I made some holiday dresses for the girls, using this pattern by Sylvia Bittner at Hankie Chic. The pattern is called Caracas, and you can buy the downloadable PDF from her online store right here.
This dress has an interesting wrap around the shoulders. It’s attached to a bodice flap overlapping the front body of the dress. The skirt has a big pleat in the front, then there are three bead buttons at the side of the bodice.
I found this pattern an easy make, so long as I didn’t think about it too much. I referred to the pictures of the final dress for that front pleat, because I would have sewn it down wrong otherwise. Similarly, I wrapped that shoulder bit a couple of times before I was convinced that I had it right. It folds back on itself (kind of) which confused me at first.
Here’s the first one I made, modelled by Continental Holilday Silkstone B.
The three little “buttons” are gold beads, although they’re hard to see from this angle. I also bought the girls some Kaiser stands, which are pretty awesome. They almost disappear and are much more stable than the stands that come with the dolls.
I really like the base bodice design on this dress – it has a center front vertical seam from the waist to the bust, then a crosswise dart on the bust – and may use it in other garments. It fits quite well.
I did change the order of assembly, in my usual way. I really like to sew the skirt and the lining together at the hem while they’re still flat, then understitch the lining. I did that with the skirt, then the same with the bodice. My handsewn seams end up being the waist seam in the lining, then the back edges to finish up.
I am lucky to have a number of friends who sew and who give me scraps of their wonderful fabrics. The red dress is made from a silk taffeta given to me by Laura.
The blue and the pink are from silk remnants given to me by Helen. The girls like them all. 🙂
These models are Lingerie #6 in the blue and Lingerie #2 in the pink.
After the first doll was dressed, I realized that she reminded me of Ravishing in Rouge from 2001. I had a look and found one at the right price, so she’s joined the other girls here. She really is lovely.
I’ve still planned to make another Caracas, with the wrap in a contrasting fabric. For the moment, though, the girls have some party dresses for the festive season ahead.
I don’t think there’s anything worse than a summer cold, and I’ve had a whopper of one this past week. Ugh. I shared it with the mister, so this is officially The House of Misery. I think we’re starting to improve, though – at least today, I did some crafting that I can show you.
I made another wardrobe for the girls, given that their selection of clothes is constantly increasing. This time, I’ll show you the process a little more.
First up, I started with a storage trunk from Michaels. This series had a nice big size, and the outside pattern didn’t have a direction – when I stand it on end, nothing is sideways. (Always a bonus.) This one is 16’5″ tall, not tall enough for the girls but perfect for their clothes.
I took the handle off one end – the left side, which will become the bottom. Again, this particular trunk was an excellent choice as it had tied cords for handles. I undid a knot and pulled out the cord on the left side. I added some felt feet, too.
Next, I added that cord to the top, doubling up the handle.
Stand it on end and open sesame!
I papered the inside with gift wrap – this is from Hallmark. I cut a pair of 6mm bamboo needles from the dollar store to the right length and secured them in blocks of foam board (covered with the gift wrap) for the clothing bars. (That little block is necessary on the door to hold up the organizer so that the box will close. Trust me. You’ll see.) I also glued in some ribbons.
The ribbons are to hold two organizers from the dollar store. The large one is in with tools in my dollar store, not in craft supplies and organizers. The little cabinet with the pair of drawers is in the make-up section.
The large one is perfect for shoes and jewellery, while the drawers hold hats and purses. (See why we needed the lift?)
I tied them into the carrier, then hung up the clothes.
This particular wardrobe holds the original clothes that came with my Tonner girls. I label them (with tags from the dollar store) so I remember what came with each doll. The clothes are pretty easy to remember – the accessories, less so. One of my girls had a wig so I made a stand for it and it’s in here, too. (I bought her a different wig, which she wears most of the time.)
I buy these hangers for the wardrobes. You can find them on Etsy or at I sew for doll in several colours and sizes. (That link will take you to the product page. I have no affiliation but have had good experience with this site.) These are the large ones in bronze. They’re about 4.25″ wide and perfect for the 16″ girls (although they might push out the shoulders on a snug sweater). I hang hats with my homemade hat hangers – this is made from a mini-clothespin and a piece of wire. You can find mini-clothespins in packs of 50 or so in various colours at the dollar store or craft outlet. When I make more, I’ll make the hook a little longer, as they tend to jump off the rack.
