You don’t have to be an expert seamstress to make a beautiful wedding dress for a Barbie doll. You also won’t need a pattern to create a simple gown that’s elegant at the same time. While you’re at it you might as well make coordinating gowns for the bridesmaids, too!
Make one type of wedding dress by cutting a circle of satin or other fabric. If the material is a type that will unravel it should be hemmed. Or, you can use a liquid no-fray product found where fabrics are sold. Apply it and you won’t have to hem. Cut a hole in the center of the circle and pull the dress up around Barbie’s chest area. Make sure the hole is a tad larger than the doll’s chest is in diameter.
Remove the fabric circle from the doll and hem around the cut hole. Cut a slit down the back and use a tiny piece of Velcro as a closure for the dress. Glue or sew lace around the top hem and the bottom hem. If you want, attach tiny pieces of narrow ribbon to make straps for the gown.
The wedding dress will have a completely different appearance if you make a belt for it. The belt can be a piece of ribbon, a strip of lace or a piece of the same fabric that was used to make the gown. Using various combinations, like a floor-length, strapless number with belt, or a shorter gown with straps and no belt, you can create many different designs.
Create a different wedding dress for your doll when you cut the circle of satin or other fabric as you did with the above dress. For this one, cut the hole out of the center but make it quite a bit larger than it need be. Sew a piece of very narrow elastic around the cut area while folding the raw edge of the fabric over the elastic. This elasticized version can also have straps or go without straps.
The strapless versions of the wedding dresses look even nicer when you make a matching shawl. Cut a piece of fabric from the same material as the bridal gown. This piece can be as long as you want it to be; cut it so that it will reach the floor or just to the waist. Cut the fabric to be twice as wide as you need.
Fold the fabric so that the right sides are together. Sew across one short end and one long side of the material. Turn the shawl right side-out. Sew across the remaining end. Drape the shawl around the shoulder area of the doll to complete the look of the bridal dress.
Embellish gowns and shawls, if you want, by sewing or gluing on tiny lace shapes, fake jewels, glitter, sequin, flowers or other such notions. Your Barbie was already beautiful but now she’ll look absolutely stunning!
Reference:
- Purchase bridal gown fabric here: www.joann.com
