Tamara's Blog

Valentine's Day Dresses

2/13/2020

This year for Valentine’s Day I decided to make something special for the EG and TM — matching dresses.

But not just any matching dresses. These dresses match each other and their American Girl dolls.

For the record, I made the American Girl doll dresses first because I needed to learn how to make a lined bodice and gathered skirt. I kind of knew how to do the skirt, but definitely did not know the rest. Starting with the AG dolls was the right thing to do.

AG doll clothes = way less fabric and easier to scrap if/when you make a major mistake

I tossed 2 bodices away while learning on the AG dolls. Yes, two full bodices got dumped in the trash. There might have been tears. Ok, there were tears. I was super frustrated. Truth.

That’s when I decided to wise up and call my mom who knows a metric ton more about sewing than I do.

#GrandmaJudyToTheRescue

Once I worked out the kinks with the AG doll dresses, I was ready to move on to the dresses for the girls. It was 100% the right decision. The dresses for the girls, once the bodice was resized, came together super quick. Like 4-6 hours of total effort (versus the 12+ hours on that first awful AG dress).

The pattern I used is Butterick 3351. I meant to get another Simplicity pattern, but those weren’t on sale, so I picked up 2 similar styles in Butterick. (Not brand loyal.)

I had to size down the bodice for EG from a size 8 to a size 6 in circumference while maintaining the length of the size 8. EG is quite slender. For TM, I needed just narrower than a size 6 for the circumference but way less on the length. TM is a good few inches shorter that her sister. (Nearly 4 years between them, so that’s to be expected.)

Both dresses turned out wonderful. The girls are thrilled and wear them to play in around the house. It can’t be Valentine’s Day every day!

Fabric and pattern from Joann Fabrics. Fabric was in the clearance section when I purchased it. It’s not a cotton blend (and I really would rather it was, but little girls pick what they like).

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American Girl Valentine Dress

2/5/2020

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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...

#AmericanGirlFashions
#18inchDollClothing

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Valentine's Day Dresses

American Girl Valentine Dress

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