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.

16 Inch Baby Doll Sundress

This is always one of the first doll patterns I turn to every year because it is simple and adds a finished doll outfit to the donation bags quickly. The pattern is still available through the Wayback machine here but that can change at any time so if you want the pattern I suggest you download it right away.

In order to get this pattern to fit the JC Toys 16-inch Baby Doll I use a K hook and worsted weight yarn. I join after the first row to avoid having to sew the dress together at the end. The trim on the hat and the bottom of the dress are added. I use a sc chain 3. I used an H hook for the hat and added a few rounds to the brim to make it fit.

Last year I started adding shoes from the free Peachy Keen pattern and I decided it was time this outfit got shoes, too. The free pattern is a complete set I hope to make later but I constantly add the shoes to other patterns as it is one of the few shoe patterns I can find that fits this doll's feet. You can find the pattern here.

My Life Doll Dress, Hat, and Shoes

This has long been one of my favorite 18" doll patterns. It works up easily and requires only one button or in my case I use a snap to close it in the back. This pattern uses the Red Heart Fruity Stipe yarn but I've made it with a variety of colors. I even use this pattern for the 16" baby dolls as it easily adapts to their needs as well. You can find the free pattern here.

I've used the Bates Bamboo hooks for years, but recently I've been having some hand issues so I'd ordered a couple of the Bates Ergonomic soft handled hooks to use in making the doll carriers as those are the most taxing projects on my hands every year. I decided to test out the Susan Bates Ergonomic Crochet Hook 5.5"-size H8/5mmfor this project. It has a slightly different feel but I've been using the same set of hooks for years so I wasn't surprised. I did like the feel on my hands. These hooks are longer than my Bates Bamboo. I still like my Bamboo best which is good as the Bates Ergonomic seem to be disappearing like my Bates Bamboo. I don't think it hurts to switch up once and a while and work the muscles a little differently. I'm looking forward to seeing how they work on the carriers.

Back to this project the hat was just a throw together. The shoes are one of my favorite shoe patterns part of a paid pattern set that can be found here.

While I already have the Our Generation dolls purchased for the 2021 doll donation, the My Life dolls have proved to be more elusive. I was able to get a great deal on the Our Generation dolls around Thanksgiving, but not only have there been no deals on the My Life dolls they've just been sold out at the low price end that I buy for the donation. Not a huge issue as I have until next fall to get the two I need but I like to get them early. I ordered the 10 inch Lots to Love doll and an extra for next year from Walmart and was also able to buy the Lots to Love 14 inches Baby Doll around Thanksgiving so that is also ready to go.

I still need to get two small baby dolls and one "toddler" doll. The toddler and the one of the baby dolls are on back order. I was hoping the last baby doll might go on sale as well. I'll be watching the post Christmas sales to see. I have the 16" dolls after stocking up last year. However, if they drop in price I'll be putting away a few of those as well.

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.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all who visit here as I revisit my Christmas projects for 2020.

Vintage Christmas Ornaments

I've seen several fellow bloggers sharing their favorite family Christmas ornaments, some that have a history and as I unpacked mine I thought it would be nice to document the remaining vintage ones as no matter how careful we are we do eventually lose a few over the years. When my Mom downsized I inherited her Christmas tree and all her ornaments. While I've since replaced the tree I've been trying to preserve the remaining ornaments. I believe a few are still left from my grandmother's time.

I thought this would be a fun distraction for Christmas Eve as this is normally our family's big Christmas celebration with both sides of our family gathering at our house. With COVID we won't be having our Christmas Eve party so thinking about the family history associated with Christmas isn't a bad choice.

There are several ornaments included here as part of what my family deemed the unbreakable ornaments. We later learned they could be broken, but they mostly survived rough handling by lots of children to earn the title. I've included those too because I suspect we aren't the only family to have had these as a tradition.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Eve.