When I was a young girl, I liked to make doll clothes. Back then, I just figured out on my own how to do it, without a pattern or directions. The clothes didn't always work well, but I had fun trying. Now, decades later, I am still making doll clothes. Three of my granddaughters got 18" dolls for Christmas, and as part of my present to them, I planned to make an outfit for their dolls. Those granddaughters are all in dance, and one had specifically asked for a tulle skirt for one of her dolls, so I decided to make a ballet outfit.
The tulle skirt was going to be easy, I thought. Just buy some tulle, cut long strips, add a casing for elastic and sew it all together. It ended up being a bit more work than I thought, since tulle is a little slippery, and because of the loose texture, pins don't stay in very well. I cut 3 layers of tulle for each skirt, width of fabric, and stacked them together. I tried different ways, deciding that what worked best for me was to baste one long edge, fold the stack in half lengthwise, then with an iron on low heat, press along the folded edge. I then sewed a basting stitch close to the fold, catching all the layers in. At this point, I removed the original basting stitch that I had done first. For the waistband, I used a soft waistband elastic that had a scalloped edge, cutting it in 11" lengths. I used the basting stitch that held the layers together at the fold to pull up gathers. Since the 11" elastic I cut would stretch to 15", I pulled the gathers up to 15" and tied both ends. Using a wide zigzag stitch, I stitched along the gathering thread to hold the gathers in place, making it easier to sew it onto the elastic. I pinned the elastic at the ends of the skirt and the middle, then again with the zigzag stitch, I sewed the gathered tulle to the elastic, stretching the elastic to fit the skirt. That way, when the elastic is stretched to put the skirt on the doll, the thread will not break, Then I sewed the back seam, making a skirt that can be put on easily and not have to worry about fasteners.
.
I wasn't sure how to do a doll leotard, so I went on the web and found a company that had a free downloadable doll leotard pattern. The company is Liberty Jane Clothing. The stretchy specialty fabric is not cheap, but I only needed about 1/4 of a yard, and I used a coupon at JoAnn Fabric. (I bought the shimmery tulle with a coupon at Hobby Lobby. Both fabrics are available at most fabric stores, I would think).The trim for the edges is called FOE- fold over elastic. I had never even heard of it, and wasn't sure if I could find it, but I did find a limited variety at JoAnn Fabric (used another coupon). I understand it is available in lots of colors in several Etsy shops. Once I figured out how to use the FOE, the leotards went together pretty quickly.
I didn't get these outfits done for Christmas, but I hope the girls will forgive me. I gave the outfit to one granddaughter a couple of days ago, and in minutes she had her doll doing pirouettes and splits. I think it was a hit, and am sure the other two will feel the same. All in all, not a hard project, once I got over my uncertainties about swimsuit fabric, tulle, and FOE. And with coupons, the cost was not much, especially considering I had enough for the 3 outfits, with some left over. And just today, I found a pattern for little pink ballet shoes for 18" dolls. Maybe I will give those a try next.
~Gayle
