American Girl Mrs. Claus

I love sending off a Mrs. Claus dress with my Christmas doll donation. I didn't get one finished last year, so I was determined to finish one for 2014.

The dress is adapted from the free Pilgrim dress pattern found here. The free Santa hat pattern can be found here. I'm using the dress pattern to work on a Halloween witch dress. I'll post the link to the free witch hat pattern when I finish it.

I'm also working on some scarfs and a reader's shawl. These are a departure from my usual projects, but I wanted a hooded scarf to deal with the cold and I saw the shawl on Annie's Attic and wanted to try it out. I couldn't decide on one scarf so I'm experimenting with a few different patterns. We'll see how they all work out.

Barbie and American Girl Doll Free Patterns are listed on my blog at these locations:

Barbie Crochet and Sewing Page

Barbie Knitting Page

Ken Page

Kelly/Skipper Page

American Girl Doll Crochet and Sewing

American Girl Doll Knitting

Doll Blankets and Pillow Patterns

Baby Doll Patterns:

Baby Doll and Cabbage Patch

Additional Doll Patterns also Available on the Holiday Blogs:

Christmas

Valentines

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

Pictures may not be used without written permission.

American Girl Christmas Dress

I finished the second outfit for my 2014 doll donation. You can find the free pattern here. I decided to work through the holiday dresses first.

I haven't made this dress in a while. I had forgotten a few things. For instance, for the bottom trim there is a way to crochet the trim. However, I always just sew it, using a modified lazy daisy stitch. It gives the same effect and it is easier for me.

It has been fun working on Christmas dresses during the Christmas season. Usually, I’m working on holiday doll outfits in the spring or summer. It feels festive to be working on them while preparing for Christmas.

Another plus has been using up Christmas yarn I had left over from last year. I think I have enough for another doll dress. We will see what next year brings.

This dress works up quickly and makes a nice Christmas party dress for the 18" dolls.

Barbie and American Girl Doll Free Patterns are listed on my blog at these locations:

Barbie Crochet and Sewing Page

Barbie Knitting Page

Ken Page

Kelly/Skipper Page

American Girl Doll Crochet and Sewing

American Girl Doll Knitting

Doll Blankets and Pillow Patterns

Baby Doll Patterns:

Baby Doll and Cabbage Patch

Additional Doll Patterns also Available on the Holiday Blogs:

Christmas

Valentines

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

Pictures may not be used without written permission.

American Girl Pilgrim

I finished the first doll outfit for the 2014 doll donation in time to show it off for Thanksgiving at my house.

This is based on a free pattern found here. I've made this pattern so many times that I've adapted it and it looks a bit different from the original. It is the basis for my Mrs. Claus outfit and my Halloween witch, too.

I didn't get the time to make this one for the 2013 donation, so I wanted to make it a priority to get it completed. Working on it while preparing for Thanksgiving felt right. I have since finished the Santa Hat for Mrs. Claus and have started on a holiday dress. I like a break between repeating a pattern. While the dress is slightly different for Mrs. Claus, it's nice to work on something that is completely different in between. My goal is to finish all the Christmas themed outfits before Christmas and then hopefully turn to other types of outfits. I usually reach a point where I have to stop crocheting doll clothes and work on amigurumi's or some other type of crochet for a while. I am hoping to build up a stash before that happens.

Yule Tree Throw

I love holiday throws and fell in love with this pattern when Red Heart published it during the first week of their 12 weeks of Christmas promotion. You can find the pattern here. I couldn't wait to order the yarn from Joann's and when it arrived I got started.

I think I probably pulled out more rows then I actually crocheted, but it was worth it. It is the most challenging piece I have ever attempted. The 2/2 Back Cross was likey the hardest part of the pattern for me to figure out. The stitch itself wasn't hard, but I struggled to understand what the writer intended and nowhere on the Internet or any of my books could I find anyone who used this description of the stitch. One day it clicked and the project moved forward. I also just found myself making foolish mistakes and having to pull out rows when I'd catch the pattern being off.

I didn't get the pillow done this year, but I am considering putting on my list of projects for next year.

Shopping With Grama American Girl Dress

This was the last outfit I completed for the 2013 doll donation project. It finished most of it over the summer, but after working so long in thread, I needed to finish some other projects, put it aside, and never got back to it, until I was getting the package ready to donate. I love this outfit and plan on making the Bobby Socks version of it at some point, too. I wish I was more talented in working with thread as there are so many beautiful thread patterns out there for these dolls. However, I am switching back to worsted weight for now as I can make more outfits in a quicker period of time.

I found this pattern in the 2010 Crochet Calendar when it was called Shopping w/Grama. It is now available as part of a two dress pattern called Bobbi Socks and Polka Dots found here.

For the moment I am focused on making holiday outfits for the 2014 doll project. I have one done and ready to post. I'm working on two others.

Barbie and American Girl Doll Free Patterns are listed on my blog at these locations:

Barbie Crochet and Sewing Page

Barbie Knitting Page

Ken Page

Kelly/Skipper Page

American Girl Doll Crochet and Sewing

American Girl Doll Knitting

Doll Blankets and Pillow Patterns

Baby Doll Patterns:

Baby Doll and Cabbage Patch

Additional Doll Patterns also Available on the Holiday Blogs:

Christmas

Valentines

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

Pictures may not be used without written permission.