Calico Critters Sister Sleeping Bag for 2026 Donation

I've mentioned on several occasions that I take the sleeping bags and baby doll snuggle sacks as my travel projects. I move on to doll blankets if there is time before the donation is due. If I finish a project I try to set up the next project so it is ready for the next time I know I'm going to be some place where I know there is a chance I'll be sitting and waiting. Most of the time I remember what the next project is but this time I got it stuck in my head that I needed one more Calico Critters sleeping bag for the sister despite the fact I'd finished the family requirements for 2025.

This was a last minute project out so I grabbed supplies and had the project almost complete when I got home and realized the project was a duplicate. It was almost done and I wasn't going to frog it at this point so I decided I'd set up a separate holding section for the 2026 Calico Critters and I even started a 2026 donation page on my blog so I don't forget and continue to make even more duplicates.

With this explained these are quite simple projects if you don't mind crochet thread for anyone's Calico Critter families. The free pattern provides pattern adjustments for the adult and children critters. You can find the free pattern here.

Notes:

I used a 1mm hook and size 10 crochet thread for this project. I've been working through my supply of variegated thread for these sleeping bag projects.

I've been making this notes as I go along that less stuffing is better on the pillow. Also reminding myself that while the directions are clear on crocheting one end of the pillow the other end must be sewn shut.

Rag Doll I Feel Pretty

Over the years I've adapted a number of different types of patterns to fit the Rag Doll. I'm not sure I've ever tried this dress for the Rag Doll although I've made it for the 16 inch Baby Dolls on several occasions.

This is Darski's Free I Feel Pretty Pattern found here.

Notes:

Unless I can find a replacement I'm likely done with the Rag Doll but just for my own notes I made this outfit with an H hook but I'd likely try a G hook as it is a bit roomy for this doll.

The outfit is made with Herrschners Worsted Baby Stripes and Worsted 4 solid colors.

Stacie Cinderella

For some time now I've struggled to get a wardrobe made for Stacie.

Thanks to being able to adapt other doll patterns this year, I think for the first year she will leave with an adequate donation wardrobe.

I can generatlly get Barbie's clothes sized for Skipper and there are a surpising number of patterns out there for Chelsea but until I really stepped in to adapting other patterns for Stacie she's been rather neglected.

Many of the older pattern sets I have for this size fashion doll don't fit well for the modern version and the ones that do are a bit dated and not in a historical sense. I don't mind sending older styles with the doll but for some reasons some of the older patterns I have for this size doll didn't fit well even on the pictures of the models. So, I'm thrilled to find new options.

This is Sweet Silver Creations AG Mini Cinderella pattern that can be purchased here

Notes:

While this pattern wasn't designed for a fashion doll the changes are fairly simple.

I used size 10 royal blue Aunt Lydia's and light blue of unknown variety for this project with a 1.25mm thread crochet hook.

To get the bodice to the correct length I needed to repeat row 11 to row 17 and then move to what was row 12.

For the skirt to be floor length Row 21 was continued to row 24 before going back and completing row 22. This is actually more rows than required for Skipper who is taller. I can only suspect it has to do with smaller hook size.

I had slightly better luck with the overskirt counting the total number of stitches required and splitting them for the row placing half on either side of middle stich in front row. It still required a little fudging to get it to work but not the complete redo I did for Skipper's. Hopefully by the time I make this for Chelsea I'll have mastered the math.

Glitter Girl Swimsuit

Another doll checked off my list of swimsuits for 2025. This is a Wellie Wisher pattern that fits the Glitter Girl and can be purchased here.

Notes:

I used an e hook and size 3 thread for this project. The main color is thread art and the contrast is Lizbeth. For my own notes I can find Lizbeth at Handy Hands these days.

I do a row of sc around the legs to finish them as they have a rather raw edge when completed as written.

For no particular reason I left the visor out of this year's donation. I believe it comes from late night crocheting.

Ken A Nip in the Air

I found a binder of the Annie's Fashion Doll Collection patterns I'd been hunting for and promised myself I'd start working on the patterns that fit the donation this year. I've started and its been an interesting journey so far. This is the first Ken pattern I've worked on and there were some interesting challenges.

