Southern Belle Dress for 18-inch Doll

Free Doll Dress Knitting Pattern

If you're like me, you couldn't resist snagging some flounce yarn for your stash, the last time it went on sale. Because surely it'll come in useful some time? :)

If you're also like me, you've discovered that there aren't that many patterns calling for flounce yarn out there. Fortunately, one of the perks of being a designer is that when there aren't patterns, you can make patterns. The result is this Southern Belle Dress.

This is a true-blue ball dress, wide, sweeping and many-layered that your doll can wear to the most elaborate of social occasions.

The dress is knitted from the bottom up in rows with a rear seam. You can knit it in rounds as well, but the seam lets you hide the ends of the frills neatly, and so for this particular pattern, the seamed construction is a better choice. The frills are formed of flounce yarn, and they are knitted into the dress as-you-knit. I've prepared a video explaining how to do this.

In order to create that ever-fashionable wasp-waist, the middle of the dress is pulled in with ribbing. The dress has a rear opening which is closed with snaps.

Skills Required/Techniques Used:
-Knit & purl, cast on & bind off.
-Decreasing.
-Working with flounce yarn.
-Crocheting /or Picking up stitches.

Materials: Caron (affiliate link) Simply Soft Party aran weight yarn, 164 yards (150 meters) / 85 gr, color Spring Sparkle - 2 balls. (yarn A)
Red Heart (affiliate link) Boutique Sashay Sequins, aran weight mesh/net ribbon yarn, 20 yards (18 meters) / 100 gr, color Champagne - 1 ball (yarn B)

Needles: 5mm/US #8 circular 24" long OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE, double pointed needles of the same size (optional).

Hook: G (4.00 mm)

Gauge for stockinette stitch: 18 sts x 24 rows = 4"x 4" (10 cm x 10 cm)

Notions:
- Yarn needle
- 7 sew-on snaps size 2/0 or 3/0
- Sewing needle and thread of color matching yarn A for attaching the snaps

Abbreviations:
dpn – double pointed needles
K – knit
P – purl
St – stitch
Sts - stitches
pu&k - pick up and knit
as est. - as established, work as the pattern demands, here knit the RS rows and purl the WS rows.
co – cast on
RS – right side
WS – wrong side
bb – button band


Pattern Notes:

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

Garter Stitch:
All rows knit.

The selvedge/edge stitches are worked as follows: knit the first stitch and purl the last one in a row.


Dress, short overview of the pattern:

The dress is worked from bottom up in one piece back and forth with seam on the back, crochet finish at neckline, armholes and button band. Flounces are worked into the skirt as-you-knit. As an alternative to crochet finish, you can pick up and knit the stitches to finish the edges and make a button band.

Skirt

With yarn A cast on 160 sts.

Work 4 rows in garter stitch: k 159, p1. Repeat this row 3 times.

The rest of the dress is worked in stockinette stitch.

Row 5 (RS): k159, p1.

Row 6 (WS): k1, p 159.

Repeat rows 5-6 four more times.

Row 15 (RS): work with both A and B yarns to form a frill.

Work the next 3 rows (rows 16- 18) as est. in stockinette stitch with yarn A only.

Row 19 (RS): like row 15 with both yarns.

Work the next 5 rows (rows 20- 24) as established in stockinette stitch with yarn A only.

Row 25 (RS, decrease row): *k8, k2tog, repeat from * 16 times (= 144 sts).

Work the next 3 rows (rows 26- 28) as established in stockinette stitch with yarn A.

Row 29 (RS): like row 15 with both yarns.

Work the next 3 rows (rows 30- 32) as established in stockinette stitch with yarn A only.

Row 33 (RS): like row 15 with both yarns.

Work the next 9 rows (rows 34- 42) as established in stockinette stitch with yarn A only.

Row 43 (RS): like row 15 with both yarns.

Work the next 3 rows (rows 44- 46) as established in stockinette stitch with yarn A only.

Row 47 (RS): like row 15 with both yarns.

Now you have 6 rows of frills.

Work the next 11 rows (rows 48- 58) as established in stockinette stitch with yarn A.

Row 59 (RS, decrease row): *k2tog, repeat from * across the row.( = 72sts). Purl the next row.

Row 61 (RS, decrease row): *k2tog, repeat from * across the row till last st, p1 (= 37 sts).


Bodice

Work 13 rows (rows 62 – 74) as est. in stockinette with yarn A.


Divide the stitches for front and back:

Row 75 (RS): k9, bind off 2, k 15, bind off 2, k9 . Work the front and 2 halves of the back separately from 3 balls of yarn as est. in stockinette stitch for 7 rows (rows 76 – 82). Alternatively you can work each part one by one. Note: work the front first, transfer the sts on yarn holder, cut yarn. Work the left back, transfer the sts on yarn holder, cut yarn. Work the right back, do not cut yarn, return all sts from holders on the left needle.

Row 83 (RS, increase row): k9, using single cast-on method, cast on 3, k15, cast on 3, k9. (= 39sts).

Row 84 (WS): purl 39 sts.

Row 85 (RS): like row 15 with both yarns.

Work the next 3 rows (86-88) as est. in stockinette stitch with yarn A. Bind off.


Finishing

Sew the back seam of the skirt from the hem about 5". Tuck the edges of yarn B into the seam as you work.

With the crochet hook, work 3 rows of sc around the armholes. Work 2 rows of sc along the two halves of the back to make a button band and around the neckline. Alternatively, you can pick up stitches and knit 2-3 rows to finish the edges. Double pointed needles in this case will be useful.

Weave in the ends of the yarn.

Sew 7 plastic snaps to the button band.

Have fun!

Pattern was updated on October 2, 2018.