Lots to Love 10 Inch Doll Diapers

One of the advantages of working with so many different doll sizes is when you make something you have a pretty good chance that it will fit one of them.

Those of you who follow this blog know I have been making doll clothes for this donation project for some time. While there are some go to patterns that I return to year after year because they are quick to complete and guarenteed to work every year I try to try new things that keep the project interesting. Some are small projects others more daring. This year I came across this free diaper pattern you can find here.

I've never made diapers for the 10" Lots to Love Dolls and I didn't set out to do that when I made the first one of these. The pattern suggested they were made for Baby Alive which I believe to be a 14" doll. So I was thinking these might work for the JC Toys, Lots to Love Babies 14 inches Baby Doll but that didn't work out. As I mentioned above one of the advantages of donating multiple sizes is most of the time when I make something one of the dolls can use it. So while I hadn't intended to put diapers on the 10 inch doll it now has two and I'll likely make these for next year as they work up quickly.

I narrowed the the crotch section to make it fit through the legs by using decreasing sc rows with a g hook until I was through the crotch section then once passed the crotch I returned to the H hook and DC and increased the rows to get back to the required stitch count, ending in the sc row.

If I incldue diapers for the dolls I try to make 2 so the doll can wear one and then the child has a diaper to "change" the doll into.

The advantage of cloth diapers for dolls is they are reusable. I crochet mine but other people sew them and they all serve the same purpose. I know my now adult nieces used to get frustrated when the disposable diapers that came with their dolls were finished off. Most of the non-cloth doll diapers aren't reusable and even when parents have the resources to keep buying new doll diapers they aren't always easy to find the size that fits your child's doll.

It is a more practical solution if I'm donating dolls to give parents a resource that doesn't need to be replaced. There are lots of free patterns that can be adapted to different sized dolls if your child wants diapers to dress the dolls and you don't want to keep investing in disposable ones.

Lots to Love 10 Inch Doll Sweater Set

This was one of my favorite new patterns I tried last year. I just find myself smiling when I see pictures from both 2020 and 2021's version of the outfit. When I was trying to decide where to start this year, this project called to me.

This pattern is part of Darski's free Berenguer Baby Layette pattern you can find here.

I was sure I'd finished off my supply of this Herrschner's Worsted Yarn but when I went to look in my yarn supply I found a completely untouched skein. I have no idea how I still have an untoched skein but clearly it was meant to be and I will be using it to make outfits for the smaller dolls this year. While it is listed as a worsted 4 I find it to be more of a DK weight which seems to work well for these dolls.

Last year I left notes for this pattern which I thought would be clear enough but I was wrong. Some were not detailed enough. So I will leave myself directions again as I can see making this outfit again. The sweater requires an H hook to fit. The booties and the hat use a g hook. Last time I said I needed to follow the directions for the bonnet and read them carefully to make it work. Well once again I misread the directions so I'm going to note what I failed to understand twice now to help me for next time. In the second row of the bonnet you need to dc and fdc in the same stitch. Every time I've made this hat I've made them in separate stitches and the bonnet doesn't fit until you follow these directions.

Lots to Love 10 Inch Doll Nightgown

I've been balancing my time between the baby dolls and the 18" dolls trying to make sure I have enough outfits and accessories for the donation. This nightgown is part of a free pattern set found here.

This doll has proved to be an interesting yarn challenge. I'm finding the traditional baby weight yarns are often too small for the patterns I'm using and worsted weight is just a bit too heavy on this doll. It just looks big even when it fits. I've been experimenting with Caron Simply Soft which is technically a 4 weight but I've always found it to feel lighter and Herrschner's Worsted which again I find to be a lighter than sugggested 4 weight. So far I've liked the outcomes. I also like the fact that I'm using up yarn I have been hoping to finish off.

This is a pretty straight forward pattern. I did add some trim for fun. I hope to add the blanket from this set and then make the Moses basket similar to the one I made for the 8 inch doll to add to the donation.

Lots to Love 10 Inch Doll Romper

This is another free pattern found in the Berenguer Baby Layette set here. The pattern uses traditional baby colors but I had a skein of Caron Simply Soft Ombres Grape Purple left over from a scarf project that seemed like it would be a fun fit for this project and a way to decrease my oversized yarn supply. I find Caron to be one of those in between yarns like Herrschners. It say it is a 4 weight but it is a light 4 and good for those projects that fall between sports and worsted weight yarn when I make doll clothes. I find when I use it on projects that call for a worsted weight yarn I sometimes get an outfit that is a little smaller than I would have wished.

This project worked up with the suggested hook size. I did add a couple of rows to the top of the romper to give it length before splitting for the legs. The pattern calls for elastics to make the legs but I chose to split the legs and trim them. I could see the purpose for using the elastics but I went the easier route.

Once I read the directions for the hat correctly it too worked up according to the directions and hook size.

This doll is on its way to being dressed for the donation, too.

Lots to Love 10 Inch Sweater Set

Sometimes you make decisions without realizing that there is a longer term impact of that decision. I wanted to branch out this year and try working with some different kinds of dolls. Thus I've added the 8 and 10 inch Lots of Love dolls to the donation for the year without dropping the regular dolls I donate. While I began this addition with the idea of being more creative, I suspect there will be more families in need this year looking for help with Christmas gifts. Having purchased dolls early, I have a bigger supply than I've had in previous years. I wasn't thinking about this when I decided I wanted to try something new this year, but I'm pleased it has the potential to help.

This charming sweater set is a free pattern from Darski's Berenguer Baby Layette pattern you can find here.

This was made from Herrschner's Worsted Yarn which while listed as a 4 weight yearn is really more of a 3. I was thrilled with the prospect of getting rid of more yarn I have left over from previous projects. I needed an H hook to get the sweater to fit. The g hook was sufficient to make the hat fit the doll's head. I reduced stitches on the booties as mine were too large. I added little shorts to this set. There is a free romper pattern you can use if you want something for under the sweater. I plan on sending the romper as a separate set, so I wanted to be able to package this as a complete set.