A dress for standard Barbie and MengF bodies.
I used an Etsy pattern for the upper part of the dress and made the skirt myself. The upper section of the skirt is a half-circle, while the lower section is simply a gathered rectangle.
The dress fastens with three metal snaps.
To make the skirt drape more naturally, I wet it and scrunched it to create soft vertical creases. Then I laid it out on a table and left it to dry in that shape.
My grandma used to make crochet clothes for my dolls- thank you for resurfacing the memory!
That's so sweet! You're very lucky to have such a wonderful grandmother :)
Thank you, that’s so nice to hear!
She looks so good in it! You did a great job! Congratulations!
Thanks!
Looks so good! What size thread and hook?
Thank you so much! I used a 1.0 mm crochet hook. Unfortunately, I don't know the yarn weight because I used some old yarn and the label was lost.
I crocheted this romper using a pattern from Etsy.
I like how it fits the Barbie Curvy body the most, although it also fits the standard Barbie body and the MengF body.
I finished sewing my first dress for Barbie. Before this, my sewing experience - especially with a sewing machine - was pretty limited, so this feels like a real victory for me.
I used a ready-made pattern from Etsy. For marking the light-colored lining fabric, I used a washable marker, and for the dark fabric - a white pen.
I thought a dress like this would be simple to make. I was wrong. In reality, I had to unpick the seams and redo the stitching many times. The pattern has very difficult curved seams. I could have sewn it by hand quite easily, but doing it on a sewing machine was quite a challenge. It took a lot of time, but eventually I managed to sew all the dress pieces and all the lining pieces together.
After that, only the final steps remained: sewing on the placket for the snaps, sewing everything together, turning it inside out, closing the opening, and attaching the layers at the bottom of the dress. The last two steps were done by hand, which I was very happy about! My first complex sewing project is finished, and I'm really happy with it.
I used two types of snaps: metal (5 mm) in places where the snaps needed stronger support, and plastic (4 mm) where the stress is minimal.
You can see in the photos that the metal snaps stick out quite a lot and create an unattractive gap between the fabric layers. If I had used only plastic snaps, it would have looked much more aesthetically pleasing, but they would have broken frequently and I would have had to repair the dress. You always have to decide what matters more in a particular case: aesthetics or functionality. For this dress, I chose functionality.
Also, looking back at my mistakes, I would probably mention the thickness of the lining fabric. The pattern creator uses thin mesh, and that is definitely the right choice. But this was my first learning project, and I tried to use materials I already had.
Doll: Barbie Looks #13 (Victoria mold). I named her Agnes in my collection. The top is sewn by me, the jeans and bag are made by local creators.
Doll: Barbie Looks #13 (Victoria mold). I named her Agnes in my collection. The top is sewn by me, the jeans and bag are made by local creators.
I used to knit a lot for people before switching to dolls, and I don’t think needles smaller than 2.0 mm are the best choice for practice 😅
She is wearing synthetic leather pants made by a local maker.
I knitted socks for my Barbies with the MTM body. They fit both standard and curvy bodies. I used 0.7 mm circular needles (magic loop).
Short pattern:
Cast on 20 stitches using an elastic cast-on.
Work 7 rows of 2×2 rib.
Knit 2 rows.
Decrease 2 stitches on the first needle (heel side).
Knit 4 rows.
Decrease 2 stitches on the second needle (front of the sock).
Knit 5 rows.
German short-row heel: 3–2–3 (work 2 smoothing rows in the round in the middle of the heel).
Knit 2 rows to finish working all short-row stitches.
Foot: knit 12 rows.
Toe: Decrease 4 stitches (2 on each needle).
Knit 3 rows.
Decrease 4 stitches (2 on each needle).
Finish with Kitchener stitch.
I knitted socks for my Barbies with the MTM body. They fit both standard and curvy bodies. I used 0.7 mm circular needles (magic loop).
Short pattern:
Cast on 20 stitches using an elastic cast-on.
Work 7 rows of 2×2 rib.
Knit 2 rows.
Decrease 2 stitches on the first needle (heel side).
Knit 4 rows.
Decrease 2 stitches on the second needle (front of the sock).
Knit 5 rows.
German short-row heel: 3–2–3 (work 2 smoothing rows in the round in the middle of the heel).
Knit 2 rows to finish working all short-row stitches.
Foot: knit 12 rows.
Toe: Decrease 4 stitches (2 on each needle).
Knit 3 rows.
Decrease 4 stitches (2 on each needle).
Finish with Kitchener stitch.