16 Inch Baby Doll Summer Dress 2

This is the second summer dress for the second 16 Inch Baby Doll

It is clear since I make it frequently that this is one of my favorite patterns for the 16 inch baby dolls. It works up fairly quickly and I like the way it looks, the ease of getting it on and off, and the ability to make it with different yarns.

This comes from an out of print House of White Birches newsprint leaflet Baby Doll Fashions to Crochet by Margaret Funk. I have noticed this newsprint leaflet and a couple of the fashion doll leaflets popping up for sale if you decide it is something you wish to seek out. I'm on my second copy of this one, although I preserved what I could of the first copy after my now 3 year old puppy decided newsprint made for a delightful chew when he was just a baby himself.

The dress is a 16 inch doll pattern from this book. The hat is adapted from the Bell hat pattern for a 13 inch doll also from this book. The shoes are my go to free shoe pattern from Darski's Peachy Keen pattern found here.

Notes:

This outfit was made with Lion Brand Ice Cream yarn Parafait.

To get this to fit the JC 16 Inch Baby Doll I started with an E hook and repeated row 5 once. Thus rows 3-6 follow the original directions for 3-5 moving each row directions down one. For the original row 6 now row 7 that starts the skirt I moved to a D hook to decrease the skirt size as it was too large with the e hook.

I started the directions for the 13 inch Baby Doll Bell hat using an e hook and increased the rows prior to creating the brim to account for the larger 16 inch baby doll head.

Using lighter yarn for the shoes requires a J hook to get them to fit.

My Life Harriet

It feels odd to be preposting in May in the middle of April but I'm glad I have enough projects finished to be ahead instead of behind. Life can get busy and it is easy to stop posting and focus on what needs to be done outside of my preparations for donations.

This was made using the free Harriet pattern from Darski's Harriet set found here.

The shoes are from Sweet Silver Creations School Uniform Pattern that can be purchased here.

Notes:

This was made with Red Heart Super Saver Heather Grey and left over Big Twist unspecified grey. I haven't bought any Big Twist since Joann closed but I have been trying to find ways to use up the stock pile I purchased prior to them closing. The scarf is made with Walmart's Mainstay's Pink Blend. I use this particular Mainstay yarn for a couple of projects because I like the color blend.

Skirt:

The skirt was made with the Red Heart Heather gray. I crochet over a pony tail elastic with an H hook and complete the pattern as written. The increases are made in the back not the sides as with the Dovetailed pattern.

Sweater:

I use an I hook for the sweater. For some reason I had to play with the collar a few times as it wasn't sitting correctly.

Scarf:

I chain 100 and then mark the end stitches as the pattern is different for these and extend the count for the middle stitches to account for the longer chain. I used an I hook for the scarf.

Shoes:

I've discovered I need an E hook to get these shoes to fit.

16 Inch Baby Doll Sunny Days

This is one of the patterns that seems to appear for this doll most years. Darski created a great outfit for the doll.

The dress pattern is called Sunny Days and can be found here. The shoes are my standard shoes from her free Peachy Keen pattern found here

Notes:

Dress:

I used a J hook for the bodice and an H for the skirt.

Row 5 should read dc in sc 3 dc in 5 not 2 or the count gets complicated.

I don't decrease for row 6 as I find the bodice gets tight.

I continue the skirt until it covers the white section of the legs.

Row 14 is listed but I've never had the directions and have always created them. I'm now recording them for future reference. sc in first ch 2 skip 1 repeat around.

I failed to make this note on the written copy of this pattern which I have since added but I find this pattern to be short. I need to add more rows prior to making rows 12 and 13 the finishing rows for the skirt.

I've always finished the arms but again finally recorded what I did as the look with the larger hook is unfinished. sc chain 2 sc around.

Hat:

J Hook for hat. I followed directions as written.

Shoes:

I hook. Followed pattern as written.

16 Inch Baby Doll Dress for Summer 2

I've been keeping to some simple doll projects the last few weeks. Every project finished is another item in the doll bags.

This is the second one I needed for the two 16 Inch dolls that will go out in December. This pattern is from an old Margaret Funk newsprint leaflet, 1981 House of White Birches Baby Doll Fashions to Crochet, that I'm hoping to dive into more this year for the donation outfits. I've been using this particular pattern but I've realized there are more that can be adapted.

The shoes are from a free Darski Pattern Set Peachy Keen which I use for all this doll's shoes as they are the only one's I've been able to get to fit this doll. You can find that pattern here.

Notes:

I returned to Lion Brand Ice Cream Yarn for this project with the exception of the shoes which require worsted 4. This is made with Black Cherry. The shoes are made with scrap yarn from a previous project.

I use an e and d hook for this project.

Start with e hook completing rows 1-5 repeat row 5 changing all further row counts.

For the actual Row 6 which now will be Row 7 that starts the skirt round change to D hook to keep the skirt from becoming too big.

I keep playing with hats. I started with a circle until it fit the head and then I started with alternating 4 front post and back post stitches to create some texture to for the hat. The edges are made with triple crochets alternating with a sc around rather than a dc that I've tried previously.

Lots to Love 10 Inch Baby Doll Sweetly Top, Pants, Bonnet, and Shoes

I've finally finished working with Darski's free Sweetly pattern set for the Lots to Love 10 Inch Baby Doll which you can find here.

Notes:

I used Bernat Big Baby Sport Yarn for this project Lavendar and Baby Baby.

Bonnet: Follow directions as written with sugggested G hook.

Pants: I always make my pants top down when I can. I used an f hook chaining 44 for the waist. Mine are made with double crochets until pants are long enough from waist to split for crotch. I chained 3 and joined at back and then completed each leg individually.

Shirt: I used a g hook rather than the suggested f.

Shoes: I'd made several booties for this set so I modified the pattern to make Mary Jane's for this set.

Our Generation Pilgrim

The 2025 donation has begun.

I had started this outfit before Thanksgiving but life has a way of getting in the way of crochet plans.

I had originally intended this for the My Life Doll but it was a better fit for the Our Generation. Since I want to make the matching boy outfit for the Our Generation boy doll not a bad idea to start here. I'd like to complete some My Life holiday outfits during the year but they don't all have to be done now.

The dress is made using Darski's free We Gather pattern found here. I used an I hook for the dress. I'd do a better job with the button holes in the future. The collar for the dress, the apron and the shoes are from Adoring Doll's Pilgrim that can be purchased here. I still am playing with the bonnet pattern. Not completely thrilled with it yet.

I used an I hook for the dress and an H for the shoes. I might go back to an I for the shoes.

Rag Doll Bathing Suit

With the arrival of the hotter summer weather I've embarked on the doll bathing or swim suit project for the donation. I try to send each doll off with a bathing/swim suit each year. I believe I have at least one or more options for each doll.

The Rag Doll is always a challenge to dress because there are no patterns written for the doll. You can purchase the doll at Factory Direct but they don't provide clothing options.

This pattern is adapted from a free Dora the Explorer Doll pattern Oceanside found here. I only use the bathing suit for the Rag Doll but there are other accessories included.

Notes:

I use a J hook for everything but the skirt and the trims on this pattern. For those sections I use an I hook.

The back doesn't close right away and this always throws me which is why I continue to take a picture of the finished back to remind me a large gap in the back is intended not a mistake.

I don't add the extra finish shaping rows at the top. It doesn't work right for me for this doll.

As suggested I do an extra row on the white skirt.

The skirt got a little folded in the back when I took the picture but it actually does work as a full skirt around.

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.

Rag Doll Dress for February

I'm learning to document more as I work on these projects because sometimes I figure out a solution some time during the process and think this will work better next time only to discover I'm in the same pickle because I never documented the solution.

This is a free Dora the Explorer pattern that I've adapted for use with both the Rag doll and the 16 inch baby doll. You can find it here.

Notes:

I use a K hook for the first 7 rows joining at the end of row 7.