I also add thread loops to skirts and trousers to keep them on the hangers. I use buttonhole twist and don’t fasten it in too securely – it will hold the garment on the hanger, but anyone could remove it easily to return the garment to its original state.
Voilà! The girls are organized!
I also have a new Instagram account, which is as yet quite sparse, but you can follow me there and watch things shape up.
I mentioned a bit ago that I’d bought a pair of Tyler Wentworth dolls from an estate sale. They were NIB and arrived recently.
The two dolls are Capital Investment (2002) and Théâtre de la Mode La Petite Ensemble Noir (also 2002). Yes, I really should have been buying dolls in 2002. It’s amazing how many from that year (and 2003) are in my collection now.
Here are their official pix:
2002 Tyler Wentworth Capital Investment
2002 TDLM La Petite Ensemble Noir
Why these two? Well, I was curious about the knits on Capital Investment and whether I could copy them. I also liked her blonde bob. My other blonde Tylers have updos. And I’ve wanted a TDLM doll all along, so this one spoke to me. They’re both BA body types.
And here they are in real life – I suspect that after 23 years, they were relieved to get out of their boxes.
Both dolls have earrings – the blonde’s earrings are on, while the TDLM doll’s earrings were still in their little bag. I also found a second pair of earrings in CI’s handbag, which is a bonus.
One thing I’m loving about these girls is their footwear. The boots worn by Capital Investment lace up the back, which was a nice unexpected detail. The laces are very thin elastic. (You might also notice that one heel is broken. I noticed that when taking the picture, so checked in the box in the hope that the piece was there. It was! So, now I need to get the mister to figure out what glue or epoxy will stick on this kind of plastic. Fortunately, he loves these sort of challenges.) The shoes for the TDLM doll are wonderfully detailed and very vintage-looking. Peek-a-boo toes!
I also think that Capital Investment’s knits will be easy to replicate. In fact, all of her outfit could be copied. I think I’ll make her one in a different colour. Maybe plum.
And now that I’ve laid out her clothes to photograph like this, I think I’ll document the outfits of all the dolls in my collection this way. Since I do undress them, this would be a good way to know what pieces belong to which doll.
Here are the clothes for La Petite Ensemble Noir. This doll often sells at a low price on ebay, I think maybe because she doesn’t photograph very well, but her clothes are a delight and very detailed.
The black fabric feels like a fine wool. The white top is made of that taffeta that they use a lot for the Silkstone girls, as well. I’m not so much of a fan, so I may try to replicate that in silk.
The hat is amazing. From the top, it’s a swirl of feather fronds. From the underside, you can see the hat itself, a little felt (?) cap.
When you put it on the doll, the fronds spill down (in artful disarray) and you can arrange them so that they hang away from her face. It’s a bit of a precarious balance, so I think I’ll make her a little hatpin with a headpin (probably gold) and some black beads. It’s a good model for making other hats, though, maybe with fewer feather fronds.
The doll herself has beautiful vintage make-up and hair. Her fingernails are red like her lipstick, and her hair is several shades of brown. I’ll be sewing a lot for this girl!
I haven’t written about the Théâtre de la Mode here, but have been fascinated by it for a while. The original exhibition was assembled in Paris after WWII, to draw attention to French couturiers and encourage people to support them. It was a touring exhibition of 1/3 size dolls (70cm tall and made of wire) each one dressed by a different designer or couturier. There were 237 dolls in total, and 15 sets designed by artists. The collection ultimately ended up at the Mary Hill Museum of Art in Washington state, where they are still displayed in rotation.
Robert Tonner took inspiration from the collection for a number of Tyler Wentworth and Sydney Chase dolls, all labelled TDLM. You can read more about that (and see some pictures) in this wonderful post at The Bold Doll. (Note that the picture beside the doll I just acquired is not the inspiration for her.)
There are several books about the exhibit. I bought this one which includes a catalogue at the back of all the mannequins. This is an Amz.ca link. (No affiliate link on that one.)
There isn’t a really great picture online of Marcel Dhorme’s cocktail suit, so I took a photo from my copy of the book. It’s not a great picture either but it’s the one on the left.
I had a peek at the Dreamcastle Dolls Tonner reference and they list 23 TDLM dolls by Robert Tonner. (You can find them listed in Doll List Q – Z.) Surely, I won’t collect them all….
Here’s a wonderful video by the Bold Doll site, showing the Tonner TDLM dolls and their inspiration, as well as a bit about TDLM. You can also read their blog post here.
