Fancy Dresses

For some time I have been buying remnants of fabrics from JoAnn's to use when making doll clothes for my grand girls.  They sell for half of the original price and include plenty of fabric for doll clothes.  This year I decided to make "fancy" dresses for Christmas gifts and pulled out the sparkly shiny remnants I had collected.  I sewed in Utah but my Kirsten American Girl Doll lives in Arizona so this December I sewed without my model or dress form.  I was a bit nervous about sizing and hoped that when I tried them on Kirsten they would fit.  I decided on a photo session with Kirsten as a model as well.

This outfit was for my granddaughter who loves boots and bling so I worked off those gold boots you see peeking out from underneath the skirt.  I didn't use JoAnn remnants for this outfit.  I used quilting leftovers for the skirt and camisa which were made from the original doll patterns that American Girl issued years ago.  The camisa and skirt where made from the Josefina collection.  I decorated the skirt with trims from JoAnn's and bought the sash trim from JoAnn's as well.  I simply love working with the old patterns from American Girl.  They go together so well and include great finishing tips.

This dress was made from a Butterick Retro '56 doll pattern #B5865 for 18 inch dolls.  I worried about the fit from a retro pattern but it fit well.

This dress is made from a duponi silk fabric remnant.  I love duponi silk and its glowing color play.  This dress includes a tulle underskirt.  The collar fabric was also cut from a remnant. I included a pair of white satin flats.

This dress was made from a Simplicity pattern #3547 from a purple taffeta remnant and sparkly violet tulle remnant.  It also had a great fit. I used the "G" bodice and "C" skirt pattern pieces for this dress.

A silvery tulle remnant was used as an underskirt as well as sash.  I included silver glitter flats.

This dress and jacket were made from remnants of blue polyester satin and faux white suede.

I also included a pair of boots with white "Sherpa" trim.  This pattern came from Joan Hinds'  book, Sew the Contemporary Wardrobe for 18-Inch Dolls. Surprisingly the outfit, found on page 75, was just a bit large for the doll.  I expected that a book created for the American Girl line would have been more well fitted.  It was fun to sew some fancier dresses.