My Life Swimsuit 2

This is Adoring Doll's Swimsuit pattern found here.

I orginally bought the set with the Boy, Girl and the Wellie Wisher pattern I don't see offered currently. For my own notes I have all three stored together as they were printed together. I haven't used the other two in a bit and was a bit paniced when I couldn't find the 18 inch girl pattern as it was hiding behind the boy pattern.

Notes:

I used worsted weight 4 yarn for this pattern. I'd tried Herrschners previously and I ended up needing a much larger hook.

I used an I hook to start with and switched to a G hook after the color changes. I'd start with an H hook and finish with a G in the future as it makes it a big large on the top.

My Life Nightgown 2

This is Adoring Doll's Christmas Nightgown pattern that can be purchased here.

As you may have noticed I chose more nuetral blues as I felt it would be more useful to have a year round outfit rather than holiday specific for this item.

Notes:

I used an I hook for the dress and an H for the hat.

I tried working the surface crochet with an alternative of working in the back loops. I'm not a huge fan of either. In the future I think I'd just do a row of alternate color sc in the rows and not have the texture. I have no issue with the flat texture found in the rest of the nightgown.

The surface crochet made adding a button hole in the back more challenging so I closed with a snap.

This is one of the last three items I need for the 2025 donation. They are all complete and I'm preposting them on Veteran's Day. It feels amazing to be done. I'm making some items and then it will be time to start the 2026 donation!!!

Our Generation Swimsuit

I've been working through my swimsuit patterns this year. This is the swimsuit from Mary Maxim's Mermaid kit I made several years ago. I have a better mermaid pattern but I do like the swimsuit pattern. I did check the site to see if it had ever been added to their pattern offerings as the kit is only offered as a knit kit currently. Sadly still not available.

Notes:

I don't have the kit yarn so I chose Premier Basix DK yarn that I had previously stocked up on as a size 3 option. I haven't used this yarn often but I found it soft and it was a good match for this project. I used some Herrschners green for the border.

I made a note that with this yarn 4sc rows made for 1 inch and I'd need 16 rows to meet length requirements. I doubted myself as I was slightly under the mark and added a row. In the future I would follow my directions as written as the crotch section is a little longer than needed from not following the directions.

CC is the main color not the contrasting which is what my brain oddly keeps translating.

The Front section directions form the crotch section. This is not clearly stated so I write it here to remind myself.

I have not decided if I will repeat this pattern or go with the Adoring Doll Swimsuit for the last My Life swimsuit I need for the 2025 donation. I need to finish the two nightgowns I've started and make the last swimsuit for 2025 and that will wrap up the 2025 donation. As I'm preposting this in early November, I have one more day to sort and post pictures of the last donation box.

If all goes well we have help this year with delivery for early December.

My Life Sleeping Bag 2

It is time to celebrate as I've finished the sleeping bags for 2025.

Notes:

I was in Walmart to pick up some other items. My husband normally does the Walmart runs so I treated myself to a trip down the yarn aisle and picked up some Red Heart Favorite Stripes Yarn as I've started to run out of options for sleeping bags. I prefer the multi-colored yarn rather than the solid for these projects as it keeps them a bit more interesting.

You can find this free pattern on Suzies's Stuff Blog here.

I need a K hook to get this pattern to fit the My Life Doll.

My Life Sleeping Bag

I am in the home stretch for the 2025 donation. This is one of the last two sleeping bags I need for the donation. After the sleeping bags both My Life Dolls and the Our Generation Doll, and the Rag Doll need nightgowns. Thankfully I've started all of them. Then one My Life Doll and the Our Generation Doll need Swimsuits and the 2025 donation will come to an end as I take a break for some family stuff I need to do and then ramp up for the start of the 2026 donation.

This is a free pattern found on Suzie's Stuff Blog here.

Notes:

I use a K hook for the larger sleeping bag pattern.

This is a heavier weight Big Twist Yarn that I bought ages ago and never was able to use up. It is a bit scratchy and sheds. I am determined to use it all up rather than waste it so this was a great way to eat a bit of yarn. It still didn't finish it off.

