Baby Doll Sundress and Hat

This is one of my favorite patterns to make for baby dolls. It works up quickly and little ones find it easy to dress and undress the doll without pesky buttons, snaps, or hooks. As of this writing the pattern is still available on the Wayback machine here. The pattern adapts fairly easily for different doll sizes depending on the hook and yarn size. The pattern was written for a 14" doll and I've made it for 15 and 16" dolls.

This gift is coming along nicely.

Baby Doll Carrier and Blanket

I've been making good progress on the doll project, I'm just now catching up on making the posts. The doll carrier is one I make frequently and you can find the free pattern here.

I've been fortunate the last few years and do to the generosity of online friends I haven't had to make many baby blankets for the doll donation. I've had lots of donations that have covered the need. It was interesting to get back to making doll blankets. This comes from my favorite doll blanket pattern set which can be purchased here. This pattern is the Easy Peasy Afghan in the Annabelle's Afghan set.

My favorite part of working on this project was the color of the blanket. It was so bright and cheerful it was a joy to make.

Baby Doll Project

While I always donate 2 baby dolls each year at Christmas this year I had an additional baby doll project. A family member is having a second child and I thought it would be fun for the big sister to have a new baby to play with as well, so I'm making some of the same items I normally make to donate to send off with the baby blanket.

While it's always fun to work on the donations, it is kind of unique to work on a project when you know where the gift will end up. Today we begin with the doll diapers. Every time I write about this free pattern I always wonder if it will be available the next time I post about it as I have to use the Wayback machine to get the link here. I like this pattern because it's been pretty flexible as I've adjusted it from the 12" dolls to the 16" dolls and it continues to work for me. I use snaps rather than buttons as I've found them easier for kids to use.

As you can see in the picture the doll is wearing one and I always make one "extra" so the child can change the doll.

Down on the Farm Baby Blanket

A family member is expecting a second child next month and I wanted to make a special afghan to send. After looking at different pattern options I settled on the Down on the Farm pattern which can be purchased at Mary Maxim here. The pattern is often on sale for $.99 if you are interested and willing to wait.

I had seen pictures of finished projects where people had changed the colors and preferring the changes I decided to make the changes using yarn I had on hand rather than buying additional yarn.

It's been a while since I made a picture afghan and I had misplaced some of my yarn bobbins so I needed to replace them. What I discovered is that I couldn't find them at the local craft store where I'd been buying them for years. Thankfully I was able to get them online at Hobby Lobby. There are several ways to work color changes but I like bobbins the best.

This was a fun project and I'm looking forward to trying some other picture blankets. I picked up a couple of kits when Mary Maxim was having a sale. There always seems to be a need for a baby gift and getting the kits on sale is a great savings. It can be easier sometimes than trying to hunt down the yarn I need.

Three Little Pigs Finger Puppets

The Three Little Pigs was my literary theme for that summer bday I keep writing about. I'd made these finger puppets before and they had been a hit so I decided to try them out again. This time I added a bag as I've learned small things get lost easily.

I've been making this pattern for several years and sadly, it no longer appears to be available for purchase. You can find the listing on Ravelry here. I give you that information so you can contact the designer and find out if she'd be willing to sell the pattern again.

Dog and Bed Playset

This is another summer birthday gift I never got around to posting. This was the perfect gift for a little one who loves animals. I fell in love with this pattern when I saw it online. The extras really make this a wonderful play set. You can purchase the pattern here.

One thing I've tried to do as a kindness to parents when I make gifts with lots of pieces is to add a bag even if one isn't included in the project. Some people use them, some don't but it does make it easier to transport the pieces around the house or to travel with them. It also helps just to keep the pieces together and keep them from getting lost.

Three Little Pigs in a Bag

Once again I've fallen behind on my posting. This was part of a July birthday present. I love presents for kids that connect to books. I found several copies and versions of the book to add to the gift. You can purchase the pattern here.

This was one of my stash busting projects which is why one of the pigs is a different color. I thought I had enough of the dark pink for all the pigs, but I didn't. Time being what it was I chose not to remake the pigs so they'd all be the same shade of pink.

This was a fun project and one I'd make again. The bag makes a great storage holder for the toys.