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Blossoming Girl
Outfit for 18” American Girl® Dolls by Luminaria Designs
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Materials List
• 1 yard cotton print for the dress.
• ½ yard cotton print for the rompers.
• 1 yard ¼” wide elastic.
• 1 yard cord for each garment.
• 2” x 10” piece of felt for the flower.
• 12” ½” wide trim for the flower back.
• 1 yard rick-rack trim for the dress.
• 1 button or snap.

With this pattern you can make:

• Dress
• Rompers
• Headband

Before You Start

These instructions are especially designed for those who, like myself, sew for a living. If you find my sewing process unconventional,
please understand that it is the result of several years of trial and error to come up with the best balance between stunning quality
and speed. In order to help the people who do sewing as a business, I am giving detailed information about my methods but you are
welcome to use your own ways if your interest is not earning an income through sewing.
My sewing techniques are non-traditional but they are efficiency proven so that you can maximize your hourly income. I am revealing
here some of the processes that I use to accelerate the working time and achieve great results at the same time. I hope that you will
also find them helpful.

All seam allowances are already included in the pattern pieces and they are ¼ of an inch.

I don’t pin or baste but you are welcome to do so whenever you find it necessary. It might take a lot of practice to be able to do
without but you will also achieve it if you work at it. In the long run, it will surely save you an immense amount of valuable time and
as a result, your hourly wages will pay better. Therefore I highly advise that you don’t baste or pin either.
The most important sewing piece of advice I can give is this one: THE IRONING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE SEWING. Whatever
you do, please do take the time to iron as you go. It will make all the difference between a mediocre piece that is easily overlooked
and a professional looking one that people will want to buy. You will need to iron everything as you go. A poorly sewn and beautifully
ironed item will sell faster than a neatly sewn and never ironed one. I can never emphasize this piece of advice enough.
I am including the ironing step in each instruction step but you will work faster if you iron all the pieces at once when you have
accomplished a certain number of steps.
This pattern can be used for items that you sell but you will need special permission to use it for mass production.
You are not allowed to resell this pattern or share it with someone else.
Please credit Luminaria Designs if you sell items based on this pattern.
I am always very happy to help so if you have any questions regarding these instructions, feel free to e-mail me:
Erica Horsley - ericayanina1@yahoo.com
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“Blooming Girl” Instructions

1 - Right sides together, sew the rompers sides and

serge.

2 – Fold the rompers hem allowances ¼” over

twice and sew an elastic casing on each side.

3 – Cut 2 pieces of elastic according to the pattern

directions. Insert the pieces of elastic through the
rompers elastic casings. Secure the elastic with a
few stitches at the beginning and end of hem sides.

4 – Right sides together, sew the rompers inseams

and serge. Turn right side out. Iron.
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5 – Right sides together, sew the sleeve trims to the

rompers sleeve openings. Trim off any leftover trim.

6 – Fold the unsewn side of the sleeve trims ¼”

towards the inside and top-stitch on the sewn side.
Fold the trim’s unsewn seam allowance as you go.
If you are worried about not achieving an even line
on both sides, you can baste first or sew it by hand
using invisible stitch.

7 – Apply a dot of glue on each top corner of the

sleeve openings and bring them towards the wrong
side of the fabric.

8 – Fold over the top seam allowances of the

rompers ¼” and then ½” towards the wrong side of
the fabric and sew an elastic casing on each side.
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9 - Cut a piece of elastic according to the pattern

directions. Insert the elastic through the elastic
casings. Let both ends of the elastic peek out at one
sleeve opening.

10 – Overlap the elastic ends 1” and topstitch to

secure the elastic in place.

11 – Bring the overlapped part of the elastic

towards the inside of the elastic casing.

12 - Right sides together, sew the pairs of bow

pieces together. Leave a ½” unsewn gap at the
center of the bottom seam allowance. Trim the
seam allowances in half. Turn right side out and
iron.

13 - Gather the centers of the bows by hand.

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14 - Fold the bow ties in half and right sides

together, sew all around the seam allowance
leaving a 1” gap at one end, 1” before pivoting to
sew one of the corners. Turn right side out and iron.

15 - Tie the centers of the bows using the bow ties.

16 – Sew the bows above the sleeve openings on

top of elastic.

17 – Fold the ends of the headband 1/8” over twice

towards the wrong side of the fabric and sew.

18 – Fold the headband in half and right sides

together, sew along the horizontal seam
allowances.
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19 – Fold the headband so that the horizontal

seam is in the center of the headband. Iron.

20 – Top-stitch the ends of the headband to close

them.

21 – Apply a button or snap at the ends of the

headband.

22 – Right sides together, sew a dress side panel to

a center panel and serge. Repeat this process with
the other 3 pairs of panels.

