Is Kirsten Larson part of your doll world? Whether she’s brand new, or the doll you had when you were 10 years old, she’s a classic beauty and Oh Sew Kat! can help give her a wardrobe refresh.
DIY Doll Clothes for American Girl®’s Kirsten Larson Doll
Are you sewing for your childhood Kirsten Laron doll so your daughter can have the Little House on the Prairie experience some of us are wishing on our own daughters? Thanks to the 35th Anniversary release, in addition to our classic Kirstens, there are brand new Kirstens hitting the dolly market. Whether you are trying to spruce up your OG Kirsten for a fresh look, or add to your new Kirsten’s wardrobe, be sure to check out these pattern hacks using Oh Sew Kat! pdf patterns for Kirsten.
Click on each photo, to go right to the tutorial.
Kirsten Larson American Girl® Sewing Patterns
There will be more tutorials coming soon! For more ideas to sew Oh Sew Kat! for your historical dolls, visit this HISTORICAL INSPIRATION GALLERY here.
Yep, you read that right. American Girl® has a new toy/accessory set for their 18 inch dolls. It’s an 8 inch baby and high chair set, for the bigger girls to “babysit” for. She’s like a tiny (and I mean tiny!) version of the Bitty Baby doll we all know and love. She does not have a cloth body and you can choose your skin tone. Introducing – the Baby’s Backyard Bibs!
8″ Caring for Baby Doll Clothes Sewing Pattern
There are a few things that you will want to keep in mind when sewing for such tiny dolls. I learned many of them from my dear friend, Linda, over at Merry Manatees. The pieces and construction are very similar to the 18 inch dolls but on a much smaller scale. The good news is they take very little fabric! I include some tips in my 8″ sized patterns.
Sewing for 8 inch Baby Dolls- Backyard Bibs for Caring Baby
The Backyard Bibs is one of Oh Sew Kat’s best selling patterns and is now available in this tiny 8 inch size too. The Playtime Peasant Top pattern has also been resized (now has an open back) and is also included so you can make the complete outfit right away. Have fun making tiny overalls with the newest OhSewKat PDF sewing pattern. Click HERE to get the pattern. See more 8″ doll patterns here.
Do you need a last minute gift for a doll lover on your list? Look no further. The Four Season Skirt is a FREE pattern that is quick to sew and fun to give!!
The Four Season Skirt pattern uses measurements instead of pattern pieces, which means you can get to your sewing faster!! Many like a paper pattern piece, so use this quick method to make your own paper pattern piece. Click the photo below or THIS LINK to get to the tutorial.
You can also make bloomers for her dolly to wear under the skirt or for your baby doll outfits. Click THIS LINK or the photo below to download that pattern for free.
Free Baby Bloomers Sewing Pattern
(Please Note: The Bloomers will fit both Bitty Baby and 18 inch Dolls.)
Use the Jumping Jack turtleneck shirt pattern from Oh Sew Kat! to make a cozy knit dress for your 18 inch dolls like American Girl® dolls. You can also use the Simple, Sweet Tee shirt pattern and lengthen the sleeves.
Turtleneck Doll Dress- Oh Sew Kat! Pattern Hack
Both the original tee shirt pattern hack and this turtleneck dress hack work better with knit fabrics. Check out your local Walmart or Target store for fun and festive leggings, or other tees and shirts in both the girls and womens departments. Buy the largest size you can find in order to have the most fabric. Keep an eye on the sale racks! This pink stripe fabric was a girls’ shirt I found on sale. I used the existing hems for the hem and sleeves of my doll dress, making this quick little dress even quicker!
How to Make Your Doll a Cozy Turtleneck Dress
Set up your pattern the same way as I posted HERE on making a tee shirt dress. The bodice of the two shirts patterns (Jumping Jack and Simple, Sweet Tee) are very similar so the measurements and process will be the same. If you are using the Jumping Jack pattern, it already has long sleeves. With the Simple, Sweet Tee, you will need to length the sleeve pattern by 3 1/4 inches for 18 inch dolls. I added the 1/2 inch width to the hemline of both the pink and holly dresses for a bit of extra flair, creating a new side cut line with a little bit of a slant.
Use a Turtleneck Shirt Pattern to Make a Cute and Cozy Doll Dress
Leah’s holiday dress (below) was cut from a four way stretch knit. It was leftover from a shirt I made myself last year. The all over print is fun and festive and this fabric hugs her body just the right amount for a classic look. Leah’s navy boots are new from the Janie and Jack® collection at American Girl®. I’m not one to pass up a good doll boot! Ha ha.
Make an 18 Inch Doll Dress From Your Turtleneck Shirt Patterns
For the pink striped dress Corinne is wearing (below), I used a girls’ long sleeved tee shirt I found on the sale rack awhile ago. I cut the body and sleeves using the shirt’s exiting hem and cut the collar on the bias for the contrasting stripes. I added some sparkly pizazz with my AD:Cricut Machine and some glitter, silver HTV, along with some glued on crystals. Keep the age of the child in mind if adding crystals! Snowflake tights (made by American Girl®) and her meet boots complete the cozy ensemble!
