Our Generation Doll Sleeping Bag

I did real well at the start of the donation year getting all the baby doll snuggle snacks completed. However, I seem to have stalled on the sleeping bags for the non-baby doll donations. Last week seemed like a good chance to get this project restarted finishing one I had started as a travel project.

Notes:

This was made with Caron Ombre Salmon yarn and a K hook rather than the suggested I.

You can find the free pattern here.

I have 2 to make for the My Life dolls, one for the Rag doll and I believe Barbie is the only fashion doll I still need to make a sleeping bag for this donation season. I'd like to get them finished so I could start some of my other yearly projects like the bathing suits.

I got the pillow section done for the next My Life doll so hopefully that will get some momentum started for this project.

Our Generation Madison

Darski's Madison pattern from her Howdy Neighbor pattern set has become a go to pattern for both the Our Generation and the My Life doll. It is a quick and easy pattern but with the spike stitches it has a fun summer look to it.

You can find the free pattern set with additional patterns here. The shoes are part of a pattern set no longer available from Sweet Silver Creations.

Notes:

I use a J hook for the bodice section of the dress returning to an I hook once the dress has been joined. The skirt gets very puffy if I continue with a J.

Row 3 should read sc 9 not 19 as the numbers do not work for the stitch count without this change. I love it when there are stitch counts.

Row 11: Row 10 sadly doesn't have a stitch count so having made this a number of times now I'm making this note for myself others may find it works differently for them. I dc in 5 in order to get a stitch count of 55.

Rows 12-16 I increased to 20 for the length I wanted. Thus making row 17 row 21

Bodice trim and strap changes:

Instead of slst in 5 I sc in 5 then I chained 8 for the arm strap. This was just a better look and feel for me. This changes the next chain direction to chain 8 ending with sc 5 at end.

I chose to finish back with green not white trim. I also closed it with a snap which is why the sc are more important at the top as it gives a better spot for snaps to sit.

I feel like I'm getting a bit more balanced in finishing outfits for all the dolls rather than focusing on certain dolls and leaving some neglected.

Our Generation Deep Teal Ombre Flamenco

I'm slowly working through my staple patterns for the larger dolls. The dress is another version of the free pattern found here.

Notes: I used Red Heart Deep Teal Ombre for this pattern. This would also be great for a mermaid outfit.

The shoes are part of Sweet Silver's Sailor pattern that I did finally locate. This is one of my favorite shoe patterns for the dolls but she is not currently selling it in her Etsy store.

I made a note after making shoes for the first outfit for the Our Generation Girl doll that they fit better with a G hook for this doll than the H I use for the My Life Doll.

Hats continue to be a work in progress. I continue to experiment but haven't found the hat pattern I'm ready to record.

Our Generation Let the Sunshine In

I'm continuing to try to rotate through the various donation dolls to make sure they all get a decent sized donation bag to leave with in November. While this set has several pieces it works up fairly quickly so it was a great choice to add to the Our Generation doll's donation. You can find this free pattern as part of Darski's Weatherby Set here. I used the swim suit pattern from this set for the Our Generation doll this year as well.

I tend to find shoe patterns from other sets and because I can make them work I keep using them. These shoes are from a pattern set I purchased from Sweet Silver Creations School Uniform you can purchase here.

Notes:

I used a K hook on the dress for the bodice and an I hook for the skirt. I used a K hook for the Bolero jacket.

I used an F hook for the shoes and reduced around for the final row to get the shoes to fit.

Last year I took these pictures for something that might be obvious to others but had me confused. I knew I'd made this jacket before but I couldn't figure out how it was large enough to fit the doll. The directions for the collar need to be completed prior to adding the arms. The collar increases the size of the jacket working completely around the outside of the jacket. It will eventually bend to form a collar at the top but it is not what one thinks of as working a collar at the top of shirt or jacket. I went back and used these pictures as I thought I might this year so I'm adding them again as I suspect I will be back looking for them again.

I'd only made this jacket once before and the notes I made said it was different but I didn't write down how. This time I took pictures for something that might be obvious to others but had me confused. I knew I'd made this jacket before but I couldn't figure out how it was large enough to fit the doll. The directions for the collar need to be completed prior to adding the arms. The collar increases the size of the jacket working completely around the outside of the jacket. It will eventually bend to form a collar at the top but it is not what one thinks of as working a collar at the top of shirt or jacket.

I have no idea how many more outfits I can finish before the deadline but what ever isn't finished this year will make it into the 2024 donation.

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.

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.

Our Generation Boy Sleeping Bag

I came across Red Heart Super Saver's Latte Stripes while wandering the yarn aisles. As I'd already begun the sleeping bag project it seemed like it would stripe nicely into another one and I picked up a jumbo skein as I have it in mind to try for sweaters as well.

This is a free pattern designed for the American Girl doll that you can find here. This leaves me with just the two My Life 18 inch dolls to outfit with sleeping bags and this challenge will be met for the 2023 doll donation. All the dolls will be leaving with either a sleeping bag or a snuggle sack for the baby dolls.

The bathing suit challenge is coming along more slowly but I'm making progress as I can't use the same pattern for as many of the dolls I do need to have more specific patterns that will fit the range of dolls in the donation.

Our Generation Harriet

Harriet is another one of Darski's free pattern sets found here. I hope to make the evening gown for the My Life doll later.

I thought I had organized all my misc yarn balls into a bin but I found a grey one while searching for the yarn for this project and there was almost enough to finish the hat.

I worked this pattern according to directions.

