Here are instructions for making the skirt on dresses to fit 18-inch (45cm) American Girl, other American historical dolls, Corolle dolls, Gotz Precious Day Girl Dolls, and dolls with similar body types.
Bodice sewing instructions are here.
You’ll need one half yard (one half meter) of material for the dress, and one-fourth yard (one-fourth meter) white or contrasting material for skirt front pleat.
For photo of the completed dress click here to go to the homepage and choose the dress you are making.
Skirt construction
Here’s how to make the front skirt insert
For the white fabric inset cut a piece of fabric the same length as the skirt and 12 inches (30cm) wide.
Stitch the sides of the white fabric to the sides of the colored fabric along the 2 seams from the waist to the hemline on the 2 ends of the colored fabric.
This forms a tube. Now, with skirt turned right side out bring each of the 2 edges of colored fabric to meet at center front so the white fabric is folded behind like a pleat on each side of the center front seam.
Baste the white fabric to the colored fabric at the waistline. Now you can see you have a ‘kick pleat’ in front.
How to sew bodice to skirt
Gather the waist seam to match the bodice lower edge and sew skirt to bodice keeping pleat at center front. I make this a half inch seam for both skirt and bodice, because of gathered top edge of skirt at waist, and so bodice and skirt do not pull apart with use.
For ease in dressing doll cut a 2 inch slit in top of skirt in center back down toward hem, and roll edges to inside and blind stitch. When dress is completed sew a velcro dot just above waistline and at neckline to overlap bodice back one fourth inch.
Turn right side out. On outside topstitch just above waistline on bodice all the way around.
Just below knee finished skirt length is 7.25 inches (18cm) and finished length ending just above ankle is 9.5 inches (24cm).
Finishing
For back closure sew on a velcro dot at neck edge to keep one side of back overlapped and just above skirt opening at waist.
Now decorate the dress if you wish
Top stitch cross grain or satin ribbon to waistline so that you have the tie in front or in back.
Bodice sewing instructions
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Article, Patterns and Photographs Susan Kramer
