Starting at the Beginning

I have always loved this Pink Sari Gown, worn by Sarah and every other Fashion sized girl when they first arrived, including Agnes. It was originally intended to be an elaborate contemporary evening gown.  But when I needed an extra 'Medieval' style gown for a photoshoot, I made some simple slip-on stretchy tricot lower sleeves to make the gown look more 'Medieval Fantasy'.

But I've found the original separate hanging sleeves to be difficult to deal with, as they snap onto a tight elastic band that is a challenge to put on over the doll's hands - or her hands have to be removed. Which is a pain. So, I thought I should rework the pattern so the sleeves are actually attached to the bodice. So, that's what I did.  And while I was at it I made the lower part of the bodice a bit wider. The Pink Sari Gown was made from a pattern originally designed for a Slim Iplehouse FID with medium bust. My SartoriaJ 45APH girls are very close in size, but they do have much larger hips, so the bottom of the bodice could be a bit wider, both to better fit the doll's hips, and to accommodate the thickness of all the gathered skirt fabric.

Developing the New Patterns

Now, making nice fitting doll clothes in quarter scale is a challenge since we have no choice but to work with full size human scale fabrics. Even the finest fabrics available are still four times as thick as a proper quarter scale doll outfit should theoretically be made from. So, to minimize the number of seams, and the resulting thickness, I designed a one-piece bodice pattern to create a lovely close-fitting silhouette. The new pattern is made up of all the separate bodice pieces from the Pink Sari Gown pattern, with one big difference.  In order to make attached sleeves, the new bodice needed the back to rise almost to the shoulder to create a half circle armhole curve for the bottom edge of the sleeves to be sewn onto.  

So I needed to make a test sample. I traced the pattern template onto medium weight interfacing. This is a very important step as it keeps the bodice fabric rigid and prevents it from distorting due to parts of the pattern being on the fabric bias. For the test bodice I didn't need the top and bottom seam allowances, so just added seam allowances along the front darts...

After sewing the bodice darts, I tested the fit on Naomi. It was perfect. The back of the bodice does not overlap, as it will have eyelets and lace up, making it fit a wider range of MSD size dolls, all depending on how it's laced up.

With the new pattern tested and approved, it was time to start with the good fabric. I decided that I would make two gowns at the same time, both from scarves I'd found at Value Village. One of the gowns would be made from the leftover pink sequinned scarf I'd used for Agnes' pink and gray gown. The underskirt would be from a very fine, plain, pale pink, sari scarf.

 The second gown would be from a silky mauve scarf with a wide dangly lace edge.  The underskirt would be from a very fine, plain, lavender, sari scarf.  I removed the wide lace trim from the silky scarf and would reattach it where needed later.

the Petticoats

Before starting on the two gowns, I first needed to make the petticoats to go underneath. I like to make them first  since they will influence the shape of the gown worn over it. And I won't feel like making them after I've finished the dress. So, I cut out two sets of ruffles, and started sewing. I like lace on the bottom ruffles.  I know it's not historically correct, but my gowns are 'Fantasy Medieval' and not bound by historical correctness in the first place, so I don't care. I like lace, so I'm using it.

I always make the petticoats with a wide, curved yoke at the top. That moves the bulk of the petticoat down out of the waist area and down to the hips, making for a nicer form-fitting bodice. I also never 'gather' the fabric into a waistband, as I find that gathering makes the fabric bulge out way too much, especially when making doll clothes at a smaller scale. Instead I always pleat the fabric into the waistband in order to keep the bulk down and create a smoother silhouette. I also pleat the lower ruffle by using  long needle to fold the fabric under the presser foot as I slowly stitched on the sewing machine.

*Next - the pattern pdf, and starting the bodices