TUTORIAL - Stitch up this SUPER EASY GOWN

As usual I would like to thank all of you

for becoming my new followers.
And

please do not forget to find the giveaway

and leave a comment.

I thought that you might would like to

make this SIMPLE and CLASSY Pink Gown.

Here I show you how!

All of my designs are for personal use

only. They are not to be sold to anyone

or used otherwise without my permission.

So please have fun and make your dolls

some clothes - they are begging you!

Be sure to read all of the directions

before cutting or stitching just so you

understand it.
This is not hard!

All of my designs generally do not require

any patterns. I have many books but as

of yet have not utilized any of those

patterns in there except for one - and

that is a robe pattern. Some of my

dresses are made from this robe

pattern or made without patterns.

This pink dress is made from a

medium thick material which in its former

life was a napkin. If you make this from a thinner

material it will still be pretty but it will

not have the substance to it like the thick

napkin has.  If you know

what I mean.
Matilda is my head witch

doll and as of yet she is not fixed.

I am waiting to find her an apartment

and then I will fix her so for the time

being Matilda is basically my model.

By the way she says hello!
 

Matilda is 6 inches high. I like my

dolls at all different heights

because in real life most of us are

different!
Many of our items are also

different so that's why on some things

I keep to scale and some things I don't.

Also I like my dolls to

be able to wear what I make.

 This dress will hang in Daisy's

apartment but she will not be able to wear it

because Daisy is smaller in height but bigger

than my skinny dolls.

Daisy's new apartment is coming soon.

Meet Matilda

 

 Take a medium thick napkin and I cut off the fringe

so if I want to use that fringe for something else

then I can.
This napkin could make perhaps 3 of these dresses

if you wanted to make that many.
Or you could make matching shawls or whatever.

Anyway I just cut it like so.

 

 Once the fringe is gone then I measured my doll.

Matilda is skinny.
But you may find it necessary

to cut bigger or smaller.
See the napkin is folded and

I cut thru both layers all the way to the other end.

I kept pushing the ruler up and cut as straight as I

could.
You may choose to put it on a mat.
I am doing

this at my computer.

 

 Here I measured the piece up to Matilda.
Too long!

So I need to cut it.
To cut - put the folded edge to

her feet or above her feet the choice is yours then

cut off any excess to midway or the bottom of her neck.

 

 Here I show you with the ruler in inches how long

my piece is - which is about 5 inches to the fold. Fold

it back up and you have your front and back piece.

 

 Like I said Matilda is skinny so I cut about 2 inches

width. And look I am not even worried about the

uneven edge because it will be hemmed.
Okay now do not stress cause you cut up
your best napkin!

 

 To start stitching - put the 2 pieces together

and turn down the top a little and put the

needle thru like this as this will hide your

knot.
Then start sewing the 2 sides closed lengthways.
See photo's.

You can use the sewing machine if you

like but I choose to hand sew in case I

run into a problem and have to take it

off from the machine.
I just find it easier this way.
Do what is easier to you.

 

 Sew all the way down and once you

get to the fold then just take your scissors

and cut it in the fold.
Then you have 2 even pieces.

Hey make sure they are even!

 

 Stitch the bottom the same way that you

stitched the top. It should look like this. Now

stitch up the other side the same way!

 

 This is the bottom of the dress.
For the hem you can either stitch it closed or glue it.
I just made

sure it was even and used small amounts of glue.

This medium thick fabric is so nice cause the glue does

not show thru to the outside.

 

 Now lets go to the top.
It does not matter

which side you use for the back or the front

as at this point they both should be the same.
So  pick which side you want.
You decide if you want

about an half inch to an inch down for your gathers.

From the top and from the inside stick your threaded

needle to the outside of the dress.

 

 It will look like this from the top.
I have

gone down about an inch from the top edge.

 

 From the bottom it will look like

this.

 

 Now from where your needle is -

try to be as straight as you can and

stitch up to the edge and be sure to

turn under the edge for your hem as

I have done here.

 

 See the knot inside and I don't think that

you can see what I did. But what I did was

to draw the thread tight to gather and be

careful not to break your thread or you

will have to do this again.
And it is

easy to break the thread on a thicker

fabric.
When you have gathered it up,

then knot it on the inside as I
have done here.

 

 Now the dress has small gathers. This

fits Matilda nicely.
She loves to model the clothes I make!

 

 This is the back of the dress.
Fits good and all is even.

 

 Cut 2 pieces of ribbon or whatever

you choose about 2 inches in length.

You will cut off some of this but

it is better to have more than not

enough.

 

Place them evenly on either side

of the gathers and glue onto

 the fronts and let it dry.

 

 I am drying. Blow - blow!

 

 Decide on the length and glue one down and then

make the other match.
Then blow again till dry!

 

 I took the same ribbon and placed

it around the dress like this. Don't you just love

how I eyeball a lot of stuff.

 

 Eventually it got too bulky so I cut off a 3 inch

piece of the ribbon and pinched
it together like this.

Once I was satisfied with making a waist for the

dress then I knew I had to cut off about an inch or

more - use my thumb as a guide.

 

 Then hold on tight to the ribbon - do not let it

slip!
Remove the ribbon from the dress and do

not let go!

 

 Now take that piece and add some

glue to hold it together.
Cut off any excess ribbon.

Repeat the blowing process till dry!

 

 Now that the ribbon is dried - you did blow it dry

didn't you!
Slip the ribbon over the ribbon straps over

the top of the dress and inch it down carefully by

pinching the dress together.
You got the hang of it!

 

 Until it looks like this.
You have to play

with the fabric now to get it to do as you want.
Even out the gathering as best
as you can.

 

 I fix my gathers so they are

in the back of the dress.
Make them look pretty.

You can add

a ribbon bow or anything you

wish at this point to the waistband.

I chose to keep my dress simple.

So the back is plain just as you

see here.

 

 In the front I still kept it

simple but I added a small

bead to the top of the dress

on the shoulder straps.

 

Matilda would love for you

to leave her a comment on how

well she modeled for you. And

if you liked this tutorial.

By the way you can

even make

yourself a gown like this to

match if you want to.

But you will

have to use lots of napkins!

 

But seriously, you could make

yourself a gown like this and also

out of the same thickness of fabric

and make your doll one too!

You would

both match and that would be so

cute!

Have a nice day and thanks for

stopping by to tease Matilda!

Conny