Make a Cozy Turtleneck Dress for Your American Girl Sized Doll- Easy to sew Pattern Hack
This simple dress is perfect for your doll accessories! Grace’s meet boots and a simple, hand-knit shawl give Jenna a casual and classy outfit for the holidays!
Find more ways to use your tee shirt patterns for dolls by clicking the photos below!
Use your cricut maker or cricut explore machine to make doll clothes sewing faster, easier and more precise.
This post includes affiliate links. Please read my POLICY here. I’ve been a cricutuser since the very first “baby bug” machine came out. Cricut sure has come a long way since then! Don’t know what I’m referring to? Check out this LINK to see what a cricut machine is.
Make graphic tee shirts for your dolls with a cricut or cameo machine.
Use your cricut machine to cut out cute designs and make your own graphic tee shirts and outfits for your dolls! Boy and girl dolls alike love tees with clever sayings and personalization. I find that heat transfer vinyl is much quicker and easier than using my embroidery machine! With a subscription to Cricut Access, I have thousands of designs at my fingertips that can be resized to doll scale with a push of a button. You can create your own logos from graphics, with shapes, or select something ready for you from the extensive graphics library. See more detailed instructions in this POST and this one. I made the pink snowflake shirts with my little Cricut Joy machine. You can do this type of project on any size machine, but you may want to consider the lower priced Joy to see if this is a craft you enjoy.
Luciana’s Easy Up! Jumper has a great surface for a fun message or other design. Below, I tried a pink holographic iron on (HTV) to match the pink shirt. It’s so shimmery in person. There are so many colors and types of HTV on the market right now, it’s easy and fun to customize your own doll tee shirts!
Too busy to sew right now? Pin these images for later! What other ways can you use your Cricut machine to enhance your doll world? Click each photo below to view the tutorials.
Make a Four Season Skirt look like high end boutique with just a few changes to this easy “no fuss just cut” pattern. Mix and match fabrics with a contrast hem for a patchwork skirt with lots of twirly goodness.
Four Season Skirt Pattern Hack- Make a Boutique Style Patchwork Twirl Skirt for Dolls
This tutorial is free here on my blog. If you prefer a PDF file to print or save in your files, I offer it for sale in my Etsy Shop HERE for just a few dollars, but the PDF includes 2 more skirt variations and pattern pieces for 5 popular doll sizes. Find the Twinkle Twirl pattern HERE. (Note: the Twinkle Twirl pattern is listed in my etsy shop under the different doll sizes, but the pattern is the same for all of them. You only need to purchase one copy.)
Free Doll Skirt Sewing Pattern- Pattern Hack by Oh Sew Kat!
Kelly (photo above) is wearing her skirt with the Popsicle Top, while Courtney (photo below) is wearing a modified Playtime Peasant Top. Find the tutorial for the ruffled neckline HERE.
Four Season Skirt Pattern Hack: Patchwork Twirl Skirt
This tutorial assumes you understand the basic skirt construction detailed in the Four Season Skirt pattern. Find the freeFour Season Skirt pattern here in 3 sizes:
Make a Patchwork Twirl Skirt for your Doll
Choose 2 or 4 fabrics to make your skirt. Cut four pieces total, 5 x 8 inches each. With right sides together (RST), stitch the short edges together, to make one long piece 5 x 30 inches. (This is for the 18 inch doll size. To adapt this for other sizes, divide the total skirt piece measurement by four, then add 1/2 inch to each piece for the seam allowances). Attach the skirt to the waistband as stated in the pattern directions.
Add a fun contrasting hem using 1/2 inch double fold bias tape! You can find so many neat bias trims online now, or you can use AD: THIS TOOL to make your own. Sew up the back seam, and then add the bias tape to the hem. Ta da!! (If you prefer flat construction, you can add your bias trim to the skirt before seaming up the back, but sometimes bias trim makes a little bulkier join.)
Choose any fabrics you like to change up the look! This is a great project for your small scraps too!
Do you prefer a PDF you can print or save instead of a blog post? Find the PDF (with 5 sizes and 3 variations) for sale HERE.
See more ideas for the Four Season Skirt here and here, as well as clicking the photos below.
The Sunshine Dress PDF sewing pattern for dolls (available from Oh Sew Kat! in three popular doll sizes!) is a great basic pattern to have on hand to make simple short sleeve dresses for your dolls like American Girl, Welliewishers, and Animators’. The pattern includes three variations for the front, and below you will find links to even more ideas for this basic pattern. Find the patterns in my Etsy Shop!
In addition to the cute many included options for dresses, you can use this pattern to create all kinds of additional outfits. Click each photo to go right to the Tutorial. All of these outfits were created with the Sunshine Pattern. See more in the Inspiration Gallery here. Which will you try first?
