Empire Waist Lace Dress for 18-inch Doll

Free Doll Dress Knitting Pattern

Your doll will love this dress! The skirt is knitted using a lace motif that leaves a pretty scalloped edge along the bottom. The lace motif is pretty simple and should be easy even for a less experienced knitter.

The dress is knitted from the bottom up, with seams in the rear and along the shoulders. It features a back closure.

The high empire-style waist leaves you with many options. The full-length dress you see in the picture is made with 6 repeats of the lace pattern. Try knitting 4 or 3 for a more casual summer-length dress. 2 or 3 for a "Tinkerbell" look.

Skills Required/Techniques Used:
-Knit & purl, cast on & bind off
-Increasing, decreasing
-Lace

Materials: Tencel Wool by Cleckheaton (affiliate link) 70% Tencel 30% Wool DK weight yarn 91 m (100 yds) / 50 g - 2 balls.

Needles: 7 (4.5 mm) and circular 5 (3.75 mm) OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE.

Notions: yarn needle, 3 sew-on metal or plastic snaps, 3 decorative buttons (optional), a 30" long piece of 1/4" wide satin ribbon, any small embellishments, like beads or satin flowers (optional), sewing needle, sewing thread the color matching the color of the yarn.

Gauge: One lace pattern repeat (10 sts) is 2.25" (6 cm) on size #7 (4.5 mm) needles.
20 st x 24 rows = 4" x 4" (10 cm x 10 cm) in stockinette stitch on size #5 (3.75 mm) needles.

Abbreviations:
k - knit
p - purl
ssk - slip, slip, knit
k2tog - knit 2 together
cdd - center double decrease: 1) slip 2 sts on the right needle knitwise, 2) knit the next st, 3) insert the left needle in the slipped 2 sts and pass them over the just knitted st. = 2 sts decrease
RS - right side
WS - wrong side

Pattern Notes:

Stockinette Stitch:
Row 1 (RS): knit
Row 2 (WS): purl
Repeat 2 rows

Bluebell Lace Pattern:

Multiple of 10 sts . Foundation row (WS) - purl.
Row 1 (RS): yo, k3, cdd, k3, yo, k1
Rows 2, 4, 6, 8 (WS): purl
Row 3 (RS): k1, yo, k2, cdd, k2, yo, k2
Row 5 (RS): k2, yo, k1, cdd, k1, yo, k3
Row 7 (RS): k3, yo, cdd, yo, k4
Repeat rows 1-8

The selvedge/edge stitches are worked as follows: slip the first stitch knitwise and purl the last one.

Dress

The dress is worked from the bottom up back and forth with the opening on the back, as one piece up to the armholes. Then the front and the backs are worked separately. The dress has back and shoulder seams.

Using bigger needles, cast on 93 sts. Work the foundation row (WS): purl.

Row 1 (RS): sl 1, k1, *yo, k3, cdd, k3, yo, k1 - repeat from * 9 times, p1. (=93 sts)

Rows 2, 4, 6, 8 (WS): purl

Row 3 (RS): sl 1, k1, *k1, yo, k2, cdd, k2, yo, k2 - repeat from * 9 times, p1.

Row 5 (RS): sl 1, k1, *k2, yo, k1, cdd, k1, yo, k3 - repeat from * 9 times, p1.

Row 7 (RS); sl 1, k1, *k3, yo, cdd, yo, k4 - repeat from * 9 times, p1.

Repeat rows 1-8 five more times.

Row 49 (RS): sl 1, k91, p1. Transfer all the stitches to the smaller circular needles and block the skirt.

Continue on smaller needles.

Row 50 (WS): sl 1, p 92.

Row 51 (RS, decrease row): Sl 1, *k1, k2tog repeat from * 30 times, k1, p1. (=63 sts)

Row 52 (WS): sl 1, p62.

Row 53 (RS): sl 1, k61, p1.

Row 54 (WS): sl 1, p62.

Row 55 (RS, eyelet row): Sl, k1, *yo, k2tog- repeat from * 29 times, yo, k1, p1.

Row 56 (WS): sl 1, p62.

Divide all the stitches on the needles as follows: 17 sts for the right back, 29 sts for the front, 17 sts for the left back. Continue to work the front and the left and the right backs separately, either from 3 balls of yarn or one by one.

Left Back

Row 57 (RS): sl 1, k15, p1. (=17 sts)

Row 58 (WS): sl 1, p16.

Repeat row 57-58 six more times.

Row 71 (RS, shaping neckline): bind off 7 sts for the neckline (one stitch remains on the right needle), k8, p1.(=10 sts)

Row 72 (WS): sl 1, p9.

Row 73 (RS): SL 1, k7, p1.

Repeat rows 72-73 one more time.

Row 76 (WS): Repeat row 72.

Bind off. Cut Yarn.


Front

With right side facing, attach yarn, and work the front:

Row 57 (RS): Sl, k27, p1. (= 29 sts)

Row 58 (WS): Sl 1, p28.

Repeat rows 57 - 58 four more times.

Row 67 (RS, shaping neckline): Sl 1, k9, bind off 9 sts, k9, p1. (= 10 sts and 10 sts). Continue to work the shoulders from 2 balls of yarn.

Row 68 (WS): Sl 1, p9. (twice)

Row 69 (RS): Sl 1, k8, p1. (twice)

Repeat rows 68 - 69 three more times.

Row 76: Repeat row 68.

Bind off sts of both shoulders, cut yarn.


Right Back

Row 57 (RS): sl 1, k15, p1. (=17 sts)

Row 58 (WS): sl 1, p16.

Repeat row 57-58 six more times.

Row 71 (RS): repeat rows 57.

Row 72 (WS, shaping neckline): bind off 7 sts for the neckline (one stitch remains on the right needle), p9. (=10 sts)

Row 73 (RS): Sl 1, k8, p1.

Row 74 (WS): Sl 1, p9.

Repeat rows 73-74 one more time.

BInd off.


Finishing

Join shoulder seams.

Join the back seam of the dress from hem up to hipline, leaving 15 cm (6") open at the top. Weave in all yarn ends.

Thread a length of ribbon in the eyelets at the waistline.

Sew on 3 snaps on the bodice backs. Sew decorative buttons on the edge of the right back over the snaps (optional).

Sew any additional embellishments (optional).

Enjoy!

Pattern was updated on September 5, 2018.