Beautiful Flared Skirt Dress for 18-Inch Dolls

Free Doll Dress Crochet Pattern

This pattern shows you how to crochet a pretty dress for an 18-inch doll. You work the dress from the top down in one piece with no seams. The bodice and flared skirt create a full, swinging shape that looks nice when the doll moves. Use one or two contrast colors to add interest to the stripes and borders. The finished dress fits most standard 18-inch dolls and works well with simple undergarments or a petticoat. Follow the steps carefully and you will have a finished dress ready to wear.

Skills Required/Techniques Used:
- Basic crochet stitches: chain (ch), single crochet (sc), double crochet (dc), slip stitch (sl.st)
- Decreasing with double crochet: 4 double crochet cluster (4dccl)

FINISHED SIZE: to fit 18-inch dolls, such as American Girl Doll, etc.

Materials: Araucania (affiliate link) Lonco Solid fingering weight yarn (100% cotton) 440 yards (402 meters)/100 gr, color Rust – 1 skein (A)
Use 1 or 2 contrast colors.

Hook: steel hook B (2.25 mm) OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE.

Gauge: 32 dc = 4" (10 cm)

Notions:
- 4-5 sew-on snaps, size 2/0
- Tapestry needle to weave in yarn ends
- Stitch marker (optional) - for your convenience place the marker on the right side (RS) of the working piece.
- Sewing needle and thread of matching color to attach snaps

Abbreviations:
St, sts – stitch, stitches
Dc - double crochet
Sc – single crochet
Ch – chain
sl st - slip stitch
ch-sp – chain space
4dccl – 4 double crochet cluster
3dccl - 3 double crochet cluster
RS - right side
WS - wrong side


Short Overview of the Pattern:

The dress is worked top down, back and forth till hip line, with the opening on the back. Then the work is joined into round, and the skirt is worked in rounds.


DRESS

Yoke

Chain 57.

Row 1 (RS): ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), insert hook in the 5th ch from the hook, 1 dc in each of the next 2 chains, *2 dc in the next ch, 1 dc in each of the next 4 chains - repeat from * to last 4 chains, 2 dc in the next chain, 1 dc in each of the last 3 chains. Turn.

Row 2 (WS): ch 2, 1 sc in each dc across. = 68 sts. Turn.

Row 3: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of the next 2 sc, ch 2, sc in the next sc, *ch 3, skip 2 sc, 1 sc in the next sc- repeat from * 20 times, ch 2, 1 dc in each of the last 3 sc. Turn.

Row 4: ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc, *ch 1, 3 dc under the ch-3 space - repeat from * 20 times, ch 1, 1 dc in each of the last 3 dc. Turn.

Row 5: ch 2, 1 sc in each stitch across. = 87 sts. Turn.

Row 6: ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc, ch 2, sc in the next sc, *ch 3, skip 3 sc, 1 sc in the next sc- repeat from * 20 times, ch 2, 1 dc in each of the next 3 sc. Turn.

Row 7: ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc, * ch 1, 4 dc under the ch-3 space - repeat from * 20 times, ch 1, 1 dc in each of the last 3 dc. Turn.

Row 8: ch 2, 1 sc in each stitch across. = 107 sts. Turn.

Row 9: ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 2 sc, ch 2, sc in the next sc, *ch 4, skip 4 sc, 1 sc in the next sc- repeat from * 20 times, ch 2, 1 dc in each of the last 3 sc. Turn.

Row 10: ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc, * ch 1, 5 dc under the ch-4 space - repeat from * 20 times, ch 1, 1 dc in each of the last 3 dc. = 127 sts. Turn.


Divide for Sleeves and Bodice:

Row 11: ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 20 dc, ch5, skip 26 sts, 1 dc in each of the next 33 dc, ch5, skip 26 sts, 1 dc in each of the next 21 dc. Turn. = 85 sts

Rows 12-14: ch 3, 1 dc in each stitch across.

Row 15 (belt row): ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc, *ch 1, skip 1 st, 1 dc in the next dc - repeat from * to last 4 dc, ch1, skip 1 dc, 1 dc in each of the last 3 dc. Turn.


Skirt

Row 16: ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc, *ch1 over ch-1-sp, 2 dc in the next dc - repeat from * to last 4 dc, ch1, skip 1 dc, 1 dc in each of the last 3 dc. Turn.

