Now that you have made your own Kitty Friend, you will want to dress her appropriately for the holidays. Olivia’s A-Line Dress, Tights and Shoes showcase her style brilliantly. I chose a festive print for the dress and a solid color for the tights. Her shoes have metallic braid accents.
Download Olivia’s Holiday Outfit Pattern Here!
I am looking forward to seeing all the Kitty Friends and outfits that you create. You can join the Kitty Friends Facebook Group and share your photos and stories with other group members.
Olivia’s Holiday Outfit Instructions
Materials:
Cotton or cotton-blend fabric for dress
Stretch knit fabric for tights
Felt for shoes
Needle for hand-sewing
Sewing thread to match fabric
Straight pins
Craft scissors for cutting out pattern
Small embroidery scissors for cutting fabric
Iron and ironing board
Fabric Marking Pen
Fray-Check (optional)
Size 4/0 snaps
NOTE: Please supervise children and take safety precautions when using an iron or a sewing machine.
STITCH DIAGRAMS:
HAND SEWING VS. MACHINE SEWING
This tutorial will focus on hand-sewing techniques. If you are a beginning sewer, it will probably work better for you to hand-sew the pieces together. However, if you feel like your machine-sewing skills are up to the challenge, go for it! You will need to use a 1/8″ seam allowance. When sewing elastic on to the Tights with a zig-zag stitch, you may prefer to use the machine.
CUTTING OUT THE TIGHTS
Download and print pattern. Cut carefully around the outline of each pattern piece with craft scissors (save the good scissors for fabric so they won’t become dull). The fabric for the Tights needs to have quite a bit of stretch. Polyester sportswear fabric or knits with spandex are good choices. You might even have something in your own closet to use such as an old pair of tights or a workout/exercise shirt. Knits can be tricky to cut out because the fabric is slippery. I recommend cutting the two pieces for the Tights separately instead of pinning through two layers of fabric. Make sure that the arrow on the pattern is aligned with the stretchiest part of the knit fabric. You can pull on the knit in both directions to see which one is the stretchiest. Some knits have a right and wrong side (but double knit is the same on both sides). Check to see if your knit has a right side and be aware of that when you are sewing.
SEWING THE TIGHTS
With right sides together, align both pieces of the tights. Use a single knotted thread and take a stitch at the waistline edge. Do not use a double thread, because it can easily become tangled. Backstitch 1/8” from the edge and continue sewing with a backstitch until you get to the crotch. Then knot the thread and cut off the end.
Press seam open. This seam will become the center front. Cut a 3 1/4” long piece of 1/4” wide elastic. Fold it in half and mark the center with the fabric marking pen. Pin this center mark directly over the center front seam, close to the fabric edge. Pin one end of the elastic to the outer edge of the fabric. Pin the other end of the elastic to the other edge of the fabric. Take a couple basting stitches at each end to hold the elastic in the correct position while you attach it.
I used a zig-zag stitch on the sewing machine to attach the elastic to the Tights. After you set the machine to do a zig-zag stitch, try a test on a scrap of fabric to make sure the stitching looks good. Start stitching at one end of the elastic and gently pull the elastic as you stitch to stretch it out along the edge of the Tights. If you don’t have a sewing machine, you can sew the elastic on by hand as you stretch it out. Use small stitches in a zig-zag pattern (which allows the elastic to stretch after sewing).
After you have attached the elastic to the fabric, fold it over on the wrong side of the fabric and hem in place to create a waistband.
With right sides together, fold Tights in half and sew center back seam. You will be sewing directly through the elastic as well, so it might take a little effort to push the needle through. Finger press the seam open.
Next, match the center front and back seams at the crotch and pin together. Match the ends of the Tights at the toes and pin together.
Start sewing with a backstitch 1/8” from the edge at one of the toes. Sew all the way down the leg to the crotch. Take a couple extra backstitches here to reinforce the crotch. Then keep sewing down the other leg all the way to the end of the other toe. Make a knot and cut the thread. Trim the edges of the seam allowance. Clip on either side of the crotch seam. Then turn the Tights inside out, and you are done.
CUTTING OUT THE A-LINE DRESS
Choose a fabric for the dress that is a cotton or cotton-blend woven fabric. A woven fabric will have straight grain running along the length of the fabric. Align the grain arrow with this straight grain and pin the A-Line Dress Front pattern to the fabric. Cut out fabric with the embroidery scissors. To cut out the A-Line Dress Back, fold fabric in half and pin the pattern on the folded fabric. That way you will get two pieces cut at the same time, and one will be reversed. Do not clip the red lines yet, but mark the black dots on your fabric pieces with the fabric marking pen.
NOTE: If you have chosen a fabric that is prone to fraying, you should seal all the edges with Fray-Check and allow to dry before sewing. A good quality quilting cotton with a tight weave is less likely to fray.
