Have you ever wanted to make your own doll clothes? I did, but there are few resources out there for getting free patterns. Commercial patterns are running anywhere from $10-$18. Outfits are very expensive, and, I find that they are not all that well made.
This website will give you free patterns for basic 18" doll clothes. These patterns are made to fit American Girl Doll, Gotz, Pleasant Company, My Generation and other 18" dolls. My niece puts them onto practically every doll she has from bears to Raggedy Ann.
By combining the different patterns you should be able to make everything from pajamas to basic play wear. This is a very fun thing to do with your daughter, niece, granddaughter, etc. These outfits are easy enough for a young girl to sew with help. I got many of my ideas by looking at other websites to see what is popular right now and to see how I could make different looks with these basic patterns.
Here are some examples of the outfits you can make using these patterns.
This is the free basic top pattern and the free basic skirt pattern. It makes a really cute outfit. The pattern is also easy to get on and off of the American Girl Doll. You can embellish the top with t-shirt transfers, gems, iron on appliques, etc. It is also fun to use your daughter's own old clothes to make the outfits. You can really make some cute american girl doll clothes if you cut the pieces out of old t-shirts that are too small, old jeans, embroidered skirts, etc.
This is an outfit I made for a cheerleader/ 4th of July theme. I put it with red shorts are well. Here, I used an iron on applique. The outfits take less than 1 hour to sew start to finish. I have been making these for a really long time. They are sure to please.
This outfit is the basic shirt pattern and the basic pants pattern with a little variation. I wanted to summer look, so I cuffed the bottoms of the pants and tacked up the cuff. That made a clam digger style pant.
This is an outfit made with the free basic american girl doll shirt pattern and the shorts pattern. This is a very shiny stretch fabric from Halloween. It is HARD to sew on unless you follow my tips for sewing stretch fabric. It makes a super cute outfit though.
For the purposes of the patterns I am providing, I am going to assume that you understand basic sewing techniques and basic terms like rolled hem.
If you use my patterns to make a great outfit, I would love to see a photo and post a copy on the website. Please contact me at brightoncrafts@aol.com to have a photo of your outfit posted or to send a free craft pattern to contribute to the website.