One of the best parts of sewing for dolls is using your creativity to make every pattern into as many variations as possible. But sometimes you just need a clever hack to make it happen. That's what we're doing today :)
After taking a second look at our Madison Avenue 2-in-1 Blouse/Dress pattern, I realized another fun way to make this pattern would be with a more flared skirt, so I created this blog post to teach everyone how to make that adjustment.
But, really, you can use this hack on any pattern with a rectangular upper skirt and bottom ruffle. In this particular pattern, the upper skirt is cut 2 for front and back and a long rectangle for the bottom ruffle (cut 1 for front and back).
Check out this simple pattern drafting lesson that can be applied to any tiered dress with a bottom ruffle like the Madison Avenue Pattern...
Step 1: Tape the upper skirt pattern on a larger piece of paper. On the bottom edge, draw lines extending on both sides. Decide how much flare you want. In this instance, we want 1" on each side. Mark 1" on each side of the line as shown.
Step 2: From the waist (top edge) to the bottom edge, draw a diagonal line from the waist to the 1 " mark. 
Step 3: (This only applies to a dress that has a casing like Madison Avenue dress) Because the casing is labeled cut 1 on Fold instead of cut 2 like the upper skirt, you need to place the casing pattern on top of the upper skirt right on the stitch line. Tape in place. 
Step 4: Draw a diagonal line to extend the casing on the side seam, following the upper skirt's diagonal line. 
Step 5: Cut your new pattern!
Step 6: For the lower skirt (bottom ruffle): As I mentioned, the upper skirt is cut 2 for front and back. We added 2 inches flare on the upper skirt. Because it is Cut 2, we have a total of 4 inches flare. Add 4" to the lower skirt width.
That's it! Now you can apply this hack to any appropriate pattern for even more possibilities :)