How to sew a Simple Doll Dress

Clothing for 18" dolls can get very expensive.  Why not make your DIY doll dress?  The cost is minimal, and this 18" dress needs no pattern.  It is so much more fun to make doll clothes, too!

This is a free tutorial for a very simple doll dress called a doll pillowcase dress that will fit an 18" doll.  These pillowcase dresses are cute and easy to sew for a doll.  This dress takes less than one hour to make.

All that is needed to make the doll dress is to cut four pieces of fabric, some ribbon and of course basic sewing supplies. No pattern to print! No pattern to pin on the fabric! Simply cut fabric to the measurements in the video and start sewing.

Learn more about our 18" doll dress pattern by watching our video or keep reading this post.

WHAT YOU NEED to make a DIY doll dress for an 18" doll

• 2 pieces of matching fabric, 9" X 10"
• 2 pieces of coordinating fabric, 9" x 3"
• 2 pieces of 3/8" to 1/2" ribbon, 20" long
• Threaded sewing machine
• Scissors
• Safety pin
• Sewing Gauge

INSTRUCTIONS to make aN 18" doll dress pattern

STEP 1: Prepare the Border for the 18" doll dress

Take each of the two 9" x 3" border fabrics and fold them in half lengthwise. Being sure to keep the wrong sides together, iron each piece in half lengthwise with an iron at the ironing board.

step 2: attach the border to the main fabric

At the machine, place the length of the border along the shorter end of the main fabric.  The raw edges of the border should be matching the raw edge of the main fabric, which is right side up.

Begin sewing a straight stitch to join the two fabrics, being sure to back tack when starting the stitching line.  Use the presser foot as the guide along the edge of the fabric.

Do this with both the front and back main pieces of the 18" doll dress.

step 3: press the border

It is time to take the front and the back of the 18" doll dress pattern pieces to the ironing board in order to press the borders.

Take one of the main pieces, and lay it on the ironing board with the main fabric right side down.

It is important to press the seam towards the darker fabric so the darker fabric does not show through to the the front of the dress.

Use the iron to press the seam down towards the darker fabric then turn the piece over and press on the front of the fabric to make a nice crisp seam.

step 4: Attach the front and back pieces of the 18" Doll dress together

With the right sides of the front and back of the dress facing towards each other, and the border ends matched up, the side seams of the dress are going to be sewn.

Once the pieces are matched up, pin the side seams from the bottom border edge up, stopping 4" from the top of the dress.  Be sure to measure and place a pin at the 4" mark to remember to stop sewing. This is where the arm hole of the dress will be.

It is important not to sew over the pins.  Remove the pins while stitching along with a straight stitch making a 1/2" seam. 

Start sewing from the border and stop stitching when the needle of the sewing machine has reached the 4" pin mark.  Always remember to back tack at the beginning and end of the stitching line.

Turn the dress over and stitch the other side seam in the same way, starting at the border and making sure to stop 4" from the top of the dress where the pin has been placed.

step 5: Press the side seams of the 18" doll dress pattern

After clipping the extra threads, take the dress to the ironing board.  The side seams are going to be pressed open where the seam has been stitched.

Where the fabric was left unstitched, fold these raw edges 1/2" and press.

step 6: Stitch the arm hole of the 18" doll dress

The next step is to stitch around the armhole to give it a nice finish.

Begin stitching on the fabric where it has been pressed but not stitched. Start at the top of the left side with a 1/4" seam allowance, being sure to back tack. It is important to keep the extra fabric of the dress away from the needle of the machine so the fabric does not get caught.  Sew slowly.

Stitch down and stop when the side seam has been reached.  Next, pivot down.  This is where the needle is left in the down position and the fabric is turned so the sewing can continue straight a few stitches across and then up the other side of the arm hole.

If there is not an option on your machine to keep the needle in the down position, simply turn the side wheel of the sewing machine so the needle is in the down position and then pivot the fabric to continue sewing straight a few stitches and then up the other side of the arm hole.

Do this on the second armhole, following each direction carefully and keeping the extra fabric away from the sewing machine needle.

step 7: Press the Casing for the ribbon 

To begin making the casing, at the ironing board, fold the fabric at the top of the doll dress edge 1/4" down to the wrong side and press.  The fold will be toward the inside of the doll dress.  It is not necessary to measure and be exact at this fold.

Once there is a crisp crease, turn the fabric under once again, this time measuring it at 3/4".  It is important to measure and make this fold accurate.  Iron the new fold down.

Do the same for the other side of the dress.

step 8: stitch the casing for the ribbon

Take the pressed 18" doll dress to the sewing machine.  Stitch close to the inner fold, making a casing for the ribbon to pass through. This will be the top of the dress.

Remember to go slowly and back tack at the beginning and end of stitching.

Do the same for the front and the back of the doll dress.

step 9: thread the ribbon through the casings

After clipping all of the extra threads, use a safety pin and pin it to one end of one of the 20" ribbons.  Slide the safety pin with the ribbon attached through one of the casings.  This ribbon will be used to tie the dress at the doll's shoulders.

In order to keep the ribbon from pulling out of the casing, make sure there is the same amount of ribbon on each side of the fabric.  In the middle of the ribbon, stitch a few stitches to secure the ribbon and keep it from pulling out.

If the stitching is not appealing, a pretty button or other embellishment can be sewn over the stitches.

Do the same thing on the other side of the dress, threading the ribbon through the casing and stitching in the middle of the ribbon so it stays secure.

step 10: Put the 18" doll into the new dress

The top of the dress is where the ribbons are loose.  Lay the dress down and push the doll through the top of the dress, feet first.

Once the side seams come up to her armpits, take the ribbon on each side and tie a bow above her shoulder.

The sweet 18" doll dress will stay in place and look lovely on the doll!

more 18" doll projects

• 18" Doll Tote Bag
• Doll Hat
• 18" Doll Holiday Dress
• Doll Sleeping Bag