I always wondered why you’d find Lucy pocket dolls without dresses. Is it forgetful kids losing the accessories? Maybe not! I learned through this project that Lucy’s dress is not easily removable. The dress would probably have torn or popped an extremity from the Lucy doll. No matter the reason, I had a 1968 Lucy Pocket Doll without a dress and it was about time she had a new outfit. Time to get sewing!
Recreating the Dress
While I know how to sew fairly well, I do not know pattern making. I have plenty of Lucy pocket dolls, so I have the original dress to work with. My first trial was a learning experience, not just an ugly, oversized failure. My second was a beauty in blue, but still not quite right. The third time was a charm and Lucy is restored to her original, pink clothed self. I tried a couple different colors just for fun and variety.
The process of recreating her dress came with a twist. I believe her original dress may have been put on her body before attaching her head, arms, or both. I didn’t want to have to sew Lucy into her dress and I wanted to make it easy to change. Even with opening her original dress back seam down to the skirt, it was not easy to remove it. Instead, it made more sense to make the entire back of the dress open for a quick change. The skirt overlaps in the back for the illusion of a full skirt. A couple of snaps and a bow to tie make sure Lucy stays dressed. To complete the outfit, a matching pair of shorts is made out of the same fabric as the dress sash.
Finding the perfect materials proved tricky for this dress. While I searched high and low for the same color fabric at a reasonable price, I ended up with cheap cotton cloth from Walmart. The pink and violet was pretty close to the original. Locally, I couldn’t find matching knit fabric to the original shorts. I decided to just use the cotton since I needed so little. If anyone know what the knit is called or where to find it new, please reach out! Even if I can find it, I’d need to find broadcloth to match.
Pattern Making
My original thought was to make dresses and sell them. Twenty hours and three dresses later, I didn’t like that plan anymore. There is a lot of delicate work and hand-sewing in this dress that makes it cheaper to buy a vintage doll with an original dress than to pay me what my time is worth. Plus, I’d rather not make more dresses if I don’t have to.
The better plan is to release the pattern. However, again, I don’t know pattern making, but I do know sewing and digital design. It wouldn’t be difficult to make the pattern available, but it would take time. Digitizing the piece is easy enough. Creating basic pattern directions would take some time. Doing a comprehensive pattern instruction for someone not familiar with the dress would be involved. If you’d love a pattern, join us on Patreon where you can help put time in my schedule by supporting my work. My to-do list is long and the projects that are prioritized are either something that would help pay the bills or speaks to my passion. Let’s just say pattern making isn’t my passion and I need fans like yourself to bump it up to financially viable.
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