You might remember the knitted coat and hat I made for Barbie, using patterns from Sticka till Barbie. The pattern was #101 Yellow Coat along with the coordinating hat. That post is right here.
I decided to resize the pattern for my 16″ girls, and I think it came out pretty well. I used Koigu KPM and it took almost the entire 50g skein for the coat. Fortunately, I had another skein to make a matching hat.
This is Mosaic Modern Sydney Chase doing the honours today. I wish I had an umbrella to add to this combo. It has a bit of a retro look, and not just because of the shoes. (They are from a shoe pack, which included the pink slingbacks that Tyler is wearing in the picture below this one.)
The Koigu KPM has a kettle-dyed look, which worked out really well for this one. I was afraid a variegated or space-dyed yarn might pool – also Sydney says she can wear it with more things.
If I knit a second one, I might add pockets to the front. I thought of that this time, but wasn’t entirely certain what row they should be on. I’ll mark this one, just at her hand, then count the rows up from the front to know for next time.
I would make them like the pockets in this cardigan – it’s hard to see the line of cast off stitches in each front but have a look. The pocket hangs inside, like a welt pocket without much of a welt. I can just slide the tip of my finger into it.
I also made Sydney a blouse and skirt to wear with this knitted coat. She looks like a librarian to me in this combo, thus the glasses and book.
This is the blouse from McCalls 3701 (the same pattern used for the pink one above) which is actually a bodysuit. It’s made of Liberty Tana Lawn. Quite a clever little design, even if the collar is fussy fussy.
The skirt is drawn from the basic skirt sloper in Rosemarie Ionker’s Fashion Doll Clothing. It’s made of Kaffe Fassett shot cotton and lined with Bemberg rayon.
And two more girls are on their way to me, NRFB and from an estate sale. I’ll show them to you when they arrive. 🙂
It appears that when I’m stressed, I buy dolls. Who would have guessed that my comfort-indulgence would have no calories at all?
Here are the two newest girls who have joined the party.
First up is Alexandra Fairchild Ford, a doll from 2000. On the left is a pic of this doll still in the box. On the right, mine is unboxed and in all her splendor.
Alexandra Fairchild Ford 2000 Museum Gala
This is from the first year of Alexandra Fairchild Ford dolls. She has no articulation in arms or legs, but I think she’s pretty. Since this one had been in the box all these years, her taffeta skirt was a bit creased – it’s longer than the doll is tall, so it covers the stand. It also has to get jammed into the box a bit when she’s packed up. The humid weather we’ve had lately has helped the taffeta to relax.
The AFF dolls have particularly nice clothes, IMO. This taffeta skirt has beads and a bit of embroidery on it, as well as having a tulle underskirt to make it stand out. It’s worth an attempt to copy. The knitted sweater opens at the back, and I’ll be taking it off the doll to figure out how to replicate it. The jewellery was packed separately – a necklace and a wire bracelet – so I put them on. She also has a purse with a beaded handle but since her wrists don’t bend, she doesn’t hold onto it well.
The AFF dolls also have eyelashes, which is kind of neat, and this one has a bellybutton stud. You can see her eyelashes a little better in the right picture.
She also has thigh-high black stockings with a back seam, and a pair of shoes. I’ve seen a lot of people trying to make shoes for their 16″ dolls on social media lately, and these have a design that could be copied if you had the shoe bases. It’s a bias tube pressed flat (although you might be able to use a 1/4″ ribbon) and there’s a metal snap on the strap under the shiny bead.
The trick, of course, is finding the shoe forms.
Another interesting detail in that shot. You can see that the skirt is lined in a contrasting taffeta. It’s shot taffeta, with the mauve in one direction and a pewter similar to the outer skirt in the other direction. All the little details. 🙂
2004 Daphne Black & White Ball
Next up, a Tonner doll. This is the first nude doll I’ve purchased. Here’s her official photo, although I don’t have any of her clothes or accessories. She’s Daphne Dimples Black & White Ball from 2004.
I’ve always thought she had a beautiful face sculpt, but she’s hard to find in the wild and often pricey.
So, this time, I bought a nude doll. I’ve been wanting a girl with long blonde hair – my two blonde Tylers have updos – and I like the vintage look of her make-up. This character is a rival reporter to Brenda Starr and a lot of her outfits are wonderfully retro. You can see them on the Dreamcastle site right here – mine is the first Daphne.
