With the holidays coming up I thought it would be fun to make a Pretty Party Dress for Barbie. This is a fairly easy dress that only has two pattern pieces and three dress pieces. Now, that's for the dress, of course if you want a full puffed out skirt you'll need to add a petticoat or tulle slip or ~something~ to help with that. I just shaped it a bit for the picture. My fabric is a simple cotton, different fabrics will drape differently.
What I did (all seams are backstitched):
Save and use the scroll wheel on mouse aiming for the 1" guide, trace patterns onto paper.
Save and use the scroll wheel on mouse aiming for the 1" guide, trace patterns onto paper.
Bodice, Cut 1:
Skirt, Cut 2:
Cut one of the skirt pieces in half for the back of the dress.
Kinda looks like a Christmas tree😀
Place the back skirt pieces on each side of the front, right sides together, sew 1/4" seam up each side.
Sew 1/4" hem around bottom of skirt ~or~ use hot glue or Liquid Stitch and glue some fun trim to the bottom for an embellishment.
Fold the top edges (triangle) of the bodice over 1/4" and press flat with iron. Add two small darts into bodice approximately as shown on pattern piece. Sew hem around top of bodice.
Make longer darts on bottom.
My best advice, make the space between the two bottom darts 1" for the best fitted dress. Sew the bottom darts about 1/2" long. (After I took this picture I decided it's best to sew the darts/hem around the triangle first, then pin the bottom darts.
Match center front of skirt waistband to center of bodice, right sides together, pin in place. First pin in the center, next the two on the open sides of the skirt. Gently gather in the middle if necessary, but you really shouldn't need to.
Sew 1/4" seam around waist of dress.
Fold dress right sides together and starting at the bottom, sew up the back of the skirt to within 1 1/2" of waistband.
Fold dress right sides together and starting at the bottom, sew up the back of the skirt to within 1 1/2" of waistband.
Press remaining unsewn edges of skirt and bodice over 1/4", you can leave as is, or use a little Liquid Stitch to secure them.
Sew piece of velcro onto opening for easy dressing and garment closure. (I used a dot instead of a strip and hot glue, a little messy, but works for me. I'd use a half dot next time.) You could also use a snap.
Sew piece of velcro onto opening for easy dressing and garment closure. (I used a dot instead of a strip and hot glue, a little messy, but works for me. I'd use a half dot next time.) You could also use a snap.
Wa-la, a pretty holiday dress! Perfect as is or you could embellish with a ribbon or shiny diamond mesh belt. Or maybe some gemstone bling at the top of the bodice, etc. My finishing touch was a rhinestone in the center of the large snowflake. Full disclosure: I was aiming for the point to be in the center and adding some ribbon to tie around the neck, it ended up on the side... Yep, just roll with it and pretend the side was the plan all along😎
Barbie asks,
where's my cocktail???
✂Make something just for fun and
Have a Happy Day:@)
How cute is that dress, Lynn??!! Thanks for the tutorial, too. Btw, your flopped cookies turned into a topping on your cake, looked awesome! Have a great week!
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