My Life Artist Print Dress

This is another one of Michelle Ratman's designs that can be purchased here. Just for my reference this is the Military Dress pattern 1101.

Notes:

Generally I love when I don't have to add buttons or snaps because the outfit can slide on and off the doll but after having made another one of her patterns for the Our Generation doll and finding it some what challenging to remove and put and not being able to get it on the My Life doll I decided I needed to redesign so I could add a back opening to make it easier to slide on and off the doll. My first priority is making it easy for a child to use, even though I really do love simplicity for myself. It is a waste if the child doesn't end up using it because it is too hard to dress the doll.

I used an f hook and chose Red Heart Super Saver Artist Print for this outfit. The pattern calls for sport weight 3 cotton yarn but the only place I found was loose after going down to the f hook was the shoulders which I tightened by finishing the back and the top at the end.

I followed the directions for the first 8 rows with the exception of not joining until I completed the 8th row. This created a back opening which made the dress easier to slip on and off. I joined after completing row 8 and continued with the directions as written.

When I finished the dress I finished the back and dealt with a slightly looser top when I reached the top by sc in 3 decreasing in the next across. This gave the top a better fit through the chest and shoulders.

Lots to Love 10 Inch Baby Doll Sweetly Pants and Top

I've been working on a series of Darski's free baby doll patterns to fill the baby doll donation bags. The Lots to Love 10 inch Baby doll has two pattern sets to work from. This pattern comes from her Sweetly pattern found here.

While I haven't restricted myself from getting new yarn I've really been pushing myself to use up the older orphan yarns in my stash some of which seem to magically appear when I think I've used them all up. The yarn for the shirt is an old skien of A.C. Moore's sport yarn that I'd stocked up on before they'd closed because it was a good doll weight yarn. I am really trying to finish off these older skeins to reduce the look of a hoarding yarn room.

Notes:

For the top, I used the suggested F hook with the A.C. Moore yarn which is a slightly heavier sport yarn than the baby yarn I generally use with the baby doll patterns. I used one button to close the top in the back.

Another challenge I've given myself is to try some of the designs I've avoided over the years because the techniques bother me. So I did attempt to make the pants legs up rather than waist down using Bernat Baby Sport yellow. I found the legs were both tight and short so I changed to making the pants waist down as I always do and added a trim at the bottom of the pants. Sometimes it just isn't worth fighting with my preferences but I did try. I did not use elastic in the waist for these pants.

I keep playinng with the booties but this seems to be the best fit yet.

Complete row 1-3 of the booties.

Row 4: sc in back loops around

Row 5: sc reducing 4 times at toe

Row 6: sc evenly

I did a sc ch 3 around the top.

I thought I'd worked the the bonnet worked as written last time but this is actually closer to what the bonnet is designed to look like. Not sure I mind as this way the doll has two different bonnets.

Skipper Ski Outfit

I've been revisiting my pattern binders and pulled out the House of White Birches leaflet Crochet Wardrobe for 11 1/2 inch Fashion dolls to try Ken's pants for Barbie to go with her poncho. I discovered I needed Ken's pants while reading the 2021 post about Skipper's Ski Outfit and it reminded me this could be a quick set of outfits for the older members of Barbie's family. Since I'd pulled up the notes I had for Skipper I decided to start with her outfit.

Notes:

I used a C hook for this outfit.

The purple is a no longer available Babe cotton yarn that I'm trying to finish off. I'm thinking of using this on Barbie's poncho pattern for a smaller version for Skipper as well. The yellow is Knit Picks Pallette yarn.

I added an additional row to the pant legs. These seem to be short on both the Barbie and Ken patterns for the modern dolls.

I added one 2 dc in one dc in next row for the hat after reading my previous project notes and I found this made the hat fit better with the doll's hair.

Due to the change in yarn I needed to finish the back and neck which added more of a mock turtleneck look than the sweater I'd made previously. I liked the look.

Water Bottle Carrier

This carrier is based on the water bottle carrier I made several years ago from Leisure Arts All About Cotton book.

