One of my favorite American Girl dolls is Julie. I love her because she's from the time period when I was a little girl. Her clothes and accessories seem so hip and cool. A few months ago I was visiting my mother and going through a closet with her when I came across some fabric and a pattern for doll clothes that she had used when I was little (in the '70s!) and I got to thinking - I wonder if I still have that dress. I was delighted to find it packed up in a box along with the doll that had worn it - Chrissy!
Here's Chrissy modeling the original dress that my mother had made for me. Chrissy was a thin bodied 18 inch doll, and that got me to thinking - I bet Julie would look great in a dress just like this one. My mom had the orginal pattern and leftover fabric, so I got to work. Since the pattern was designed for 18 inch dolls, the length was perfect, all I had to do was add a bit more room to the sideseams, and the pattern was a perfect fit!
Here's Julie in her new vintage dress! I love the fact that the design and fabric are both from the '70s.
A side by side of Chrissy and Julie. My Julie is a bit on the short side. You can really see the difference in the body types of the two dolls. My mom added lace to the bottom of the dress she made in the '70s. I opted for a clean hemline.
I loved the dress so much that I decided to make another one for Daphne. The pattern is super quick and easy; it took my about 30 minutes to whip up each dress.
Here's a photot of the back of the dress. It's an open back halter - perfect for warm summery days! The pattern was so easy that I ended up making several more in different fabrics. Here's another one I made with fabric from my mom's archives.
I love the fun print on this print of this pink dress. Perhaps I'll keep playing with this pattern - a knee lenght version might be cute, too!
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