I could not resist making some doll clothes for a young friend of ours for Christmas. Patsy has an American Girl doll and graciously offered to have her doll, Rose, model the finished product. We had a pretty good time setting Rose up for her photo shoot.
Then I made a sleeping bag and pillow for the 18″ doll. It was a little tricky, especially putting the zipper in, but it all worked out.
Both of these items were made from commercial patterns I have had for a long time. I used scraps of cloth and lace, and a zipper I already had. It was a large separating zipper. I think a smaller zipper would work well, but that is what I had. My stash comes from projects not completed, things bought by mistake, garage sales and thrift shops, and gifts from people who don’t want to sew anymore. I have a large supply of sewing things, and I’m trying to use some of them up, and have been for the last few years. Because of this, I paid no money out of pocket for these doll things. They did, however, take quite a bit of time. It was very fun to play with dolls, and I hope to get a few other things made before Christmas.
The doll dress is lovely. But I have to say, the sleeping bag is soooo cute!!! I would have loved to receive such a gift when I was a little girl. I’m sure all that work will be worth the happiness it will bring to your young friend.
Thank you, Rhonda. I had fun making the sleeping bag. I have one more zipper like that in my stash, and am hoping to make Patsy one for her doll, now that I have things figured out. Sometimes, that’s the big part of the battle for me–making something work the first time when it’s unfamiliar.
The dress is very pretty! I made a doll sleeping bag, but without a zipper–just left enough of a side open to get the doll in and out. But the zipper makes it seem more real.
Thank you. I think I did one many years ago without the zipper as well. This pattern called for one, and I had 2 that I had been given years ago (I made 2 actually), so I used them. I was thinking as I made them that it would have made it pretty expensive to buy those big coat zippers, so I might have left them out if had not already owned them.