One of the biggest changes that has occured since I made the last round of these carriers is that refillable water bottles have gotten quite a bit larger than the disposable water bottles that this pattern was originally designed to carry. It makes sense people are focused more on hydration so carrying more water is important. However, the original pattern needs a wider bottom to accomadate the larger bottles.

For this particular bottle I did a base of 32 stitches. I worked Rows 1-3 as written. DC2 Dc in next 6. This gave me my 32 stitches to start and then I followed the pattern accounting for the extra base stitches until I reached the height I wanted for the larger bottle.

Since this was a gift and I didn't have access to the bottle, I used a food canister I had that was about the same size to make sure it was forming the size I wanted and checked it before adding the strap.

I have two types of straps I make for these bottles. The pattern starts with 100 chains which works as an over the shoulder or hand carry strap. However, when I made mine I wanted a cross body strap as I find stuff tends to fall off my shoulder when I most need my hands free. I settled on a starting chain of 160 and that is what this bottle has as the person getting it wanted a cross body option.

I used an I hook for this project and Lily Sugar and Cream Psychedelic. I've started on a second one that is still larger than the original pattern but smaller than this one so we will see how it works out.

Barbie Poncho and Pants

I have written about several of the Michelle Ratman patterns I purchased for both the Barbie and 18 inch doll donation. I'm slowly working my way through them adding new items to the doll bags.

This outfit combines Michelle's poncho pattern that can be purchased here with a pants pattern found in an out of print White Birches leaflet Crochet Wardrobe for 11 1/2 inch Fashion Dolls.

Notes:

While the pattern calls for cotton 4 weight yarn for the poncho I went with acrylic because I either have "kitchen" cotton or sport weight for my ami's on hand. I don't have a brand or color because this was a great project to work on using up a left over ball of yarn from a previous project.

The worsted acrylic required a change to an e hook to fit this Barbie model.

The last time I made the pants from the House of White Birches pattern for Barbie in 2021 her sister Skipper ended up with them and I made a note to try Ken's pants to see if the fit would be better. Barbie sizes change over time and this Barbie fits the Ken size better than the pattern written for Barbie. I'm hoping to make the complete winter sets for Ken, Barbie, and Skipper in the near future.

I used a C hook for the pants crocheting over an elastic band. The pants are made with Knit Picks Palette fingering yarn.

Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll Sweet Baby Mine Dress

I've been working my way through Darski's free baby doll patterns for the various sized dolls. The Sweet Baby Mine set for the Lots to Love 14 inch Baby Doll can be found here. The shoes are from an out of print Amy Carrico pattern Spring Jacket and Dress.

Each year I try to use up orphan or abandoned yarns that I purchased and never used. This is Mainstays Acrylic Pink blend. I think I orginally picked it up to make scrubbies but it lost its way in my yarn stash and was repurposed for this outfit. The need for solid pink worsted help me finish off a ball of yarn left over from previous projects. The shoes are made with Baby Bernat Sport pink and white.

Notes:

I followed the suggested hook size but ended up adding rows to the skirt to get it to knee length.

The headband also required additional rows to get it to fit around the dolls head.

I joined the row after the arm holes were made and finished back before adding one button to the back.

Lots to Love 10 Inch Baby Doll Sweetly Dress

I've been trying to rotate through the baby dolls to make sure they all leave with wardrobes. I mentioned previously Darski wrote 2 pattern sets for the Lots to Love 10 inch Baby doll. This doll dress pattern is from her free Sweetly set found here. I used Bernat Big Ball Baby Sport in Pink and Baby Baby. Notes:

The suggested hook sizes worked for me.

The panties ended up a bit longer than I wanted as it took me an extra row before I could join the crotch. It works but I'd combat this by adding and additional row to the dress before adding the trim next time. I did row 10 inn a contrast color and I'd do that again for a future project.

I changed the shoes to make them fit better. I would suggest an e hook next time as I had to sew around the top to tighten them.

Complete row 1-3 of the booties.

Row 4: sc evenly

Row 5: sc in back loops around

Row 6: sc reducing 4 times at toe

The bonnet worked as written.

Lil Cutesies Nightgown

Darski created two free pattern sets for the Lots to Love 10 Inch Baby Doll. The first she called BBL which is where this outfit came from and the second is Sweetly. Both pattern sets have nightgown patterns but I find one fits the Lots to Love doll better than the other. I guessed wrong and the Lil Cutesies doll ended up with a nightgown this year.

