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Our dear little Momoko had a birthday several months ago that quite dreadfully went on forgotten, until now.
Anna has designed and sewn an adorable little outfit for this joyous occasion.
It consists of a sweet pink sweater and knit top with a navy blue skirt and white bow. The outfit it most becoming on Momoko.
Since we are in Arizona with temperature still soaring even this late in summer, Anna was thoughtful enough to make the knit top sleeveless.
And in her generosity, Anna also developed patterns and a tutorial, so others can sew this adorable outfit for their ball jointed dolls.
Sweater Set with Half Circle Skirt for Yosd Bjds Tutorial
Materials needed:
- Knee socks or some other knit for the sweater.
- Basic sewing supplies
- Thread
- Fabric for skirt
- Thin elastic
- Snaps or Velcro
- Trims of your choice.
- Tiny safety pin (optional)
- Doll
- Basic sewing knowledge (or a helpful friend who sews).
Here is the pattern for the knit top and half circle skirt. You will also need my yosd sock sweater pattern, but that will come later.
First cut out the piece for the top from a knee sock or knit material. You have two option for the collar piece. You can cut using the pattern as is and fold it in half before sewing, or cut a piece along the edge of the sock. The ribbed sock edge looks nice and you save on fabric because it only needs to be half as wide.
Anyway, start by pinned the front and back pieces at the shoulder and sew. If sewing by hand, you will need to sew using a back stitch. Check out this video tutorial for doll tank tops if you don’t know how to do a back stitch.
Now hem the arm openings (fold and pin along the edge before sewing them).
When hemming with a backstitch, you want to sew while facing the outside of the piece because the stitches on the underside are kind of ugly.
Now let’s get to that neckline. Remember, if you cut the whole pattern piece for the collar instead of using the ribbing, you need to fold it in half before attaching to the shirt.
Start pinning the “collar” to the top. I first pin at the center and both ends.
Then I finish pinning the rest of the collar. Carefully sew while removing the pins.
Turn the collar up so it lays flat and pretty and pin in place. Stitch along the edge (top stitching!), so it stays nice and pretty.
Now it’s time to sew up the sides of the top. This is also a great time to try it on your doll (if you haven’t already) to make sure it fits. Adjust as needed.
Almost done now. Pin and hem the bottom.
Repeat on the back opening. Then you can sew on snaps or Velcro, or whatever ever closure you like.
And now the top is ready to wear!
To make the sweater, just download the pattern from this post. There’s a pattern for both Msd and Yosd sized sweaters along with a link to the original SD sized sock sweater tutorial.
As for the skirt, just follow the instructions in my msd sized half-circle skirt tutorial.
And now the finishing touch, the bow pin. Just tie a simple bow from a bit of ribbon and add it to the sweater.
You can just sew it to the sweater, but if you sew on a tiny gold safety pin it suddenly become a nice removeable bow to use in other outfits.
And with that, the outfit is complete and ready to be worn by your doll. Take tons of photos and enjoy!
End of tutorial.
(Anna, next time please arrange for the birthday doll to receive her gift at least during her birthday month!)
(Okay, but just remember that it’s difficult enough to keep track of all these dolly birthdays let alone plan gifts. It would be easier to just give cards instead. Is that what you want for your next birthday?)
(…On second thought, just do your best.)
Give it a try:
