Green Variegated Dress for 15 Inch Baby Doll

This dress was a bit of an experiment and a hybrid of two patterns I was exploring. I discovered a free baby doll dress here that I tried several times to complete unsuccessfully. There were parts that appealed so I decided I'd combine it with the 14" Baby doll dress I'd previously had success with found here. I changed the hat using front and back post stitches to make it a little different. It was actually fun to make something for the doll in non-traditional baby colors.

15 inch Baby Doll Dress with Pinafore

As I mentioned in the Chef post, I started out making the Chef's shirt with some pink baby yarn from my stash. It fit, but it was tight. Then I made the apron with the left over baby yarn from the chef's hat and it was too small. That's when I decided it was time to rethink my approach. After reading the pattern I realized the shirt was supposed to be made from worsted weight yarn. For my purposes the apron also needed to be made from worsted weight yarn. The next step was what to do with what I'd made. I tried the shirt on the baby doll and it fit. From there it was all about rethinking the outfit.

I loved the feel of the yarn and it seemed like it would make a nice soft baby doll outfit. I added a skirt and finished off the pink skein making a hat. After seeing the hat on the doll's head I realized the apron would make a cute pinafore. All my problems solved. Another skein emptied from my stash.

15 Inch Baby Doll Dress

I promised myself I wasn't going to start any baby doll clothes until I was sure I had enough 18 Inch clothes for the year. Last year I started some baby doll clothes to get me out of a crochet block I was having and made lots of baby doll clothes, but not as many 18 inch clothes as I hoped to make.

I kept my pledge, this was actually supposed to be a ballet dress for the 18 inch doll made from a free pattern found here. Based on my notes from last year when I repeated a mistake almost like last years. I knew I needed to use worsted weight yarn for either doll. I also knew I needed to increase the hook size. I increased it to an H and it fit the baby doll nicely. It was a little tight last year when I made it with a G.

For the 18 Inch doll I'm trying the waist with an H and the rest of the outfit with an I hook.

I love this outfit for both dolls. It requires no sewing, buttons or hooks. It is rare I can find a pattern that will work for both with minimal adjustments. I just hadn't planned on making anything for the baby dolls just yet. I've already started reworking the outfit for the 18 inch doll and should be able to post that next week.

I also had the added benefit of using up more of my friend's yarn on this outfit and the ballet outfit I hope to finish soon.

Baby Doll Nightgown

In working on adapting the Cabbage Patch outfits to the Mary Maxim soft body 15 Inch dolls it appears the preemies are the closest to the task. I worked on a nightgown pattern called "Purity" from an out of print leaflet, Cabbage Patch Crochet for Preemies from Plaid#8031.

In order to get the fit right I had to play with the hook size to get the body to fit right, but I was able to avoid having to sew buttons or snaps, so it worked for me.

This doll's wardrobe is growing quickly. I'm going to have to find some motivation for working on the 12 inch doll and the 18 inch doll clothes soon. It's hard when I keep finding projects I want to work on for the 15 inch doll.

Baby Doll Romper and Skirt

I have developed quite a collection of baby doll patterns that don't quite fit the Mary Maxim doll, but can be adjusted with some work. Today's outfit comes is the "Tiffany" pattern from Harold Magelson & Son's Kith and Kin Kids to Crochet that was published in 1980. I believe these were supposed to be imitation Cabbage Patch kids that you could buy the body parts and crochet the outfits sewing the dolls all together somehow.

In one of my out of print pattern searches I picked up a copy and found some of the outfits could be adapted if you worked around the joining of the hands and legs to the actual outfits you want to crochet.

Like many of the outfits, I have made over the years for this doll it does take a little adapting, but I think it was worth the effort. One of the advantages of working with the same dolls year after year, is you do start to get a feel for how to adapt these outfits.

I like this outfit because you have a romper with an add on skirt. I thought it made a cute outfit. It can be worn as just a romper or if the child wants, a little bit dressier with the skirt.

15 Inch Baby Doll Sundress with Hat

This is another favorite outfit to make for the 15 inch soft doll Mary Maxim baby doll that I donate. The Hooks and Knives Blogspot has disappeared from the web, but I was able to locate the pattern for the time being here.