For future reference this is the nightgown from the BBL pattern made with a G hook. Since I will likely adapt it again for the Lil Cutesie doll I'd likely use an F hook the next time. I'd gone up to a G trying to get it to fit the Lots to Love 10 inch Baby doll in the back but it just wasn't working for me. I decided to see if I could save the time and resources invested by adapting it to the smaller doll. I'd never used it for the smaller doll and it with some adjustments the pattern fits. I just think the smaller hook would make it a bit less bulky.

Notes:

I believe this is made with Bernat Baby Big Ball Baby Baby. I've been collecting the sport yarn as I can find it and the colors seem to be disappearing. It's a great weight for the doll clothes. I don't always keep the labels once opened so I try to make a good guess at the colors. I prefer the variegated/striped yarns for some of the doll projects. It's not always easy to find a great selection so I'm hoping this line isn't being discontinued. I picked up a lone Lavendar at Walmart even though I didn't really need it as I noticed it was the last one they had and I haven't found it online.

As I mentioned above I used a G hook but I'd likely go with an f for a future Lil Cutesies nightgown. I'm working on how to adapt this for the smaller Lots to Love 8 inch doll.

To finish the outfit I did a row of sc around including the collar prior to adding the ties using the directions. I chained 30 rather than 20 for the ties. Mine tend to be short and I find them harder to tie. After I finished a complete sc around in pink I finished the pink and followed the directions for the ties changing from 20 to 30 chains. I decided to add a chain 3 decorative collar. I did a sc in first sc ch 3 sk 1 than sc in the next. This was done in the front loops of the previous row of sc. When I reached the end I finished with chaining 30 for the second tie.

The sleeves are also finished with a row of constrasting color sc and then an additional row of sc chain 3 skip 1 sc around.

I wanted a finish for the bottom I chose a sc skip 1 sc 5 dc shell in next stitch around.

Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll Spring Dress and Jacket

This year I've been seeing old patterns I haven't used in years, patterns that get used almost every year, and new patterns that I've either purchased or have found as freebies on the Internet. It makes for a change of pace to keep the project engaging. I enjoy revisiting favorite patterns like this out of print Amy Carrico pattern but I also enjoy trying something I either haven't done in a while like the Barbie Winter formal or the free dress pattern I adapted for the Lots to Love 14 Inch doll and the Rag Doll.

This year I've done probably the best job in tracking items made for the dolls but one hole in my system in color tracking. I have pictures of the items but I don't always think to check accessories for colors. This doll now has two sets of purple shoes as I had forgotten I used this pattern to make shoes for the free dress pattern and used a solid purple rather than the striped yarn I used for the dress. Not a huge issue as shoes tend to be some of the fist items lost when kids are playing with dolls, but I do try to vary the colors so they can mix and match. Something to note for my future lists.

Notes:

I used Bernat Big Baby Sport Lavendar. Oddly I have the best luck finding this at our local Walmart. I can get pink, white, and blue almost anywhere but they always seem to have the colors like purple, yellow and the variageted there as well. I know each Walmart supply is different but I mention this as I was struggling to find purple online as I buy most of my yarn online but stumbled upon it at Walmart and I try to get the hard to find colors there because they are helpful for my doll projects.

The jacket/sweater and headband are made with Lion Brand's Ice Cream Yarn Black Cherry. I've been using Ice Cream yarn quite a bit recently for the baby dolls and the Rag Doll for various outfits.

Changes:

I use a G hook for rows 1 and 2 for both the dress and the the sweater finishing both projects with an E hook.

I added finishing rows to the arm holes inner and outer this year for the dress.

I did a sc row around the arm holes prior to adding the dc arms for the sweater.

The panties need to be worked to 32 stitches at both ends before joining. This year I added a few extra rows to the top once joined to make it fit up and over the diaper. I finished with a row of hdc. I did a row of sc around the legs to finish the leg holes and then did sc chain 3 skip 1 around the leg openings.

