Actually this way of perfect gathers isn’t just for American Girl doll dresses, but can be applied to any size doll dresses. I thought I’d give you a little sewing lesson while I was finishing up Nora’s dress.
To me, gathers can make or break the look of a doll dress and it’s such a simple fix to make them look nice…there’s really no excuse not to take an extra minute and do it.
Did you ever make a doll dress and your gathers around the waist were big in some areas and little in others? Maybe they looked more like folds or even tucks in some places. When you have a vertically striped fabric with dark and light stripes, it is all the more noticeable when the gathers aren’t even…sometimes the dark stripes kind of blend together and look dominant and your eye will be drawn immediately to that area…it just isn’t as pretty as it can be when they are evenly spaced apart.
All you have to do is stitch a 3rd row of basting stitches on your skirt section and pull the threads so the gathers are right beside each other…like this…sometimes you have to pull each thread singly to get them all even and side by side.
Normally I have my waistband section on the bottom, facing up, with the gathered skirt on top as I stitch the skirt on. But because I’m wanting to do my stitching right on the edge of the little dots in the print, I have my gathered skirt on the bottom and the waistband fabric on top…
I’m doing this so I can follow the design on the wrong side of the fabric and make a nice straight look on the front.
When I looked at the front side, I was quite pleased…
Carefully and gently pull the basting stitching out… (if you have a very sheer fabric…take care and even pick out the basting stitches one at a time, to not pull any holes in your skirt.)
Serge the edge of that side and press toward the waistband on the edge of your ironing board to keep from flattening your perfect gathers…lay your gathers on the skirt so they just fall off the edge of the ironing board and using the tip of your iron, carefully go along the edge of the piece…
Now it’s time to add the bodice piece to your waistband… do it the same way, on the wrong side so you can see the edge of the little dots in the fabric.
See how pretty it looks…
…and viola! Perfect gathers…
Now, you won’t want to miss tomorrow’s post… I have something REALLY pretty to show you and a small change on the dress… :o)
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Nora’s dress is coming along nicely! Thanks for the reminder about using three rows of gathering stitches–I have started on a dress for Bella (Ruby Red Fashion Friends) and I think I’ll go put that third row in the skirt. Do you do three rows in a curved area like the sleeve cap, also?
You are so right, about pulling out the gathering stitches extra carefully in sheer or thin fabrics. So important!
Tomorrow my husband actually has a Real appointment with his doctor. He’s had increasing episodes of weakness, and I really think the doctor needs to actually see him. So, that will take care of part of my day, anyway. Maybe afterwards I can get more done on Bella’s dress.
Hi Charlotte ,
I haven’t done 3 rows of basting in my sleeves yet, but I’m not sure why…maybe I’ll try it in my next doll dress with sleeves.
I hope your hubby has a great doctor visit tomorrow and you get back to Bella’s dress…
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
Beautifully done, Jeanne, and I must say, expertly too! I love how your outfits are always so crisp and fresh looking and I see that it starts with every first stitch! I wonder if I am thinking right, but do some machines have a gathering attachment?
This dress will be just the perfect one for afternoon tea! Nora is already smiling at how lucky she is to be able to model this darling dress! The brooch works perfectly with it, and that contrasting pattern on the neckband and sleeve bands work well with the print.
I failed to write anything Saturday, since I have been over my head with outdoor activities, and do not sew for my dolls that much. I cannot believe how, after working in the front of the house, the back needs so much attention, but then when working in the back, the front yard goes to pot! And I STILL have Easter decorations up in the house!! Well, with this social distancing thing going, no one but us sees it, and the bunnies here and there are really quite cute!! I’ll get there eventually!
Hi Linda,
Thanks for your kind compliments on the dress so far… Nora is liking it too!!
You can buy a separate ruffler attachment that gathers up the fabric and I’m sure some machines gave a setting to gather up your fabric. I believe my serger gathers up fabric too, but I like the tried and true method of pulling up threads so you can adjust it if necessary…
My hubby has been working in our yard too…but we have no bunnies in our house!! Enjoy them for an extra few days…or weeks!! :o)
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
Your work is so meticulous Jeanne. I too thank you for reminding us about that 3rd row of gathering stitches. The dress is looking oh so, so pretty on Nora.
Thanks for keeping us in the loop about your life down south. We will be having a cooler week, the possibility of frost again at the end of the week. I’ve been so grateful for the spring time colors and cheer. Your blog posts also have kept winter blues to a minimum. Thank you!
