Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby Doll Cuddle Up Romper Kits for Kids

I wasn't sure this outfit was going to make it into Kits for Kids. It is the last item for the donation but due to some challenges I've not been crocheting much the last week of the donation push. However the Friday before I made a push to finish the last bits for this outfit.

This is one of Amy Carrico's patterns that is currently listed for sale on Ravelry here.

As the Lots to Love 8 inch dolls are no longer being made and my supply is diminishing I've been considering my options.

I will continue to use the doll for Aztec Wishes and Operation Shoebox for 2027 since I've already started my Aztec projects.

However, going forward I think I'm going to double up on my Lots to Love 10 inch dolls for Aztec Wishes and use a Lots to Love 10 inch Doll for Kits for Kids. This will allow me to stretch my supply of Lots to Love 8 inch dolls for the shoeboxes as size is most critical there. I've been looking for a substitute but so far nothing compares to this doll. Hopefully, I will find something before my Shoebox supply runs out.

Likely do to some health issues I was having my guage was all over the place on this project and I was constantly adjusting hook sizes.

Notes:

The yarn was Baby Bernat Big Ball yarn in yellow and pink.

While I normally use a C for the main part of the shirt and a b for the arms this time I needed an e and a d hook to get it large enough to fit the doll.

The pants continued to require a B hook.

The headband went up to a D hook.

Next month I will get to see how these projects work for the intended donation and hopefully get a better feel for what to work on for next year.

Dog and Bed Playset Kits for Kids

I am preposting the week before the weekend before the donation needs to be dropped off. I had hoped last week would have been a more productive finish to the project but a few set backs and I was only able to complete two more items to send off with the donation.

I am hoping to get to the assembly of the outgoing bags in May and that should give me a better idea of what to make for the 2027 donation.

I've made many of this designers playsets for family. The directions are clear and the sets are adorable. DH recently gifted me a mouse royal set I hope to include in next year's donation. You can purchase the dog set here.

I wanted to control the size of this set as it needs to fit in a bag with other items.

I used an e hook with some inherited Zayre brand yarn for the dog. I had no idea this was even in my stash until I started digging for lighter beige/brown colors and came across this one. I have been gifted quite a bit of yarn from people who have lost family members and have no idea what to do with the yarn. I clearly didn't remember the Zayre brand as it was long out of business when I started to crochet. I will say I would have been a regular customer if I'd been crocheting back then even after all these years it worked up well.

I sewed his arms to the body before attaching the head. The ears were attached to the head before sewing on the body.

The pattern sews on the eyes and nose I used safety eyes and noses. I am not a huge fan of having to sew them so when possible I use the safety option.

The blanket is made with Red Heart Super Saver and a G hook. The ball is made with Hobby Lobby Sport Yarn and a D hook.

I ended up working the second to last bowl row in back loops to leave an opening to sew the blue water to the bowl. It looked better than my first try at sewing it to the bowl.

Last note for myself would be more aware of the blanket size. The directions felt too small but my final product is a bit too large. I need to find a happy spot as I'm sure this will be part of next year's donation plan. There is a similiar cat pattern from this designer I have that I'd like to make and add for next year as well.

Kits for Kids Chelsea Simply Bluetiful

This is a new donation project for me this year and until I work on the packing project in May I'm not sure if all my choices are the best but we work on the information we have to make the best choices we can.

For my main doll donation of the year I tend to buy or add accessories to the dolls I buy. However, this donation is different. Space for all items is limited to a single bag and I'm trying to limit the pieces that can be lost as a child moves.

During the recent sales I stocked up on some of my Barbie dolls. I've been thinking about what direction to go with Chelsea as the It Takes Two Camping set I've picked will eventually be discontinued. I was able to stock up for a few more years. My hesitation has been that most of the Chelsea models have a hard plastic "tshirt" that can show through depending on the outfit I make. The dark blue and even the yellow from the camping have not been a huge issue but as I started to shop not only were the newer colors more likely to clash with the outfits I made but they also had print designs on them to look more like a child's tshirt. I get the concept but again not quite helpeful for making clothes.

As I was thinking about what to do for the next Chelsea I found out about this donation and saw there was a basic Chelsea in two skin tones being offered. It's Barbie and friends Club Chelsea. I picked up on at my local Walmart to test how the clothes would fit because the measurements didn't match the current model doll I was using. After realizing the fit would work I picked up a couple of each skin tone for donations during the big sales in March.

This fit my goal of a simple doll. This model has a gingham dress and shoes. The body has no plastic tshirt cover common in the Chelsea line which makes dressing her a bit easier.

Notes:

This has been my go to free Chelsea pattern found here.

I used a 1.8 mm thread hook for this project.I used a 1.8 mm thread hook for this project.

I did not decrease rounds when joining at round 7 or the project would be too small for this Chelsea doll.I used a 1.8 mm thread hook for this project.

The back and top were finished and back closed with a snap.

For this outfit I did add trim at bottom.