Create different looks with a simple to sew dress pattern for dolls
These pattern hacks will also work for other sized dolls with minor adjustments. The pattern is available for 18 inch dolls like American Girl®, 14.5 inch dolls like Glitter Girls® and Welliewishers™, and 16 inch dolls like Animators’® dolls.
Try fun sewing hacks for Oh Sew Kat! PDF Sewing Patterns
The HalterAlls pattern, available in 5 popular doll sizes, it super quick and easy and has lots of fun options to make faux overalls for your dolls. It’s the perfect pattern for a quick end of summer project!
It’s time to head back to the classroom! Get your dolls ready for school with this mix and match pattern bundle of four from Oh Sew Kat! Save 15% off individual prices with this value bundle: Back to School, available only in the OhSewKat etsy shop and make some classroom ready outfits today.
Save 15% by purchasing this value bundle of four print at home PDF patterns that have full color photos for every step in the detailed directions. Each pattern also includes full size pattern pieces that fit your home printer paper (US 8.5 x 11 inches).
Back to School Doll Outfits – Doll Clothes Pattern Value Bundle from Oh Sew Kat!
This Back to School value pattern bundle is offered in 3 doll sizes: 18 inch dolls like American Girl®, 16 inch Animators, and 14.5 inch Welliewishers™. Each pattern is also available individually. See them all HERE.
Four fun PDF patterns are included to give you lots of options for so many styles of doll mix and match play clothes. Included patterns: Sixth Grade Skirt, Playground Pants, School Dance Dress, and School Bell Blouse.
Find this pattern bundle, Back to School, in my Etsy Shop.
School Bell Blouse: The School Bell Blouse is a flared top with cute pleats or a peplum. It is designed for woven fabrics. Use this pattern to make a super cute dress, like THIS ONE, THIS ONE, or the sleeveless version shown HERE.
See the School Bell Blouse Inspiration Gallery HERE.
Here are some samples of the School Bell Blouse pattern.
Sixth Grade Skirt: Simple and quick, the Sixth Grade Skirt is fun to try with heavy and light fabrics alike. Add fun pockets, or a hemline trim. Mix it up with lace overlays. Find more tutorials HERE.
Here are a few samples of the Sixth Grade skirt pattern. See more outfits in the Inspiration Gallery.
Easy to Sew Doll Clothes for 18 inch Dolls and other Sizes by Oh Sew Kat!
Playground Pants: The Playground Pants pattern offers loose fitting, cargo style pants with optional side pockets. With a pull on elastic waist, they are easy to sew and easy to put on the dolls.
Sew
Here are a few samples of the Playground Pants. You can find more ideas in the Inspiration Gallery.
School Dance Dress: This quick to sew dress pattern is sure to become a favorite. With three dress variations and optional belt or ribbon tie, it looks beautiful in all of your favorite fabrics.
Here are a few samples of the School Dance Dress. You can find more ideas in the Inspiration Gallery.
Create your perfect doll outfit for school with these four simple patterns, bundled together to save 15% in the Back to School bundle! Happy Sewing!!
Mix and Match Oh Sew Kat! Sewing Patterns to Make an 18″ Capsule Wardrobe
It’s quick, easy, and a lot of fun to make your 18 inch American Girl doll some cute mix and match separates with Oh Sew Kat! patterns. Each pattern (sold individually or in value bundles in my Etsy Shop) offer full sized, computer drawn pattern pieces that you print on your home computer, along with full color photos and directions for every step.
I love this pink swirly fabric with the bright pops of hot pink. It reminds me of cotton candy!! I like to usually choose a single print, then choose some solids to add pieces to the collection. For this set I chose two tops (Reversible Popsicle Top and School Bell Blouse) and two bottoms (Sandbox Shorts and Sixth Grade Skirt). You can mix and match all the pieces for lots of outfits for multiple seasons.
The Sandbox Shorts have real working pockets. I used the print fabric for the fun, patch pockets, but you can also use THIS TUTORIAL to put the pockets on the inside of the shorts. The shorts look cute with either the print or the solid side of the reversible Popsicle Top.
Easy Mix and Match Outfits for 18 inch Dolls
Lanie is ready for some summer fun in her cute outfit!!
Easy to sew, Mix and Match Doll Clothes for American Girl sized Dolls
Grace is ready for fall! She is wearing the School Bell Blouse with the Sixth Grade Skirt and some cute, tall boots she borrowed from her friend, Saige. This wardrobe easily glides between warm weather and cold weather outfits. Both patterns are available in my Etsy Shop.
DIY Doll Clothes: Create a Mix and Match Wardrobe with Oh Sew Kat! PDF Sewing Patterns
Maryellen is ready to beat the summer heat. The Popsicle Top and Sixth Grade Skirt were made to go together. Both are super quick to sew and can be used with lots of other outfit pieces as well. Find the pattern bundle HERE.
Click the photos below to view other versions of quick to make Mix and Match Wardrobes: