Princess Dress for 18-inch Doll

Free Doll Dress Crochet Pattern

A princess needs her dress! This dress is *vaguely* inspired by the fashions of the early 19th Century. Something like this might have been worn by Jane Austen's characters during the Regency, or perhaps under the French Empire.

The dress features a mesh lace skirt, with a built-in underskirt crocheted in a contrasting color. This highlights the lace pattern of the top skirt, as well as helping to create volume and give the dress its shape. The sleeves feature the same lace pattern as the skirt.
I decorated the dress at the neck, sleeves and back with pearls.

The bodice of the dress is worked from the bottom of the front to shoulders, then to back from top to bottom without shoulder seams, with side seams. The double skirt worked from top to bottom back and forth and in rounds. First, the white underskirt is worked, then mesh overskirt.

Materials:

• Tencel Wool by Cleckheaton (affiliate link) 70% Tencel 30% Wool DK weight yarn 91 m (100 yds) / 50 g, color yellow - 3 balls (A)
• Tencel Wool by Cleckheaton (affiliate link) 70% Tencel 30% Wool DK weight yarn 91 m (100 yds) / 50 g, color white - 2 balls (B)
• 6 large pearls, 30-40 small pearls

Hook: G (4 mm).

Gauge: 10 sc = 2" (5 cm)

Directions:

The bodice of the dress is worked from the bottom of the front to shoulders, then to back from top to bottom without shoulder seams, with side seams. The double skirt worked from top to bottom back and forth and in rounds. First, the white underskirt is worked, then mesh overskirt.

Chain 25 loosely.

Rows 1-8: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 24 sc.

Row 9: 2 slip st, 21 sc, turn

Row 10: sl st, 19 sc, turn

Row 11: sl st, 17 sc, turn.

Rows 12-23: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 16 sc.

From row 24 work each side separately from 2 balls of yarn.

Right Shoulder and Back

Row 24: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 4 sc, turn

Rows 25-31: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 4 sc.

Row 32: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 4 sc, ch 4, turn

Rows 33-43: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 8 sc.

Row 44: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 2 sc in the next st, 7 sc.

Row 45: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 8 sc, 2 sc in the last st, ch 2.

Row 46-54: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 12 sc. Tie off.

Left Shoulder and Back

Row 24: start from the 5th st from the left side of the front, ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 4 sc.

Rows 25-30: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 4 sc.

Row 31: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 4 sc, ch 4, turn.

Rows 32-43: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 8 sc.

Row 44: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 7 sc, 2 sc in the last st.

Row 45: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 2 sc in the next st, 8 sc.

Row 46: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 10 sc, ch 2.

Row 47-54: ch 1 (counts as 1 sc), 12 sc. Tie off.

Join the side seams.

Skirt

White Underskirt

With white yarn start from the bottom of the bodice. There are 51 sc at the bottom of the bodice.

Rows 1-5: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc plus ch 1), *1 dc, ch 1, repeat from * 49 more times. At the end of row 5 join with slip st and continue to work in rounds.

Rounds 6-11: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc plus ch 1), *1 dc, ch 1, repeat from * 49 more times, sl st to ch 3.

Round 12: ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 101 dc (work dc over dc and over ch 1)

Rounds 13-22: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc plus ch 1), *1 dc, ch 1, repeat from * 100 more times, sl st to ch 3.

Round 23: dc to the end of the round. Tie off.

Mesh Overskirt

With yellow yarn start from the bottom of the right back. Insert the hook through the sc of the bodice, over the dc of the white underskirt.

Row 1: ch 7 (counts as 1 sc plus ch 6), * 1 sc, ch 6, repeat from * 49 more times.

Rows 2-4: ch 8, *1 sc into ch 6 of the previous row, ch 6, repeat from * to the end of the row, ending with 1 sc. At the end of row 4 join with sl st and continue to work in rounds.

Rounds 5-20: ch 7 (counts as 1 sc plus ch 6), * 1 sc, ch 6, repeat from * 49 more times. Tie off.

Finishing

Work 2 row of sc along the back opening and nackline. In the 2nd row make 6 button loops along the right back center as follows: ch 1, skip 1.

Work 2 rows of sc around the arm opening. Cut yarn.

Sleeve Ruffle

Start right ruffle from row 32 of the right back and the left ruffle from row 24 of the left back.

Row 1: ch 7 (counts as 1 sc plus ch 6), * 1 sc, ch 6, repeat from * 4 more times, 1 sc, ch 3, skip 2 st of the armhole, sl st to 3rd st from the last sc, turn.

Rows 2-8: *ch 6, 1 sc into ch 6 of the prev row, repeat from * to the end of the row, ch 3, skip 2 st of the armhole, sl st to 3rd st from the beginning of the prev row, turn.

Tie off.

Sew on 6 large pearls as buttons. Sew small pearls along the neckline and at the edge of the sleeve ruffle.

Enjoy!