Barbie® ball gown tutorial

I love making Barbie® clothes. I also like making them easy to make. They’re tiny enough-no need to complicate things, right? So I’m on a quest so to speak, to make Barbie® clothes easier to sew. Here’s a fun tutorial for a pretty ball gown!

Click below for more!

You’ll need:
satin or some other special occasion fabric cut into these sizes:
1 piece 7.5 x 12 inches
1 piece 2×8 inches
1 piece 2.5x 6.25 inches
sew on velcro
matching thread
 here are your pieces…first we’ll mess with the skirt piece a little.
 Fold it in half width wise, and trim a little off the bottom, and sides so it looks something like this. It doesn’t have to be perfect-we’re just trying to shape the skirt a little.
 Now, serge or zig zag stitch your skirt and bodice pieces. Your long skinny piece you’ll sew into a tube, right sides together. Turn that right side out and press with your iron. We’ll come back to that.
 Next, hem your skirt and hem the sides and top of your bodice piece.
take your bodice piece, and wrap it around your Barbie® (thanks for modeling for us, Cinderella!)
Pin the back together so it’s snug, and then pin the front like so for the darts.
Sew along the pins for the darts…back stitch a few stitches start and finish so they don’t come out! (make sure to use matching thread!)
 Now sew a basting stitch along the top of the skirt, and gather to fit the bottom of your bodice.
 pin to your bodice-on one side, let the skirt hang over the edge a little bit like so.
 a good trick to get nice gathers…pin every. single. one. My mom taught me that. Sew those pieces together with about 1/2 inch seam.
 Top stitch along the bodice.
 Now pin your skirt right sides together-and sew down about 4 inches from the bottom.
 Now take that extra bit of skirt, fold in in, and sew along the edge. Sew on your velcro pieces (cut to about 3 inches long) along the bodice and skirt.
 Now, take your tube of fabric, and, finding the middle, sew that to the middle of your bodice.
 Wrap it around the shoulders, fold under, and pin like so.
 Then sew them down, sew on a pretty button or bling bling-and there you are! A cute, off the shoulder ball gown for Barbie®!
 I used the same technique for a Belle dress. My daughter LOVES this one! A wedding dress is in the works too!
 Thanks! Let me know if you have any questions!

Comments

  1. Wow, those are awesome! My 12 year old and I made some ugly little dresses for her Barbies this week, and now we are going to have to try YOUR method because those dresses are WAY cool! Thanks for the tut!

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  3. I have been dying to make this dress. I finally got the right type of fabric and the dress turned out great. thanks.

  4. What fabrics did you use for the Belle dress? It’s so cool!

  5. amazing, amazing! I’m going to use your basic tutorial and modify it to make a gown for my girl’s doll. Thank you so much for great photos and easy explanation!!

  6. Your girls are so lucky to have these Mommy-made gowns.I still have and treasure the Barbie gowns my grandmother made for me 40 years ago.I love that she took the time to make them instead of buying the pre-made ones. Maybe I’ll have a granddaughter to pass them on to one day. 🙂

  7. Well, I’m a grandmother to 3 little girls who love Barbies and I plan on filling their Easter baskets with Barbie clothes using your amazing tutorial! I hope they will treaure them!
    Thank you so much for the tutorial!

  8. Thanks for making sewing barbie clothes a lot easier, I always try to find ways to make barbie clothes but everything is too complicated! Thank you!

  9. cool!

  10. leannaage11 says

    Thanks for making sewing barbie clothes a lot easier i try to make barbie clothes but everything is too complicated! Thank you!

  11. leannaage11 says

    WAY cool! Thanks for the tut!

  12. Amei todas as roupinhas. Farei todas para minha neta, Louise.
    Um beijo e muito obrigada pela sua generosidade.
    Ah! Suas crianças são lindas!!!

  13. Adorei todas as roupinhas. Farei para minha neta, Louise.
    Um beijo e muito obrigada pela sua generosidade.
    Ah! Suas crianças são lindas!!!

  14. Edelweiss says

    I love!!! Not Barbie…but what’s you did for her!!!

  15. I wish i had this design when i made a bunch of doll dresses for my niece. I think she has is past the barbie phase so will wait for another girl to grow up! I had made a wedding dress and it was my niece’s favourite one. if you want to take a look you can see it here – http://thequiltbug.blogspot.in/2013/03/barbie-paints-town-red.html

  16. How did you make the belle dress with the ruched skirt? I am searching fur a do-it-yourself belle dress 🙂

  17. I love your blog and have made all your barbie clothes many times over now, for my daughter who is always ridiculously grateful and friends children too – my daughter has started doing her own designs now and I love bringing her ideas to life 🙂
    She wanted an outfit for a castle banquet at school and I wondered if I could knock up a full size barbie ball gown to fit her – it was really simple and didn’t take much longer than making a barbie sized version! Thanks so much x

  18. I understand barbie dolls are differen tsizes now . Which one does your patterns fit? Please reply asap.
    Am anxious to get started.
    Your creations are great. Thank u, sg

  19. Hi. Do you have the patterns in a book that can be downloaded and/or purchased?

  20. This was awesome. I would like to appreciate you for all your hard work, umm can you help me what do you mean by 6.25 inches?

  21. Patricia neal says

    I’m new to this and I tried to make a bra and underware for Barbie. You know it took me 3 hours to make it and it looked awful. I was so disappointed because I really really want to sew well. My problem is I don’t understand some of the lingo sewing terms that I can’t follow instructions well. These are great. Thank you so much.

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  1. […] life? They probably need a Barbie Ball gown for special Barbie occasions…and you can find a great little tutorial to sew one over at Craftiness is Not […]

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