My Life Mermaid

I'm down to my last two posts for the projects for the 2023 donation. I'm actually in the process of sorting stuff and packing it as I write this up and prepost it. I have a delivery date and while it seems impossible it soon will be time to begin work on 2024's donations.

After starting on the Mary Maxim kit I was pretty sure I had another Mermaid pattern. Before I discovered Adoring Doll's 18 inch patterns, Sweet Silver Crochet patterns was one of the places I got many of my themed outfits for the dolls. Sure enough I had picked up her Mermaid pattern and never made it. I seemed 2023 was the year of the Mermaid. You can purchase her pattern here. Notes: I used Red Heart Super Saver Wild Flower and Turqa. Peacock would likely work for the tail as well. The suggested yarn is Crafter's Secret but I didn't have any and Red Heart worked for the project.

I did not record the hook size but I'm thinking I had to go up to an I to get the waist section of the tail to fit. It might have been an H for the fin.

This should become part of my princess rotation. I pulled the patterns late in the year but the thing about an on going project is nothing stops you from continuing it into the next year and I hope to add more princess dresses to next year's donation.

My Life Cinderella

Cinderella seemed an appropriate post for Halloween. Every year I try to either add patterns I haven't ever made or return to favorites I haven't made in a few years. The princess patterns are always favorites but they don't make it into every donation. This year I decided to see if I could bring back a few as I know they tend to be popular.

This is Sweet Silver Creation's pattern that can be purchased here. I have a few Cinderella patterns that pop up for the donation from time to time. This one requires a signficant commitment of yarn in the main color. I was able to use a left over ball of light blue but this used up a signficant amount of a Caron Pounder.

Notes:

I noticed I never made notes for previous outings so best to get a few simple notes down.

I used an H hook for this pattern the I was a bit big, it might work for the Our Generation if I decide to switch up and make this pattern for the Our Generation next time.

The dress and the collar were closed with a snap.

I did not end for arms but continued pattern in more traditional arm fashion. I've not had good luck following arm section as written.

The shoes are made using the shoes from Silver Creation's School Uniform pattern and the suggested f hook. The pattern can be purchased here.

My Life Swim Suit Doll 2

Swim suits or bathing suits are one of the more common 18 inch doll patterns and I have acquired quite a few patterns over the years which allows me to rotate them around and not have to do the same ones each year. This one was one of my firsts and sadly is no longer available. Along with the suit, hat, and towel seen here the pattern also has a beach ball and rubby ducky floaty which with time constraints I chose not to make this year. The pattern was created by Stepahine Dygert and if it becomes available again, I'll add the link.

My gauge has been odd this fall. I needed a J hook to get this to slide over the doll. I went back to an f hook for the accessories and the hat fit the head fine. The other items were less sized based so the f hook was fine. I might consider an e hook if I make the pail again with acrylic rather than cotton yarn.

I did try this on the JC 16 Inch Baby doll and the fit is good so this might also be the second baby doll swim suit as well. It works up quickly and it keeps the sorting a little easier when the clothes aren't identical in the donation bags.

My Life Rivulets

Last year at Crochetville we pinned all of Darski's free doll patterns on a post to make them easier for ourselves and visitors to the site to find.

While researching the links for the project I realized I'd missed a couple of projects that I thought I'd made before.

For instance the pattern color of this dress is similiar to the Madison dress and I suspect I had the two confused. I chose yellow because I have a big ball left over from a previous project and I didn't have green. Since one of my goals with the doll project is to use up left over yarn the yellow was a logical choice. I was even able to use up left over white yarn from a baby blanket that has been wanting a new home.

You can find the free pattern link for Rivulets here.

Project notes:

I used an I hook for this project. The yarn was all worsted weight left overs from previous projects likely Caron Pounder for the yellow and Mary Maxim baby yarn for the white. In previous years I've made shoes for every outfit however this year I think I'm going to make packets of shoes for each doll and send them with the dolls as I think I could manage a shoe weekend and I often have lost energy when I come to the end of a doll project as I'm squeezing them in between shawl projects.

My Life Sleeping Bag 2

I hear Europe's The Final Countdown playing in my head. It is done. The challenge with having multiple 18 inch dolls is you have to make multiple items if you are making accessories to donate. However, this is the final sleeping bag or sleep sack that will be needed for the 2023 donation!!!!! I have finished them. It is time to celebrate.

This is the oddest of the skeins I used for the project. It is one of the down sides to ordering online. You think you have a clear idea of the color stripe you are ordering and then when you see it in person not quite what you thought it was when you saw the picture online. However, waste not want not. It does kind of make for a funky sleeping bag.

