How to Sew an Elegant Doll Gown (A 20-step tutorial)

Hello, dollings!

I hope you guys are all doing great and had been creative while I had been out with my shenanigans and leaving the blog quiet for more than a month. My apologies, my dollings.

If you've been following me for some time now, I'm sure this isn't new to you, right?

I'll try to limit these "episodes" and be a better blogger next time.

So, to make it up to you, as I always do, please accept this new tutorial as our kiss-and-makeup present.

We have this week this elegant gown that Lisa and I collaborated to design.

We hope you like it, and once ready, I will make the pattern available at the shop :)

Alright, let's get started.

1. Grab your materials and sewing tools. For this project, you will need the main fabric, a lining fabric, matching thread, a sewing needle or machine, scissors, and your preferred closure material. I like to use metal sew-on snaps. You may also need a sewing pattern to make sure your garments fit your doll like a glove :)

2. Cut your fabric pieces. Here's my main fabric. I believe I used some satiny polyester fabric, just in medium weight perfect for our dolls. 

Here's my lining fabric. I believe I chose some silky polyester fabric here that's very light and see-through. 

3.  Sew the front darts of your main fabric front bodice, and the ones at the back bodice panels. Make the folds on the side of your main skirt fabric and temporarily secure them with pins or stitch basting. 

4. Stitch together your main fabric front bodice and skirt.

5. Stitch together the sides of your main fabric assembly. 

Front

Back

6.  Sew the front darts of your lining fabric front bodice, and the ones at the back panels. 

7. Stitch together your lining fabric front bodice and skirt. 

8. Stitch together the sides of your lining fabric assembly. Front and Back.

9. Create a triangular piece that is the right size for your snaps or closure material. In my case, I made a 1.5cmx4cm one.

10 . Attach the rectangular snap holder piece to one side of your main fabric back panel.

11. Stitch together the necklines of your main and lining fabrics. 

Lining fabric's side

Main fabric's side

12. Hem your garment.

13. Stitch together the side slit seams.

14. Flip your garment.

15. Iron-press to keep the garment folds looking less bulky and neater.

16. Take the center back edges of the main fabric and sew the seams from the bottom up to where it meets the snap holder piece.

17. Take the center back edges of the lining fabric and sew the seams also up to where it aligns with the main fabric center back.

18. Flip the garment and press the center back. 

19. Close together the remaining unstitched seams of the main and lining fabric center back.

20. Sew on your snaps, or velcro tapes and you're done!

I got so excited I went ahead and tried the fit on my (headless, for now) girl without the snaps, oooops!

I tried styling it with a blazer and I love it :)

So there you go!

I hope you learned something new from this tutorial today. 

If you have questions about this post, just comment below and I will do my best to check regularly and answer asap.

Thanks again for dropping by and see you on our next DIY doll clothes-making session!

hugs and kisses,

shasha