Thank you Becky,
I’m glad you are liking Nora’s dress…its been a nice dress to get back into sewing with.
We have been having nice days here but cooler nights. Rain is on the way here in just a few hours.. I’ll just stay inside and sew!!! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
Thank you for this lesson very useful forme !
I have a question : what is the waist size of an American doll and what length of fabric to you use for this result ? It will give me an idea of how many fabric I need for others dolls.
Hope you are all safe and well protected , here in Nantes (West of France) we take a lot of precautions and can’t wait to be able to go out again !
Amitiés
Sophie in Brittany
I have absolutely no idea why my previous comment reposted again instead of my reply to Sophie. Oh well, one more time….
Hi Sophie,
Pleasant Company/ American Girl doll waist sizes vary. My Felicity and Samantha dolls both made by PC in Germany have waists of 12 1/2 inches. My Caroline is the slimmest at 11 5/8. Here are free links to download patterns that fit any AG doll, they were just created for certain dolls/ historical eras. Most patterns take 1/2 yard, but certain elaborate ones require a yard.
http://www.agplaythings.com/AG%20Patterns/DollDressPatterns.html
I hope you stay safe and well also. Brittany looks beautiful. I’ve seen pictures of the land and the Tudor style houses.
Thank you Sophie,
I was happy you enjoyed today’s post. I saw that Laura had answered you but I deleted a duplicate comment she had made and the dolls measurements were accidentally deleted as well…I’ll ask her to put those measurements on here again.
For most of my American Girl doll dresses, I use the full width of the fabric …45″ wide. That makes a nice full skirt.
If you measure around your dolls waist, add about 1-1/2″ to that length and that will give you enough length to gather your skirt onto. You’ll have enough to finish your back seams with a facing or turn them under, whichever you prefer.
I hope this helps you…
Stay safe Sophie,
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Sophie,
If you’ll check the comments today, Laura answered your question about the sizes of the American Girl dolls. She also gave a link for the American Girl Playthings doll forum where you can get the AG doll patterns for free… I hope you get this…
Blessings, Jeanne
Thank you for sharing the details of your gathering and stitching. So nice to see it come out with the waistband detail perfectly done. I always enlarge photos to look at that detail and top stitching on items for sale. If they are off, I pass.
So, what is the rule for the length of ruffles needed? I can’t remember. I’m going to sew something that uses finished lace gathered trim, and I want to substitute my own fabric ruffles, but not sure what length fabric I will need to make them?? I’m making a summer outfit for cutie Aya Kitty. She arrived Saturday, a few days early. So happy we have the U.S. Post Office, as they have been delivering a lot of things here lately.
We’re looking at a warm week ahead.
Hi Joy,
I have a couple of comments for you. I saw you mentioned Anne Estelle. I’ve always like Mary Engelbreit’s greeting cards. Did you know she had a magazine? It has lots of fun ideas and paper dolls in the back of each issue. I have them all except a couple of very early issues that I’m searching for on eBay at a reasonable price.
I hope you’ll share pictures of Aya Kitty when you finish her outfit.
Laura, I have most of the issues of the ME magazine. Not sure which ones are missing. If I ever have time, I should go through and see. Loved that magazine and was sad when it was no more.
Little Aya is sitting here in her kitty meet outfit looking at me patiently. I will get a picture of her when I finish it. Actually, start it. Still planning. 🙂
Hi Joy,
You should see ME scrutinizing the things I look at. I am s stickler for details…and always have been…
I’ve always used the rule of thumb that the length should be 2 1/2 to 3 times the length of what you are adding the ruffles to. Otherwise it looks too skimpy to me.
Do you have your fabric all picked out for Aya’s dress you will be making in the sew along? I hope you have fun.
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, thank you. That’s what I needed. Why I spend so much time analyzing everything before I make it, I don’t know. Haven’t sewn a thing. But, now I can cut the ruffle to size. Thank you!
Thanks for the reminder of the third row of gathering stitches. I haven’t needed to use it lately but it’s good to have a refresher. I really love this dress. It is so pretty. A small change. Hmmm… Can’t wait to see what that is.
Joy, the outfit Aya Kitty came in is too cute, but definitely not something she would want to wear too long at this time of year. Be sure to send a picture of her new summer outfit. Can’t wait to see it. As for the ruffle length, if you have a number for it I would sure love to have it. I have a ruffler, but I’m never sure how much fabric/lace etc. I will need to achieve my purpose. I looked on the internet one time to see if someone had created a chart for this but could not find anything. I probably could figure it out if I took the time. Instead I just ruffle till I have what I need, but I’m not sure until I’m finished if the length I start with is long enough.
