Summer is finally here! What could be more appealing than a relaxing walk in the garden? Maybe it’s a dress for Hitty that embodies that feeling! Hitty’s Floral Dress is one of three original dresses from Hitty’s wardrobe in the Stockbridge Library (see “Who is Hitty?“).
Hitty’s Floral Dress is printed with green leafy vines and red and blue flowers amid tan-colored branching shapes. The background is brown, and the fabric has a twill (diagonal) weave. In a letter, illustrator Dorothy P. Lathrop stated that she made the dress:
“out of somebody’s great aunt’s ‘all wool mousseline-de-laine’ with rosebuds on a dark plum color ground, very flattering to her [Hitty’s] rather time-worn complexion…”
Dorothy P. Lathrop – Letter to The Three Owls
Mousseline-de-laine is French for “wool muslin.” It is similar to cotton muslin, and it can be made using pure wool or wool mixed with other fibers. Hitty’s Floral Dress is the only one of Hitty’s dresses with wool and cotton threads—the other two are all cotton. It has a wool weft (horizontal filler threads) and a cotton warp. The plum color Dorothy mentioned has faded over the years to a medium brown.
Many of you already know that I make Fabric Designs for Hitty. Attempting to recreate this dress has been quite a challenge for me. I started working on a design nine months ago and just recently finished it. The colors have been difficult to get right. Since there is not a clear repeat pattern, I improvised. It may not be an exact copy, but I think it captures the essence of the pattern.
You can now purchase the fabric called, “Hitty’s Garden,” in my Spoonflower store. Make sure you select the fabric type, Cotton Poplin, when you order.
I hope you will give the new “Hitty’s Garden” fabric a try. As Dorothy said, the deep, rich colors are quite flattering on Hitty dolls. Here is Kelly Sue (a cloth Hitty made by Sue Sizemore) wearing a finished dress made from the fabric.
WHY I PREFER COTTON POPLIN
When I discovered that Spoonflower had a new cotton fabric with a twill weave, I thought it would be perfect for this project. The fabric is “Wide Cotton Sateen,” and the 3.5 oz. weight is thin enough for a doll dress. I ordered a sample to try. However, the colors were not true to the original, and the plum colored background looked very washed out. For this reason, I don’t recommend using the Wide Cotton Sateen. I have found much better color consistency when my designs are printed on the Cotton Poplin. In addition, the Cotton Poplin is lightweight, does not ravel much and presses well.
FLORAL DRESS SEWING PATTERN
I developed a basic dress pattern which should be helpful for anyone who wants to make a reproduction of the Floral Dress. Thank you to my pattern testers, Shelia Blalock Williamson and Alice Swann. The dress fits most larger bodied Hittys, such as dolls by Robert Raikes and Gail Wilson. If your doll is slimmer, you can overlap the back edges and use snaps instead of buttons.
Click here to download Hitty’s Floral Dress Pattern and Instructions!
Since the Hitty’s Garden design is a “tossed” (multi-directional) design, you can use a one-piece bodice instead of separate front and back pieces. The bodice has a wide neckline, finished with a casing (a rectangular piece of fabric). The gathered sleeves also have cased edges.
This pattern is for moderately experienced sewers who are comfortable with machine and hand-sewing techniques. I have based the tutorial on many years of experience sewing doll clothing. It can be frustrating and challenging at times, of course. I keep a seam ripper handy for those inevitable mistakes. Try not to get discouraged… the result will be worth it.
If you make the Floral Dress, you might like to try the “Hitty’s Sunbonnet” tutorial. The two patterns complement each other nicely.
Here are Hitty Kelly Sue and Hitty Raikes wearing their new dresses and sunbonnets. They are all ready to go for a walk in the garden. Hope you will join us!
Sources:
“In the American Tradition,” The Three Owls Third Book: Contemporary Criticism Of Children’s Books. 1927–1930, p. 235-236. https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.166394/page/n257/mode/2up. Accessed June 2025.
