Panties and a pretty slip are the first pieces of clothing to make. Click on the patterns below to enlarge and print. Use any soft white cotton such as lawn, nainsook, or batiste.

The panties are cut in one piece, from folded material. Lay “fold” edge of pattern along the fold of material and cut out. Hem the legs first, then sew up the side seams and finish off the top with a narrow hem. This may be done on a sewing machine, but it looks much prettier done by hand. Elastic sewing thread is whipped to the top hem with fairly loose overcast stitches. When the elastic thread is all the way around the top, pull it a bit to gather in the top of the panties. Tie the ends of the elastic in a square knot and trim off the ends.

To make the slip, fold the material in half and lay the side of the pattern marked “fold” along the fold of the material. Then cut out the first piece. A second piece is cut the same way. Sew up the side seams of the slip. Make a narrow hem at top of slip and a 1/4-in. hem along the bottom. Whip elastic thread to the top of the slip, just as you did for the panties.

Both the slip and panties will look much more dainty if you trim the bottoms with narrow cotton lace. Lay the lace flat on the hem, and sew it on with overcast stitches. Now turn the lace down and flatten the sewing with your fingers.

Shoes

The pattern for the doll’s shoes should be transferred to cardboard, cut out, and used to trace around the edges.

Shoes are not difficult to make, but they do require nice tiny even stitches. Each shoe has two pieces: an upper, marked A, and a sole, marked B. Cut two of each. Lay the upper on the sole, matching the Vs. Join them along the outside edges with closely set overcasting stitches. Lap C over D and sew down flat. Felt, wool jersey, and thin kid from an old pair of gloves are all excellent materials for doll’s footwear. They must be sewn with matching colored thread.

Try the shoes on the doll. If they are a bit longer than the feet, stuff out the toes of the shoes with tiny bits of cotton. Cut two very narrow strips of the shoe material to make straps. These should be about 1 in. long. Sew them on, having the ends meet at the back top edge of the shoe.

The straps must be snug around the ankle. If 1 in. is too long, cut the excess off so they’ll fit perfectly.

Right now, just in her underwear and slippers, isn’t she one of the most attractive little dolls you’ve ever had? You can tell at this point just what kind of a name to give her. Shall it be Aramantha Susan Peabody or Prudence Cabot or Sue Ellen Pritchard? Let’s call her Prudence for the time being.

Next, we’ll make her dress…