This was originally designed for a Fisher Price 14 1/2 Inch Mommy and Me doll, but I found it adapted easily enough. I changed to a K hook and joined the back after the first row to avoid having to use buttons or velcro. It works fine.

I like this pattern because it works up quickly, with adjustments requires little sewing, and it is easy for a child to take on and off without assistance.

15 Inch Baby Doll Dress and Hat

This dress was adapted from a free pattern for a 14 Inch baby doll found here. Thanks Recycle Cindy for providing the free pattern.

This is one of my favorite patterns for the 15-inch soft bodied Mary Maxim dolls. It works up quickly and because I can pull it up over the doll, I can actually close the opening in the back and it doesn't require buttons or any closings. I avoid those when possible. The skirt has a very pretty pattern, giving the outfit a very pretty look. I found using a heavier weight yarn helped adapt the dress to fit the larger 15" doll.

I was also pleased to be able to make this a stash-busting project. I had some pretty cranberry colored red yarn left and being in the holiday spirit, it seemed a great color to work on this dress. I've managed to finish up a couple more outfits for the 15" doll so I should have those posted soon. It is nice to get a jump on this project, as I know the time creeps up all too soon and I want the bags to be full to bursting when that happens.

Baby Doll Nightgown

I am usually really good about adding links to patterns I download. I like to thank the writers when I post about them and I like to be able to go back and get another copy of the free patterns if I lose it. I found this pattern in with a bunch of other patterns I had downloaded, but for some reason I don't have the link. I apologize and thank the designer. This outfit made a very nice addition to my donation box.

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 permission.

Baby Doll Sweater, Bonnet, Booties

I'm still working hard putting away doll donation projects. This is another outfit for the 15 inch Mary Maxim doll. I am hoping to have a good pile finished before summer activities slow up my crochet time.

I received this pattern as a Valentine's gift. It can be purchased here. This was a chance to learn a new strategy for assembling the sweater and creating the arms. I still prefer the method I've used in the past, but I like the chance to learn something new.

I did play with the hook size to get the outfit to fit the Mary Maxim doll.

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 permission.

Baby Doll Dress

Today's baby doll dress comes from the same out of print leaflet I wrote about last week the American School of Needlework's Twin Baby Doll Clothes to Crochet, 1155.

The dress and panties worked up pretty quickly using baby weight sport yarn. I finished this outfit while watching the Winter Games. The pattern didn't call for finishing the back I did for two reasons. First, it looked bad without doing it, second it gave a little extra room for this doll which needs it with her padding. The panties were a little snug on the legs. I think I'd increase the hook size when I make these again.

This booklet is turning out to be one of my best used pick ups in a while. So far the patterns work up quickly and they are fitting the larger doll, which was a concern.

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

Baby Doll Sweater, Pants, Hat, and Booties

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry I've been making clothes for the 15 inch Mary Maxim soft bodied dolls. These dolls present some unique challenges because their sizes are different from the more common hard bodied dolls. This time the biggest challenge seemed to be their feet. The booties fit without alteration on the hard bodied 15" doll I have. I had to rewrite the pattern to get them to fit the soft bodied doll. The clothes however, fit fine. I haven't tried them on the hard bodied dolls. I suspect they might be large.

I purchased a few out of print leaflets to help me provide some clothing for the dolls. This outfit comes from an American School of Needlework leaflet, Twin Baby Doll Clothes to Crochet, 1155. For those who might want to find it I will just mention there is a Annie's Attic leaflet, 872017 Crochet Twin Baby Dolls that has a very similar name. I now have both, but almost ended up with duplicates not being aware of the differences. The American School outfits are primarily made using sport weight yarn, the Annie's publication uses size 10 thread. While both are out of print they seem to pop up frequently on resale sights.

I was delighted to discover that some size 2 afghan yarn I purchased previously and didn't like for afghans worked out well for the darker contrasting color I needed for this outfit. Since I didn't want to use it for an afghan, I have been wondering what to use the big balls for, now I have a solution.

There's a set of footed pants I want to try. I am curious to see how it will work out having already had a challenge with the booties fitting.

I am trying to get as many doll outfits completed as possible before the end of the month. In March I'm switching to ami's. I'm doing an ami swap at Crochetville and I have Easter and birthday ami's to make. I'm hoping to still get some doll work completed and once the ami rush is done to get back to completing the doll projects. In the past once I've stopped it has been hard to get back into the groove again.