Our Generation Monet Dress

A while back I stumbled upon Michelle Ratman's doll patterns on Etsy. I picked up some Barbie and 18 inch doll patterns that were easy to make and inexpensive to buy. A wonderful combo for someone looking to make stuff to donate. While I do like a challenge occasionally to learn something new for the most part my goal is to complete as many outfits as possible for the dolls I donate that kids will enjoy using with their new Christmas dolls.

This was a really straight forward pattern. This is a one piece, no buttons or snaps required. In the future I may experiment with that to see if I can get a better fit for the My Life doll but it worked really well for the Our Generation doll as written. I'm thinking if I don't join I might get a better fit for the shoulders with the My Life. I plan on experimenting with this later to see if I can get an outfit from this for the My Life doll as well.

The pattern does not come with shoes. The shoes are from an out of print Sweet Silver Creations pattern.

Notes:

I used an F hook for the Our Generation Doll.

I mention the Monet Red Heart Super Saver because I've been using lots of striped yarn and this requires more of a variagated yarn than striped. I wanted to remember what color worked for this project.

As with many of my projects I needed to add rows to get to the knee length.

Glitter Girl Kennedy's Sweater Dress

I generally search for Wellie Wisher's crochet patterns to find something to fit the Glitter Girl doll. The dolls are close enough in size that I can generally make the patterns work.

Kennedy's Sweater Dress is the main pattern for this outfit and can be purchased here. The shoes are from and Adoring Dolls dress pattern I made previously that you can purchase here. I am lazy about shoes when I find a pattern that is easy to make and works up quickly it often appears in outfits that don't come with shoe patterns.

Notes:

I used the suggested f hook for this project.

Not having Yarn Bee Hint of Silk I used Herrschners Worsted Aquamarine. A note for myself I would consider ordering grey and other lighter colors duing my next Herrschners order for this dress and a couple of other outfits for next year. This pattern specifically requires a lighter color. I tried it with a dark blue and the texture gets lost and it becomes rather drab so I frogged it and went with aquamarine.

I only needed one button hole for the outfit.

I did add some rows to the skirt to get it to knee length.

I used an e hook for the shoes even with the lighter worsted.

It is time for the Glitter Girl Doll to get some pants so I plan to use one of Adoring Doll's patterns to solve this problem. I have a couple different options for tops but pants have been elusive. I think I have a summer shorts pattern I should tackle during the warmer weather as well.

Rag Doll Hookfully Dress

I mentioned when I made the Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll Outfit that I was interested in seeing if it could be adapted for the Rag Doll as well. I tried it on the doll and while a little long that was easily dealt with by reducing the total rows.

I donate one of these Rag Dolls that can be purchased from Factory Direct each year. I post teh information because I often see cute items that have generic names like Rag Doll rather than a brand name that is easy to search online. So I like to tell people where I find the odder items if they are available so they can decide if it works for them.

There are no specific crochet patterns for this doll so I work on adapting patterns for other dolls that seem like they'd be a good fit. When I finish an outfit and it looks like it might fit or be adapted to fit the Rag Doll I put the pattern aside for future use for the Rag doll.

This is a free baby doll pattern found here.

I followed the notes from the previous outfit I made with some basic changes:

Notes:

I used the suggested G hook for this outfit.

The pattern worked for me through row 7 as written.

Row 8: With row 7 established I worked a row of hdc even.

Row 9: Repeat row 8 joining at the end of the row.

After finishing row 9 I returned to the directions row 9 continuing without changing colors as I was using striping yarn. I wanted this dress to be shorter than the baby doll dress so I measured it against the doll as I worked it.

To finish off the bottom of the dress I did a sc skip 1 followed by a 5dc shell around joining at the end.

The dress was a bit tighter so it required more finishing rows in the back prior to adding a button hole. Using an H hook might be an option for the Rag Doll next year.

I finished the arms with a sc chain3 sc around the arms.

I used Lion Brand's Lemon Meringue Ice Cream Yarn for this project. I'm finding this brand to be rather helpful with the larger baby doll and Rag Doll projects.