Here’s her picture from the listing:
She is taking the US tour typical of packages shipped under ebay’s international shipping program, but I’m hoping she turns up soon. I immediately thought that she needed a cheongsam, maybe because she does reminds me a bit of Kate Capshaw in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. When I work out the cheongsam (and she arrives) I’ll show you both. (Let’s hope she doesn’t start singing Anything Goes in Mandarin.)
Things have been a little quiet here, mostly because of real life. When things get busy and even a little unpredictable, I always choose some comfort knitting. Lately that’s been knitting for the girls, as well as mittens and socks. Today, we’ll look at my latest completed project for the girls.
This is another free pattern from Sticka till Barbie, this time for a knitted coat. It’s amazing that I’m always learning more about fitting clothes for the girls – this time, I learned that vintage Barbies have shorter arms than modern Barbies. MTM and Silkstone (articulated and original) all have longer arms than vintage B.
I knitted the first coat following the instructions for #101 Yellow Coat. Here’s a Ravelry link for the pattern. The original website was taken down in 2022. The wayback machine’s backup of the original site has changed now – previously you could download individual patterns from there. There is also this other backup at the Internet Archive. Scroll down for the link to download a zip file of all the patterns. I’d do this soon, as it seems the content is vanishing. There are so many clever patterns in this collection.
Here’s my first coat in Patons Kroy sock yarn, on a MTM doll.
This coat is knit from the front hem up over the shoulder and down the back. You knit one front, then the other, then join them at the back collar line and knit down the back. The sleeves are added as you go – it’s shaped like a T, kind of like a kimono. Stitches are picked up at the neck for the collar.
This coat took 35g of Patons Kroy – I just barely made it with my partial ball of the red mix, so couldn’t make the hat shown with it in the pattern picture.
I cast on a second version and cast on two less stitches on each sleeve, to make shorter sleeves for vintage B. Here’s that one – this time, I had enough yarn for the hat, too.
The hat is cute and quick to make. I joined mine in the round so there wouldn’t be a seam, although the instructions are to knit it flat. The hat pattern is A-41.
I’m working on a modification of the coat, resizing it for the 16″ girls. I’m knitting it in a kettle-dyed Koigu that is quite pretty. It’s amazing how much more knitting that requires, but I’m headed down the back now and should have it done soon.
When you need a quick project, a doll garment can provide that almost-instant gratification – and a free pattern from Sticka-till-Barbie might be just the thing.
Here’s the Internet Archive backup of the Sticka till Barbie patterns. There is no longer the option of downloading individual patterns at the Wayback Machine, but the Internet Archive offers a zip file of the entire catalogue. I’d grab it now.
This is a straight dress knitted top down with ribbing at the waist. The original pattern is seamed down the back, but I joined the cast-on stitches in the round.
I think they allowed two stitches for the CB seam, as the first dress was a bit broad in the back for Barbie (who is bigger in the front than the back). I knit that first dress, then modified the pattern and knit the second. I liked it much better so I frogged the first and reknit it following the modified instructions.
This one fits vintage B best. The yarn is Koigu KPPPM and it used 10g on 2mm needles.
My modifications: Instead of casting on 52 and knitting flat, I cast on 50 and knit in the round.
Row 1 in the pattern says: K9, cast off 8, K7, k2tog, K2tog, K7, cast of 8, K9 (34 sts)
My revised Row 1 is: K7, cast off 8, K20, cast off 8, K7 (32 sts)
I tried the dress on my skinnier girl and it was too big, especially in the shoulders. I could have diminished the stitch counts again, but remembered the differing results I had with different yarns when knitting sweaters for the girls. Mad Tosh Merino Light is still a fingering yarn, but it’s much thinner than Koigu KPPPM – Koigu KPPPM has 160m per 50g, or 320 m per 100g, while MadTosh Merino Light has 384 m in 100g. It’s thinner.
I followed the same instructions and used the same needles, and look at the size difference:
Purple is Koigu KPPPM and the brown is MadTosh Merino Light. I may have added a row or two more to the length, but it’s amazing how much skinnier the second dress is. (It also took 10g of yarn.)
And here’s the brown dress on a MTM Barbie with the regular body sculpt:
She’s the 2025 Barbie Basics #2, and yes, her hair does have a bit of a violet cast to it. Here she is for sale at the big river. (Interesting that it notes this product is often returned. All of the boxes on my 2025 Barbie Basics dolls were damaged. The dolls were fine, but for those who keep their dolls boxed, that would be an unacceptable situation.)