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

15 Inch Doll Soft Bodied Mary Maxim Baby Doll Sundress

I decided to try adding the soft bodied 15 inch Mary Maxim dolls to my donation this year. They seem to be a little larger in the upper body than most of the patterns I've looked at that fit the hard bodied Mary Maxim dolls much better. I'm going to adapt because I think the soft dolls are a bit nicer for the children who will be playing with them after Christmas next year. While I've found that most of the 18 Inch dolls are close in size, the baby doll sizes really do range from one doll to the next. While I always try on the outfits as I'm working, I find with the baby dolls, it's even more important, because there isn't often a common understanding of size when one reads a pattern for a baby doll as there is when you read one for an 18 inch doll. The sizes even among the 12 or 15 inch sizes are pretty wide.

I am always so grateful for those who are generous and donate their patterns for free. I found this baby doll pattern on Hooks and Knives Blogspot here. It was designed for the smaller Fisher Price Little Mommy Doll, but I increased my hook size to a K and it fit. The blog used to have a picture of the doll and the outfit, but it looks like it was removed. Edited the blog has been taken down but I changed the link to allow you to see the pattern for a time.

Other than changing the hook size to make the pattern fit, I also decided I didn't want to sew the back up and since it was going to be a slip on, I crocheted the dress in the round from the first row and have no problems getting it on and off the doll. I tried the suggested H hook for the first row and it didn't fit the hard bodied 15 inch doll so I'm thinking I will still need to play with the hook size to get it to fit the hard bodied 15 inch doll.

This dress works up really quickly and it is a cute outfit. I added a scalloped border to the bottom, but even without it is a nice outfit which adapts easily to the many sizes of baby dolls on the market.

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.

Baby Brianna

This was a wonderful and busy summer. I finished some crochet projects, but spent lots of time with family, too. What I didn't do, was blog.

As fall approaches, my annual Christmas donation deadline looms. I looked in the bags I have my finished projects stored in and was relieved to discover I had forgotten how much I finished last winter and spring. I still have a long way to go if I want to get everything I planned ready for that early December deadline.

One of the things I did this year when Mary Maxim had their 40% off coupons was stock up on some of their doll projects. At full price, I have trouble justifying the cost of the kit and shipping. However, when I can get a discount, there many levels of savings. I have trouble getting the sports weight and lighter yarns locally, so even if I'd bought the pattern digitally and avoided paying shipping, I'd still likely have had to had the correct weight of yarn shipped in order to finish the project.

I posted about one of the 18" doll kits I finished a while back. This is the first of the 15" baby doll kits I have been working on. I played a little with the gauge on this, but I suggest you make a swatch before starting. The second kit I just started seems to match the gauge without any adjustments, but it is also a different brand of yarn. I often find myself adjusting hooks depending on the pattern, so I don't suggest my experience is typical.

I did opt out of making the flowers do to time constraints. I also chose to make this a summer dress as I am making several other outfits with longer sleeves. One other note, which those that read things closely will catch, the blanket makes a 12" blanket, which is not large enough to cover the doll. I made one and when I realized the size issue, used it for my other smaller donation baby doll. I extended the pattern to make it large enough to cover the doll. As I said those who read closely will catch this, but I missed it.

You can find the kit at Mary Maxim here. If you'd prefer to buy just the pattern you can find that at Maggie's Crochet here.

I was gifted a doll diaper bag kit from a wishlist on Crochetville, so I will hopefully get pictures of those projects posted soon. I made one for the 15" baby doll and one for the 12" Baby Jenna doll.

If you arrived here looking for free patterns you may be interested in the following blog pages:

Dinosaurs and Dragons

Knit and Crochet Food Patterns Great for Play Food

Hello Kitty

Crochet and Knit Puppets

Crochet Amigurumi Animals and Stuffed Animal Free Patterns

Knit Amigurumi and Stuffed Toys

Crochet and Knit Amigurumi and Other Dolls

Knit and Crochet Toys

Teddy Bear Patterns and Clothes

Halloween Page

Thanksgiving

Christmas

Valentines

Easter

Graduation

Patriotic

Pictures may not be used without permission.