By the 18th century, France had established itself as the unrivaled fashion center of the world, and fashion dolls, dressed in exquisitely made miniature versions of the latest styles, had become one of its chief exports. Though the purpose of these dolls, affectionately referred to as Pandora's, was to provide detailed models for dressmakers, their dainty features and miniature wardrobes couldn’t help but captivate the hearts and imaginations of the little girls who were lucky enough to get their hands on one.
Thimbles and Acorns Pandora doll is inspired by those 18th-century fashion dolls. The easy to sew cloth design can be made with simple stitched joints for a soft huggable toy or with a wire armature for a poseable fashion model. The armatured doll can even stand by itself when wearing shoes.
The size and shape of the body of the doll is designed to fit in standard 18-inch doll clothes, shoes, and hats so you can outfit your doll in just about any 18-inch outfit.
The simple design of the face lends itself well to a variety of finishes. Instructions for a hand embroidered face is included with the pattern and a pattern for a machine embroidered face is available from Frog Princess Fashions on Pixie Faire. For the more artistically inclined, the cloth on the face can be prepared for a wide variety of mediums such as paints, pencils, and paper maché.
The hair is made from a yarn wig and styled in an 18th-century pouf with an elegant side “curl” made from a twisted section of yarn strands.
No fashion doll is complete without a fashionable outfit. The Pandora doll includes an easy to make late 18th century styled open gown and petticoat. The gown fastens in front with three ribbons that are drawn to give the front bodice shirred effect and features three double-stacked pleats in the back that add a touch of elegance. The petticoat has two layers and is fastened with a drawstring.
As an added bonus, the pattern includes pieces for a miniature version of both the doll and gown. Just the right size for your doll to enjoy! This doll is comparable in size to Thimbles and Acorns miniature Charlotte doll and also fits in standard 6-inch doll clothes.
Recommended Fabrics:
- Doll Body in a medium weight woven fabric such as quilting cotton, muslin, or linen. Not suitable for knits.
- Gown and Gown Lining in a lightweight woven fabric such as cotton, gingham, calico, lawn, silk, or linen. Not suitable for knits.
Supplies Needed:
Fabric:
18-inch and Mini Doll
Doll Body ~ 2/3 yard (0.6 m)
Gown ~ 2/3 yard (0.6 m)
Gown Lining ~ 1/2 yard (0.5 m)
Notions:
__ Thread
18-inch Doll
__Polyester fiberfill
__Assorted embroidery floss for facial features
__One skein of yarn
__Masking tape
__Two pieces of cardboard for hair template
side curl ~ 18"x 2" (45 x 5 cm)
hairpiece ~ 12" x 8" (30 x 20 cm)
__1/2-yard (0.5) 1/4-inch (6 mm) wide ribbon
__1 yard of 14 gauge copper wire for body
wrapped electrical wire works well
(for dolls with wire armature only)*
__1/2 yard of 14 gauge copper wire for arms -wrapped electrical wire works well
(for dolls with wire armature only)*
__needle nose pliers (for dolls with wire armature only)
18-inch Gown
__2 yards 1/4-inch (6 mm) wide ribbon for ties
__Small bodkin, safety pin, or tapestry needle for drawing ribbon through casings
18-inch Petticoat
__2/3 yard (0.6 m) 1/4-inch (6 mm) wide ribbon
__Small bodkin, safety pin, or tapestry needle for drawing ribbon through casings
Mini Doll
__Polyester fiberfill
__Assorted embroidery floss for facial features
__One skein of yarn
__Masking tape
__Two pieces of cardboard for hair template
side curl ~ 6"x 1" (45 x 5 cm)
hairpiece ~ 4" x 3" (10 x 7.5 cm)
__1/2-yard (0.5) 1/4-inch (6 mm) wide ribbon
Mini Gown
__2 yards 1/4-inch (6 mm) wide ribbon for ties
__Tapestry needle for drawing ribbon through casings
Mini Petticoat
__2/3 yard (0.6 m) 1/4-inch (6 mm) wide ribbon
__Tapestry needle for drawing ribbon through casings
Skill Level: Intermediate
What You Get: One 37 page and one 21 page sewing pattern that you digitally download as a PDF file so you can start your project immediately! The PDF sewing pattern provides digitally drawn step-by-step illustrated instrufull-sized full size pattern pieces. A PDF reader is required to view and print the files (example: Adobe Reader or Preview for MAC). The download link is received immediately after the transaction is complete. Print copies are NOT available.
Pattern #1780-08
PDF Pattern for 18-inch (46 cm) Cloth Doll and Outfit Sized to Fit American Girl® and Other Similarly Sized Dolls.
Download, Print, Sew!
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