Batiste

There are many types of cotton fabric that are all suitable and even desirable for heirloom quality doll dresses. I will go over a few of the most common you are likely to find on line or in your favorite fabric store.

Batiste  (pronounced ba-teest)  is one of the most popular all time favorite fabrics for doll dresses and underwear. Various weights and qualities of batiste have been around and used for literally hundreds of years! And you can choose many weights and qualities ranging from from cotton batiste so fine it has a sheen and resembles silk, to plain,  utility quality like I use for  underwear. (This type used to be commonly used for handkerchiefs).

 In times past different qualities of batiste were used for things ranging from  beautiful heirloom christening clothes for babies to lesser quality for cheap doll dresses  to the finer quality again for  beautiful for expensive doll dresses. Fine quality batiste can be found in  in soft and beautiful colors– I like Swiss batiste the best for  doll dresses. The best qualities also have a soft sheen.  For both  heirloom quality doll dresses and more utility use, as well as ease of sewing,  your batiste choice should be 100% cotton– the blends are not appropriate for dolls made before 1960 and do not have the same softness, drape and manageability that cotton does.

The batiste in the picture is for sale in five yard lots on my website. It is plain, very slightly off-white (sometimes called ‘old white’) in a light weight, that I use for doll underwear and some baby doll and antique doll dresses. Click  the links to see samples of my batiste dresses.

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