Original 1924 Ladies' Home Journal Pattern No. 2814 - Character Doll's Set

Original 1924 Ladies' Home Journal Pattern No. 2814, a character doll's set for an 18-inch doll: rompers with full-length kimono sleeves, a one-piece slip-on dress, a shirt, drawers, a cap, and a bib. A Home Pattern Company design, unprinted and perforated, made for the broad, lifelike character dolls of the 1920s. Factory Folded and Unused.

Quick Facts

• Pattern Number: Ladies' Home Journal No. 2814
• Year: Dated 1924, found in Ladies' Home Journal 1924 Catalog, Page 233
• Designed For: Character Dolls 18 Inches High, Size 18
• Views Included: A) Rompers, B) One-Piece Slip-On Dress, C) Shirt, D) Drawers, E) Cap, F) Bib
• Condition: Factory Folded and Unused
• Envelope Condition: Worn and Professionally Repaired

Design

Ladies' Home Journal Pattern 2814 dresses a character doll like a real baby. The rompers (View A) close at the back and have full-length kimono sleeves gathered into wristbands, a bound neck, a belt held by small straps at the underarms, and legs gathered on elastic. The one-piece slip-on dress (View B) has short kimono sleeves, with beading and ribbon threaded at the neck and sleeve edges; the 1924 catalog shows the same long garment as a nightgown. Beneath go a little shirt (View C) that laps right over left, and drawers (View D) with two plaits at the back, buttoning at the sides. A gathered cap with ribbon bows at each side (View E) and a small bib (View F) finish the set. The pattern comes in ten pieces, with every seam, plait, and gathering marked by perforations rather than printed lines, and the envelope's guide chart shows each piece laid out on the fabric.

Doll Details

Character dolls, modeled on real babies and toddlers, were among the most popular dolls of the 1910s and 1920s, and their chubby bodies needed clothes cut for them. As the envelope explains, a character doll is much broader than an ordinary doll of the same length, so the pattern is ordered by the doll's length, measured from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot. This pattern is a Size 18, for an 18-inch character doll. For this size, View A also takes ¾ yard of ruffling; View B, 1 yard of beading, 1¼ yards of edging, and 2¼ yards of ribbon; View E, ¾ yard of edging and 2 yards of ribbon; and View F, ⅞ yard of lace edging. The table shows the main fabric in yards for each size.