This is a free pattern you can find here.

My Life Sleeping Bag

As I type this I'm reminded of those childhood songs we sung in the car to pass the time where you count down how many more things are left. Well I have only one more sleeping bag after this one and all the dolls leaving for the 2023 donation will either have a sleeping bag or a baby doll snuggle sack leaving with them. A new item for this year but it feels like a great new addition to add some fun imaginative play to the donation.

This actually proved to be my new travel project. It used to be doll blankets but with COVID I wasn't doing much traveling and I focused my home time to making clothes and accessories for the donation and toys for the family boxes I sent out. However, I find myself needing projects when I'm out at appointments now and these little bags have provent to be a great travel project as they travel well and are easy to pick up and stop without a huge issue. I only need to check as I get to the end to make sure the doll fits so row counts aren't really an issue once the pillow is made. It makes for a great travel project.

For those of you interested this is a free pattern available here. It is a nice accessory pattern if you need a gift for an 18" doll fan.

My Life Shamrock

I saw this new pattern at Adoring dolls, available for purchase here, and wanted to try it out for the donation. I like adding holiday outfits and I also think the skirt and shirt could be adapted for non-holiday use as well.

I always end up using an I hook to get this designer's clothes to fit, just a guage issue on my end. I went with a f hook for the clover and added a fourth section to add some luck.

The yarn is a variety of worsted weight yarns I had on hand and I'm pleased to note I was able to use up some black yarn bobbins I had left over from a blanket project making the trims for this project. I finishing off left over yarn.

My Life Robbie Lynn Spring Dress

This is one of Adoring Doll's patterns that you can purchase here. Her patterns always find themselves on my gift wish lists and I have a doll binder devoted to her patterns at this point and work myself through quite a few of them for both the 18 inch dolls both My Life and Our Generation and now the Glitter Girls.

Notes:

I've found for most of her outfits while she lists a G hook I need an I to make the outfits fit. I've always had weird guage so my notes are a reminder to myself to go with the I hook.

These shoes are a departure for me as they are button hook shoes and the button needs to be on the outside for each shoe. The directions are clear on how to do this but a reminder not to panic as the shoes look similiar when finished but fit fine when you remind yourself that the buttons are placed correctly and should be worn on the outside. I had a momentary panic after completing the second shoe and putting it on the doll the wrong way that I'd made the shoe wrong. However the shoe can be put on wrong and "fit" but it doesn't mean it's made wrong it just fits both ways, although not as well.

My Life Valentine Outfit

Valentine's Day kind of crept on me this year and while I can add holiday outfits at any time of the year since the donation doesn't go out until November there is something about making the outfits around the holiday as a way to celebrate that appeals to me. I finished Darski's pattern and decided to continue on with Adoring Doll's pattern that you can purchase here.

Pattern Notes:

I used an I hook for most of this pattern.

In order to get the slip stitches in I added them slightly differently than the designer. After row 1 I went back to the start of row 1 and did a row of pink slip stitches ended and finished off pink and continued on with white and row 2.

After row 2 I repeated this for second set of ss.

At the end of row 9 I repeated this for ss that heart will sit on.

Hat and shoes were made with I hook.

Sweater:

I hook

I added 2 sc rows to arms and finished them with a sc chain 3 skip on around

I finished complete edge of sweater in process of making suggested button hole I just preffered a finished look.

While I love the sailor shoes I have to remember to use this shoe pattern more frequently as I really like them!

My Life Hearts and Flowers

Over the years of this donation I've enjoyed including holiday outfits for the donation dolls when I've had time to add them. I don't need to make them close to the holidays as the package goes out at the Christmas season, but there is something fun about making them as a way of celebrating my own holiday seasons. This is one of Darski's free patterns found here.

The shoes are not part of the free set but have become my favorite shoe pattern. They are part of Sweet Silver Creation's Sailor Dress pattern. I don't always make the dress every year but I've lost count of the number of shoes I've made from this pattern you can purchase here. I like the shoes because they are easy to make and stay on the doll's feet.

Pattern Notes:

I use a K hook for the first 4 rows of this dress as with my odd guage it is the only way I can get the dress to slide on and off. I use an I hook for the rest of the outfit including the shoes. I returned to row 11 using an I and reduced last sc row of top.

The flower belongs lower on the waist but I was experimenting with the ties in the back which I've never done before and I ended tacking the flower at the top of the dress instead of the waist. I'm noting this because I do check my previous blog notes when remaking these outfits for future donations.