Happy New Year!

Just thought I'd put in one last blog entry before this new year (I've been having computer issues lately, so my posts have been few!). This is a dress I made to give as a Christmas gift this year. It's from a pattern called "Felicity's Pretty Clothes"; it was originally published by Pleasant Company for their 18-inch dolls, but now that it's been discontinued, it's available for free download at American Girl Playthings.



The pattern recommends taffeta, but it also worked for my dull-finish satin.



Instructions are included for making an alternate "stomacher" for the bodice, as well.



I love the pattern's dropped shoulder seams and shaped waist detail:



I even made one in pink!



The dress consists of three pieces (not including the alternate stomacher): dress, overskirt, and stomacher. The underskirt sits at the waist, and the dress fastens at the front where the stomacher piece snaps in place.



It's a neat little pattern, although the sleeve trim, skirt pleats and center back waist line can be somewhat tricky. The ribbon trim that goes around the neckline and down the front is pleated and sewn in place by hand, so it is a bit time consuming. One thing I wanted to mention, though, is that the doll for whom the dress is intended needs to be carefully measured and compared to the pattern's waist circumference. The amount of tummy fluff varies from doll to doll, and these patterns have basically no ease (even a doll needs a little wiggle room!) Overall, I really like this design. Aside from a few notions, I was able to make these dresses almost entirely out of scraps of leftover material.