A gathered skirt is a wide piece of fabric pulled in to fit the doll’s waist. The notches on the pattern show where the gathers go, so they come out even. The waist apron’s top edge is gathered the same way. You can gather by hand or on a sewing machine.
1Sew two rows in the seam allowance
Across the top edge, from one side sewing line to the other, sew two rows of long stitches, both inside the seam allowance, between the cut edge and the dashed sewing line: one just above the dashed line, the other about halfway between it and the cut edge. Neither row crosses the dashed line, so neither shows on the finished skirt. On our smallest dolls the seam allowance may be too narrow for two rows: sew one, just above the dashed line.
On a sewing machine, use the longest stitch and don’t backstitch at either end. By hand, use a running stitch. Leave long thread tails at both ends of each row, and don’t tie them off.
2Pull the threads
For machine gathering, gently pull the bobbin thread from each row at the same end. For hand gathering, pull the loose thread tails. With one row, pull its thread the same way. Slide the fabric along the threads until the gathered edge, between the side sewing lines, is as long as the edge of the waistband it is sewn to. Leave the side seam allowances flat, without gathers.
3Spread the gathers evenly
Wrap the thread tails around a pin so the gathers can’t slip, then slide the folds with your fingers until they are even all along. Place the skirt and the waistband right sides together, matching their notches and lining up their sewing lines, and clip or pin.
4Sew it to the waistband
Sew on the dashed sewing line with the gathered side facing up, keeping the gathers evenly distributed and checking that the fabric isn’t twisted or accidentally folded. The gathering rows sit in the seam allowance, so they don’t show on the finished skirt: leave them in.
5If a thread breaks
A broken gathering thread usually means taking that row out and sewing it again. Pulling from the other end of the row helps only when the gathers that are left still fit.