Hi Helen,

I have the four sisters Little Women cloth dolls, 18" - 20". Do you have any patterns for their clothing of that era?

I am anxious to get them dressed in appropriately depicted dresses and all, so they can sit on my antique trunk, looking pretty.

Hi Phyllis,

I found a pattern by McCall that has beautiful outfits, which look perfect for the period you are looking for, for 18 inch dolls. These are designed for the Gotz Precious Day dolls, which are identical in size to The American Girl dolls. I tried to find the measurements for the Little Women cloth dolls, but was unsuccessful.

Do you have the Madame Alexander dolls? If so, congratulations, they are very valuable! I would need measurements of your dolls to know what patterns will fit. If you think your dolls could use the McCall pattern, the URL is:

http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m2609-products-721.php?page_id=909

There is another pattern, at the same site which would also be good and the URL for it is:

http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m3275-products-6970.php?page_id=909

Also, if your dolls can use AG size clothes, there are a lot of patterns on the Doll Making site for them. You might also want to try the patterns for slender 18 inch dolls, such as Magic Attic dolls, since cloth dolls are often narrower in the waist and chest than AG dolls. One such pattern is here:

Easy Dress for Slender 18 Inch Dolls .

I know that you are a talented doll maker and I'm sure you would be able to adjust a pattern to fit your dolls, if none of these are a perfect fit. If you need any more help, by all means, let me know!

Good luck, please share photos of your dolls and their finery.

Thanks, Helen. I think the first link to the McCall's Gotz patterns may work. I can adjust for the lengths of the dresses.

No, mine are not Madame Alexanders. They are E-bay specials, made by a guy who sold them for $10.00 each, undressed. I will get a picture of them for you, with measurements. When I get them all dressed, I will send you a picture of them sitting on my trunk.

Picture will come along sometime today.

Jo and Meg are 17", Amy is 16", and Beth is 15" tall. You may be able to tell in the photo that they are very slender.

Well...for some reason, the image is not coming through. I will try again later.

Trying again:

Hi Phyllis,

If you measure around your dolls at waist, chest and hips; then go to Doll Body Measurements.

That article will give you an idea of where your dolls fit, in terms of pattern size. It's always easy to adjust the length of an outfit, as long as it is the correct fit around.

The dolls look charming, and a great buy too.

Thank you, Helen. I will look at the site for doll body measurements.

My next problem to solve would be finding the right fabric to make day dresses that would be appropriate for the time era of Little Women. I want them to look as authentic as possible.

I do have a pattern for a day dress from the 1860's, but it is my size. I tried to scale it down by using the diagrams on the instruction sheet, but had a frustrating time achieving that.

Thanks again for your help.

Hi Phyllis,

How about photographing the pattern pieces, load them into your computer and then print them out to the size you need?

Hi Helen,

That might work. I do not have a printer, but my sister does. I can print it out at her house. Thanks!

Helen,

I found a vintage pattern of a 14" Jo cloth doll and clothing. It is darling. I ordered it and just received it a few days ago. I think I can adjust the clothing pattern pieces to fit my larger dolls.

Oh Phyllis, that's GREAT! I can't wait to see the finished products. Enjoy!

Helen, I received a bride Madame Alexander doll for Christmas when I was in third grade. I loved that doll; her name was China.

When my niece was old enough, I gave China to her. China deserved to have a little girl to play with, instead of being hidden away wrapped in pink silk in my drawer.

Hi Connie,

That is so thoughtful of you to share a much loved doll with someone else! I don't know if I could give away one of my favorites. I hope I could. Kudos.

Hi Helen,

I love this site. My daughter and I both love this site. I referred to your site in one of my summer activites. Thanks for the tips!

Hi Tuculia,

I appologize for the delay, I have been VERY busy lately and away from my computer a lot.

Welcome and thank-you for the kind words and the referral!

Helen, I have the pattern for the pantaloons and camisole sets. The four dolls are sitting in my rocker staring at me. Seems they are a bit anxious to get something on them.

As with my Native American dolls, I just lay the doll on the fabric and mark the pattern around her. The pantaloons are easy to do. The camisole is not as difficult as I thought it would be. I made the paper pattern by the same method as the pantaloons and will add tucks, etc. as I go along. The first camisole will be practice.

Hi Phyllis,

I've been so busy with family issues that I haven't set foot in my doll studio and my state of mind is showing it! I have a bunch of dolls that are waiting patiently for some pretty new clothes. I can't wait to see your dolls all dressed.

I hope all is well for you, Helen.

My dolls are being so patient, waiting for their wardrobe. I am debating on the appearance of the clothes. I think the new dresses, etc. will look lovely and cheerful -- yet I would really like an antique look. I have been thinking about taking the finished clothing and dipping them all in tea, just long enough to give them a look of being old.

What do you think?

I love tea dyed fabrics! But you might want to try dyeing scraps of each fabric first, so you know how it will turn out. It would be a shame to dye the finished outfits and then find out that some parts look better than others. You could also get the same effect using fabric in muted colors and using beige or cream fabric and ribbon instead of white for pinafores, slips and bloomers.

I have to go to my studio now, you've got my creative juices running, thanks, Phyllis!