How to make a Barbie Dress without a Pattern
In 2009, Barbie turned 50 -- and she still needs more clothes. According to The New York Times, many top fashion designers made one-of-a-kind clothes for their Barbies as children. Make a Barbie dress without a pattern by following the dimensions of one of her existing outfits. Use a seam ripper to open it, and trace it onto your fabric. For beginners, use a solid fabric to construct the dress so you do not have to worry about matching the pattern. After you are finished, you'll be ready to walk Barbie down the catwalk.
Things You'll Need
- Barbie clothes
- Seam ripper
- Fabric
- Straight pins
- Fabric pencil
- Cloth measuring tape
- Sewing machine or needle and thread
- Velcro
- Fabric glue
Instructions
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1
Open up your old Barbie's clothing, preferably a blouse or top, which is the most difficult part to construct. The skirt portion should be simple once you have the top. Use a seam ripper to carefully remove the seams on the clothing, noting how it was put together.
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2
Place the parts of the of the old outfit onto the fabric you wish to use. Secure the garment pieces with straight pins, and then trace the pieces with a fabric pencil. Be sure to leave 1/4-inch seam allowance on each piece for sewing.
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3
Remove the old clothing pieces, unpinning them from the fabric. Cut out the new fabric pieces with scissors.
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4
Measure a 20-by-6-inch piece of fabric and cut out the resulting rectangle. This is enough fabric to make a full Barbie skirt for the bodice or top you have already cut out.
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Sew a basting seam -- a temporary long running stitch -- along one of the 20-inch sides of the skirt fabric piece with your sewing machine. If you do not have a sewing machine, hand sew a loose running stitch with a knot at one end. Then, pull on the thread to gather the fabric for a full skirt.
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Sew together the pieces for the bodice, or top part, of the dress. Put the pieces together in the same way they were put together in the original garment. Sew the side pieces first, keeping the back open so Barbie can get into the outfit. Finish the sleeves and neckline by folding the edges inward approximately 3/8-inch and then sewing them down.
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Sew the bodice to the skirt. The gathered portion is the where the bodice and the skirt meet. Sew the bottom 3-inches of the skirt together, leaving the top area open for Velcro closures. Hem the skirt by folding the bottom inward approximately 3/8-inch and then sewing it down.
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Cut 2 1-by-1/4-inch pieces of Velcro to use on the back of the bodice and skirt. You will have two sets of Velcro pieces.
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Attach one side of the first set of Velcro pieces to the edge of the bodice top on the exterior of the left side, using fabric glue. Attach the other side to the inside of the right side of the bodice so the two pieces are hidden when they meet. Attach the other set of Velcro pieces to the skirt in the same fashion, with one piece on the exterior left side and the other on the interior of the right side.
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Tips & Warnings
Instead of Velcro, use buttons or a small zipper as a closure for your Barbie dress.
If you do not have any old Barbie clothes, create a dress by measuring your doll with a cloth measuring tape. Use the measurements to construct a dress.
Make your own reusable pattern by tracing Barbie's old clothing onto paper.
Adult supervision is needed for sewing and cutting.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