For the skirt I switch to an I hook to the end of the dress.

In Row 1 to make the arms fit both dolls I need to chain 8.

However this creates and issue with the skirt so in the following row I need to evenly reduce by 8 stitches the number of additional chains added in the previous row prior to starting the pattern that will eventually establish the skirt.

Use a stitch marker to mark the decreases and increases. They are just easy to lose.

Don't skip the directions for finishing the top and the arms.

I used a snap for the back after finishing the edges.

Lots to Love 8 Inch Baby Doll Moses Basket

This project was finished during down moments over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Between the basket and the blanket it was a great project because it was mobile and could be worked on easily without lots of extra items. The Moses Basket pattern comes from Annie Potter Presents Sweet Baby Layette pattern set that can be purchased here. Darski's BBL pattern set provided a free blanket pattern, you can find it here.

Notes:

I used Premier Dominoes for this project. Again this is yarn that I had intended for prayer shawls but not sure when those will be made so I'm determined not to let stuff grow into my permanent stash.

For the basket I used a g hook and the sizing was good. I like the heavier yarn for these baskets. It works up a bit easier than trying to manage the 2 pieces of worsted 4 together. It is a bit lighter but the dolls aren't heavier enough that it makes a huge difference.

I used baby yarn instead of worsted 4 for the blanket so I kept with the J hook instead of reducing to the F hook which I had done last year. As a note for next year I would reduce the hook size as the blanket is a little larger than needed but it still works well enough that I'm not going to remake it. However, next year I'd continue with the baby yarn and experiment with hook size to see what size would be a better fit. I'm thinking the g is likely a good option.

I have a snuggle sack to make for the Lots to Love 10 inch doll and a Moses Basket for the Lil Cutesies doll and this portion of the doll donation will be done for 2024. I need to get back to finishing the JC 16 inch doll diapers as I stopped after two and I need one more baby bib for them as well.

Happy Thanksgiving

For all of you here in America, I wish you a happy, healthy Thanksgiving.

I still have one more donation doll post tomorrow for 2023 but these two outfits are going to new homes to be worn for Thanksgiving by the My Life dolls of two daughters of friends we will be seeing today.

Notes: The main outfit dress, with the exception of the collar and apron are from Darski's free We Gather pattern found here.

The shoes and collar are from Adoring Doll's Pilgrim Girl set which includes a dress and accessories I happen to prefer the above. You can purchase that here.

I've tried the bonnet from both and keep making my own. I just don't find the fit of either set works for me.

16 Inch Baby Doll B & B Sweater Set

I finished off another outfit for one of the JC 16 Inch Baby dolls. This is made using Darski's free B and B Sweater set found here. I made a note on last year's post not to put a button on the top that I clearly didn't read. I'm putting it back on this post because it looks better without the top button and when I make this again I will want to remember that hint.

I used an I hook for the sweater and shoes and followed the directions as written. I would skip the top button when I make this again as it is just too tight at the top. I'd also considering adding a couple additional rows to the length of the sweater before doing the bp stitches as it was a bit shorter than I remembered from my previous attempts. I used Joann's Big Twist Yarn this year which is a bit lighter so it could have resulted in a smaller sweater.

I tend to make my pants from the top down so last year I wrote the directions and I post them just so if I lose the pattern, which I've been known to do, I can refer her for directions. This year I had to do a row of sc 2 dec sc for 2 rows when I was done as the pants were loose at the top. I will check the chains next time and perhaps reduce if the pants are loose before fininishing.

Pants:

I used an H hook

Ch 56 and Join

DC for 7 rows

Split evenly for legs chain 4 and join.

DC 2 DC dec around leg

sc chain 3

Repeat for other leg

This year I again started with the hat pattern from the free pattern set Mon Petite Chou found here. After fininishing the formation of the hat I went to a chain 3 front post dc in first stitch, hdc in next stitch around. I did that until hat was at a length I was happy with for the doll.

Our Generation Bathing Suit

With this finished swim suit I am down to 2 to finish my yearly challenge. I need one more for the 16 Inch Baby Doll and one more for the My Life doll and all dolls will leave with a suit in their donation bag.

