How to Sew Bubble Dress for American Girl Dolls

This has been on my list of things to do since the start of this month and I was even inspire more when I saw the red holiday outfit at AG called Sparkle Party Dress for Dolls. It is basically a bubble dress and it’s one of the easiest things to sew. I know it’s only 8 days to go before Christmas and I might be late from posting this; but on the other hand, there’s still new year, valentine, easter and even birthdays. So let’s just called this dress, a special occasion dress instead of a holiday dress.

For this dress, I used only 1/3 yard of woven calico fabric (44 inch wide) and a roll of trim. I got both from Hobby Lobby and they are on sale so I spent less than $4 for everything. I chose this red and white polka dot fabric and a white rose trim with little pearl and lace details on it. If you want to make it more festive, you can choose special occasion fabric such as satin, chiffon and tulle just like the red dress in AG.

1) Start by cutting 2 pieces each of your favorite sleeveless bodice pattern, one for lining and one for the main bodice. If you do not have a bodice pattern, you can use the free Liberty Jane tank top pattern which can be downloaded here. Just make sure you make it shorter by cutting the pattern on the waist area.

2)Sew both sets on the shoulder area to start lining the bodice.

4) With right sides together, sew the pieces together around the armhole and neckline area (starting from the back). The red thread on the photo below indicates where to sew them together. Then clip corners and curves around the armhole and neckline area for a smooth and nice finish when you turn the fabric to the right side.

7)Turn the fabric to the right side and sew on the side seams and finish the edges with zigzag stitch (or serge). After it’s sewn on the sides, measure the width of the whole bodice to determine how wide the lining for the bubble skirt will be. In my case, it’s 13 inches. I decided to add about 1/4inch more as allowance for zigzag stitch to finish the edges.

7) Set aside the bodice for now and work on the skirt. For the lining, the height will be 6 inches and the width is 13 1/4 inch (which is the width of my bodice above with 1/4 inch added to it). For the main skirt, the height is also 6 inches but the width is longer which can be 26 inches – 30 inches. In my case, I used a 30 inches width.

8)Gather the main skirt on both the top and bottom edges until it’s the same size as the lining. With right sides together, sew the lining to the main skirt on the bottom part. Turn to the right side and finish the edges. (If you want complete instructions for the bubble skirt, please go to this link - BUBBLE SKIRT TUTORIAL – but make sure you use the measurement I posted here if you are going to make a bubble dress).

9) With right side together, sew the bodice to the bubble skirt.

10) Then finish the side and back seams and sew a velcro for closure. Add a trim on the waistline for a dressy look.

And there you go, you have a pretty bubble dress for your American Girl Dolls. This is very easy and simple to make, I am sure you still have enough time to make it for the holidays.

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