Doll News Spring 2019 - 58

To make the dress:
1. Cut the bodice and lining together.
2. Prepare the bodice front: baste the lining to the bodice
front.
3. Sew darts in bodice and lining together around the
edges.
4. Cut a bias strip 4-inches by ½-inch. Apply the strip as a
facing to the bodice front neckline.
5. Make the bodice drapes by folding the pieces down on
the solid lines and up on the dashed line. Turn under
the seam allowance and tack in place. When the bottom
of each drape forms a straight line and all the zigzag edges line up, the pleats are correct. Steam press
to make sharp folds in the drapes. NOTE: If a softer
look is preferred, the drape tops and bottoms may be
gathered rather than pleated. Just cut the bottoms on a
straight, rather than a zig-zag, line.
6. Tack the drapes to the shoulder seams of the bodice
front. The drapes should extend across the bodice front
and cross in the middle.
7. Baste the drapes in place along the waist line, crossing
them in front.
8. Sew each back lining to each dress back piece along
the neck line and the back openings, right sides facing.
Turn and press.
9. Sew the shoulder seams. Notice that the shoulder seam
is set forward of the shoulder.
10. Prepare the sleeves: Make narrow hems in the bottom
of each sleeve and up the sleeve seam edges for
1-½-inches.
11. Sew the sleeve seams.
12. Gather the tops of the sleeves along the doublestitching lines. Draw each sleeve up to fit the arm hole
on the bodice.
13. Sew the sleeves to the armholes.
14. Sew the underarm seams.
15. Finally, cut a strip of dress fabric 6-inches by 1-¼-inches
along the straight grain of the fabric. Turn under and
baste the seam allowance on all sides of the waist band.
Sew the waistband to the bodice bottom, enfolding the
raw edge of the bodice in the waistband. In effect, the
waistband is upside down. This will ensure a smooth
edge when it is time to attach the skirt.
16. Cut the skirt 28-inches wide and 11-½-inches long.
17. Make narrow hems in the short edges measuring
4-inches.
18. Sew the center back seam.
19. Make a 2-inch hem in the bottom of the skirt. If there is
insufficient depth to make a 2-inch hem (for instance if
the fabric is limited) the hem may be faced. Wide hems
were a characteristic if this 1830s style.
58

Spring 2019

20. The skirt top may be cartridge-pleated, wide-pleated
of gathered to the waistband. The skirt on Louise's
sample has two double-box pleats, one over each hip.
Regardless of how the skirt top is constrained, there
should be a 1-inch wide space at center front that
remains flat.
21. Turn under ½-inch at the top of skirt, after it is
gathered/pleated, and whip the top of the skirt to the
bottom of the waistband.
22. Close the sleeve bottoms and the bodice back with
small buttons and loops.
23. Make a belt of figured ribbon. Hem the back edges and
close with a hook and loop. Glue a doll's shoe buckle to
the front. NOTE: when the dress is placed on the doll,
the bodice drapes may spread. That's perfectly all right
- the sleeves are quite large and may need some cotton
puffs for support.
To make the bonnet:
The bonnet is designed to be made of velvet and lined
with silk. "Bond Instant Grrrip" glue is recommended to use.
1. Cut the pattern pieces of medium weight buckram.
Index card may also be used.
2. Glue 24-gauge floral wire to the outside edge of the
brim and the top edge of the crown. Dashed lines on
the pattern pieces indicate where the wire should be
glued. When the glue is dry, trim the buckram away
close to the wire along the outer edge of the brim. Do
not trim the crown.
3. Slash the crown along the edge above the wire and
bend the wire down, away from the wire.
4. Bend the crown into a circle, overlap the back edges
and glue together.
5. Overlap the ends of the brim and glue closed.
6. Center the top of the crown on the top and glue
in place. Let all the pieces dry completely before
continuing with the project.
7. Cut the bonnet silk lining in a color to match or
harmonize with the rest of the bonnet. Sew or glue the
ends closed.
8. Run a gathering thread along the top or straight edge
of the lining. Draw up tightly and anchor the thread
securely. Make sure the raw edge turns to the wrong
side.
9. When the glue on the two parts is completely dried,
slide the brim down over the crown and glue in
place to the edge. The curvy bottom of the crown will
automatically shape the brim.
10. Using a needle and thread, take several stitches
through the top of the crown and the center of the
lining. This will anchor the lining to the bonnet.

Doll News Spring 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Doll News Spring 2019