16 Inch Baby Doll Swim Suit

This is the final project of the 2023 season in a couple of ways. First it is the final item and it also finishes the bathing/swim suit challenge for the year. Every doll is leaving with a swim or bathing suit. It was a much larger task than I thought it would be on top of the sleeping bag or cocoon but I made it under the wire.

For the second JC 16 Inch Baby doll I went with the same Stepahine Dygert pattern I used with the second My Life Doll. With time restrictions I stuck to the bathing suit without the accessories.

Notes: I pulled from my yarn ball pile for this project and it was a great chance to finish off some left over yarn.

Like the My Life Doll I needed an I hook to get the suit to fit.

16 Inch Baby Doll Sunny Days

There are some doll patterns I seem to get to each year for the donation and others that seem to pop up every few years as I spend more time on one doll than another. I hadn't made this outfit in a few years and it seemed time to bring it back for the donation. This is one of Darski's free baby doll patterns you can find here. The pattern doesn't have shoes so I went back to my favorite shoe pattern for this doll part of another free Darski pattern Peachy Keen found here. Notes:

I used a J hook for the top of the dress and an H hook for the skirt. The hat needed a J hook, too but I used a G hook for the ties. The shoes work up well with an I hook for me.

I was able to finish off a ball of white left from previous doll projects. Always a plus on my war on stash left overs.

I've contacted the school regarding the donation deadline but they are just starting to get organized and as of yet haven't put that plan in motion. So, I still have time to finish off some outfits before I need to start boxing the stuff for the drive over to the school.

16 Inch Baby Doll B & B Sweater Set

I finished off another outfit for one of the JC 16 Inch Baby dolls. This is made using Darski's free B and B Sweater set found here. I made a note on last year's post not to put a button on the top that I clearly didn't read. I'm putting it back on this post because it looks better without the top button and when I make this again I will want to remember that hint.

I used an I hook for the sweater and shoes and followed the directions as written. I would skip the top button when I make this again as it is just too tight at the top. I'd also considering adding a couple additional rows to the length of the sweater before doing the bp stitches as it was a bit shorter than I remembered from my previous attempts. I used Joann's Big Twist Yarn this year which is a bit lighter so it could have resulted in a smaller sweater.

I tend to make my pants from the top down so last year I wrote the directions and I post them just so if I lose the pattern, which I've been known to do, I can refer her for directions. This year I had to do a row of sc 2 dec sc for 2 rows when I was done as the pants were loose at the top. I will check the chains next time and perhaps reduce if the pants are loose before fininishing.

Pants:

I used an H hook

Ch 56 and Join

DC for 7 rows

Split evenly for legs chain 4 and join.

DC 2 DC dec around leg

sc chain 3

Repeat for other leg

This year I again started with the hat pattern from the free pattern set Mon Petite Chou found here. After fininishing the formation of the hat I went to a chain 3 front post dc in first stitch, hdc in next stitch around. I did that until hat was at a length I was happy with for the doll.

16 Inch Baby Doll Purple Summer Dress

I donate two JC 16 Inch Baby dolls every year and since there are no specific patterns written for these dolls when I find a pattern that does fit I tend to make duplicates over the course of the year so each doll gets one for its donation bag.

I mentioned in my previous post about this outfit that the dress and hat for this outfit come from a 1981 House of White Birches newsprint leaflet Baby Doll Fashions to Crochet by Margaret Funk.

I liked it enough and found it quick and easy enough that repeating it right away seemed like a logical choice. At this point in the year I'm all about finishing stuff about and getting it bagged because the November deadline will be here before I know it and I'll be on to the 2024 donation.

I've also discovered it fits the Rag doll really well so I'm hoping to finishing another one for the Rag doll as well as it would be a quick addition to her donation bag as well since she doesn't need shoes or the hat.

This is my go to shoe pattern part of the free Peachy Keen pattern set found here. I like including shoes with my outfits but it can be hard to fit shoes to dolls and they often fall off and get lost. I like these because with the strap I find they are more likely to stay on the doll's feet and less likely to drop off and be lost.

Notes:

This was made with Lion Brand's Ice Cream Black Cherry Yarn.

I started with an E hook and repeated row 5 once. Thus rows 3-6 follow the original directions for 3-5 moving each row directions down one. For the original row 6 now row 7 that starts the skirt I moved to a D hook to decrease the skirt size as it was too large with the e hook.

