Aztec Wishes 2019 Donations Have Been Delivered!

I just want to send out a THANK YOU to all my friends at Crochetville for their amazing generosity that makes this such a great donation drive every year. It is always so much fun to be the person that gets to deliver the stuff but honestly all of you do so much to make it happen.

I do love donating to this program because the high school kids do learn valuable skills helping to organize the drive and yes the children get to play with the toys that are donated. It just expands the number of people who benefit from the hard work you do. Thanks to all of you.

One of those bags was filled with doll blankets donated by people from Crochetville and that doesn't include the 4 blankets I used for the dolls I donated. It is such a blessing and an honor to see all the beautiful work that is done.

American Girl Bathrobe

I bought the Crochet World DVD collections and printed a number of the patterns a few years ago. This year one of my goals with the doll donation and even the Big Sister project was to try some of these patterns I've printed over the years and never made. For those of you interested in this pattern it was originally published in Crochet World October 2010 as Dolly's Bathrobe by Kathleen Stuart.

I again pulled from a Sweet Creations pattern, School Uniform purchased here to make the slippers to go with the bathrobe.

American Girl Let the Sunshine In

This is a wonderful fun summer outfit. It is part of a free pattern set called Weatherby found here. I've made three patterns in this set for the donation this year. This is the first time I've attempted this pattern. I'm not sure how I missed this one before. I found it worked up quickly and it is an adorable summer outfit.

The jacket threw me at first. I'd never made anything quite like it before. However, I was thrilled when it was finished. I'd like to make more like this again now that I understand how it comes together. It makes a cute addition to a dress.

I mix and match patterns all the time to get the pieces I want. The shoes come from a Sweet Creations paid pattern Sun Dress found here. I wouldn't suggest buying a pattern for the shoes, but if you find patterns that you like that fits and doesn't fall off the doll my suggestion is use it across other patterns where you need shoes.

American Girl Cinderella

I discovered Sweet Silver Creation patterns several years ago and they've been a staple of my Aztec Wishes donations ever since. I've been especially fond of their princess outfits. I love being able to make princess dresses for the donation that are not all that complicated to complete. Do to the skirt this pattern is a bit of a yarn hog, but since I generally buy larger skeins of my frequently used colors this wasn't a problem for this outfit. If you are interested in making this pattern yourself you can purchase the pattern here.

I added shoes to this outfit using another of her patterns School Uniform that can be purchased here.

American Girl Valentine Outfit

While I've continued to crochet, I've gotten sadly behind on documenting my projects. It seemed like a good time to get caught up. I have become a fan of the free 18 inch doll patterns from the blog Adoring Doll Clothes. This pattern is her free Valentine pattern found here. This is an adorable outfit to add to my donation project. It also fits my goal of adding holiday patterns to the donation.

I needed an I hook to get the dress and shoes to fit. I note this so when I go to make this again it won't be such a surprise. I don't mention it for others as I've found my personal gauge is often specific to move.

American Girl Cable Loop Sweater and Pants

The weather turned colder and I just felt the urge to start making some doll sweaters. I find as it gets warmer I just don't have the same interest. I've decided to see how many sweaters I can make before I lose interest. My first project was to complete the out of print Springfield Collection Sweater Trio FCM494. This pattern is commonly available on used pattern sites if you are available. This pattern creates a faux cable look and it has been one of my favorites for years because it works up quickly, but it has a look of being a little more complicated than it really is to make. The headband for this pattern uses the same method for faux cables.

For pants I went back to my favorite pants pattern from Maggie's Crochet Abby, Allie, and Annie PA972 - 01 I had momentary panic when I went to find the pants pattern and it hadn't found its way home to the 18 inch doll binder. I really didn't want to have to replace the pattern.

Now for my notes, in the past I've found these sweaters a little bulky. This year I tried experimenting by going down from a f hook to an e and I found the sweaters seemed to fit a little better.

Mary Maxim 18 Inch Doll Party Dress

This was a fun kit with lots of details I might never have tried if the kit didn't come with everything needed. I do plan on trying the shoes again. I'd like to try them in black as well. For those interested in buying the kit you can find it here.

I picked up this kit last year when I needed a minimum total to get free shipping as I needed some 5" baby dolls.

This kit uses Mary Maxim Baby's Best DK/Sportweight Yarn I plan on picking up more of this yarn for my doll when I can get a shipping coupon. I like the combination of softness that doesn't split while crocheting. While the shipping is expensive, the cost of the yarn is reasonable. I do wish they had a wider choice of colors, although it is nice to see they have non-traditional baby colors like grey. While it would be nice, I get no benefits for discussing Mary Maxim's doll kits. I like to document what I make for my doll donations every year.

I often find I need to rethink crochet directions. One of my favorite things about this pattern is the pattern writer and I seemed to speak the same crochet language so I really didn't need to make any adjustments. I am hoping Mary Maxim brings out other kits by this designer. I'd be a customer for sure. I know I'll be picking up yarn to make this again for next year's donation.

Edwardian 18 Inch Crochet Outfit

I fell in love with this outfit a while back and it has been on my list of outfits to try for a while. My hands had been tight after working on a series of amis so I decided it was time to get to work on the 2019 doll project. You can find Elseth's free pattern here.

This was a fun choice for my first pattern of the year. I loved the color and the textures. I find the end of the old year and the beginning of the New Year are some of my most productive times to finish doll donations so I'm hoping this is a good sign.