Making a Jumper Dress for Any Doll – with Pattern

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6. Cut and hem the buttonholes. These only need to be tiny slits to slip the button in, and will stretch with use, so don’t make them too big. 7. Check the dress on the doll again. You should be done and the dress should look wonderful. If there are problems, you may need to do a little hand fixing. If the straps are too long, you may need to cut the button off, and place it higher up. Or maybe the buttonholes are too big, and you need to stitch them closed. No matter the problem, don’t be afraid to try to fix it, there shouldn’t be anything too hard to repair.

Notes:

I made this dress for an odd sized doll, as shown in the picture. Obviously the doll is part of a certain, famous, fashion doll line. Now the doll not only has the pants and shirt she came with, she has a jumper she can change into. Best of all, I didn’t have to pay $10 for the silly little thing.

Using the black and white pattern picture, you should be able to make this dress, no matter the size of the doll. Basically, all you need is to measure the front on the doll, add an inch or two for the seam, and cut out the fabric. Do the same for the back. Sew the front and back together. Hem the dress so it looks pretty, sew on the straps and buttons, and you’re done.

You can make the skirt as short or as long as you desire. You can also add lace or ribbon edging with ease. But whatever you do, just make sure to cut the skirts bottom hem in an arc, not in a straight line.

In the black and white pattern picture, note that the skirt’s bottom is not just a straight line from one side to the other. The line is slightly curved, bowing out in the middle and coming up on each end. If you cut a skirt straight across, you will probably end up with weird droops at the skirt’s sides. By using an arc, you get rid of the droop and keep a true skirt form. This is a very important primary point to learn for anyone new to sewing skirts.

If the jumper goes so well that you want to do a little more, think about adding some accessories. It’s easy to cut a strip of matching fabric, sew a hem, and “poof!”, you have a hair tie. Or hem and fold some of the extra fabric, then sew on a ribbon strap, and you have a little matching purse. Sew on two straps and you have a little matching backpack!

by Aysha Schurman