Barbie Winter Formal Dress

I went back to look for notes for this project and the last time I made this outfit was in 2011 for a now adult niece. However, I did realize one challenge has remained the same. The original directions for this dress don't fit the Barbie I'm using. The Barbie I used back then and my current model are slightly larger than the Vet model I used in previous years. I'm going to try this with the directions as written to see if it would fit Skipper without changes I needed to make for Barbie.

This pattern comes from an old out of print Annie's pattern club leaflet, Fashion Doll Quick and Easy 87D20. The original pattern uses trim for the skirt, top, shawl, and as an outline for the dress. Oddly there is no mention of what kind of trim or how to attach it. The trim in the pattern picture creates a beautiful illusion of there being an under and overskirt but with the time and resources I had on hand the trim wasn't an option.

When I previously made this dress I made limited mention of the changes I needed to get the outfit to fit the doll. I plan on a more fuller explanation for my own purposes because I will return as Barbie has become a more fixed donation and this is a quick outfit to add.

Notes:

I followed the skirt pattern and the shawl pattern as written with the exception of the trims. I eliminated the trim for the skirt as I've yet to figure out how this can be done easily without directions.

For the shawl I used size 5 crochet thread and a D hook and used a shell pattern of dc ch1 dc ch1 dc (3 dc with a chain between them) around the edge of the shawl spaced as evenly as I could. One change I would make is to make a larger shell at the spike of the shawl. I had ended it off before I realized this would have been a better option and didn't wish to go back. This would work well for next time. The shawl closes with a snap.

I tried a variety of yarns for the dress to see if I could get it to fit the waist line before resorting to my old trick of using elastic for the waist and crocheting around it.

I have an old big ball of Red Heart sport yarn that I used for this project. I picked it up back in the time I was still making Barbie clothes and really haven't touched it since. I'm hoping to utilize it for more Barbie projects and finally send it off.

I measured the elastic around Barbie's waist and sewed it together.

It took 29 sc to cover the elastic join and continue to join for all bodice rows.

From here I worked up the bodice section.

Dc 5 decrease around

DC 4 decrease around (21)

DC 3 decrease around (18)

DC even for 2 rows I might reduce this to one with the added trim.

I would use the size 5 crochet thread next time for the top. I didn't come up with the idea until working on the shawl.

Creating the bodice this way makes the dress slide on and off with no need for snaps or buttons.

I followed the skirt pattern as written although I believe mine was short on rows as the bodice was longer. It's a trade off I need to work on. As I mentioned above I'd likely reduce a row on the bodice which would start the skirt higher giving it a better look.

Stacie Winter becomes Spring

I began with idea of making the sister pattern from JudysDollsPatterns for Chelsea in thread.

I had started down this road with Stacie originally but I couldn't get the waist to fit. It ended up large for Chelsea but by the time I'd finished the edges it fit Stacie this time. I'd decided to go with size 20 thread for the shirt for Chelsea as the size 10 thread was huge. I found the 20 actually worked better for Stacie as well but as with the skirt during the finishing stages I needed to add some space around the neck to close as I'd decided not to add the winter finishing collar. The colors I had on hand just had more of a Spring feel so it seemed a good choice finish it as a Spring outfit.

The Christmas Playtime set can be purchased here.

Notes:

I used a 1.8mm hook for the skirt and a .9mm for the shirt.

I changed multiple rows trying to get it to fit Chelsea so this would be something to explore when making this again for Stacie. I'd start with the larger hook for the skirt but likely reduce the hook size to the .9mm once past the waist line to avoid some of the puffy feel and to get the details of the alternating colors to work better.

Usually I use snaps for Barbie and family but I picked up some tiny buttons and a button hole was a better choice for this project based on the challenge of getting the neck to fit right.

I plan on trying the overalls pattern for Stacie. I had hoped it would work for both dolls but after this experience I don't think it will work as hoped.

My Life Rivulets

I discovered I'd missed this Darski pattern last year and wanted to make sure I included it again in this year's donation.

I struggled a bit with yarn thickness this year. I made this with left over Red Heart yellow yarn last year and had no issue. I started with Red Heart this year and the yarn wasn't heavy enough to hold the pattern. I tried a different color thinking I might have grabbed Joann's Big Twist which generally is lighter but having grabbed a skein right from the labeled package I was sure it was Red Heart I was struggling with and was some what confused as I had no problem the prior year.

