Sewing Tutorial: Super Easy Bandeau

I have had many bad attempts at making my girl a shirt, because of her very large bust. And I needed something simple and quick so she wouldn't be sitting around topless, so I decided to make her a super quick bandeau top! I hadn't seen a tutorial for this floating about yet, so I thought I would make one. You can use it for larger busted girls or ones with a smaller bust and it should hold up just fine without straps. Whether you make this for a shirt or as an undergarment, it should be pretty simple to do. You can even decorate it if you'd like!

What you will need:
-your doll
-fabric of your choice
-thin elastic
-pins
-a small safety pin (or two if you'd prefer)
-any decorations such as trim or embellishments (optional)

Now then, you will need fabric long enough to wrap around your doll with a bit extra for seam allowance. Don't worry about it being too long though, have enough to where you can easily hold it together. It's fine if it's a bit gathered, we want that! It should also be fairly wide. We want it to be able to hold two piece of elastic and still cover her chest. Depending on what elastic you use, I'd say about double the length of her bust.



Now then, we will measure the elastic! Get your thin elastic and wrap it around just above your dolls bust and have a bit for seam allowance. Try not to stretch it too much, but enough to the garment will hold tight.

Then do then do the same below the bust (this piece will be slightly shorter than the other). You should now have two pieces that look like this:



Next, we will be making channels for the elastic to go through. Fold over the top and sew with enough room for the elastic to be able to fit comfortably. Then do the same on the bottom. If you want to add a trim, carefully do so here, but leave room still for the elastic to fit through! you can ever sew it along with the stitch for the elastic if it is long enough.



Now to feed the elastic through the channels. I learned a tip for this, to put a safety pin on the end of the elastic and thread it through.



If the elastic is about to get lost at the other end, pin it and keep going. If you want to, you can then hook them both together on the safety pin. If not, pin that side down as well and move on to the bottom portion.



Once I have them both fed through, I like to make a small stitch on them to the fabric. But you don't have to do this. I just feel its easier for me personally. After that, just fold it right sides together, and sew the sides up. It should be a diagonal stitch, since the bottom elastic is probably smaller than the top.



After that, you're all done! Put it on with the longer elastic on top. It may help to take your doll's head off and carefully slip it down the arms and body.

The shorts in the pictures are actually from another tutorial here

I hope to see if this helps anyone, and to see any pictures using this method!