Muumuu-making
Pocket-riding
Agathe has been greatly enjoying her muumuu this summer and wanted to spread the happiness around. The pattern-maker, Susie Graber, kindly agreed that I could share the process I used to make up the muumuu. I have used her pattern and instructions (available through the Hittygirls pattern files). I have adapted the technique slightly to make it fit my dolls!
.
.
Bodice on lining
Here is the bodice (made from an old Hawaiian Shirt) cut with the centre front placed on the straight grain. it is placed on the uncut lining fabric (an old hankie) at 90 degrees…
Machine-stitching
I’ve stitched the sleeve arc, and around the centre back and the neck hole…then cut the seam allowances, clipped the convex seam allowances, and snipped the concave neck seam.
Right side out
The bodice has been turned right side out and the edges pressed.
cut edges
…then the edges were trimmed…
pin side seam
The back of the bodice has been flipped over to lie on the front bodice, so it is inside-out. Then the lining pinned to lining with right sides together, and bodice fabric pinned to bodice fabric right sides together. This is much harder to describe than to do, if you look at the picture above you should see what to do.
Side seam
A single line has been sewn, lining to lining and bodice fabric to bodice fabric. Finger-press this seam open.
One side done
One side seam is finished, and that half of the bodice turned right side out again…do the same for the other side.
.
.
skirt prepared
…a ten inch/ 35 cm X 3 1/2 inch/ 9 cm rectangle prepared for the skirt, and a double-row of gathering threads sewn.
Sewing bodice to skirt
The gathers are pulled up and the bodice pinned and sewn to the skirt leaving the lining free.
stitch the bodice lining to the skirt
And the lining stitched down over the waist seam…
Muumuu
And aside from the fastening, you’re done! You can make the skirt a bit longer or a bit shorter, add one button or two to the back, or just pin it closed. You can leave the centre back skirt open if you like it that way, or stitch it up part way.
Opal and Agathe haven’t wanted to take their muumuus off since I made them for King Kamehameha day! Thanks to Susie for permission to publish these directions, and thanks to the Hitty’s favourite photographer, who has been known to sacrifice the shirt off his back for a Hitty project!
.
.
Quimper Hittys 
I do love that last photo – very pretty! Thank you for the tutorial on Susie’s pattern. We have been known to purchase shirts for The Carver with the Hittys in mind….guilty.
Thanks! I like that photo too – just caught the light as the sun went down! I have my eye on another shirt of my favourite photographer, of brown linen with a thin woven stripe. I hope it wears out soon!
Thanks for your careful tutorial…always clear explanations, always great photography and ALWAYS willing Hittys to wear your lovely items afterwards.
I am happy most of the Quimper Hittys will wear just about anything I make, except for Mary Ann who prefers plain modest clothing. She would die of embarrassment in a muumuu. Come to think of it, I can’t get Mungo into trousers either…oh well…
Lovely muumuus! I was fascinated to see that a dress that I had designed many years ago for another series of dolls and have adapted to my ‘homage to Hitty’ and Story Door Doll dresses looks VERY much like Susie’s design.
It’s neat how people approach a design question from very different angles and come up with such close ‘answers’. 🙂
I think so too – I love sewing for dolls!
Me, too 🙂 and weaving, knitting, crocheting and tatting for them, too! Such happiness in such small stitches! 🙂
Thankyou so much! I have been loving those muumuus all summer, and the making of one with your careful directions now seems within my reach, despite being a challenge. (I have yet to find Susie Graber;s pattern on the HittyGirls site, or anywhere online, but I will persist, and if I don’t find it, I feel more sure that I can create one from your photographs than I feel sure that I can (handsew) the dress to your pefection! Rain is pouring down here on Salt Spring Island’s dire Class 4 drought situation – what a gift from heaven.
It looks like Susie Graber’s earthlink site does not exist any more, or is “temporarily down”. I tried via the HittyGirls link, and also vi Gail Wilson’s link on her Collecting Hitty site for Veda, who is wearing the muumuu sized down for a 4.5 inch Hitty – handsewn, to encourage me!
The block twin Hittys are so happy with these dresses, they are simple and comfy. Yes, rain at last, what a blessing!
thank you for another wonderful tutorial. I have this pattern and have made it but with this tutorial I believe the next one will actually look like a dress/muumuu!! Thanks and of course the girls are adorable.
Oh I hope you do make some – wouldn’t Marie Claire look cute?
Muumuus look wonderful and seem to be worn with pride! So they should be!!!! Now my question is: when is tutorial on talent for sewing????
Dear dollhouse lady thank you for your encouragement and for the fruits of YOUR talents!
Another fabulous tutorial. The girls certainly look great in their new dresses.
I bet Rimu et al would be happy wearing muumuus!
I think she would indeed!