Diana’s Patch - Sewing Patterns for Soft Sculpture Dolls, Vintage Dolls and Doll Supplies

I've completed the Day to Night Cabbie pattern, but I must warn that it's not suitable for beginners. Working with velvet and chiffon can be challenging, as velvet slips easily and requires hand-basting before machine stitching, while chiffon is prone to snagging and requires careful grain alignment. However, substituting velvet with twill and chiffon with regular cotton fabric can make the project more manageable. Available on Etsy . Inspired by the  American Girl Day to Night Barbie outfit , I aimed for accuracy, adding details like a fully lined jacket. The jacket and skirt are made from velvet, adding an extra touch of elegance. I did make a few tweaks, like adding elastic to the waist of the skirt for easy on-and-off, omitting the Velcro. Pattern includes instructions and pieces to make a velvety jacket with white contrast collar and two-button closure, a chiffon scarf, a felt hat with band, a bodysuit, and a reversible skirt with velvet on one side and gathered chiffon ...

 I really did not want to make another outfit like this because the last one took me so long. But, driven by perfectionism, I felt it really needed to be improved. This version took about half the time as the original, with notable improvements including replacing tulle with chiffon in the skirt and using sew-on snaps instead of working buttons.  Now I just need to finish writing up the pattern and get it published, yet I’m contemplating making an outfit with twill fabric rather than velvet to see if it’s much easier to work with.

After creating the Day to Night Cabbie outfit and writing up the pattern, I began thinking about ways to improve it. One aspect that bothered me was the tulle skirt, which kept sticking up, and was bulky due to several layers of tulle. To gain inspiration, I purchased the 1980s Day to Night Barbie, curious about its construction and materials. I also wanted to complete the collection. I discovered that the "night" skirt isn't made of tulle but rather the same chiffon-type fabric as the scarf.  So off I go to make another Cabbie outfit... Meanwhile, the Day to Night Barbie has gained popularity, partly due to American Girl's reproduction outfit for 18" dolls. In 2017, Mattel released a reproduction Day to Night Barbie for $30, but I only found out after they were discontinued. Now, finding an unboxed vintage or reproduction Barbie for under $100 is challenging. I lucked out on eBay, finding one with its box and accessories, but slightly used. Initially, the d...