As you can see in the images above, I’ve been working with the McCall’s 4716 doll clothes sewing pattern, which was designed to fit the Sunshine Family dolls, and in today’s blog post, I’m going to tell you what I’ve learned while sewing it.
We’ll look at how the small overalls fit my Creatable World dolls, and I’ll offer some suggestions to make alterations as needed.
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!
In an earlier blog post, I mentioned that the McCall’s 4716 doll clothes pattern includes patterns for both the Sunshine Family (a set of dolls that generally run from 8 to 9.5 inches tall) and regular-sized fashion dolls, like Barbie and Ken.
For today’s project, though, I made the smaller version of the overalls, which were originally designed to fit the Sunshine Family dolls.
And here’s how I made them:
Figures 1 and 2 show me creating a casing at the front of the overalls. I thought it was strange that the designer wanted me to make a casing at the front, even though I wasn’t going to use it as a place to put elastic.
But maybe I read the instructions incorrectly. Looking back, it worked out really well, so maybe I did follow those instructions right and it was just a faux casing that was planned by the designer.
Anyway, in Figure 3, I altered the pattern to include a casing for the bib. The original instructions just required you to clip and sew the edges of the bib to the inside, but I’m really glad I created a lining for the bib. I think it will last a lot longer this way, even if the child who gets these overalls plays with them a lot.
And in Figure 4, you can see that the back of the overalls did use elastic in the casing. What’s missing there is the photo of me placing the front of the overalls on top of the back of the overalls, keeping right sides together. And then, of course, I sewed them together along the outseams.
In figure 5, I attached snaps to the outside of the overalls. I actually placed the overalls on my Creatable World doll and marked the trousers’ derriere for snaps (using a Dritz fabric pencil), to ensure that the overalls would fit him correctly.
A person could attach the snaps to the inside of the overalls for a slightly different look, but I wanted a child to be able to put these overalls on their dolls without too much hassle. So I chose to put the snaps on the outside. It’s easier to sew them that way, and it’s easier for kids to dress the doll, in my humble opinion.
And as you can see, both in Figure 6 above and the images below, these overalls fit my little Creatable World doll very nicely!
Another day I’ll write about the little check shirt my Creatable World doll is wearing.
But I really didn’t have to do much to alter these overalls. They fit my doll well, straight out of the envelope for the McCall’s 4716 doll clothes pattern. And if you look again at the pattern, it comes with quite a variety of outfit options.
Of course I offer free sewing patterns, right here on ChellyWood.com, if you’re looking for patterns to fit your Creatable World dolls. But if you want to stick to commercial patterns, or maybe you’ve made everything I’ve got on my website but you’d like to expand your doll’s wardrobe beyond that… Well then, the McCall’s 4716 doll clothes sewing pattern would certainly be a good option!
I haven’t made the dresses yet, but eventually I hope to get to those projects too. And when I do, I’ll let you know how it goes!
Questions: Is there another 9 inch or 10 inch doll you’d like me to try this pattern on, just to see if it fits? If so, please leave a comment about it in the comments section. Be sure to mention the doll by name and ask if McCall’s 4716 fits it (because I usually don’t see which blog post the comments come from).
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To read more about my free sewing patterns and tutorials, please visit the “Helpful Tips” page.
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*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.