SEWING THE SHOULDER SEAMS
If you are using a printed fabric, you will have a right side and a wrong side (unlike solid color fabrics, which are reversible). You will need to pay attention to which side you are sewing on. Start with one of the A-Line Dress Back pieces and the A-Line Dress Front. Place right sides together and align the shoulder seams. Thread a needle with a single thread that has a knot at the end. Start at the outside edge of the shoulder seam and take a backstitch to begin. Continue making small backstitches until you reach the neck, then knot your thread and cut off the end.
Sew the second Back piece to the Front in the same manner.
Press seams open with an iron on medium heat.
QUESTION: Why do you need to press the seams after sewing?
ANSWER: Pressing the seam will reduce puckers and wrinkles and will make the finished dress much more professional looking. It may take a little more time, but the result is definitely worth it.
HEMMING THE NECKLINE AND SLEEVES
The unfinished edge of the fabric may fray, so the easiest way to finish it is to fold it under and make a narrow 1/8” hem. Since the neckline is angled, you will need to make clips around the neck area as shown in the diagram.
Then you can press the fabric down 1/8” and hem all around the neckline. Press the sleeves under 1/8” and hem them as well. When finished, press the dress again with the iron.
SEWING THE SIDE SEAMS
With right sides together, match the side seams of one of the Back pieces with the Front. With a single thread knotted at the end, backstitch at the lower edge of the skirt, 1/8” from the edge. Keep sewing with backstitches all the way along the side seam until you reach the dot. Take a couple extra backstitches here to reinforce the stitching. Sew the second Back piece to the Front in the same manner. Clip the side seams up to the dot. Press both side seams open.
HEMMING THE DRESS
Fold under 1/8” and hem all around the bottom of the skirt. Because the skirt is curved, you will need to ease the fabric a bit to get an even hem. When you come to the back edge, fold under 3/16” and hem all the way up the back. Tie a knot and cut the thread. To finish the other back edge, fold it under 3/16” and hem.
Now you are ready to add the snaps.
SEWING ON SNAPS
Mark the placement of the snaps as shown on the pattern. It is very important to align the snaps carefully. Snaps come in various sizes such as 1/0, 2/0, 3/0 and 4/0. The larger the number, the smaller the snap. I used size 4/0 for this dress, but if you have trouble sewing on such a small snap, you can use larger snaps.
Separate the two pieces of the snap from the card. These little snaps are slippery, so handle with care, or they may get away from you! Each snap has a “Ball Half” and a “Socket Half.” The Ball Half of the snap has a thinner edge than the Socket Half.
Make a knot in a double length of thread and insert the needle close to where you want the snap to be, on the top part of the dress closure. Center the Ball Half over the placement mark, and bring the needle up through one of the holes. Sew twice in this hole, then move on to the next hole. Try to keep the stitches small on the right side of the fabric, so they don’t look too messy. Keep sewing around the snap until you have sewn twice in all four of the holes. Then make a knot and clip off the thread.
On the bottom part of the dress closure, make another knot in the thread and insert the needle close to where you want the Socket Half. Center the Socket Half over the placement mark, and bring the needle up through one of the holes. The Socket Half should be facing up to receive the Ball Half of the snap. Sew twice in all four holes of the Socket Half. The stitches on the underside won’t be visible, so they don’t have to be as neat. Then make a knot and clip off the thread. That’s it! Snaps can be a bit tedious to sew on, but they work really well for clothing on small dolls.
SHOES
Cut out the Shoes from felt. Fold one Shoe in half. Insert the needle in between the layers of felt to hide the knot. Start sewing at the top of the heel with a double length of knotted thread. Use a whipstitch, and continue sewing the heel and sole of the shoe. When you reach the toe, make an extra stitch, then knot the thread and bury it between the layers of felt.
Tie a knot in a narrow piece of ribbon or trim. I used red metallic braid. Cut off the trim, leaving about 1/4” edge hanging on either side of the knot. Sew the trim on to the front of the shoe as a fun accent. If you have trouble keeping the shoes from falling off the doll, you can put in a couple basting stitches (easily removable) to hold them in place.
Now you have completed Olivia’s Holiday Outfit for your Felt Kitty Friend!
I have done my best to make the instructions complete and accurate. If you have any corrections, questions or comments about the tutorial, please Contact Me. And if you want to be informed when I add new patterns for Kitty Friends clothing or accessories, please Subscribe.
Update: March 17, 2024
Here’s a new take on Olivia’s Holiday outfit. By changing the print to shamrocks and adding Tiny Crochet Lace to the sleeves, Olivia has a dress for springtime. I attached the trim after hemming the neckline and sleeves, but before sewing the side seams. It’s easier to sew it on when the dress is still flat.
I used a size 6 (1.80 mm) steel crochet hook, size 10 crochet thread, with a foundation of 21 chains for each sleeve. I also made her a crochet bonnet using the same thread. She has white tights instead of dark green ones, and her shoes have green metallic trim to match her bonnet. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
