Original 1956 Simplicity Pattern No. 1844 - Wardrobe for Betsy Wetsy and Tiny Tears Dolls

Original 1956 Simplicity Pattern No. 1844, a complete baby doll wardrobe for Betsy Wetsy and Tiny Tears dolls, 13½ inches: a long christening-style dress and a short dress, a coat and bonnet, a jacket with bib-front pants, a long slip, a short slip with panties, and a bunting. Complete Nice Condition.

Quick Facts

• Pattern Number: Simplicity No. 1844
• Year: Dated 1956; also found in Simplicity Catalog, October 1960, Page 862
• Designed For: Betsy Wetsy and Tiny Tears Dolls, Size 13½"
• Views Included: 1) Long Dress, 2) Short Dress, 3) Coat and Hat, 4) Jacket, Hat, Shirt and Pants, 5) Long Slip, 6) Short Slip and Panties, 7) Bunting
• Condition: Complete Nice Condition

Design

Simplicity Pattern 1844 gives a baby doll everything from christening day to playtime. Views 1 and 2 share a pin-tucked yoke, puffed sleeves, lace edging, and ribbon ties: View 1 is a long dress with lace and insertion applied to the skirt in a deep zigzag, finished with ribbon bows, and View 2 is the short dress. View 3 is a raglan sleeve coat with a rick-rack trimmed bonnet. View 4 is a playsuit of bib-front suspender pants and a sleeveless shirt, topped with a raglan sleeve jacket and a kerchief hat. Underneath go a lace-edged long slip (View 5), or a short slip with an eyelet ruffle and matching panties (View 6). The bunting (View 7) is bound in bias tape and gathered by a drawstring at the lower edge. Simplicity suggested batiste, dotted swiss, challis, organdy, or dimity for the dresses and slips; broadcloth, gingham, or linen for the coat and playsuit; and flannelette for the bunting. The wardrobe proved a lasting favorite: four years after it was issued, Simplicity was still offering it in its 1960 catalog as a complete doll wardrobe "for the little mother." Twenty-three pieces.

Doll Details

Betsy Wetsy, made by Ideal from 1937, was the famous drink-and-wet baby doll, and American Character's Tiny Tears, introduced in 1950, could cry real tears. Both were sold in several sizes, and this wardrobe was drafted to fit them. This pattern is a Size 13½", for a doll 13½ inches tall with an 8½-inch waist. For this size, the long dress takes ½ yard of fabric, the short dress ⅜ yard, the coat and hat ½ yard, the jacket, hat, and pants ⅝ yard plus ¼ yard for the shirt, the long slip ½ yard, the short slip and panties ¼ yard, and the bunting ⅞ yard, in 35" to 45" fabric without nap.