23 – Sew a pair of panels to another pair along the

center seam allowance. Repeat this process with
the other 2 pairs of panels.
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24 – Right sides together, sew the top seam

allowance of the dress skirt trim to a set of 4
attached panels. Leave the other side of the trim
unsewn. Repeat this process with the other side of
the dress.

25 – Fold over the other side of the skirt trim ¼”

towards the inside and top-stitch. If you are
worried about not achieving an even line on both
sides, you can baste first or sew it by hand using
invisible stitch. Repeat this step with the other side
of the dress. Iron.

26 – Sew rick-rack trim all along the seam where

the skirt trim and the panels join. Repeat this
process with the other side of the dress.

27 – Repeat steps 5 to 16 with the dress.

28 - Gather the bottom of the flower strip by hand

so that it measures half its length.
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29 - Roll the strip within itself and hand sew the

bottom in place. Open up the flower using your
fingers.

30 – Cut the flower back according to the pattern

directions. Fold the trim in half and sew the ends
together. Serge.

31 – Gather the bottom of the trim by hand so that

it forms a flower. Secure the stitches in place.

32 – Sew the flower on top of the flower back.

33 – Sew the flower on top of the rick-rack trim at

one side of the dress.
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“Blossoming Girl” Instructions (Steps Only)

1 – Right sides together, sew the rompers sides and serge.
2 – Fold the rompers hem allowances ¼” over twice and sew an elastic casing on each side.
3 – Cut 2 pieces of elastic according to the pattern directions. Insert the pieces of elastic through the rompers elastic
casings. Secure the elastic with a few stitches at the beginning and end of hem sides.
4 – Right sides together, sew the rompers inseams and serge. Turn right side out. Iron.
5 – Right sides together, sew the sleeve trims to the rompers sleeve openings. Trim off any leftover trim.
6 – Fold the unsewn side of the sleeve trims ¼” towards the inside and top-stitch on the sewn side. Fold the trim’s unsewn
seam allowance as you go. If you are worried about not achieving an even line on both sides, you can baste first or
sew it by hand using invisible stitch.
7 – Apply a dot of glue on each top corner of the sleeve openings and bring them towards the wrong side of the fabric.
8 – Fold over the top seam allowances of the rompers ¼” and then ½” towards the wrong side of the fabric and sew an
elastic casing on each side.
9 - Cut a piece of elastic according to the pattern directions. Insert the elastic through the elastic casings. Let both ends of
the elastic peek out at one sleeve opening.
10 – Overlap the elastic ends 1” and topstitch to secure the elastic in place.
11 – Bring the overlapped part of the elastic towards the inside of the elastic casing.
12 - Right sides together, sew the pairs of bow pieces together. Leave a ½” unsewn gap at the center of the bottom seam
allowance. Trim the seam allowances in half. Turn right side out and iron.
13 - Gather the centers of the bows by hand.
14 - Fold the bow ties in half and right sides together, sew all around the seam allowance leaving a 1” gap at one end, 1”
before pivoting to sew one of the corners. Turn right side out and iron.
15 - Tie the centers of the bows using the bow ties.
16 – Sew the bows above the sleeve openings on top of elastic.
17 – Fold the ends of the headband 1/8” over twice towards the wrong side of the fabric and sew.
18 – Fold the headband in half and right sides together, sew along the horizontal seam allowances.
19 – Fold the headband so that the horizontal seam is in the center of the headband. Iron.
20 – Top-stitch the ends of the headband to close them.
21 – Apply a button or snap at the ends of the headband.
22 – Right sides together, sew a dress side panel to a center panel and serge. Repeat this process with the other 3 pairs of
panels.
23 – Sew a pair of panels to another pair along the center seam allowance. Repeat this process with the other 2 pairs of
panels.
24 – Right sides together, sew the top seam allowance of the dress skirt trim to a set of 4 attached panels. Leave the other
side of the trim unsewn. Repeat this process with the other side of the dress.
25 – Fold over the other side of the skirt trim ¼” towards the inside and top-stitch. If you are worried about not achieving
an even line on both sides, you can baste first or sew it by hand using invisible stitch. Repeat this step with the other
side of the dress. Iron.
26 – Sew rick-rack trim all along the seam where the skirt trim and the panels join. Repeat this process with the other side
of the dress.
27 – Repeat steps 5 to 16 with the dress.
28 - Gather the bottom of the flower strip by hand so that it measures half its length.
29 - Roll the strip within itself and hand sew the bottom in place. Open up the flower using your fingers.
30 – Cut the flower back according to the pattern directions. Fold the trim in half and sew the ends together. Serge.
31 – Gather the bottom of the trim by hand so that it forms a flower. Secure the stitches in place.
32 – Sew the flower on top of the flower back.
33 – Sew the flower on top of the rick-rack trim at one side of the dress.