Then I pulled an old Caron Pounder out of my stash and it was thicker than my current stash of Red Heart. No idea why but it was holding the format of the dress so while my intention wasn't to go with dark green for the dress, it was the only shade of Pounder I could quickly lay my hands on for the experiment. The white is left over Mary Maxim yarn from a baby afghan I've been slowly using up on projects like this one.

One thing I've started doing for myself is documenting more details of how I adapted patterns to get the outcomes on my blog enteries because I'm finding I come back to these and there is more room to document here than on my pattern sheets sometimes. I also find I take more time to clarify for myself here than I do on my quick pattern notes.

Notes:

I went with a Caron Pounder for thickness this year. I'll experiment further to see if I my issue with Red Heart can be adjusted. When I run out of the Mary Maxim yarn for trim I think I can substitute Bernat's Big Baby Sport Yarn which I always keep here for the baby doll projects.

I used the suggested I hook for everthing but the top trim. I used a g hook for the trim on the top as it tended to poof with the larger hook and the lighter yarn. I might use a g hook for the trim on the bottom next time as well as it got a bit bulky with the I hook.

Don't increase beyond four dc between the post stitches as the skirt gets to be huge. The last row is all dc before adding trim. I missed this and the trim sits better from dc row.

The bottom trim rows need to adjust for reduced number of increases.

After finishing the dress directions I finished the back and top of the dress with the primary color yarn before adding the white trim. This made for a cleaner back and made adding the trim easier. It also makes the arm holes look cleaner when completed.

Be careful not to split yarn changing from chains to dc for arm holes. The white yarn is soft but it needs to stay strong for the arm holes.

I need to do a V stitch in the end stitch of each end for each row of the shawl, not in the chain stitch. I struggled with this last year and caught the direction this year.

Last year I didn't make shoes for this outfit as I was crushed for time. These were made with an out of print pattern from Sweet Silver Creations.

Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll Hookfully Dress with Add Ons

I'm always happy to find free patterns for the doll donation. Over the years I've learned even when a doll pattern is written for a doll of a similar length it doesn't always fit the doll you have because length doesn't include other measurements when you are are making doll clothes. However, if you are willing to adapt you can find something new to try.

You can find the free pattern for the dress here. The shoes and panties are from a no longer available Amy Carrico Spring Dress pattern. The hat is a work in progress design I haven't quite mastered yet of my own making.

I chose to adapt this pattern in several ways because the Lots to Love 14 inch doll is likely more chunky than the doll the designer was using.

If you check out the website you will discover this dress is made in solid colored stripes. It is an adorable look. The challenge with this format for me was I had no idea what modifications I was going to need to make to the pattern so it was difficult to know where to make the color changes to keep the pattern even. I chose instead to go with a self striping yarn Lion Brand Ice Cream Black Cherry.

I had originally purchased this yarn for doll blankets but have found it to be a great yarn for both the baby dolls and the Rag Doll dresses. I tried this dress on the Rag Doll and while I'd choose to make it slightly shorter it is a good fit for her and I have another pattern that will work for her donation as well.

Notes:

I used the suggested G hook for this outfit.

The pattern worked for me through row 7 as written. It got to be too big after row 7 so I made adjustments.

Row 8: With row 7 established I worked a row of hdc even.

Row 9: Repeat row 8 joining at the end of the row.

After finishing row 9 I returned to the directions row 9 continuing without changing colors as I was using striping yarn. I don't remember if I finished all 19 rows. I kept measuring it on the doll for length.

To finish off the bottom of the dress I did a sc skip 1 followed by a 5dc shell around joining at the end.

I finished the back of the dress and added a button hole.

The shoes and panties are from a currently unavailable Amy Carrico's Spring Dress pattern. The hat is based on dc increases with a fpdc row to set for the brim. The brim is made with one row of dc in front loop of fdc stitches.

The panties were made with an e hook and Baby Bernat Sport Pink I need to work to 32 stitches for both sides of the panties for them to fit this doll.

The shoes were made with an e hook and Baby Bernat Sport Pink and White.