I've been sticking with 2 of Sweet Silver Creations shoe pattern for most of my 18 inch doll projects. If you have a pattern that works up easily and fits with the outfit it seems foolish not to use it. This pattern is from her School Uniform pattern and can be purchased here.

Our Generation Let the Sunshine In

I mentioned in a previous post that I had not done well by the Our Generation dolls with my donations last year despite my Mom's generous box of clothes. I decided this year to make sure I didn't neglect the dolls as I worked through my crochet projects.

Next up we have Let the Sunshine In part of Darski's free Weatherby pattern set found here. This is the same pattern set the bathing suit for the Our Generation doll came from and I decided to continue working from the set and add the dress set to the Our Generation donations.

Notes:

I used a K hook on the dress for the bodice and an I hook for the skirt. I used a K hook for the Bolero jacket.

I'd only made this jacket once before and the notes I made said it was different but I didn't write down how. This time I took pictures for something that might be obvious to others but had me confused. I knew I'd made this jacket before but I couldn't figure out how it was large enough to fit the doll. The directions for the collar need to be completed prior to adding the arms. The collar increases the size of the jacket working completely around the outside of the jacket. It will eventually bend to form a collar at the top but it is not what one thinks of as working a collar at the top of shirt or jacket.

I took these pictures because I do know when I come back to this project for a future donation I'll appreciate the visual cue to remind me along with the notes I left on the pattern.

Our Generation Bathing Suit

I tend to neglect the Our Generation Dolls as the box of knitted clothes my Mom sends every year tend to fit the Our Generation dolls better than the My Life dolls and provide a fairly substanial wardrobe for the donation dolls.

I did better in 2020 as I made an effort to fit more of the 18" doll patterns I have to the Our Generation doll. Last year after seeing my Mom's donation, I sadly only finished one outfit for the Our Generation dolls. This year I'm starting early in hopes of doing better at getting more of my own outfits in the Our Generation box.

I mentioned previously that I've been on a kick to get donation dolls ready for summer with bathing suits as a means of dealing with the cold here. This bathing suit is one of Darski's free patterns found in her free Weatherby pattern set here.

Notes:

My guage has been funny lately so these are strictly for my purposes only, not in any way intended as directions for others to follow.

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.

I am pleased to say I'm still working from last years left over yarn ball stash. This project was made completely from left over yarn. This has turned into a creative project to find ways to turn these left overs into doll projects.

Our Generation Sock Yarn Skirt and Top

A few years back while attending a fiber festival I won a box of Spud and Chloe sock yarn as a vendor prize. While I have constantly used the yarn needle and round cardboard holder they gave out (I may have substituted needles since then) I had a small issue with the sock yarn. I don't make socks. The yarn is beautiful and the women I was with with thrilled for me but I was concerned this yarn would become a permanent resident of my ever growing stash.

Sure enough as I have been digging through my stash to target yarn that has to go during the doll projects this year I came across the box of Spud and Chloe sock yarn and decided it was time to make use of it for the doll donation. I remembered ABC knitting had some crochet doll outfits that might work and set out to see what I could target.

I started with the skirt which called for fingering yarn. You can find the free pattern for the skirt here. This pattern calls for a D hook with the sock yarn I used a C hook to make it fit and next time I might go down to a B. While it has a draw string it was loose at the waist for the My Life doll. It fit better on the Our Generation Doll with the C hook.

I used another free crochet pattern from ABC Knitting for the top. I reversed the jacket from the Elizabeth pattern found here. Instead of a cardigan, I made it a shirt that closes in the back. I used snaps instead of buttons to close it.

I have a small ball of the dark pink and a good size ball of the dark pink left so I'm sure you will see those in future projects.

Our Generation Neon Dress, Hat and Purse

A while back I needed to make more kitchen scrubbies and to entertain myself I picked up brightly colored striped and variegated yarn to make them. The scrubbies finished I of course had left over yarn that has been sitting in my stash wondering when it would be put to use. Every year I promise myself I will tackle the orphan yarns in my stash during the doll project and I make some progress each year. This year with the COVID crisis I've been making more of an effort as my choices are limited to using up my stash or ordering online. So, I've been pushing myself to find ways to use up that yarn that catches my eye when I go into my yarn storage and wonder when will I ever find a use for.....

While pulling the yarn to make the dress for the My Life doll this neon yarn called to me and it just seemed like a good fit for the Our Generation doll.

To make this pattern work for the Our Generation doll I needed to increase the hook size to an I hook. I also added rows to make the skirt longer. The hat was an experiment. The purse was simply a square made with front post and back post stitches. I joined yarn on the starting row and made the back with dc's. I crocheted around the edges joining them with the purse strap chains to get to the other side. Not elegant but it worked.

For those of you who are interested you can find the free pattern for the dress here.

Our Generation Elizabeth Skirt and Summer Jacket

While I repeat many patterns each year for the donation I like the challenge of trying new patterns each year. This is a free pattern set found at ABC Knitting here. Don't let the name confuse you this site has free crochet and knitting patterns. I am not much of a knitter so you can guarantee when I make doll clothes they are crochet.

As you may have come to expect if you read this blog I played with this pattern just a little bit. The pattern called for size 3 thread. I'm not a huge fan of working with crochet thread so I wanted to see if I could make it with baby yarn. It was a bit bulky for the My Life Doll but it fit the Our Generation Doll. I did make the skirt and the jacket longer as they were both short on the Springfield Doll I was using to size the outfit. However, when it was finished it looked a little boxy. I tried in on the Our Generation Doll and I liked the fit better, thus another Our Generation outfit completed for the donation.

Notes for myself: I used Red Heart Comfort Sport and Bernat Baby for this project with a C hook.