapless number (see Figure 4)!
But as you can see in Figure 5 above, the bodice doesn’t quite fit this doll. Advance 9938 was designed to fit Mattel’s vintage Barbie dolls, and their chests are large, but shaped differently from Ida’s. That’s why the fabric is pulling in odd directions in Figure 5 above.
Furthermore, Ida B. Wells was a lady with womanly hips, and the doll made in her image reflects that. Mattel’s original Barbies were notoriously limited in the hip department. So in Figure 6 above, you can see that the back closure doesn’t really work for Ida B. Wells, a special Curvy Barbie from Mattel’s “Inspiring Women” series.
It’s a very close fit though. All you’d have to do is insert a gusset, and this dress would definitely fit most Curvy Barbie dolls, I think.
I’m always surprised to discover that Tammy can fit into Vintage Barbie patterns, and with Advance 9938, once again she proves her versatility.
Even though Tammy‘s bust-to-waist ratio isn’t as hourglass-y as vintage Barbie‘s, in both views 7 and 9 above, you can see that she fills out the five-panel bodice from the View 3 dress very nicely.
And yes, the back closure does show a slight gap at the back, but no skin is showing. So I think it’s perfectly fine to use this pattern for Tammy without alterations. A choice of snaps might have been better for Tammy, rather than using Velcro. It would have easily closed in back.
Obviously this isn’t an all-inclusive list of dolls that can fit in the View 3, five-panel bodice’s dress from Advance 9938, but consider this: if you have a busty, curvy fashion doll that you’re struggling to find patterns for, as long as you’re able to do a few alterations, this dress might offer some solutions.
If I make this dress again, I might use stretchy jersey fabric for the bust, just to see if the bodice will fit some additional dolls beyond Curvy Barbie, Tammy, and Jem. I’m guessing it will.
Questions: Do you have a pattern that you’ve found will fit busty or curvy dolls, in addition to regular Barbie? If so, please tell us about it in the comments!
Here are 3 ways you can help support my website and YouTube channel:
- Buy something from my online store on ChellyWood.com (including fabric, buttons, snaps, zippers, etc.)
- Buy something you need or want from my Etsy store
- For teachers or librarians, purchase something from my Teachers Pay Teachers store
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 the ChellyWood.com 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.