AG Doll Handkerchief Skirt Halloween Costume Tutorial AG014

I sure don’t know how October creeped up on us so fast but here it is!  Here is one outfit I made for Isabelle!  If you would like one, click "Like" on my American Girl Doll Creations by Carole Facebook page as the ordering info is there.

One Easy Peasant Blouse AG014a

Dorriebelle has a neat tutorial on making a Peasant top for Ariel.  She has complete instructions on how to make it fit any doll so check it out.  I used her calculations and converted it to fit my American Girl Doll, Isabelle.

Cut cotton or cotton blend fabric 28” wide by 7” long.  Measure and press a half inch hem at the bottom and top of the long edges.  Finish all four sides with a serger. Sew one long edge to make the casing for your elastic.

Thread 12” of 1/4" wide elastic through the casing.  Make sure the elastic is flat within the casing.

Secure ends.

Arrange the gathers evenly – this is the hardest part!  Sew the center back seam from the hem to the elastic. Reinforce the elastic with a few extra stitches.

Now hem the bottom.

From the wrong side, find and mark the center front.  Pin flat to the center back.

Draw a line 2.5” from the sides or folds.

Draw a line at 2.5” from the hem upwards then ½” towards front.

Sew on these lines.

Cut down the center and snip into the corners.

Repeat for the 2^nd arm.

Turn it right side out and you are done! I love that there is no bias tape to fiddle with, no velcro and all the hemming is done beforehand!  I added a little bow and some trim to the bottom of the sleeves to match the Handkerchief skirt.

These are Isabelle’s measurements as taken by Dorriebelle’s instructions.

Around her shoulders 15.5”

Around her waist and arms 16.5”

The length of her arms 6”

Her hand diameter 4”

Her waist without her arms 11”

Handkerchief skirt  AG014b

Cut fabric 14” square.  Fold in quarters.  Draw a 1.75” circle from point.  Press up ¼” at the hem and sew.  Repeat for a contrasting skirt.

Lay the printed skirt on top of the plain one – turn it so that it is in a diamond shape.

Baste together at the waist.

I decided to use a decorative stitch on my orange skirt.

Cut fold over elastic 10” long.  Sew together.  Divide into quarters.

 

Divide waist into quarters.  Match quarter marks.  Sew stretching elastic to fit.  Fabric is a bit too heavy for a Hanky or Handkerchief skirt but thought it was ok for a costume.

Witch Hat AG014c

Found a free pattern to make witch hats for the AG dolls at You Can Make This.  I followed her instructions and it went together very well!  I did use a light weight iron on interfacing for both the brim and the crown.  Instead of sewing the brim right sides together and turning, I just serged my edges and had no turning to do.

Trick or Treat Bag AG014d

Cut fabric 4 1/2 x 9 inch.  Measure and fold the short ends 1/2 inch towards the wrong side of the fabric.  Chalk mark the center on each folded piece then again at 1” from the center mark.

Attach 4” of ¼” ribbon to hold the ribbons in place.

Serge across both short ends to finish the edges.  Repeat for other short side.

 Fold the fabric in half with right sides together.  Sew the side edges using a ¼” seam.  Hem the top close to the fold and another row at ½” away catching ribbon.
 

I will post page 5 of 11 that I scrapbooked using MDS of Olivia’s visit to the American Girl (AG) Doll store this Friday so stay tuned or better yet, sign up to my Blog so you won’t miss any of my AG posts!