This pattern is one of Darski's free patterns found in her Weatherby set here.

Notes:

I used a K hook for the first 2 rows of the bathing suit as I couldn't get it to slide over hips with smaller hooks. I went back to an I hook after that and the bathing suit fit fine. For similiar issues I used a K hook for cover and the visor.

I added a row of dc front post stitches to the visor prior to adding the suggested front post stitches as it added some bulk to the visor and made it less floppy.

I've made this outfit a couple of times now for the Our Generation doll and next year I think I'd like to try one of the other bathing suit patterns and see if I can find one that fits without being quite as bulky as this one.

16 Inch Baby Doll Sundress

This is probably the oldest and most consistant of my donation patterns for the 16 inch baby doll. Technically I have "older" patterns, some antique but I found this one when I was first starting with the 15 inch baby dolls and have used it consistantly since then.

Sadly the blogger has disappeared from the Internet but you can still access the pattern through the wayback machine here. The pattern includes the hat and the dress. I use Darski's baby shoe pattern for all my 16 inch baby doll outfits found in her free Peachy Keen pattern here. It is one of the only patterns that seems to consistantly fit the doll and stay on.

I was excited to finish off another ball in my collection of left overs, although it didn't quite finish the whole outfit. I had to start a new skein to finish off the hat and to add the shoes. However, it is always great to see a ball gone. I have a green ball eyed for the copy of this dress I need for the other 16 inch baby doll. While I still have to stock up on colors I go through consistantly I like to target yarns that I bought and never used each year and now that I have my left overs in a bin I like to use them up as well.

Notes:

This pattern was designed for a smaller doll so I've had to work on hook sizes to get a good fit over the years.

I use a K hook for the dress joining after the first row. I used an H hook for the hat and an I hook for the shoes. I do have to make the straps a bit longer but I play with that every year so I didn't record a strap length this year.

Our Generation Howdy Neighbor Madison

Guage is always an interesting adventure for me. I can follow the directions I've used for years with a doll and some years it just changes. Last year I wrote down the changes for the Madison pattern to fit the My Life doll and I followed them using a ball of yarn I believe I was using last year when I made the doll for the My Life donation in 2022. However, this year the dress was a better fit for the Our Generation doll. No real loss since I generally have more outfits for the two My Life Dolls than the Our Generation Doll, but I always find it strange to see what works and what doesn't from year to year.

Notes:

I used a J hook for the bodice as it was tight with an I hook. After the joining round I returned to the I hook.

I finished the back in green rather than the white trim. It just worked better for me. I also used a snap to close the back rather than buttons.

Row Changes:

Row 3: It says sc 19 I believe this should read 9 to match the stitch count. This is why I love designers that give you a stitch count. It is so much easier to figure out what they intended when I make a mistake or when there is a mistake in the pattern.

Row 11: There was no stitch count for row 10 so I could be off, however, based on what I did in row 10 to reach the stitch count in row 11 I dc in 5 3dce in next 11 times to get a count of 55.

To get the length I wanted on the dress I added rows.

I went from 12-16 to 12-20.

Trim:

I did not finish the back in white and I adjusted the top trip. I did not ss I crocheted 5 sc across back. I chained 8 instead of 5 for the strap, it was too tight with 5. Then I continued pattern as written making these changes for the other side of the dress.

Since this works up quick I may try it later for the My Life dolls with an I hook to see if I can get a better fit with a different colored yarn.

It feels good to get some items finished for the project. There are many wonderful positive things going on outside of doll world but this donation is near and dear to me and I want to make sure I don't neglect it.

Our Generation Dovetailed

As I mentioned in previous doll posts I've been working my way through Darski's free 18 inch doll patterns.

I often neglect the Our Generation doll and find myself scrambling at the last minute to make it equal for the doll donation. There are certain outfits I tend to make for the Our Generation doll so I'm trying to pull some of those as I go through the binder and make sure the Our Generation doll gets some attention as I go.

