My kids love their dolls, but finding clothing for them get be frustrating. Well, today I’m going to show you How To Make A Doll Dress The Easy Way! If you have an old shirt your kiddos have outgrown or maybe has a spot or small hole, you don’t have to toss it. You can upcycle it into this cute doll dress. I am going to show you step by step how we used an old shirt to make a dress for an 18″ doll. This is an easy sewing project. That means even the newest of sewers can make this one, including the kiddos that are just learning to sew. Once my kids really got into dolls, I started looking for ways to save money and add some personalization for them. Making doll clothing is super fun and you can keep it simple like this dress or do something more complicated. This is one of our more requested projects so I am excited to finally be bringing this to you. Pick out an old shirt and let’s get to making this fun little doll dress!
In addition to the old shirt I mentioned above, you’ll need a few sewing supplies. You’ll need some ribbon, some matching thread, and some other basics like sewing pins or clips, scissors or a rotary cutter, mat, and ruler, and of course your sewing machine. Once you have all your supplies gathered up, we can get started on this fun tutorial or if you want to sew a dress for yourself then check out these free dress patterns you can sew.
What You’ll Need:
- T-shirt (solid colors work best)
- 5/8 inch wide Ribbon
- Matching Thread
- Sewing Clips
- Crochet Hooks or like objects (optional)
- Sewing Machine
- Iron or heat press
- Thread Clippers
- Scissors
- Rotary Cutter, Cutting Mat, & Ruler
How To Make A Doll Dress The Easy Way
Make sure the bottom trim of the shirt is lined up. Pin it in place so that it does not move or shift when cutting. Then pin the shirt in a few places as well to keep it from shifting.
After you have it pinned, cut a double layer that is 10 inches wide and 13 inches long/tall. You want to be sure to keep that bottom seam that is already on the shirt. So you will only be making two cuts. One on the side and one at the top.
Unpin and lay the shirt flat. Fold the end edges over by about 1/2 inch and pin in place.
Sew the pinned sides keeping the foot lined with the fold. When you get to the bottom where the shirt seam is, be sure to do a backstitch before ending.
When the sides are done we need to do the top. With this one, you will fold it over by 1 inch and pin it in place.
Now when you sew this one we will stay lined up right along with that raw edge. Do a backstitch at the start and finish this time.
Cut a piece of ribbon that is 28 inches long.
Use the crochet hook or another like object to pull the ribbon through the hollow opening on that topstitching.
Simply wrap the dress around the doll under her arms. Then cross it over itself in the front and tie the ribbon together in the back. You want the back section of the dress to be punched/gathered together.
If you liked learning how to make a doll dress the east way, make sure to pin it to your favorite Pinterest board or share it with friends on social media. If you decide to make this simple project on your own, be certain that you take a picture afterward and tag us on social media as we love seeing the fabrics and color choices that people use!
How To Make A Doll Dress The Easy Way
Sew a fun dress for your child's doll. This is a simple project that looks great and is cheap to make.
Materials
- T-shirt (solid colors work best)
- 5/8 inch wide Ribbon
- Matching Thread
Tools
Instructions
- Make sure the bottom trim of the shirt is lined up. Pin it in place so that it does not move or shift when cutting. Then pin the shirt in a few places as well to keep it from shifting.
- After you have it pinned, cut a double layer that is 10 inches wide and 13 inches long/tall. You want to be sure to keep that bottom seam that is already on the shirt. So you will only be making two cuts. One on the side and one at the top.
- Unpin and lay the shirt flat. Fold the end edges over by about 1/2 inch and pin in place.
- Sew the pinned sides keeping the foot lined with the fold. When you get to the bottom where the shirt seam is, be sure to do a backstitch before ending.
- When the sides are done we need to do the top. With this one, you will fold it over by 1 inch and pin it in place.
- Now when you sew this one we will stay lined up right along with that raw edge. Do a backstitch at the start and finish this time.
- Cut a piece of ribbon that is 28 inches long.
- Use the crochet hook or another like object to pull the ribbon through the hollow opening on that topstitching.
- Simply wrap the dress around the doll under her arms.
- Then cross it over itself in the front and tie the ribbon together in the back. You want the back section of the dress to be punched/gathered together.
- Enjoy!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
100PCS Sewing Clips for Quilting, Multipurpose Sewing Clips Clamps,Accessories Colors Wonder Clips,Perfect for Sew Binding,Crafts,Paper Work and Hanging Little Things -
Brother XM2701 Sewing Machine, Lightweight, Full Featured, 27 Stitches, 6 Included Feet
-
Fiskars Crafts 95237097J Rotary Sewing Cutting Set (3 Piece), Grey
-
SINGER 00220 Sewing Gauge, 6-Inch
-
LIVINGO Premium Tailor Scissors Heavy Duty Multi-Purpose Titanium Coating Forged Stainless Steel Sewing Fabric Leather Dressmaking Softgrip Shears Professional Crafting (9.5 INCH)