My Life Swimsuit

This is one of the long standing patterns for the donation. Sadly as I mentioned the last time I made this I can't find Stepahine Dygert's patterns online any longer to give a link for those who would like to purchase the set.

It also includes a pattern for a rubber ducky floatie and a sand pail I've not included for the donation this year. Time is getting close for finishing the nightgowns, swimsuits and sleeping bags.

Notes:

I need a J hook to get the body of this to fit. However, I used a g hook on the legs after making the trim for the top and I'd go with the g for the top next time as well.

I'm hoping to use this pattern for the 16 inch baby dolls. I haven't decided which patterns to use for the last My Life doll and the Our Generation Doll for their swimsuits yet.

I'm trying to finish off dolls with one item or less to box for delivery and throw in one like this one that gets that doll closer to one and done. I did pick up a new nightgown pattern for the 18 inch dolls and I found a pj pattern that might work for the Our Generation Boy that is already in my collection. I've never made it before so I have to see how it will fit.

Our Generation Boy Sleeping Bag

I finished the crocheting part of this at an appointment last Friday. I did the final finishes at home. These do make great travel and wait projects. I do try to do the pillow section as it requires stuffing at home and get the bag section started but after that it is a great calming waiting project. This was finished over two appointments.

You can find the free pattern at Suzies Stuff Blog here.

I've been working harder on the join after creating the pillow section. This is the only challenge I have with the pattern as it sets the form for the whole project. Something has changed in what I'm doing as I hadn't had a problem in previous years so I'm taking it more slowly. Testing the doll to make sure it fits before adding the rest of the rows. I also think I may have added an additional sc row after joining before starting the dc shell rows. I will keep working on this as this previously had not been an issue and clearly the pattern hasn't changed in all these years.

Notes:

This was made with Red Heart Ombre Cocoa with a K hook.

I don't count rows once past the pillow. I continue to measure it against the doll closing when it is easily past the feet with room to sc closed with a little space at the bottom.

Our Generation Boy Swim Trunks

This is an Adoring Doll pattern that can be purchased here. I have the set that includes the boy, girl and the Wellie Wisher doll patterns. You can buy the individual pattern that I've linked or it is sold as a set.

Notes:

I use an I hook for this pattern.

To get it to fit the Our Generation Boy I need a starting chain of 46. This then changes the legs to 23.

The color change for the leg is marked for the 2nd leg not the first so the change is Row 11 stays yellow, row 12 blue, end with row 13 yellow. Again a note to self for next year actually count. I did the color change a row early and it will work but it is better with the additional row.

This is why I actually write these notes for myself. Sadly when I'm rushed I don't always read them. I did this the last time I made them and something told me I'd done it before but I read the pattern directions not my notes and I didn't follow the notes which also allows you to tighten the trunks if they are a little loose.

The original pattern calls for a piece of yarn to be tied for the trunks as if it is a tie. I decided to crochet a tie and thread it through the fpdc as this year the trunks were loser and it allowed me to tighten them just a little with the pull ties.

I mentioned in a previous post about a hat I made for the 16 inch Baby doll from a Linmary Knits pattern that you'd be seeing it again for the Our Generation Boy as I'd made a mistake and it was too large for the baby doll. When possible I try not to waste items that could be used by another doll if it is just a matter of size. When I saw this I thought it would make a great sun hat for his swim trunks. I never thought when I made the hat in July it would take me until October to get the trunks finished but they are done in the same donation year so that is a blessing.

Our Generation Boy Basketball Uniform

This has been a challenging year for getting crochet time but I still believe we will have an amazing donation. I'm starting to focus on finishing the targeted projects for the individual dolls. This could be one of the last items just for fun that will be made for the donation as the deadline is fast approaching and I still have lots of must makes to complete before then.

Since I added the boy Our Generation doll I've had to seek some of the more generic girl patterns to convert for the boy doll. Adoring Doll Clothes has sports patterns that have worked well for the boy. This is her Basketball pattern that can be purchased here.

