Page 5b. Horizontal Trims &
How to Attach Lace & Ribbon to Sleeves

5b. Horizontal Trims

Adding horizontal ribbon trims enhances the attractiveness of doll clothes. It can turn an everyday school dress into a party frock!

Helene, my Corolle 18 inch doll, like an American Girl doll, is modeling this pink calico short sleeve dress.

Looking closely at the photo you'll see I've used 3 different patterns and textures of ribbon, that when used together compliment each other to create the rich effect.

In olden times fancy dresses had row upon row of ribbon sewn on the dresses made for the wealthiest women.

Of special note is the arrangement of ribbons to form the lower bodice decoration. It is a combination of 2 ribbons. The lower ribbon is one quarter inch wide and is hand sewn on first with tiny stitches.

Just above and overlapping it I've sewn on a narrow three eighths inch wide shiny satin ribbon.

The combination of the 2 ribbons next to each other gives the illusion of a very intricate swath.

These ribbons work with different widths and textures and match the dress, but you could also use contrasting ribbon for a dramatic effect.

I hand sew doll clothes - it turns them into couture fashions for dolls. I learned recently that couture clothing is hand-sewn. Knowing this helps explain "some" of the fabulous prices charged. But, why not make your doll wardrobe a couture collection, also, by choosing special fabrics and individual trims like on our model, Helene.

Article and photo credit Susan Kramer

5b. How to Attach Lace and Ribbon to Sleeve Edges

This is an easy method to attach lace and ribbon at the lower sleeve edge of your dressy and fancy doll clothes. Many colors of lace and ribbon are available to choose from. Lay out some combinations to see how they work together before making your final choice.

The photo below shows my 18 inch Gotz doll, Emily, modeling this very pretty dress with the sleeve edges finished like in this tutorial.

Technique for sewing the sleeve edge with lace and ribbon

Before sewing sleeve underarm seam together sew on the ribbon and lace at the lower edge.

- Turn lower edge of short sleeve up one quarter inch to finished side of sleeve and baste in place.

- Gather lower sleeve edge to width needed so doll's hand can still slip through the opening.

- Baste lace over gathered seam with lace extended down from dress as in photo.

- Sew ribbon over lace seam as in photo. I like to hand sew the ribbon on to the sleeve so I can work around the design on the ribbon.

- Sew together underarm seam and continue with the bodice and dress construction.

I prefer to use satin ribbons because on small doll clothes I think the satin makes the dress looked fancier. But the choice is yours.

Consider trims for doll dresses after choosing the fabric for the bodice, sleeves and skirt. You can create the look of a blouse and skirt when making a dress just by using a plain fabric for the bodice and a patterned material for the skirt.

Article and photo credit Susan Kramer