We visited Alaska a couple years ago. Along the way we visited a replica of a native village where high schoolers demonstrated the ways of their ancestors. I was fascinated by the clothing. It was a very warm day in June when this beautiful young lady modeled this very warm and very heavy fur coat. It was fully lined, long and fitted at the sleeves, all of which help hold the heat -- good for cold weather. The hood is weather protective but also is made very full. The fullness combined with the length of the coat helps make the wearer more visible in the snow and also larger in appearance so smaller predators will leave them alone. The boots are broad to make walking on /in snow easier. As soon as I saw this, I knew what my next American Girl sewing project would be! ... [Read More]
doll clothes pattern
Party Dress for 18 inch Doll
This gorgeous party dress was intended for Samantha who was retired from the American Girl lineup several years ago. Samantha is a dead ringer for a little one I know and I was thrilled to find a Samantha doll in excellent condition for the little sweetie pie a couple of years ago. The dress is true to the turn of the century historical period Samantha depicted -- but it is classic style that any modern doll mama would love her 18 inch doll to have! The original source of this pattern is the delightful AGPlaythings. In addition to this and other clothes for Samantha there are a number of free pdf patterns for other retired dolls on this site. If you or someone you know loves AG -- check it out! I followed the pattern, but made some changes in the directions. Some sewing ... [Read More]
Gathered Sleeveless Dress for 18″ Doll with pattern
When I saw these colorful napkins on the clearance shelf of the grocery store, I also heard them calling out to become dresses for 18" dolls, like the American Girl dolls! Fifty cents each. Twenty minutes each. Small investment for cute dresses for Molly, Samantha and Robin! Creating the pattern took a bit more time -- but you can save that time and get yours from this link: Sleeveless Gathered Dress. You can also use bandannas or any other fabric that is already hemmed. Here's how to make them: That's it! All done! How to Make a Parka for 18 inch doll Jacket, Hat and Scarf from Dollar Store purchase with jacket pattern Pillowcase Dress for 18″ Doll with pattern Party Dress for 18″ Doll Sleeping Bag for 18″ Doll Fiesta Skirt for 18" doll ... [Read More]
18″ Doll Sleeping Bag
With Valentine’s Day and birthdays this month, I am still in doll mode. All three dolls need sleeping bags. Well-- more like I bought a new sewing machine and needed to do some straight stitch practice. And what better way to practice than by making sleeping bags? First to determine the size of said sleeping bags. This is an admittedly arbitrary process, at least the way I did it. But I’ll tell you the thought process so you can change if needed – or you can skip right down to How to. . . .. Either way, you will save you a lot of time. I figured an 18” doll would need a couple of inches on either end or 22 inches. And, more importantly, my fabric happened to be just that measurement! How wide to make the sleeping bag? Hmmm -- dolly’s body is about 7 inches across so ... [Read More]
American Girl 18″ Doll Clothes with pattern and tutorial
I walked into the Dollar Store to pick up sandwich bags. As I passed a rack of scarves and hats, this teal and lavendar color combination caught my eye. Hmmmm . . . I also had doll clothes on my mind as there are three little girls on my list that absolutely adore their American Girl and My Generation dolls! I picked up the bags and returned to the rack of hats and scarves. An idea had begun to blossom and as I sorted through the offerings, it began to take shape. A ribbed hat that was pretty stretchy, a big scarf as wide as the doll body and a striped kid’s scarf to tie the colors together. For only a $3 investment, I decided to see what that nubbin of an idea would turn into! HAT: Sorry --I got so wrapped up in making things happen, I forgot to take a picture of it before ... [Read More]