Notes:

Shirt:

This is made with Caron Pounder Kelly Green, Red Heart White and Black. I wanted the specific shade of green for future reference I tend to use what ever shades/brands of white or black I have on hand.

I used an I hook for the shirt and I'd stick with that for future projects as the fit was good for getting on and off the doll.

I made the button hole while trimming the neckline and finishing the back in white.

Shorts:

I needed an I hook.

I kept this note from the previous year's post as I found it helped me complete this year's project.

I've never been good at adding ss along the edge of something so I ss to add the yarn to the side than did a row of ss not attached to the end of the shorts and ss to the end of the shorts. I left a long end and sewed the ss to the shorts. Not the most effective method but better than the mess I was making trying to ss directly to the shorts.

Shoes:

Last year I used a g hook and I wrote it worked well for the Our Generation. I found the shoes were a little harder to get on and off so next year I'd suggest an H hook for the Our Generation. If I was doing this for the My Life Girls I'd use an I.

My Life Kalia Party Dress

I wanted to get two My Life outfits completed this week so I went to my Adoring Doll pattern binder and this was item two for the week. You can purchase the pattern here.

According to my blog searches this is the first time I've made this pattern for the donation.

This was another orphan skein that I pulled in my must use pile. The yarn is fine it just had gotten buried and I am determined to use stuff I've bought and have it leave with this year's donation.

Notes:

Dress:

I started the dress with an I hook instead of an H switching to the H hook when the pattern called to change.

To get the length I wanted I needed to add two rows before doing the white finishing trim. I also chose to finish the neck and arms in white. It just made for a cleaner trim. I closed this with a button. I finished the complete back the pattern just adds a button hole. I just find it a cleaner finish.

I used the suggested G hook and number of chains for the tie.

Shoes

I used an I hook for these shoes. I think I'd try an H hook the next time as these were a bit large. I used a G hook for the strap and add a seried of chains that I connected to the strap to connect the button. A variation from the pattern but it worked for me. These shoes are different from the Robbie Lynn button shoes. I wanted to try them but having made both if I wanted button shoes I'd go back to the Robbie Lynn shoes.

My Life Robbie Lynn Spring Dress

This is one of Adoring Doll's patterns that can be purchased here.

I love this pattern because its simple but I find it to be adorable. The sweater adds a nice touch to the fairly simple dress.

Notes:

I pulled a crate of yarn out of my yarn storage and made a promise to myself I would find ways to use up these orphan skeins. Some have labels others not. The blue from this is a unlabeled worsted weight yarn. I only used about half for the project but it was a start on my commitment to use up yarns I have that have been living here far too long.

I used an I hook for the sweater and the top of the dress. The skirt was made using an H hook. The shoes required an I hook.

Looking back at my previous notes made creating the shoes much easier as there are directions for making a right and left shoe as the buttons are on the outside of each shoe. However, I found it just easier to look at the shoe, decide where the button needed to be for that shoe and create the buckle for that shoe based on the directions. I found I almost made two of one shoe just following the directions. The visual was a big help.

Our Generation Sleeping Bag

After finishing off the Calico Critter family's sleeping bags I decided to jump to the larger dolls as those bags take a longer time. I finished off this one last week after several appointments brought me close to the edge. I finished it off at home as I need to make sure it fits the doll before closing the end. Measurements are wonderful but I like to see it fit before finishing it off. I started another large doll one and already have the pillow section completed.

This is a wonderful free pattern that can be found here. She has multiple sizes of sleeping bags and also has free patterns for the baby doll sleep sacks I use for the donation on her site as well.

Notes:

This was made with Red Heart Super Saver Deep Teal Ombre with a K hook.

With this one complete I have one more for the Our Generation Boy, 2 My Life Dolls, and the Rag Doll to complete with this pattern. The Glitter Girl uses a different pattern from Adoring Dolls.

