American Girl Valentine Dress

My girls received faux American Girl dolls for Christmas this year. The requests for clothing for their dolls began before the last present was unwrapped.

I used Simplicity pattern # S8903 to create a cute, yet elegant Valentine’s Day dress for their 18” dolls. All materials were purchased at Joann Fabrics.

The pink and red heart material was discovered in the clearance section of Joann. I’m not sure how much I bought but it was at least 2 yards for roughly $3. We paired it with a red cotton fat square and a 1/2” satin ribbon in a darker shade of pink.

As not-the-best-seamstress to walk the planet, I struggled with the pattern — specifically the bodice — initially. I called my mother on FaceTime to figure out what I was doing wrong. She figured out I sewed the side seams too soon in like under a minute. My girls were impressed.

I’m hoping they learned to ask for help from an expert from my example. (Hey, I can hope they learned something valuable from my frustration and failure.)

If I had correctly followed the Simplicity directions, I wouldn’t have hit that snag with the bodice. Once I was past that point, the sewing was simple (if not exactly easy since gathering isn’t something I have a lot of experience with).

Ultimately, the dresses turned out cute and my daughters love them. I plan to use this pattern, with minor alterations, in the future for several other dresses.

Simplicity 8903 link (not affiliate link)
Note: I purchased this pattern at a Joann store for $1.99 due to a sale. Shop around...

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#18inchDollClothing