"Blow the Man Down!"

You do know I like designing doll dresses on occasion, do you not? 

Well, at the current time, I am going through a 1940's phase in my doll dress making and I just had to make a sailor suit! (I guess I get the sea naturally, my great-grandpa was in the Navy in WWI and grandpa was a commercial fisherman for years.)

A little music to spice up this post!

(Bottom left hand corner...)

Using an original pattern cover for inspiration (Etsy is a great place to scour for old patterns and/or ideas), I rummaged through our fabric and patterns. I think I ended up using three different dress patterns and drawing my own collar (which could stand a little tweaking.

The collar is detachable...and the bodice is actually backwards because I decided at the last minute that I really did want a front closer after all...

I made this after the style of what a little girl would have worn during the '40's, thus the quite short skirt...and the little panties. (I actually took a pantaloon pattern and in essence chopped the legs off it. :D)

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With the collar on.

You'll notice that the back of the skirt is gathered, whereas the front is pleated. I did that because I cut the skirt bigger than I needed (un-beknownst to me--and obviously, I did not think about it over much either) and I couldn't get big pleats all the way around...so I just pleated the front and gathered the back!

Practical panties...no frills. (I am going to figure out how to put lace on a pair of these eventually...)

Sans collar. I like it both ways...

Dolly looks like she's waiting for Jack Tar to come home! ;)

I must say, I'm decently pleased out how it came out...but I know better how to do the next one. 

I have to scram and feed my chickens! (By the way, some of the roosters were having a crowing competition this morning...)

     Racheal