Hook sizes and fiber are always a starting place with older projects as what is listed isn't always available. In this case the older hook sizes have to be translated to modern mm thread hook sizes. A size 7 for instance isn't as helpful as it might have been when these projects were written.

One challenge I've found recently has been finding shades of thread for these projects. In this case I needed size 5 dark grey thread for Ken's pants. Grey is a challenging color at best but dark grey is even harder. My options for size 5 thread were limited to begin with but my amazing husband stumbled upon size 5 Pearl thread in the embrodiery section of Michael's. I had no idea if it would work but I had him bring home 7 skeins as I knew I'd need a significant amount to finish the pants with the smaller sized options.

Notes:

Trousers:

To my very happy surprise the thread made gauge and was easy to use with a crochet hook once I rolled it into a ball. I used a b hook for these pants. I'd consider going slightly smaller as the waist ended up larger than was helpful despite making guage. I would sew the belt shut and add the buckle after the fact next time. The pants should fit snugger than mine but I suspect they still can slide on and off. There is a snap on the pants to close them and I'd keep that but the two snaps are bulky and don't sit well together.

I needed 5 skeins of the size 5 Pearl thread to complete the pants for future reference.

I will need to reduce the wasit size the next time I make these pants either through using a smaller hook or reducing stitches.

I only needed 46 of the original 56 rows of the pants for this doll.

Sweater:

I believe this was made with size 10 Thread Art. I used a 1.8mm thread crochet hook. The original sweater, hat and mittens were made with red but it had a real Christmas feel to it. I wanted an outfit that would last through the fall and winter season as I don't tend to make many donation outfits for Ken.

I followed the body of the sweater as written. In the future I would make the sweater a little longer so it tucks better into the pants. I did have to change the arms as I found the arms as written to be huge.

Arms to row 21

Skip to row 27 completing 27-28

Skip to 34 completing 35-35

Skip to 38 completing 38-29

Repeat 39 to row 42

Mittens:

This was a different style of mittens than I've made before but they worked using a size 1.5mm hook.

Hat:

The hat was also made with 1.8mm thread hook with size 10 thread I used for the sweater and mittens. The white is Aunt Lydia's size 10.

Calico Critters Brother Sleeping Bag

I finished this travel project back in April and was sure it had been posted but after checking my blog it wasn't there. To keep my records straight here is the brother's sleeping bag for 2025. As it turned out this was the last one I needed for the 2025 donation. Another project type finished!!!

This is a free pattern available here.

Notes:

I used a 1mm hook and size 10 crochet thread for this project.

My consistant notes for this project is don't overstuff the pillow and remember that the top of the pillow is crocheted but the bottom must be sewn shut to the sleeping bag to keep the stuffing from falling out.

I've made the decision to start with the 18 inch dolls as the next travel project. Their sleeping bags take the longest to finish so getting them out of the way would be a good choice.

I was able to secure another Milk Bunny family set for the 2026 donation but only one set. Not sure if I'm going to need new models after that to match the donation Critters as they are all slightly different in how stuff fits.

16 Inch Baby Doll I Feel Pretty

I've been rotating through the different sized dolls to try to keep a balance in the donation bags. There are two My Life Dolls and two of the JC 16 inch Baby dolls personally each year so they require more outfits. There is an additional donation through Crochetville members of other dolls and clothing items but that doesn't change the need to provide an extra set of outfits for each of these two dolls.

The main portion of this outfit is from Darski's I Feel Pretty free pattern found here. The shoes are from her free Peachy Keen pattern found here.

Notes:

The dress was made with an H hook using Herrschners Worsted 8 Baby Stripes Yarn Sweetie Pie. The contrast colors for the dress were Herrschners Worsted 8 Jade and Ligonberry.

The hat was made with the Ligonberry and a g and f hook. I took last year's suggestion and used 25 chains for the ties and that worked well.

Not shown in the picture are the panties which also used an H hook. Note to self that leg directions do mean divide for leg while not specifically stated. Also tie requires two strands of yarn so best to plan for that.

I finished the back of the dress and used a button for this outfit.

I did discover I can make shoes with this yarn if I go up to a J hook.

