For the skirt cut a rectangular piece of material 30 inches (75cm) by 10 inches (25cm) – this gives you enough to make an ankle length dress, if desired. Cut a 10 inch long and 1.5 inch wide strip on the bias of dress material to finish neckline. For bib collar, which is just in front, cut one piece in dress material and one piece in a contrasting plain fabric – in the photos I’ve used white.
Construction directions
Bodice
Right sides of bib collar facing, sew along two outer edges to center point and turn right side out. Press flat. Pin collar to dress front and baste along front shoulder and neckline edges.
With right sides of back and front bodice facing, sew together at shoulders. Press seam open. Using the bias strip sew one long edge to right side to neckline. Clip curves. Fold bias strip to inside of neckline, turning in once and blind stitch to wrong side of neckline. Be careful not to catch collar in your hand sewing. To finish back seam of bodice, turn in twice on each center edge and hand or machine stitch to make a one quarter inch hem. Overlap waist edge one quarter inch and tack together.
Sleeves
Roll in lower edge and hem by hand or machine. (I sew sleeve and skirt hems by hand.) Gather along dotted line of sleeve, (I use quilting thread for strength) just loose enough to slide over doll’s hand. On the Raggedy Ann in this photo the gather is 4.5 inches across. Along armpit edge gather sleeve with basting stitch just inside the one quarter inch line to fit armhole and with right side of sleeve facing right side of front and back bodice (which are just joined at shoulders and now lay out flat) stitch together with one quarter inch seam. Clip curve. Repeat for other sleeve. With right sides of sleeves and bodice facing, sew together sides of bodice and underside of sleeves at the same time. Repeat on other side.
Skirt
Sew short edge together to form back seam. Press open or to one side. Gather along waist edge just inside one quarter inch seam to fit bodice waist. With right sides of skirt and bodice facing, and skirt seam matched to overlapped back bodice seam, baste bodice to skirt together by hand and turn right side out. Fold skirt seam and bodice seam up toward bodice on inside. On outside topstitch along waist line on bodice all the way around. Try dress on doll and turn up lower edge twice to make desired length of skirt. Press and blind stitch hem.
Finishing
Copy how I folded bib collar and pin in place temporarily. With large embroidery needle thread a 12” (30cm) length of floss and at center of bib collar to catch fold and working from right side take one stitch through and back out to front and tie in a square knot. (Remember that knot from Brownies? Right over left and under; left over right and under.) I think the square knot makes a nice finish. Clip tassel to desired length. For back closure sew on a sticky dot at neck edge to keep one side of back overlapped.
Now decorate the dress if you wish.
A one quarter inch cross grain ribbon topstitched to waistline just on front of bodice and long enough to tie in back. Variation – make the bodice a contrasting plain fabric to the sleeves and skirt.
Article and Photographs © Susan Kramer
If you need help with sewing techniques for doll costumes I recommend consulting my book.
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