This is Darski's Dovetailed pattern and you can find it here.

Notes:

I use an I hook for the skirt and I use a hair elastic for the waist band

To make the top fit I use a K hook until I change to pink then I change to a J hook. I finish the back with grey and make the button holes as I finish the back. I tried finishing the back with white on the Rivulets outfit and liked the look. However, as I looked at the back of this outfit again, still didn't like the idea of finishing the back in white, so I went with grey.

My Life Youthful Memories

This has been a wonderful busy year and I'm trying to make sure that despite some great things coming into my life I don't forget those in need. The doll donation may not end world hunger but joy is a precious gift in our world. Providing something unexpected to children at Christmas is something I've enjoyed doing for some time now.

I mentioned in my previous doll post this week that last year we organized all Darski's doll pattern links on Crochetville and I printed out the ones I hadn't previously downloaded. I also put together a binder of her 18 inch doll patterns so I could find them when I wanted them, rather than hunting through several binders of patterns to find hers. This summer as I return to making doll clothes again I've turned to an old friend's binder to find inspiration for the journey. Her patterns are so creative that I've found myself back into the groove of creating doll clothes and still working on shawls.

This free pattern is Youthful Memories and you can find it here.

This was another one I thought I'd made but while similiar to some of her other patterns I've never made this one before. This is a delightful outfit and it works up fairly quickly. This was another chance to use up left over yarn from previous projects.

Notes:

I used a hairband for the elastic waist. I've continued to need an I hook for her patterns this year.

Rag Doll Swim Suit

In my quest to send out as many of the donation dolls with bathing suits last year I discovered that Darski's free Dora the Explorer Oceanside pattern, found here, would fit the Rag Doll with a few minor adjustments.

I need a J hook for the outfit and and I for the trim. I had more Wildflower Red Heart left over from last year's project so I continued with it for this year's suit as well. I figured out how to add the white trim to the top for this year's version and I like the look.

Rag Doll A Dress for February

Technically the holiday outfits won't be used until after they are gifted this Christmas so being late finishing a Valentine outfit isn't the end of the world.

A Dress for February is a free Dora the Explorer Doll pattern you can find here. In order to get it to fit the Rag doll I used a K hook for the top section and an I hook for the skirt.

For my own notes I used Red Heart Super Saver Grenadine for the dark pink this year. It's a new to me shade and I likely will not remember its name to buy again if I don't record. The white and pink are left over from previous projects that I'm trying to finish off. I used a button to close the back.

16 Inch Baby Doll Dress for March

Since last year I've been attacking a large skein of Michael's Craft Smart Yarn that I bought years ago on a whim when AC Moore closed and wasn't crazy about the yarn. Last year I decided it was time to use up the yarn and make room for yarn I do love. However, no matter how much I use it seems to grow back at night. So you can expect to see more projects this year as I'm determined to see it gone.

This set uses three of Darski's free doll patterns.

The Dress is a Dora Pattern: A Dress For February found here

The Shoes: Peachy Keen found here

The Hat: Sunny Days found here

Just as an aside we just put together a list of Darski's free doll patterns found on Crochetville for a variety of dolls here. It's a great starting point if you are looking for free patterns, especially for the 18 inch American Girl type dolls or baby dolls like this one.

This pattern was designed for the Dora the Explorer Doll so clearly adjustments have to be made for the different shape of the JC Toys -16-inch Baby Doll. I use a K hook for the bodice and an I hook for the skirt. I join the outfit after the 7th round. In row 1 I chain 8 not 6. This leads to a change in row 3 of sc 7 never 6 to reduce the stitch count. I close the back with a snap. I added one additional row to the final color stripe. I'm not a huge fan of the white body suit showing on this doll and try to cover it when possible.

For the shoes I use an I hook for the main portion of the shoe and a H hook for the straps.

I used a J hook for the hat.

This is a fairly quick outfit to make for the dolls and I usually make one for each of the 16 inch dolls and this year I've already completed one for the Rag Doll to donate.