My Life Sailor Dress

I leave myself notes for these projects and overall they work great unless I misread them which happened here. For some reason I thought I was supposed to use the sport yarn for the hat not the Red Heart Super Saver. Live and learn. I have one more Sailor outfit to make for the baby doll. Like the 18 inch dolls I'm going to alternate the Sailor and Sundress patterns for the two dolls rather than making duplicates. So I will use the Red Heart for the hat and the baby sport yarn for the rest of the outfit.

Notes:

I used Baby Bernat Sport White and Red Heart Navy for this project. In the future I'd use Red Heart White for the hat as well.

All items were made with an H hook.

I do have a note that I went to a g hook for the skirt last year, which again clearly I didn't read. I will experiment with this when I make the 16 inch doll outfit as it is a slighter build and the skirt might be a bit wide.

I choose to create the arm holes differently than she does for her patterns. I just find it less complicated.

My Life Sundress

I try to return to patterns that haven't been used in a while and rotate them back into the donation unless there is a really good reason I stopped making them. Most of the time, I just lose track of patterns so I've been trying to look through binders and pull out more neglected patterns.

This is a Sweet Silver Creations pattern that can be purchased here.

Notes:

I used Bernat Baby Sport yarn for this project with an H hook for all pieces. I did use a g hook to finish around the arms.

The arms for this pattern are formed by ending yarn and then chaining over the ends in the next row. I did something a little different forming the rows without ending the rows. I've never been able to get her method to work for me but my method seems to get the job done.

These are the same shoes as found in the Sailor pattern that I use for most of my 18 inch girl doll patterns that don't include shoes in the pattern.

My Life Dress with Ribbed Waist

This was a new addition to the donation this year. It's a free pattern that can be found here. The shoes are my go to pattern for the 18 inch dolls and is part of a sailor pattern that can be purchased here.

I don't buy much Red Heart Soft yarn so I'm not sure when this skein came into my stash but I've been targeting skeins that seem orphaned. I also have found this pattern works up better with lighter colored yarns. I tried a darker colored purple for the Our Generation Doll but the texture didn't show as well as the two colors I chose for the My Life dolls. I note this because I know I'll be back to make this next year and this is information that is helpful.

Notes:

I used an I hook for the dress and a G for the shoes. I go back and forth with the shoes. While a g was perfect for the last set of shoes they were a bit snug this time.

I made a note last time that the hair tie was a serious of less than 200 chains. I made 200 chains this time and it was a bit long. I try 150 and see if that is long enough.

When I first made this the count on row 1 confused me my note is the numbers are correct as written follow them.

I used an H hook to finish the back and neck. I closed the dress with a snap on the back.

I finished the arms with a sc around the arms to clean them up and then did a sc chain 3 skip one for an additional row.

Our Generation Boy Karate

This was made using Adoring Doll's Knox Karate pattern which can be purchased here. The pattern comes designed to fit the boy and girl doll with an additional shorts pattern.

Notes:

I almost always go up to an I hook for shirt patterns from this designer but this shirt is more of a wrap and when I make this for the female Our Generation doll I think I would start with an H hook and decrease rows if it is this long. It should be a little shorter.

I used an I hook for the body of the pants and an H hook for the waist and legs.

I used the suggested G hook for the headband but I'd try an H when I make it again. I tried making it flat but the look wasn't as I'd hoped so I worked in the back loops. I'd try it again flat.

I made the belt with an H hook, I'd consider an I to get it longer and wider.

Martial arts are popular in this area with students so I was glad to find a pattern to add to the donation. I have purchased some of her other sports patterns that I hope to use for both the male and female dolls.

Our Generation Boy Easter

When I see patterns for the 18 inch doll boy I try to pick them up to add to my options for the donation. I often find myself adapting more of the girl generic patterns.

This was part of one of Adoring Doll's holiday sets that can be purchased as individual patterns or as a set. Since I have Easter patterns for the other dolls in the set I decided to pick up only the male doll outfit and that can be purchased here.

