How to Sew a Skirt for an American Girl Doll
Half the fun of having an American Girl doll is dressing her up. Yhe more fashion options you have on hand, the better. Though you can buy plenty of American Girl outfits, hand-sewn staples are an affordable way to round out your doll's wardrobe. Skirts are a great place to start. This pattern for a basic full skirt is easy enough for beginning sewers and versatile enough to modify when you're ready.
Things You'll Need
- 1/4 yard fabric of your choice, washed, dried and ironed
- Iron
- Straight pins
- 12 inches of 1/4-inch or thinner elastic
- Safety pin
- Coordinating thread
- Sewing machine or needle
Instructions
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1
Cut the fabric straight across from selvage edge to selvage edge so that it's about 2 inches longer than your desired skirt length. If you want a knee-length skirt, cut the fabric about 9-inches long. If you're making an ankle-length skirt, the fabric needs to be about 11-inches long.
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2
Pin the selvage ends of the fabric together on the wrong side about 1/2-inch from the edge of the fabric. Sew the sides together with a straight stitch, using the pins as a guide. This will make a long fabric tube.
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3
Fold one end of the tube down on the wrong side of the fabric about 1/2 inch. The fabric tube should still be wrong-side out. Create a 1/2-inch strip of right-side fabric with your fold. Use an iron to press the fold flat.
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4
Use a straight stitch to sew the folded-over fabric, creating a tube at one end of the fabric. This will be the waist of your skirt.
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5
Cut a piece of elastic to fit your doll's waist. Wrap the elastic around your doll's waist and add an inch for overlap. Mark and cut it. Or, just measure and cut 12.5 inches.
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6
Attach a safety pin to one end of the elastic and thread the elastic through the narrow opening you've created. The fabric will be wider than the elastic, so go slowly and gather the fabric as you go.
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7
Overlap the ends of the elastic and sew the two ends together with a straight stitch.
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8
Fold the unsewn end of the skirt over about 1 inch, so that you're folding about 1 inch of right-side fabric over the wrong-side fabric to create the hem. Use an iron to press a fold into the fabric.
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9
Sew along the folded edge with a straight seam to finish the hem and the skirt. Turn the skirt right-side out, and you're done.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
