I have finished Tender Heart and Twinkle’s ballgowns. Tender Heart’s gown has a slightly higher neckline than the ballgowns for the two smaller dolls.
I am happy with the design My husband copied the patterns into the computer and tidied them up for me. I still have to edit my instructions. I also need to sew the dresses with shorter skirts and less elaborate trims to make a modern version of the pattern.
Here are Tender Heart and Twinkle in their ballgowns.

my patterns, Pattern Making sewing for small dolls

My current pattern project is a ball gown for young princesses. I am designing it to fit my three small dolls. It is made with a bodice that stops at  the natural waist and a gathered skirt. With a shorter skirt and simpler decoration than the elaborate ornaments necessary for princesses, the pattern can make a classic little girl dress.
Here is Florabunda in her princess dress.
I am almost finished with Tender Heart and Twinkle’s dresses. I will show them to you next week. I hope to have the pattern completed in a few weeks.

my patterns Adapting a pattern, designing patterns, sewing for small dolls

The free pdf of quilt blocks now contains a third quilt block. In addition to the mini Dutch Doll blocks, and the large Dutch Doll block there is a pattern for a flower applique quilt block.

If you are interested in any of the quilt tops, go to my patterns page. You can find the  download in the red box on the right that lists all the free downloads.
I was thinking of Florabunda when I made the flower quilt. Here she is taking a nap with her flower quilt.

Other dolls can use the quilt and bed, too. My Madame Alexander Wendy would fit the bed just fine.
Coming next week: A free download for a star applique quilt block. (Twinkle says it is about time!)
Coming in August: A chance to win a free pdf of your choice from my pattern selections.

doll quilts Madam Alexander doll clothes patterns, sewing for small dolls

For the next few weeks technical support (husband) and I will be adding free patterns and downloads to my patterns page. The first four additions can be used with my pattern “Doll Bed and Accessories.” Today we are offering miniature Dutch Doll blocks.

If you liked the miniature Dutch Doll quilt that I first showed you in my June nineteenth blog, you can now download a PDF containing the five blocks on the pictured quilt plus a sixth block with only the outline of a Dutch Doll. The blocks are intended to be printed on a sheet of printable fabric. You can also trace the dolls onto fabric and color them with waterproof pens. If you want to make the quilt pictured, you will need my pattern “Doll Bed and Accessories.” I’m sure that there are other ways to use the download. Have fun and use your imagination.

If you are interested in this download, go to my patterns page. You can find the new download in the red box on the right that lists all the free downloads.
Coming next week: A free download of a pattern for a larger Dutch Doll that is appliqued onto a miniature quilt.

Coming in August: A chance to win a free pdf of your choice from my pattern selections.

doll quilts sewing for small dolls

The two tiered skirt in my pattern Gown, Smock Top, and Two Tier Skirt is a fairly easy garment to make.I noticed a pattern that would make a nice matching girl’s skirt.  McCall’s 5841 has patterns for two and three tier skirts for girls. Small dolls are really too little for three tiers. The McCall’s pattern looks like it would be quick and easy to make.
Many illustrations of girls wearing tiered skirts show them paired with a T-shirt. My doll’s T-shirt pattern is offered in my Pants, T-Shirt, and Skirt pattern. The T-shirt pattern has ribbing at the neck and set in sleeves.
 If you would like an easier top to pair with the two tier skirt, try the top from my free pattern Sundress and Summer Top. I wrote about  sundress patterns for girls in a  previous blog. To make a matching girl’s outfit, shorten one of the girl’s patterns for a sundress and use it to make a girl’s top for a tiered skirt.

Remember that my small doll clothes patterns will also fit American Girl mini, Madam Alexander dolls, Vogue’s Ginny, and other small commercial dolls.

my patterns American Girl mini clothes patterns, Madam Alexander doll clothes patterns, sewing for small dolls, Vogue Ginny doll clothes patterns

To everyone who is celebrating today:

May you have a blessed and happy Easter.

Displaying Dolls sewing for small dolls

Continuing the idea of making a girl and small doll matching dresses, I have found a few girl’s patterns that can match my small doll’s A-line dress pattern. Simplicity 2194 is a girl’s A-line dress. It has suggestions for embellishing the dress that you might copy on the doll’s dress. Amazon offers a book titled Absolutely A-Line by Wendi Gratz that has received fairly good reviews. The pattern and the book both promise dresses that are easy to make.

Simplicity also has a few short jackets included in other girl’s dress patterns. None of the patterns that I looked at are an exact match for the jacket included in my doll’s A-line pattern. The girl’s jacket patterns are more complicated than the A-line dress pattern. My doll’s jacket pattern is an easy pattern. If you are sewing for a young girl, you might want to look at the jacket patterns. A short jacket is an interesting addition to a wardrobe.

I have not tried any of these patterns. The pictures look like a good match for my doll’s A-line dress. Give the little girl in your life a pair of matching dresses for her and her Ginny, Madam Alexander doll, mini American Girl, one of my three cloth dolls, or other favorite small doll.

If you have visited my blog before, you may have noticed my blog’s new look today. My technical support (my husband, as I have said before) has put the finishing touches on my website’s new look. The blog was the last page that he worked on.

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My technical support (husband) has been working on a slightly different layout and new top buttons for my patterns page. I already thought that it was very pretty, but now I like it even better.

my patterns, New Things sewing for small dolls

I have noticed a current trend of  making  girls and their dolls matching outfits. If a young girl in your life has a small doll such as Madam Alexander’s Wendy, Vogue’s Ginny,  Amanda Jane, or one of the American Girl minis, you can use my free sundress pattern as half of a matching outfit set. Of course if she doesn’t have a small doll yet, you can make her Twinkle, Floribunda, or Tender Heart from my pattern.

I have found three patterns for girls that look similar to my doll’s sundress. Any one of them should work as part two of the matching outfit pair.  There is a book on Amazon titled Making Children’s Clothes by  Emma Hardy. The dress on the cover looks a lot like my doll’s sundress. I also found two Simplicity patterns that might make a matching girl’s dress. They are: Simplicity 2383 and 2391. I have not tried to make any of these dresses, but I usually have good luck with Simplicity patterns.

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Please check my new home page and pattern page. I now have a pattern available for Twinkle, Floribunda, and Tender Heart, as well as patterns for their clothing and shoes. If you are not interested in cloth doll making, but would like to make clothing for small commercial dolls, check the drop down menu on the pattern page to see how your favorite doll looks in clothing made from these patterns. The patterns are in pdf form so that you can download them as soon as they are purchased.

There is a free pattern for a sundress and summer top, that you can download before you decide to purchase any of the patterns.

my patterns, New Things sewing for small dolls