Sewing patterns or tutorials for DD pleated skirts?

I'm struggling to find a pattern specifically for making longer pleated skirts for DD.

There are pleated skirts in this and this, but they're part of other patterns and are a lot shorter than what I'm looking for (I'm looking for just above the knee length, not sure if length makes any difference to pleated skirt patterns?). I'm mainly worried that I'll waste money if I buy them and they don't work for solo skirts of this length, because I don't need or want the rest of the outfits the patterns are made up of.

Does anyone know of any good DD-specific patterns or tutorials (paid or free, either is fine) for longer pleated skirts with a waistband?

Or should I just try one of the above patterns as a solo piece?

I did find this human scale tutorial, but I don't know how much of the workflow would transfer over to doll scale sewing, and I'd prefer to have a pattern.

Sorry if this is the wrong category for this question, wasn't sure if this should go in the DD clothes topic or this one.

Edited April 29, 2023 by meltychoco_BJD

Pleated skirts are actually simple enough that you don't really need a pattern for them. The skirt portion is just a folded rectangle. Sometimes you don't even get a proper pattern piece for it, just instructions telling you what size rectangle to cut. (Also because it'll be big enough that it's not really practical to print out on standard paper.) Length can easily be added by just cutting the rectangle longer.

The basic idea, if you want evenly spaced pleats, is that you cut a rectangle three times the width of your waistband and however long you want the hem to be. Put pins in every inch or half inch, or however big you want your pleats. For each set of three pins, fold the skirt so that the first pin is aligned with the third pin. Then iron it and sew it to the waistband.

Smartdoll has a free school uniform pattern that you can use as a reference; there's a different one I've seen sewing videos about, but I can't seem to find it on the page. There are a number of YouTube videos on sewing it for instructions. The waist might be a bit big on DD, but you can probably just move the snap to get a better fit. 

Box pleats like in the YouTube video you linked are more complicated. The Saber School Uniform pattern would probably be your best bet for that, and has the advantage of being the right length. 

Edited May 2, 2023 by Tira

On 5/2/2023 at 9:24 AM, Tira said:

Pleated skirts are actually simple enough that you don't really need a pattern for them. The skirt portion is just a folded rectangle. Sometimes you don't even get a proper pattern piece for it, just instructions telling you what size rectangle to cut. (Also because it'll be big enough that it's not really practical to print out on standard paper.) Length can easily be added by just cutting the rectangle longer.

The basic idea, if you want evenly spaced pleats, is that you cut a rectangle three times the width of your waistband and however long you want the hem to be. Put pins in every inch or half inch, or however big you want your pleats. For each set of three pins, fold the skirt so that the first pin is aligned with the third pin. Then iron it and sew it to the waistband.

Smartdoll has a free school uniform pattern that you can use as a reference; there's a different one I've seen sewing videos about, but I can't seem to find it on the page. There are a number of YouTube videos on sewing it for instructions. The waist might be a bit big on DD, but you can probably just move the snap to get a better fit. 

Box pleats like in the YouTube video you linked are more complicated. The Saber School Uniform pattern would probably be your best bet for that, and has the advantage of being the right length. 

sorry for replying so late, I forgot to check this thread, but thank you so much for all the info!!