All the girls

This is Jenny and me; she is the last of five Prairie Flower dolls that I started working on back at the end of May. They are all complete, and everyone has something to wear; not all of my dolls are so lucky :-) I also have three more patterns to share, and altogether these patterns should provide a nice trousseau for your Prairie Flower.
First is Jenny's puffed sleeve A-line dress. I modified the simple A-line dress from thebleudoor with a technique from the book "Dressing Dolls," by Rosemarie Ionker. This is a terrific book for anyone who loves to make doll clothing, or enjoys drooling over well made doll clothing. The pattern for the dress is here:

Puff Sleeve Dress

This is really cute in a '30's style print. Here is a tip to get the collar to lay nice and flat along the dolls neckline; after you've completed the outfit, place it on the doll and dampen the collar lightly. Pin the front and back points of the collar to the dress, with a straight pin right into the doll, just like you would like the collar to lay. Let this dry, and the collar stays nicely in place after the pins are removed.
Next is a dress with gathered sleeves and the skirt gathered to the bodice. The bodice is done the same way as the puffed sleeve dress above. This is a really clever way of making a gathered sleeve without the tediousness of setting the sleeve in the armhole.

Gathered Sleeve Dress

The bodice can be lengthened for a drop waist dress, or for a blouse, and you can play around with the fullness of the sleeve cap to alter the look.
Last is my favorite, a super simple vest that can be left plain or embellished to your hearts content.

Simple Vest

Only two seams, the side seams, and you're done. You can make this vest out of felt or fleece.
Here are all the girls, wishing you a lovely day filled with creativity :-)

More Prairie Flower Finery

The Bleu Door pattern site ( www.thebleudoor.com ) continues to be a gold mine of patterns to adapt for the Prairie Flowers. Here are a few new patterns, all of which (with the exception of the crochet sweater above) have been adapted from these patterns.

First, there is a simple nightgown from 1920. This is made of a pale pink batiste, with a sprinkling of crochet flowers around the neck, and featherstitching around the bottom. The pattern is here:

Nightgown

The bedjacket is just a simple sweater crocheted from laceweight mohair yarn. I developed the pattern originally for Waldorf dolls, and have adapted it for mini-free spirits, and now the Prairie Flowers:

Bed Jacket

Next is a simple shirt and jumper combination. The shirt has 3/4 length sleeves that are not set in; the neck and sleeve edges finished with either purchased or self bias trim. The pattern is here:

Shirt

The jumper is also super easy, and from the same 1920 pattern as the shirt:

Jumper


These cute and simple overalls are from a 1917 pattern. I made them from an old pair of my husbands blue jeans...the straps here were a little narrow to easily make up, so on the pattern I've widened them a bit. And added a touch of embroidery to the legs. Same simple shirt with these overalls as above. The pattern is here:

Overalls

Close up of the overall embroidery. A Prairie girl should have Prairie flowers blooming across her overalls :-)

Bleuette fashions for Prairie Flowers

I'm not a very good pattern drafter when it comes to sewing doll clothing, so I asked Janie Hile at www.thebleudoor.com for permission to adapt some of the wonderful original Bleuette patterns for the Prairie Flowers, and she kindly said yes.

The adapted patterns for the apron and jacket above are here:

Apron 

Jacket

The jacket pattern is from 1913, and the apron pattern from 1909.


Here are the two basic A-line dresses:

Both of these patterns are from 1912. I've made them simpler than the original, with little embellishment. But that is the neat thing about a simple pattern, some lace and ric-rac, or contrasting fabric panels can change the look entirely.



Simple A-line Dresses




I also dearly love dainty underwear for dolls, so here are a couple of patterns called 'combinations,' which are just what the name implies - a combination of chemise and pantaloon. The one on the left is a 1918 pattern; the one on the right is from 1916.

Made up in lightweight batiste, with perhaps a touch of embroidery, and they are lovely underwear. In a cotton calico, they could be rompers or overalls.

Combinations

And lastly, some simple underwear; panties that can be worn under the dresses, and a dainty camisole.

Undies

Thank-you, Janie, for providing such a wonderful, and historic, pattern site, and for letting me use the patterns for the Prairie Flower dolls. Some styles are simply timeless, just like the love of dolls :-)