Sewing for Barbie

 This year I visited 3 fashion exhibits.  One at the Victoria and Albert Museum, one at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and one at the Fashion Museum in Bath, England.  Each one was full of wonderful clothing and I came home inspired to create new outfits in miniature for my many dolls.    This dress at the  Fashion Museum in Bath, England was one of those designs that intrigued me.  The lattice style bodice is beautiful.  I've spend many hours trying to determine how to adapt this style to a dress for Barbie.

 I went through my collection of sewing patterns for 11 1/2 inch dolls and decided on a McCall's Pattern.  McCall's Barbie Sewing Patterns are easy to use and have simple pieces and directions.  I made the bodice following the directions and before I sewed the facing on the piece, I used  1/4 inch ribbon crisscrossed over the bodice to imitate the original bodice.  I used Dritz 406 1/4-Inch by 10-Yard Wash Away Wonder Tape  to secure the ribbon to the bodice while I sewed the facing to the bodice.

The skirt is a vintage hankie from my collection.  It is lined with the same cotton fabric that I used for the bodice.  Hankie Couture is a terrific book that is full of outfits made for 11 1/2 inch fashion dolls using vintage hankies.

 



Now that I've mastered the bodice, I'll sew this dress with a different skirt.  If I use skirt fabric that is closer to the color of the ribbon, I should achieve a look that is similar to the original dress. 

 

Barbie Dress Knitting Free Pattern

Star Dress Knit for Barbie by Knit n Sew Studio

This simple dress for Barbie is knit in one piece starting at the hem and seamed in the back.  There are no buttons or snaps.  The ribbon is weaved through the ribbing at the waist and tied in the a bow at the back. 

I originally designed this dress in 2000 and would like to share the pattern with you. The dress is on display as part of my Dressing Our Dolls display.

Star Dress for 11 1/2 inch Fashion Doll by Knit n Sew Studio

 EASIEST EVER STAR DRESS

For 11 ½ inch Fashion Doll

    By Knit n Sew Studio

MATERIALS:

Sport or D.K. Weight Yarn

Size 5(U.S.) knitting needles

Size 4(U.S.) knitting needles

Small Amount of ¼ inch ribbon for waist

DRESS PATTERN:

Using Size 5 (U.S.) needles cast on 49 stitches

Row 1 – Knit across

Row 2 – P1, *P3tog leave stitches on needle, Yarn Over, Purl same 3 stitches together again, P1, repeat from * across.

Row 3 – Knit Across

Row 4 – P3, *P3tog leave stitches on needle, Yarn Over, Purl same 3 stitches together again, P1, Repeat from * across ending with P3.

Row 5-24  Repeat row 1-4

 five times

WAIST-CHANGE to Size 4 (U.S.) needles

      Change Colors if a different color bodice is desired

Knit one row

Purl next Row

Next Row-

(K1, P1, K1, P3tog) 4 times); k1; (P3tog, K1, P1, K1)4 times.

Continue in K1, P1 rib for 15 rows.

Cast of in rib.

Sew center back seam.

Thread ribbon through waist as follows:

Using first row of ribbing, begin at center back and thread ribbon over each purl stitch and under each knit stitch.

Pull ribbon to desired waist width and tie in bow when dress is on doll.

© D. Trainor 2000

Afternoon Dress for Corolle Les Cherie Doll

Clara, the lovely Corolle Les Cherie is dressed in a hand knit Afternoon Dress that I knit.  The pattern is a vintage pattern from a book entitled Knitted Outfits for Teenage Dolls published by Faber & Faber in 1974.  The book has a collection of outfits that are knit and crocheted. The introduction states "There are so many beautiful fashion garments which can be made for teenage dolls-dolls like Sindy, Tressy, Action Girl and Daisy which can be seen in almost any good toyshop and which measure around 12 ins high"



 Here's the original photo from the book.

My version is knit on U.S. size 6 knitting needles using Joyoland Tonic, a Machine washable yarn that is 85% acrylic and 25% wool.  The fit is nice although I'll knit the next one using a U.S. size 5 needle and a lighter weight yarn.  This dress is knit in pieces with raglan sleeves and the rolled collar is knit using the stitches from each of the four pieces.  There are no buttons of snaps, making it great for young children and it does stretch sufficiently to make it easy to put on and take off the doll.

Green Cotton Spring Dress for Les Cherie Doll

Your Corolle Les Cherie Doll will  be ready for a lovely spring day in this dress. My sweet Clara is wearing a cotton dress designed and hand knit by me.  Knit with cotton yarn on U.S. Size 5 needles, the dress closes with 2 heart shaped buttons at the back.

Clara is one of the 4 Les Cherie dolls by Corolle.  She is 13 inches tall, a slender vinyl doll that has a wonderful vanilla scent. Clara is part of my "Dressing Our Dolls" display.  The display will be in one of the local public libraries this summer.

I enjoy creating outfits for Clara.  Here's her blue coat inspired by a pattern for the Mary Hoyer doll.

Dress is available in my Etsy Shop.  Contact me for a special order in the color of your choice.

A New Dress for my American Girl

This hand knit dress is the latest addition to my collection.  Once again this summer my dolls and their hand made outfits will be on display. It is my hope that the presentation will encourage others to learn to knit and sew.

Dress is knit in one piece, split for the bodice and then seamed at the center back.  The pattern is a chevron pattern knit on U.S. size 6 needles using Plymouth Encore DK weight yarn.  It is from one of my favorite doll pattern booklets,  Dolly Mixture #622 by Plymouth Yarn.  Unfortunately, this booklet is out of print but it is available from several sources on the web.