Just joining us? Hurry and grab your copy of
Hello all,
It’s time to finish up our little doll dress, which is really quite easy. If you haven’t already torn your skirt 5-3/4 inches deep by 36 inches, do so now.
1. Press your strip as well as a strip of lace edging about 1-1/2 inches longer than your skirt width, so about 17-1/2 inches. Spray starch both. Place your lace edging right side down with the header edge not quite 1/4 inch away from the lower raw edge of your skirt. You can pin it if you’d like, but I generally just eye it while I stitch.
2. Using an edge/joining foot, place the edge of the lace along the edge of the foot and select a needle position that will stitch right down the header of the lace; stitch.
Now move your needle position over into the 1/4-inch fabric edge about 1/8 inch from the header edge and stitch a second row of stitching. When you’re finished stitching, trim just next to the second stitching line to remove the “eyelashes” from your torn edge and straighten it.
Return to the machine and with a zigzag stitch (L= 1.0; W=2.5) roll and whip so that the fabric edge wraps around your lace header (the right motion of the needle will stitch off the fabric and the left motion will stitch over the header.
3. Press your rolled and whipped seam allowance up toward the skirt.
Return to the machine and topstitch just next to the lace/fabric join to secure the seam allowance and keep it from flipping down and showing through the lace insert.
4. Turn back the short edges of your skirt 1/4 inch twice, press and topstitch in place. Mark the center top edge of your skirt. Measure from the center point to each end and mark the halfway point; this is where your skirt should join the bodice side seams. Run two gathering threads in the top of the skirt and pull to gather.
5. Pin the skirt the bodice edge right sides together.
Stitch, and then finish the seam with a zigzag or serge. Press.
6. For the lace flourish, cut a piece of lace edging about 8 inches long. Pull a header thread in each end...
... to gather into a lace circle. Press one cut edge toward the back 1/4 inch and the other cut edge toward the front. Place the ends together, take to the machine and zigzag to secure (or hand stitch if preferred).
7. Position the flourish over the bodice where the fabric strap joins the lace bodice and hand stitch to secure.
Add a button or bead to the center.
8. Stitch buttons and buttonholes or a Velcro closure to the back of the bodice and dress your doll.
I didn’t have a contemporary 18-inch doll to try my dress on, but I did have my antique Effenbee Patsy-Ann, so here she is in my heirloom version of Joan Hind’s Sunny Day Sundress.
-Amelia
Keep watch...in February we are introducing a new book where you can follow along with us! Amanda, our Senior Designer, will be taking us through one of her favorites!