Row 17: ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc, *ch 1, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc - repeat from * to last 4 sts, ch 1 over ch-1-sp, 1 dc in each of the last 3 dc. Turn.

Row 18: ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc, *ch 2 over ch-1-sp, 1 dc in the next dc, 2 dc in the next dc, ch 2 over ch-2-sp, 2 dc in the next dc, 1 dc in the next dc - repeat from * to last 4 sts, ch 2 over ch-1- space, 1 dc in each of the last 3 dc. Turn.

Round 1 (see photos): overlap the button bands (3 sts on each end, left bb over the right bb), insert the hook in the first of the 3 dc of the right bb, yo, pull yarn through both loops (of the right and left bbs), ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc, inserting the hook in the dcs on both button bands, ch 2 over ch-2-sp, 1 dc in the next 3 dc, repeat from * to last 5 sts, ch 2 over ch-2- space, 1 dc in each of the last 3 dc. Continue to work in rounds.

Round 2: ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc, *ch 2 over ch-2-sp, 1 dc in the next dc, 2 dc in the next dc, 1 dc in the next dc- rep from * to last ch-2-sp, ch-2 over ch-2 sp, sl st into top of ch3 to join the round.

Round 3: Ch 3, 2 dc in the next dc, 1 dc in the next dc, *ch 2 over ch-2-sp, 1 dc in each of the next 4 dc – rep from * to the last ch-2-sp, ch 2 over the last ch-2-sp, sl st into top of ch3 to join the round.

Round 4: Ch 3, 2 dc in the next dc, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc, *ch 2 over ch-2-sp, 1 dc in the next dc, 2 dc in the next dc, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc – rep from * to the last ch-2-sp, ch 2 over the last ch-2-sp, sl st into top of ch3 to join the round.

Round 5: Ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 4 dc, *ch 2 over ch-2-sp, 1 dc in each of the next 5 dc – rep from * to the last ch-2-sp, ch 2 over the last ch-2-sp, sl st into top of ch3 to join the round.

Round 6: Ch 3, 1 dc in the next dc, 2 dc in the next dc, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc, *ch 2 over ch-2-sp, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc, 2 dc in the next dc, 1 dc each of the next 2 dc – rep from * to the last ch-2-sp, ch 2 over the last ch-2-sp, sl st into top of ch3 to join the round.

Round 7: Ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 5 dc, *ch 2 over ch-2-sp, 1 dc in each of the next 6 dc – rep from * to the last ch-2-sp, ch 2 over the last ch-2-sp, sl st into top of ch3 to join the round.

Round 8: Ch 3, 2 dc in the next dc, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc, 2 dc in the next dc, 1 dc in the next dc, *ch 2 over ch-2-sp, 1 dc in the next dc, 2 dc in the next dc, 1 dc in each of the next 2 dc, 2 dc in the next dc, 1 dc in the next dc – rep from * to the last ch-2-sp, ch 2 over the last ch-2-sp, sl st into top of ch3 to join the round.

Round 9: Sl st to the second dc, ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 5 dc, *ch 4, skip the next dc, ch-2-sp and next dc, 1 dc in each of the next 6 dc – rep from * to the last ch-2-sp, ch 4 over the last ch-2-sp, sl st into top of ch3 to join the round.

Round 10: sl st to the second dc, ch 3, 1 dc in each of the next 3 dc, *ch 4, sc in the center of the ch-4-sp, ch 4, skip the next dc, 1 dc in each of the next 4 dc, -rep to the last ch-4 sp, ch 4, sc in ch-4-sp, ch 4, sl st into top on ch3 to join the round.

Round 11: ch 3, 3dccl over the next 3 dc, *ch 5, sc in the sc, ch 5, 4dccl over the next 4 dc- rep to the end of the round, sl st in top of the cluster to join the round.

Round 12: ch 1, *ch 3, sc in the center of ch-5-sp, ch 3, sc into top of the cluster, - rep from * to the end of the round, join with sl st.

Tie off.


Belt: chain a string 15” long. Turn and work 1 dc in each chain across. Tie off. Weave in yarn ends.


Finishing:

Sew 4-5 snaps on the button bands. Insert the belt into the eyelets on the belt row.

Have fun!