Our stay-at-home has been off since May 1. Our main restaurant here in town is open for dine in. You have to use hand sanitizer when you arrive and only some tables are available, but it’s good to be able to eat there again. Since this is a small town, the people that work there are more like friends than just restaurant employees. It’s good to see them again. Even at 25% they can do a pretty good business since it’s a fairly large place and people are in and out all day. But I have noticed that the fast food places are not open for dine in yet. They have such small dining areas and so few tables would be available, it probably doesn’t make sense. I’m sure they’re probably waiting for the 50% go ahead at least. What I’d really like to see open is David’s barber and my hair salon. His barber will be opening May 19. I’m going to check in with my salon and see when they will be opening. Usually it’s just me and my hairdresser in a huge room anyway and David’s barber only has two chairs.
I know that there is a ruffle number rule, but can’t remember it. Hoping Jeanne can.
We’re opening very gradually here in northern CA. If we get too many new cases in the next two weeks, they will shut down again. Hoping for the best. We definitely need a hair cutting place to open for other person. He’s starting to look like he did back in the 60’s. 🙂
Hi Barbara,
It’s a small change it I think it’s better…you’ll see…
Glad your favorite restaurant was able to reopen…I bet they were as glad as their customers were.
Lots of people have been waiting for barbers and salons to open around here. Fortunately, I’ve been cutting my hubby’s hair for 39 years…so we got that covered…
Hope yours opens soon
Blessings, Jeanne
I’m so envious of your restaurants opening already! Our anniversary is coming in a couple of weeks, and we Always go out to eat on that day. Not this year, apparently! Our restaurants may not be opening, even at 25% capacity, until at least a week afterwards. (The only year we missed going out ON our anniversary was in 2012, when he had a big surgery the day before. However, one month later we Did go to “our” restaurant, told them why we hadn’t been there the month before, and they treated us like it was our anniversary that day!!
I’m going to guess that you found a cabinet with glassed in doors to store all your dolls.
This dress is going to be a favorite for me because it has a lot of pink. 😊💖
Hi Julia,
Oh my goodness, you guessed big! Too big, actually…its something pretty for the dress set… the “something wonderful” is still in the works….
Actually, I saw a glassed front cabinet I LOVED a few weeks ago Craigslist…I came to the living room to tell me hubby to come look at it…when I got back to the computer, it was gone!!! Rats again…
Blessings, Jeanne
I’m glad you like the “pink” dress…
Nora’s dress is looking very pretty. It really like that fabric. Thank you for the tips on gathering, Jeanne. When those are off I notice it very clearly. I also notice when plaids are off and won’t buy that skirt. Can’t wait to see the surprise tomorrow.
Our “Stay Safe Ohio” order is until Memorial Day. It seems to be helping ( at least where I live) as my county only has 175 cases/ 4 deaths and that encompasses nine different cities.
Been looking through my old issues of Victoria, Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion, and Martha Stewart Living for spruce up your porch/yard ideas. So very glad to have a front porch, one of only a half dozen on my street.
Hi Laura,
I have a favor to ask you… when I saw you had duplicate comments, I tried to delete the one. But the one where you answered Sophie about the waist sizes of the American Girl doll sizes accidentally was deleted as well. Is there any way you could repeat that information to her again? I’m so sorry…
I’m glad you’re liking Nora’s dress too. It’s been fun to make…
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne, I would also like to know how to calculate the fabric length to do such lovely gathers.
Here in New Zealand we have started to move out of Lockdown. We MAY be able to get to a hairdresser next week or the week after. 0 new cases yesterday. Not sure who needs a groomer more me or my dog lol
Hi Anne,
I had to laugh about your comment about not knowing who needed the salon more…you or your dog! :o)
I have always used the measurement of 2-1/2 to 3 times the length of what ever it is you are gathering to. My doll dress skirts are generally the full width of the 45″ wide fabric.
Practice on smaller pieces of fabric to see if you get it the way you like…
Thanks Anne,
Blessings, Jeanne
My that is a lovely fabric,, and you are so right about the gathering. I had a Home Ec teacher in junior high who was a fanatic about even gathering, or at least it seemed like it at the time. The result is that I will notice immediately if the gathers are not even. Yours always look good, and that is a nice technique for achieving it.
Thank you Carolyn,
My 4H judges were my harshest critiques for even gathers.
Once you learn how it’s done, you’ll never be satisfied with mediocre gathers…
Blessings, Jeanne