Let's Make Gingerbread! With Sweet Variations for Special Occasions

The “Let’s Make Gingerbread!” pattern is a vintage-style little girl’s special occasion dress. It has a slightly fitted bodice, with darts in the back, short puffed sleeves and a Peter Pan collar. A full sash ties at the back for an adorable flourish. The bodice is lined and closes in the back with buttons, snaps or hook and loop tape. The skirt has two layers. The over skirt drops from the gathered waistline to above the knee, while the under skirt also gathers at the waistline, but has an attached ruffle that extends below the knee, peeking out below the over skirt. It adds a charming contrast in colour and pattern, as well as additional fullness.

There are three bodice options. Option A has a simple front and back bodice. Option B has a curved yoke inset in the front and back bodice. Option C has a rectangular overlay on the center of the front bodice.

All options can be embellished with rick rack, piping or lace.

The full skirt provides an excellent base for embellishing with machine embroidery.

In the gingerbread theme dress, adorable rick rack details and whimsical buttons mimic gingerbread decorated with icing and candies. But with a little imagination, the design is adaptable to many special occasions! The full layered skirt, the Peter Pan collar and the puffed sleeves evoke all our favourite things about children’s party dresses between the late 1940s and the early 1960s. Perfect for a vintage Valentine's Day look, a lovely Easter dress, the perfect birthday dress, or any special occasion that your doll is celebrating.

There is lots of room for creativity with this pattern. For example, you can choose to do the sleeves in a contrasting colour to the main fabric, or do the collar in the same fabric as the ruffle or the cuffs. The over skirt could be a different print than the bodice, or the under skirt ruffle could match the bodice. Enjoy all the possibilities!

This PDF sewing pattern, by Eighteen Cotton Lane, is designed to fit 18" dolls. This pattern will fit a variety of eighteen-inch dolls, including American Girl®,
Maplelea®, Our Generation®, My Life As®, and Götz Precious Day®.

Suggested Fabrics: Skirt: light-medium weight cotton, rayon, calico, gingham. Blouse: rayon, cotton voile, batiste, handkerchief linen, crepe de chine

Supplies Needed:

• Main fabric: ½ yard of 44” wide light to medium weight cotton, cotton blends, organza, taffeta, “crisp” silk such as dupioni

• Lining fabric: a scrap of batiste, lawn, muslin or other lightweight cotton or cotton blend for lining the bodice

• Collar fabric: a scrap of light to medium weight cotton, cotton blend, organza, silk

• Under skirt: 1/4 yard of 44” wide lightweight lining fabric, netting, organza, batiste or lawn. The fabric needs to be sturdy enough to support the weight of the ruffle at the hemline, and add body to the skirt, but not add a lot of bulk when it is gathered with the main fabric at the waistline. One tester lightly starched cotton lawn and loved the result.

• Contrast fabric: ¼ yard of 44” wide accent fabric for ruffle, sleeve cuffs, and Version B yoke or Version C bodice overlay

• Sewing machine thread that matches the fabrics

• 1/8”, ¼” or ½” wide rick rack or other trims to mimic the effect of icing for the gingerbread theme bodice and skirt

• Decorative buttons in the shape of candy hearts, peppermints, gumdrops, gingerbread men, candy canes etc. for the gingerbread theme bodice front

• 3 snap sets, or buttons, or 5” of soft ¼” hook and loop tape for closing the dress back bodice

Skill Level: Confident Beginner

What You Get: One 63 page sewing pattern that you digitally download as a PDF file so you can start your project immediately! The PDF sewing pattern provides full color step-by-step instructions and full size pattern pieces. A PDF reader is required to view and print the files (example: Adobe Reader or Preview for MAC). The download link is received immediately after the transaction is complete. Print copies are NOT available.

Download, Print, Sew!

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For detailed information and answers to the most common questions, be sure to read the Terms of Use and FAQ's related to the doll clothes patterns sold at Pixie Faire.

Pixie Faire and the designers featured are not affiliated with American Girl®, Maplelea®, Our Generation®, My Life As®, or Götz Precious Day®.

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