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Make your doll a skirt to wear around the house! This
skirt is based on the Montoya skirt pattern that all of the girls use, but it can be used for Larson skirts and Parkington
skirts if you pick the appropriate fabrics.
For Montoyas: heavy woven fabrics, bright colors and patterns.
For
Larsons: cottons, lighter pastel colors, blues and grays, and quilting prints like little flowers or plaids.
For
Merrimans: solid silks, or cottons.
For Parkingtons: satins, silks, embroidered fabrics, or anything
that looks exotic, like Asian prints.
You will need:
A large pad of paper or posterboard
A pin cushion
Straight
pins
Sewing scissors
A pencil
A ruler
Your choice of fabric
Snaps
Needle
Thread of a matching color
On the sheet of paper, mark a length of 8.5 inches with
your pencil and ruler.
At a right angle to this line, mark another longer line
that is 15 inches long.
You can make this skirt in several different sizes.
The one i'm giving instructions for is for an American Girl doll size.
American Girls:
Skirt:
8.5" x 15"
Waistband: 1.25" x 6"
Little Girls (like My Twinn Cuddly sisters):
Skirt:
7.5" x 13"
Waistband: 1.25" x 4"
Parents (like My Twinn dolls):
Skirt: 14" x 20"
Waistband:
2" x 8"
On the shorter end of the finished pattern (close up the
other edges to form a rectangle pattern) write FOLD.
Make the waistband pattern using the same method.
The measurements for the waistband are 1.25" x 6".
Write fold on the small end.
On both patterns, draw a line that goes up and down along
the width.
This is called the "grain line."
If you are using a fabric that has stripes on it,
the grain line shows you how to line up the pattern piece with the stripes so the dress turns out with all the stripes going
the same way.
For this pattern, the grain line is very simple- just up and down on both pattern pieces.
Now take your fabric and lay it out on a large surface where
you have plenty of room. Fold the fabric over on top of itself, and at the edge where the fabric is folded over itself,
line up the side of the pattern that says "FOLD."
Also, make sure that your grain line is going the same direction
as the stripes in your fabric.
Pin the patterns to the fabric.
Notice how the edge marked "FOLD" is lined up with the folded
part of the material.
This will give you a piece of fabric that is twice as long as the pattern that you made, without
having to sew two pieces of fabric together.
Using your sewing scissors, carefully cut the fabric around
the pinned pattern pieces.
When you are done cutting, you will have two pieces of fabric
cut out that are twice as long as the original pattern pieces.
Choose an edge of the skirt (the larger pattern piece) to
be your hem.
Fold the fabric over to create a hem, and pin it into place.
You can do a double hem if you
want it to be especially sturdy- just fold it over on itself one more time and then pin it.
Using a thread that matches your fabric, carefully stitch
along the hem that you just pinned, taking out the pins as you go.
(HINT: I have used a bright yellow thread for this
pattern so you can see where the stitches are! I would normally choose a dark brown or a dark red thread for this type
of fabric.)
Once you have finished the hem, tie off the thread and cut
it. Now you are going to gather the TOP of the skirt, which is the end opposite to the one you just hemmed.
Make
sure you have plenty of thread, and start stitching along the raw edge of the skirt top. As you go, however, pull tight
on the thread to make the skirt bunch up behind you.
This is called gathering.
Don't tie off the end of the gathered top.
Here is a picture of the skirt all bunched up, but you'll notice that there is not enough room for a doll's waist
up there!
Go get a doll or a dress form to try the skirt on for
size. Before tying off the thread, hold the gathered edge of the skirt up to the waistline of your doll, and fit the
size.
You may have to loosen the gathering a little bit to make it fit. When it does, tie it off.
Pin the edge of the waistband pattern, as well as the two
ends, leaving one long edge open.
Hem the edges with your needle and thread, and tie off on
the end.
Line the hemmed edge of the waistband up with the gathered
top of the skirt.
Fold the other edge down under the skirt so the waistband
is covering up all of the gathering.
PIn the waistband down.
Sew along the edge that you've pinned, taking out the pins
as you go.
HINT: Try to make your stitches go up and down
in the same places that you already stitched on the hem of the waistband. This makes the whole thing look tidier.
Now, turn the skirt inside out and fold it over itself.
Lining up the two short edges of the skirt (front edges
facing in) pin them together.
Sew up the section you've pinned.
Make sure
to leave a little room at the top without sewing.
Sew a hem along the leftover section of fabric.
Leaving
this open will help you get the skirt onto your doll.
Sew snaps onto the edges of the waistband.
Try the skirt on your doll or dress form and close the snaps
to make sure it fits.
Your skirt is finished! Congratulations!
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