Notes:

Shoes:

I was able to follow the pattern using the G hook as written as the feet are smaller than the My Life feet. I like the way these shoes fit and am making a note that they'd be good for future projects with pants. They have a boot look so a bit stranger for projects with shorts.

Pants:

I used an I hook for the upper portion of the pants and an H for the legs and waist.

Shirt

I used an I for the body of the shirt and an H for the arms.

I added 4 rows for the length to get it to be long enough for the doll before adding final row of brown.

This is a good pants pattern for future boy doll projects if I need a quick pair.

I finished back of sweater with white adding button hole and button.

Bow tie:

Made with suggested G hook. I would finish edges before wrapping next time.

Cap:

I used this pattern for the Valentine outfit and struggled with the directions but finally figure out the stitch count numbers are correct but at a certain point you switch from working the front of the cap to the back. I was trying to work in the round and was completely confused the first time I made the cap. Row 14 begins the directions for the back of the hat only. Figuring this out made completing the hat much easier.

I needed an H hook for the hat.

My Life Harriet

This is the second pattern from Darski's free Harriet pattern set found here.

Notes:

I tried to document hook size this time but I have more limited notes on the yarn.

I have no idea which brand I used for the darker grey. The lighter grey is from my last shipment of JoAnn's Big Twist Yarn. While I always found their worsted 4 to be a bit lighter it had one of the widest selection of colors available. I will miss their yarn.

Hat:

I used a J hook and followed the directions as written.

Skirt:

I used a hairband for the skirt elastic.

An H hook worked for the skirt when using elastic.

Sweater:

I used an I hook for the sweater.

Reminder there is an extra row added to the bottom when you finish the back and sides so consider that before adding more rows for length. I had to work around this as I had added additional rows for length and didn't have room for another row when I was finishing the edges.

I added a row around the collar as it seemed a bit tight.

The sleeves are finished with ss.

Scarf:

I changed the count to 100 as I find it to short otherwise. I finally noted this on the pattern after making the first attempt too short.

This is made with left over Mainstays Pink Blend that I used for the baby doll's Valentine outfits.

The shoes are made from Sweet Silver Creations Sailor Pattern that has been my got to shoe pattern for years. I'm not sure if it has been working with so much thread recently but I've gone from making these shoes with an I hook to a G hook for this pair as they've been a bit large. You can purchase the pattern here.

My Life Claret

This is clearly not Claret but Big Twist Purple. Where practical this year I'm continuing my quest to use stash yarn for projects where possible. I still need to buy certain weights and colors of yarns when I run out but where possible I'm trying to substitute with yarns on hand. A note to myself I think this pattern would also work up well in shades of green. I don't always include this dress in my donation projects but it is one that I should use more often.

Notes:

Claret is the second pattern in Darski's free Harriet pattern set found here.

I used an I hook for this dress I finished the back with a row of hdc before adding button row as I've found the Big Twist to be a slightly lighter yarn and in this case the dress even with the I hook was a little tight in the back for buttons. With the additional hdc it fit fine and allowed the buttons to be used.

I'm currently working on the Harriet outfit from this pattern for the other My Life doll.

My Life Skirt, Sweater, Hat and Poncho

I almost always ask for patterns when I get requests for gifts and this was a recent Valentine's present. You can purchase the pattern here.

While I love dress patterns I always appreciate finding separates that can be mixed and matched. The sweater and skirt are likely to appear again. I have other poncho patterns that I would likely go back to instead. This one didn't quite fit as well as some of my other poncho patterns for this doll.

Each year I try to limit the amount of special yarn I purchase for doll patterns. I have a rather large stash of yarn and I've been trying to work from the stash when possible only replacing certain key weights and colors and allowing myself a few special yarn projects each year. This project called for Hobby Lobby cotton. I rarely work with cotton yarn for doll clothes so I don't have this in stock. At some point it would be interesting to see if it changes some of the bulky issues I had with the outfit.

Notes:

I used an I hook for this pattern.

As I mentioned earlier I used acrylic worsted I'd be inclined to see how it works up with the suggested cotton yarn.