Classic garments are a must for any doll clothes collection - 18" doll cardigan ideas to get that cute knit look

Now don't block me out when I mention sewing knits!

T-shirt knit is easy to use and it can also be used to make the bands so you don't have to worry about ribbing.

I have added a module to the 1801 Classic knits collection.

This Classic Cardigan is such a fabulous addition to any doll clothes collection.

You can make it from t-shirt knit but I like to use pieces from people cardigans to get a beautiful rib affect on the sleeves and of course the knit from a people cardigan gives the doll cardigan a more miniature cardigan feel rather than just being doll clothes.

Here are a few examples done in different knits.

This first one is made from an old cardigan of mine

The sleeve bands are strips I cut from the bottom band so I could use the hem edge and sewed it in place for the ribbing on the sleeves and around the bottom edge and the neck of my doll cardigan.

This next one I made from regular ribbing. The body, the sleeve bands and the front band are all made from the same ribbing. The bottom edge is hemmed.

This one was made from the largest size of a child's cardigan.

The neck band is made from lengthwise strip of the knit sewn to the inside then folded around the seam allowance and stitch1/4" from the fold. I then carefully trimmed close to the stitching to give a neat band.

The back, front and sleeves fit on one sleeve of the child's cardigan. I used the ribbing on the sleeve as the end of my sleeves.

This one I made from a striped T-shirt if mine. I used navy ribbing folded in half and stitched

right sides together. Then I folded the seam allowance to the inside and top stitched on the outside. It has hemmed sleeves.

The cardigan is one of those perfect pieces for any season. I like to use it as my jacket option when creating seasonal doll clothes capsules.

If you have several dolls with different colouring I suggest 2 cardigans in light colours and you can pair them with other light colours for the blonde pale dolls and with stronger contrasting colours for the dolls with darker hair.

You can read more about making doll clothes capsules in this blog post.

I like to offer those on my mailing list some pattern discounts and free patterns.

Last month I added the free tank top to the Newsletter pattern folder. With the tank top and the Classic Cardigan you are well on the way to building a Summer doll clothes capsule. The one above is comprised of the free infinity scarf, the free chiffon skirt and the free tank top.

You can get the cardigan from my Etsy shop as 1801 Module 3 Cardigan

Join my mailing list for the monthly newsletter and immediate access to the Free Newsletter Pattern Folder on Dropbox.

Happy Doll Dressmaking,

Val

Vintage doll clothes suspender trousers pattern for 18” dolls

These cute 50s style trousers have slant pockets, elastic in the back and suspenders that cross in the back.

The turtle neck sweater is perfect to wear for the colder weather. It is easy to make with collar and cuffs from the same knit fabric. No need to find matching ribbing.

As an extra for Halloween there is an easy to create spooky eyes costume made from a variation of the turtle neck sweater. A full pattern for this round neck sweater and instructions and diagram for the applique eyes is ready to down load and save as an idea for next Halloween.

I made this little round neck sweater from stretch velvet and I used lace trim to hem the neck and wrists

You can find these patterns in my store

In Etsy  

Happy Doll Dressmaking,

Val

Vintage Skirt and Blouse for 18" dolls

Aren't vintage outfits cute on dolls?

I am really taken with the 50s designs for little girls and I love translating them into doll clothes.

In order to get a good idea of the type of clothes children used to wear in the 50s I looked up the archived pages of the Betsy McCall paper doll that came out in the McCalls magazine over several decades.

You can find the paper doll pages year by year HERE

You can find out more about Betsy McCall HERE

The page I started with is July 1951 and Betsy is going to visit her grandma on a farm.  I have recreated the red skirt style and the blouse.

Happy Doll Dressmaking,

Val

The 50s L-seam petticoat pattern for 18” dolls

I love to design and when I started designing petticoats I just kept going. After 5 designs, including the drafting, the sewing and the instruction writing I decided it was time to get back to some dresses. I wouldn't expect you to make all 5 petticoats at once but making a dress and a petticoat at the same time is an easy way to create a beautiful outfit.
You will also find some panties patterns in the pattern library that are easy to make as well.

It's always fun to complete an outfit with underwear and there is no need to use the same old petticoat pattern for every dress you make. I created this petticoat collection to showcase some of the best designs from different eras so you can choose the perfect design to suit the dress you have made.

The 50s L seam petticoat

• Perfect fit for dolls like American Girl Doll or Our Generation Dolls

Don't you hate it when a pattern doesn't fit your doll!

When I create patterns I include enough ease to help them fit a range of doll tummies. This petticoat just fits my vintage Kit with a waist of 11", yet it still looks good on the slimmer dolls. The tapered waist on the bodice pattern pieces make it easy to adjust the waist by just straightening out the side edge before you cut out.

• Full step by step instructions

Do you like instructions that are made for printing out?

Do you like the idea of minimal pages with clear neat diagrams?

Your instruction pages consist of line diagrams with some shading and easy to read 12pt text. This makes them perfect for printing out.

The diagrams clearly depict each step and you will find the right side of the fabric lightly shaded and the linings marked with a simple hash mark to make it obvious what you are looking at. Since the diagrams can be smaller than photos and still show the details, patterns written by me rarely have more than 8 pages.

The clarity of the diagrams and the size of the text make the instruction pages perfect for making into 1/2 page booklets using the booklet button in Adobe Reader.

You can read more about this petticoat and more photos in this blog post

These petticoats will be added to the newsletter pattern vault for subscribers.

See the signup box at the top of the blog.

Happy Doll Dressmaking,
Val