Harry Potter Doll Robe (half) Tutorial

For Christmas, a mom from dance said that her daughter wanted a Harry Potter robe for her American Girl Doll.  She said that there was no pattern for this, so she asked me to make one instead!  I thought that I would be able to find some patterns to go off of but that really didn't work out.

I first bought the book All Dolled Up by Joan Hinds.  It is full of doll and matching girl patterns.  I decided I would use the long sleeve t-shirt pattern, just make it longer and add a hood.

So then I went looking for a pattern with a hood and there was none in the book.  I found a McCalls pattern in their Crafts line; number MP471.  There were three options with a hood so I knew one would work.

I tried the longer t-shirt pattern idea, and it ended up being too small for my doll (good thing I could try it on)!  The pattern calls for a knit fabric and I used cotton.  Also, I didn't think about how I wanted the robe to be able to fit over a regular outfit and this would not even fit the doll without anything else on!

So I went back to the drawing board and I had to create a pattern on my own.  With inspiration from the book, I was able to create the pattern I needed.

I have it available here for download.

Materials Needed:

1 yard black cotton fabric

4 inch long black velcro strip

5 inch square of white cotton fabric

T-shirt transfer paper

Printer

Pattern printed out

Sewing machine with black thread

Iron on stabilizer (optional)

McCalls Pattern MP471 (optional)

Serger machine with black thread (optional)

Instructions:

Step 1: Prewash and iron the black fabric.

Step 2: Cut out all pieces of the pattern.  Make sure that you pay attention which pieces need two pieces cut out.

Step 3: Pin the back piece and the two front pieces together.

Step 4: Sew the tops together.  If you have a serger, serge the sewn pieces.

Step 5: Serge the straight edge of the two front pieces.

Step 6: Fold and iron the straight edge of the two front pieces 1/4th inch.  Pin this to hold it in place.

Step 7: Sew the straight edge of the front two pieces as close to the serged edge as possible.

Step 8: You will want to repeat steps 5-7 with the straight edge of the two arm pieces.  Begin by serging the edges.

Step 9: Fold and iron down the straight edge of the two arm pieces.  Pin these to stay in place.

Step 10: Sew the straight edge of the two arm pieces as close to the serged edge as possible.

Step 11: It is now time to sew the arm pieces to the front and back pieces.  Pin the arm pieces to the curve of the front and back.  Be sure to keep the right sides together.

Step 12: Sew the arm pieces.  The arms are bigger than the front and back, so when you sew there will be some gathering.  This is okay because it will create a puffed shoulder.

Step 13: It is time to sew the seams under the arms and on the sides.  This will be done in one stitch.  Pin under the arm to the bottom of the robe.

Step 14: Sew under the arm to the bottom of the robe.  Serge this if you have a serger.

Step 15: Serge the bottom of the robe.

Step 16: Fold and iron the bottom of the robe up 1/4th inch on the inside.  Pin this in place.

Step 17: Sew the bottom edge of the robe as close to the edge as possible.

Step 18: Now you will want to prepare the velcro by removing the two sides from each other.  Pin one strip to the inside of the doll's left side and the other strip to the outside of the doll's right side.  Make sure they align straight and sew them in place.  I sewed a rectangle shape getting as close to the edge of the velcro strip as possible.

Step 19: Now it is time to prepare the hood, using the McCalls pattern.  It must be cut out, sewn, and serged together before it can be attached to the robe.

Here is the finished hood.

Step 20: Sew the wrong sides together of the hood and the top of the robe.  If you do not purchase the McCall's pattern, you could always add a simple ribbing or fold and sew the top down.  This way the doll would have a robe without the hood.

Here is the finished robe.

Step 21: Now it is time to add the crest.  This was a Gryffindor student, so I did a Google image search for this crest.  After finding a good resolution picture, I printed it out right side down 2 inches tall on the transfer paper.

Step 22: Iron the crest onto white fabric, following the directions that came with the transfer paper.  For extra support, you can also iron on some stabilizer.

Step 22: Cut out the crest in an oval shape after it has been ironed on correctly.

Step 24: Pin the crest to the robe in the desired spot and use the zigzag stitch to sew it in place all around the circle.  I use this applique technique because it is a way to keep it simple.

I hope you enjoyed this (half) tutorial!  It was fun blending ideas and techniques to create one robe for a very excited Harry Potter fan!

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