When times are uncertain, people become more careful with their money. I can certainly see that in the book market, and it’s also evident in the doll resale market. My birthday money, earmarked for dolls, has gone a little further this year than expected – and I was able to add one of my grail girls to my collection.
First up, that doll. She’s Tonner’s Sydney Chase Mover & Shaker from 2003.
She is just soooooo pretty.
At left is the official image of her. Even though it’s small, you can see that her lips are pale. IRL, this doll has red lipstick.
In one of the doll forums, a long-time collector explained that the make-up choices were transposed in production between two Sydney Chase dolls being made at the same time. Sheer Glamour (above right in her official image) was supposed to have the red lipstick: instead the actual doll has the paler make-up.
Here’s my girl. I love that red lipstick so much. It’s hard to imagine her with a paler choice.
Some of these older dolls get marks on their bodies from the clothes, particularly if they have been left in their boxes for over 20 years. Mover & Shaker is one said to get those marks – thanks to the black suit – but I bought a NRFB one all the same. She does have some marks on her shoulders, so I’ll have to look into removing them when I change her clothes. For the moment, though, we’re both happy that she’s here, just the way she is.
I also finally identified a Barbie doll that I’ve seen in the past and liked a lot. It’s tough to hunt down a doll if you don’t know the name or serial number, but the universe moved for me and I found both her name and a NRFB doll at a good price. She’s 1 Modern Circle Barbie and that’s her official pic at right.
I just love the orange hue of her hair. It’s lovely and silky, too.
She’s from 2003 – clearly a year I should have been buying dolls! – and is almost the twin of Silkstone Lingerie #6, also from 2003. Here they are together.
This new girl has a different body sculpt than I’ve seen before. She’s articulated, but the pins in the elbows are visible with this sculpt. Also, her hands are very flat – but she can hold her phone, thanks to a knob on the back of the phone and a hole in her hand. The flip-phone is a lot like the one we used to have, and that makes me smile. Here she is unpacked:
She has a laptop, too, but I’d put it inside the briefcase before taking this pic. It’s a great thick one, similar to a Compaq monster that the mister used to sling around before laptops got thinner, lighter and cheaper.
One thing about buying dolls is that there are little tips and tricks to be learned from their garments – for example, the “zipper” on her briefcase is a line of silver trim with a teeny tiny tab sewn at the end. Ha. I like that the older dolls don’t have velcro fastening on their clothes, but that turquoise top could use a third snap.
She came, strangely enough, with two left shoes instead of one left and one right. I have a lot of those black slingbacks – I bought a bag of 50 pair once upon a time – so I can make it right.
As is so often the case with Mattel dolls, I like the style of her clothes but am less fond of the fabrics they’re made from. I’m going to start on my plan of replicating the girls’ clothes in fabrics I do like, and reproducing this long coat will be my first project.
This girl also will be my first hip repair. Her legs are so loose that she can’t stand up, but there’s nothing fancy about the joint – it’s just a piece of 1/4″ black elastic holding her legs in place. It’s sewn into a loop at each end, which is looped around the eyelet in the hip. I can (and will) easily replace that. I won’t be able to sew both ends, but one knot should be fine.
The third girl on her way who arrived last week is the second BFMC Silkstone from last year, the blonde. I thought she was too expensive at the time – actually, it was the conversion to $CAD that I didn’t find compelling – but Mattel put her on sale this past month for 30% off, so I indulged. They also released the third BFMC Silkstone but I chose this one instead.
I was quite impressed with this girl when I unpacked her – the dress is quite lovely and more full than expected. The pink underskirt is actually a separate ruffled slip, and the pink velvet stole is attached to the dress. Of course, I undressed her and took down her hair, which was crunchy with some fixative. (I’ll wash it out.) I still have to decide what to do about her necklace. It doesn’t have a clasp – I’ll have to open a link to take it off, then it probably won’t go back on easily. Hmm. I’ll have a rummage in my jewelry findings and see if I have a clasp that can be put to work.
I had originally thought that she would be very similar to Best in Black, the other blonde articulated Silkstone in my collection, but she has a much paler skin tone and her make-up is very different. She’s quite elegant and I’m glad I got her.
Last fall, I ordered a doll from AliXpress who I ended up calling Natasha. She has (kind of) a Silkstone Barbie head sculpt and an articulated body similar to the Integrity Toys Fashion Royalty dolls.
