Our Generation Cinderella

Now that I have multiple princess and other costume patterns written by different designers I'm trying to make sure the Our Generation doll gets a few for the donation. In the past I've tended to make these outfits primarily for the My Life dolls but this year I've been focused on trying to make things a bit more even so with multiple versions of some themes its easier to make more than one Cinderella.

This is Adoring Doll's version of Cinderella which you can purchase here.

One of my goals in making outfits for kids is making them as easy to get on and off as possible. This can be challenging when you have doll arms that aren't flexible so I try to add a little room when possible at the top withot making the top too large that it gaps open. It's always an interesting balance as I'm finding especially with the Barbie dolls this year.

Notes:

Every year my guage is slightly different. I hadn't made this outfit for the Our Generation doll before but I started with an I hook which is what I normally do with Adoring Doll's patterns and after reaching the arm hole stage realized it was going to be a really tight squeeze getting the outfit on and off. I eventually worked my way up to a K hook to get the dress to be more easily worn. These are just my notes as I do return back to these posts when I make outfits for later donations. Each person's experience may differ.

To add the overdress I changed row 9. I crocheted in the back loops for this round to leave the front loops available to begin the overskirt.

I used a snap at the back rather than buttons.

This pattern does have a shoe pattern but for some reason I missed it when I was planning this project and pulled Sweet Silver Creation's School Girl Uniform pattern and used those shoes. I generally use two of her shoe patterns when the outfit doesn't have shoes. One has a strap, this one doesn't. I'd use the Cinderella shoes next time. Just a note for reference, I need an F hook to get the school uniform shoes to fit the Our Generation Doll.

With the larger hook I should have reduced the skirt rows. It is a little long for this doll. I note this again as a reminder for my next attempt. The hair band which had been an issue with the My Life doll fit easily with the K hook for the Our Generation doll. The collar was also made with a K hook and instead of a button to join I used a snap.

American Girl Belle

It's amazing how much better a project works out when you have the supplies. Before starting the next time I made sure I checked my stash and pulled out two skeins of matching blue for the project.

I am not as crazy about the square neckline of this project as I've been about some of the other projects. However, the rest of the project was wonderful. I loved the skirt and the shoes in particular. Shoes have never been a strength of mine, but her pattern seems to work for me and I've used it with other outfits that lack shoes when I've been motivated to add them.

American Girl Princess

I am always grateful to those who design and donate their patterns for free use. It means I can stretch my donation dollars even farther. I downloaded this free pattern last year and it looked far more complicated than it was to make so I didn't make it for last year's donation. This year I've been targeting projects that I can make with yarn on hand and this one seemed possible. You can find the pattern here.

The pattern designer focused on the beads when she named her outfit, however, I loved the medieval princess look. I actually didn't include the beads. One I didn't have pearl beads on hand. Second, I'm not a huge fan of sewing beads into my crochet. Lastly, if the doll is going to be displayed those beads have a good chance of survival. If the doll is going to be played with and changed frequently the odds are less likely the beads don't end up on the floor of her new home. I went without.

What surprised me was how easy it was to make the underskirt and then crochet the over skirt after the fact. It was one of the reasons I hadn't approached the project in the previous year. It looked complicated to me. However, it was easy once I got started.