Chelsea Swim Suit

The weather this spring has been rather wet and cold. When it does warm up its been humid. What better way to change the attitude than to think of swim suit weather and so I begin my annual swim suit doll donation project.

Notes:

This is one of Char's patterns that can be purchased here.

With some adjustments this pattern will also fit Stacie so I hope to get her swim suit completed for this year as well.

I used size 20 Creative Yarn Resources I believe bright yellow and Lizbeth Tropical Punch for this project. I decided it was time to change up the colors I used for this project.

For my own records the Lizbeth came from Handy Hands as my variegated supply is getting low and I'm going to need to restock in the not too distant future.

This outfit was made using a 1.25mm thread crochet hook.

A note for future projects, I need to reduce the initial stiches for the crotch as it does not sit well between Chelsea's legs at the current width.

Skipper Cinderella

A while back I accidently bought an AG mini crochet pattern thinking it was for Chelsea.

Since then I've been exploring what other AG Mini patterns that might work for Barbie's sisters for the donation as I don't have lots of ready to make patterns for them.

In my search I discovered that Sweet Silver Creations has adapted her 18 inch doll pattern collection to the AG mini size. I have loved her patterns for my 18 inch doll donations so it seemed like a good idea to try out one of her smaller doll patterns to see if they'd work for the Barbie line.

This is her AG Mini Cinderella pattern that can be purchased here.

I decided to experiment to see how it would fit as written with the top to determine which doll I'd start with and how I would need to think about adapting it to fit some of the other dolls in the line. When it said size 10 and a size 7 thread hook I was thinking Chelsea was likely not going to fit but my goal was to try the pattern as written as see where I ended up.

Notes:

I used a 1.8mm hook with size 10 crochet thread. I believe this is Aunt Lydia's size 10 Dark Royal thread. I thought I'd be playing fiber chicken as I was originally thinking a smaller doll and only pulled out a partial cone but I had some left over. For my own sanity I would suggest having a mostly full cone before starting with one on the sidelines in case of mistakes.

When an outfit has armholes I try the outfit on for size after completing the armholes. It was clear from the beginning that this would not fit Chelsea but I had wondered if Stacie would be an option but Skipper was the winner. I'm still hoping to try this outfit with a smaller hook for Stacie before moving down to size 20 thread, which I plan to try for Chlesea.

I had to repeat row 11 of the bodice to row 21 to get the length I needed as she clearly is longer than the 6 inch American Girl Mini doll. This makes row 12 row 22. I didn't record the skirt additions but I believe it was an additional 6 rows to get it to floor length. I kept trying it on as I went and I'd do this when I make it again.

I changed the overskirt as I believe I likely do with her larger 18 inch doll Cinderella. I also needed to play with the sleeves. One sleeve trim seemed to go as written the other seemed to have more stitches so I played with it a bit.

The collar and headband worked as written.

I've since ordered her complete AG Mini doll crochet pattern set. Some of them will work better for this project than others but not all of the ones I wanted were sold as individual patterns and I've learned I will eventually go back and try stuff I never thought I'd do at some point.

Calico Critter Sister Sleeping Bag

I'm continuing my sleeping bag projects for the dolls. I have one more to finish for the brother and the Calico Critters sleeping bags will be finished for 2025. I'm thinking of moving on to the larger dolls so I don't leave them to the last minute once I get the brother done.

Notes:

This is a free pattern that gives patterns for the parents and children Critters. The adjustments are minor and its easy to work between the directions to make both. You can find the free pattern here.

I used a 1mm hook and size 10 crochet thread for this project.

I headed my previous notes and used less stuffing for the pillow and it worked better. The top of the pillow is closed by crochet, the bottom will need to be sewn closed.

Stacie Critter Empire Dress

I've been having so much fun adapting patterns to fit Chelsea and Stacie. This one Calico Critters pattern has outfited 3 different donation dolls and I couldn't be happier. You can purchase the Calico Critters pattern here.

Notes:

I used a size 1.8mm hook and size 10 thread for this project.

In order to get this to fit the larger doll I continued with row 6 until the outfit reached Stacie's knees. I then finished rows 7-8.

I finished the back and neck before adding a snap to close. I also chose to finish the arm holes. I find this makes the hands less likely to snag.