Recently, I noticed there were new dolls there, so (yes) I ordered one. Here’s a landing page, although there are plenty of vendors selling these dolls. This is FR-25. She has her left hand raised in all the product pix.
The box is optional – I ordered it, to protect the doll in shipping, and it came dented but the doll was fine. There’s no stand with the doll. She was a little cheaper than Natasha, costing me just over $30 CAD including shipping etc.
Natasha came with a pair of black slingbacks, but not this girl.
And here she is, wearing the mauve silk suit I made for the girls last year – even though it doesn’t fit her very well – and catching some rays after her long flight. She’s so tall that the sleeves on all the items for B are short, and these girls are actually a little wider in the hip than either of the B sculpts that I sew for. That dress is a big snug.
She is staring off at the sky (watching contrails, maybe) because her head doesn’t tip down any further. I had to ease something so it *popped* to be able to bend her knees, which was a bit daunting but worked out fine in the end. Her feet are too big for most B shoes, but she fits FR shoes.
Her hair is nice, similar to Natasha’s, very soft but could be a little more thickly rooted. Her nails are shorter than Natasha’s, which is a good thing IMO, and her skintone is more lifelike. I think she’s a good value for the price.
Her face does remind me a little of Linda Evangelista, so I’ll call her Evangeline.
I’m going to have to make clothes for these two, since they can’t borrow from the other girls…
You don’t have to buy many patterns for doll clothes to come across Aileen’s Petite Fashions. These patterns are hand-drawn and clearly vintage. The title is hand-printed and the instructions look as if they’ve been typed. There’s usually a drawing of the doll and garment. At right is part of the one I’ll show you today.
Something about them reminds me of “ditto” copies, which our teachers made in the 1960’s and 70’s. (Dittos were made on spirit duplicators and characteristically were purple copies. The machines were hand-cranked and had a specific sound, and the process produced a memorable scent.)
I don’t know the history of these patterns, but they seem to date from the early sixties. There are a number of APF patterns reproducing original Barbie outfits. I found a list of them, here, though the site is old and it’s not clear whether the patterns are still being sold from this site. I’ve mostly come by mine via Etsy purchases, though often the finished garment is shown in the picture and I don’t realize it’s an APF pattern until I’ve downloaded it.
I recently made my first APF pattern. It’s APF 82 – Easter Parade, a reproduction of a 1959 Barbie fashion from Mattel. It included a black unlined coat, a print sleeveless dress, a purse and a “hat” (which is kind of a hairband, made with a “garbage tie”. Hmm.) Here’s a description on the Barbie Wiki with a picture of the Mattel original. I got this pattern on Etsy somehow, probably in a bulk pattern purchase.
And here’s my first attempt.
I made the coat of black Kona cotton. The instructions, like those on many older patterns, seem to assume that you already know what you’re on about. I used ribbons for the bows on the pockets, because I had no idea how big to cut the bias strip to make them, and couldn’t see them well in the picture to mimic the original. The coat has no front fastening because it’s pretty full. I did finish more edges than instructed and it came out reasonably well. I think it would benefit from a lining as the back collar bit does not give me joy but there you go.
Vintage B is wearing it here with a sheath of emerald satin and a pillbox hat with two feathers. (I love this little hat!) I’ll show you the sheath in another post, once I work out some kinks in the pattern.
I also made the dress from the pattern, using a teeny-tiny cotton floral print that I bought on Etsy. This one seems very generous in bodice, particularly in the upper front. I think if I made it again, I might curve down the neckline that takes the bias band. Overall, the fit is generous, more suited to “little fingers” than sleek couture.
The black seemed a bit austere for an Easter coat, so I cut another of bright pink. This is a French shirting cotton with two shades of pink that gives it a pretty crosswise stripe. (I originally made myself a shirt of this fabric. What happened to that shirt???) I added 1/4″ to the length of the sleeves to allow for a doubled hem, and again used ribbon on the pockets. You can see that this kind of collar doesn’t fit under a coat very well.
And here’s an interesting detail. I recently bought Kenneth King’s book on sewing for dolls and was intrigued that he used bridal tulle as a lining on some garments. It’s very thin, as he notes. Well, Aileen was using bridal tulle sixty years ago – the top of the dress is lined with it. It does work out quite well, making a very thin lining. The skirt of the dress is unlined.
Alive & Knitting 