Swinging Sixties Vintage-Style Doll Dress and Matching Shoulder Bag for 14-inch Dolls

Free Doll Dress and Bag Knitting Pattern

This dress was inspired by fashions of the 1960s. It features some subtle texture work at the hem, sleeves and around the body. Raglan-style shoulders give it a relaxed look. The dress can be cinched at the waist with a belt, or allowed to flow free. I also describe how to knit a matching shoulder bag.

Size: fits 14-inch dolls like Wellie Wishers, Hearts4Hearts, Glitter Girls, Ruby Red Fashions Dolls, etc.

Skills Required/Techniques Used:
-Knit & purl, cast on & bind off
-Increasing: yarn over (YO), make 1 (m1)
-Working in the round on double pointed needles
-Picking up stitches
-Basic crocheting

Materials:
Knit Picks (affiliate link) Comfy Fingering weight (75% Pima cotton, 25% Acrylic, 218 yards/50 gr) of any color combinations.
For the white and pink dress we used white and flamingo colors. For the white dress we used white and celestial colors. 1 ball of white is enough for both dresses.

Needles: circular and double pointed needles (dpn) US #1 (2.25 mm) OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE

Gauge: 32 sts x 40 rows = 4" x 4" (10 x 10 cm) in stockinette stitch.

Notions:
yarn needle, 3-4 sew-on metal snaps size 2 or 3, crochet hook 2.25mm

Abbreviations:
k - knit
p - purl
pu&k- pick up and knit
yo - yarn over
m1 - make 1 increase - make a backward loop over the right-hand needle and in the next row/round purl/knit as a regular stitch.
RS - right side
WS - wrong side
pm - place marker
sm - slip marker
rm - remove marker
sc - single crochet
ch - chain

Pattern Notes:

Stockinette in rows:
Row 1 (RS): knit
Row 2: purl
Repeat 2 rows.

Stockinette in rounds: all rounds knit

Garter stitch in rows: all rows knit

Garter st in rounds
Round 1: knit
Round 2: purl
Repeat 2 rounds

The selvedge/edge stitches are worked as follows: knit the first st and purl the last st.

Raglan increases: Increase for raglan by making yarn over (yo) on each side of a marked stitch in every RS row. There are 4 raglan lines (4 marked sts), so every RS row the number of sts increases by 8.

Skirt increases: Increases on skirt are made by making yarn over (yo) on each side of marked stitch in every fifth row. There are 8 increase lines (8 marked sts), so every fifth row/round the number of sts increases by 16.


Short Overview of the Pattern:

The dress is worked top-down, seamlessly, first back and forth to the hip line, then in rounds. The main stitch is stockinette. The garter stitch, either in rows or in rounds, is used on hems and button bands. The yoke is worked with yarn over (yo) increases on 4 raglan lines. The skirt is worked with yo increases on 8 lines in every 5th row/round. The sleeves are worked in rounds on double pointed needles. Both pictured dresses are knitted in the same way, except for the color changes. I provide the description of the white-and-pink dress.


Dress

With white color cast on 38 sts, work 2 foundation rows in garter stitch - knit both rows.

Check the stitches and place markers: 1 selvedge - 3 button band - 3 back - 1 raglan (place the first marker before this st) - 6 sleeve - 1 raglan (place the second marker before this st) - 8 front - 1 raglan (place the third marker before this st) - 6 sleeve - 1 raglan (place the forth marker before this st) - 3 back - 3 button band - 1 selvedge. = 38 sts

Row 1 (RS and all RS rows, increase rows): *knit all sts till the marker, yo, sm, k1, yo - repeat from * 4 times, knit the remaining sts till the last one, p1.

Row 2 (WS and all WS rows): k4, purl all sts till the last 4, k3, p1.

Repeat rows 1-2 seven (7) more times.

Stitch count after:
row 1 = 46 sts, row 3 = 54 sts, row 5 = 62 sts, row 7 = 70 sts, row 9 = 78 sts, row 11 = 86 sts, row 13 =94 sts, row 15 =102 sts


Divide for sleeves and bodice

Row 17 (RS): knit 16, transfer the next 22 to a piece of waste yarn, cast on 2 sts, knit 26, transfer the next 22 sts to a piece of waste yarn, cast on 2 sts, knit 15, purl 1. (= 62 sts)

Row 18 (WS): k4, purl to the last 4, k3, p1.

Continue with pink color

Row 19 (RS increase row): k4, k2, *yo, pm, k1, yo, k6 - rep from * 7 times, yo, pm, k1, yo, k2, k3, p1 (=78 sts)

Row 20: k4, purl to last 4 sts, k3, p1.

Row 21: knit to last st, p1.

Row 22: like row 20.

Row 23 (increase row): *knit till marker, yo, sm, k1, yo - repeat from * 8 times, knit the remaining sts till last st, p1 (+16 sts)

Row 24: like row 20

Row 25: like row 21

Row 26: like row 20

Repeat rows 23 - 26 four (4) more times.

Stitch count after:
row 23 =94 sts, row 27 =110 sts, row 31 = 126 sts, row 35 = 142 sts,

Row 39/Round 1 (RS): fold the working piece to make the beginning and the end of the rows meet, right side facing, from the right needle transfer the last 4 sts of the row (left bb) on a spare needle, overlap with the first 4 sts (right bb) on the left needle, hold the left and spare needles in left hand. Insert the working, right, needle in the first st on the spare needle, then in the first st on the left needle, yo, pull yarn through both sts. Repeat with the remaining 3 sts. Thus you close the work into round. Place a marker between the 2 and 2 sts of the former button band to mark the beginning of the round, *knit till the next marker, yo, rm, k1, yo - repeat from * 8 times, knit till the end of the row.

Round 2: knit around.

Repeat round 2 five (5) more times.

With white color: round 8 - knit, round 9 - purl

With pink color rounds 10 and 11 - knit, round 12 - purl, round 13 - knit, cut the pink yarn.

Continue with white color:

Round 14 (increase round): k10, *m1, k1, m1, k18 - rep from * 7 times, m1,k1, m1, k11

Rounds 15- 23 knit around. If you want a longer dress, make more "knit around" rounds.

Finish with 5 rounds in garter stitch: round 24 - purl, round 25 - knit, round 26 - purl, round 27 - knit, round 28 – purl.

Bind off.

Sleeve

On dpn, transfer 22 sts, distributing them evenly, pu&k 2 underarm sts.

Knit around 5 rounds, knit 4 rounds more in garter stitch: one round purl, the next round knit.

Bind off.


Finishing:

Weave in all yarn ends. Sew on the snaps on button bands.

If you want a belt, chain a string 15"-17" long, work a row of sc in each chain. Insert the belt in the upper "eye" row on the skirt. Tie the ends.


Cross Body Shoulder Bag

Sand stitch pattern:

Rows1 and 3 (WS): knit

Row 2: *k1, p1 - rep from *

Row 4: *p1, k1 - rep from *

Repeat rows 1-4.

Cast on 20 sts

Row 1 (WS): k19, p1

Row 2 (RS): k1, *k1, p1 - rep from * to last st, p1

Row 3: like row 1

Row 4: k1, *p1, k1 - rep from * to last st, p1

Repeat rows 1-4 untill the piece is 4 1/2' long.

Bind off.

Fold the piece in half and with the yarn tails sew the sides.

With the crochet hook and contrast yarn work a row of sc around the upper edge of the bag starting from any side seam. Then work a chain approximately 11" long, fix it on the opposite side seam. Work back a row of sc. Fix on the side seam. Tie off. Weave in the yarn ends.

Have fun!