I started the directions for the 13 inch Baby Doll Bell hat and increased the rows prior to creating the brim to account for the larger 16 inch baby doll head.

16 Inch Baby Doll Summer Dress

Every year I promise myself I will get to patterns I've bought but never used. Some are modern and some are long out of print treasures I've found from various pattern hunts.

The dress and hat for this outfit come from a 1981 House of White Birches newsprint leaflet Baby Doll Fashions to Crochet by Margaret Funk. The booklet has a nice table of contents that outlines what patterns are available for what size dolls. I've long realized this is just a suggestion as a 16 inch baby doll is not always the same depending on how it is designed but its a good starting point.

I used the Summer Dress pattern designed for the 16 inch doll and adapted the hat pattern for a 13 inch doll also found in the leaflet for this outfit.

Notes:

This outfit was made with Lion Brand Ice Cream Yarn Meringue.

To get this to fit the JC 16 Inch Baby Doll I started with an E hook and repeated row 5 once. Thus rows 3-6 follow the original directions for 3-5 moving each row directions down one. For the original row 6 now row 7 that starts the skirt I moved to a D hook to decrease the skirt size as it was too large with the e hook.

I started the directions for the 13 inch Baby Doll Bell hat and increased the rows prior to creating the brim to account for the larger 16 inch baby doll head.

Some of you may recognize my go to shoe pattern. The shoes are part of a free pattern called Peachy Keen found here. I used an I hook and a ball of worsted weight yellow yarn I found in my bag of left over yarn from previous projects. I'm trying to attack this pile of yarn when ever I get the chance before starting on new skeins of yarn.

This pattern is going to be on my go to list for donation patterns. I will hopefully be making another one for the second donation doll prior to November. It's a quick set but it looks quite nice.

There are several other patterns in this booklet I hope to try out to see how they will work for the various baby dolls.

16 Inch Baby Doll Bathing Suit

I'm continuing on my quest to send all the dolls off with a swim suit. This pattern is one of Char's patterns you can purchase here. This pattern was designed for the smaller AG Bitty Baby so some adjustments are required to help it fit the larger JC 16 Inch Baby Doll.

I went with fall colors because I enjoy the fall colors and was in the mood to celebrate the change of weather.

Notes:

I used Herrschners worsted 4 for this outfit instead of Caron Simply Soft for the main portion of the dress. The trim was made from Red Heart stritpes Tuity Fruity.

I used a K hook for the upper portion of the outfit as the doll body is wide. I think when I make this again I'd try the J hook first to see if it would be a better option as it was a little large with the K but too small with the I. I used an I hook for the trim.

For the Hat I did row 1 of the pattern. Then I did 5 dc chain 1 rounds followed by sc rounds. I then followed row 11 to the end of the hat pattern.

I made the sandals with an I hook.

16 Inch Baby Doll Green Sundress

I donate two JC 16 inch Baby Dolls each year and that requires me to repeat certain patterns to make sure both dolls leave with enough clothing and accessories for a good donation.

As I mentioned in a previous post last week this is a free Sundress pattern I originally started making for a no longer available Mary Maxim 15 Inch Baby Doll that I used to donate in the early years of this donation. I started hunting for patterns that would fit that doll and when I graduated to the 16 inch doll it wasn't a huge adjustment to get the same patterns to fit the slightly larger doll.

While the original blog is no longer online for this free pattern, you can still access the pattern through the wayback machine here. The pattern includes the hat and the dress. I use Darski's baby shoe pattern for all my 16 inch baby doll outfits found in her free Peachy Keen pattern here. It is one of the only patterns that seems to consistantly fit the doll and stay on.

Since I find myself repeating patterns I do occasionaly find myself playing a bit with them. In this case I added a sc chain 1 sk 1 trim for the hat and the bottom of the dress.

This was a great chance to attack more stash yarn. I didn't finish off the green ball but it is significantly dented. The yellow was also another left over ball. I'm hoping to continue finishing off left overs and yarn that has lived to long in my stash as the donation projects continue.

16 Inch Baby Doll Sunny Day Doll Dress

I try to challenge myself each year with a project either from a book or a pattern I've downloaded but never actually made for the donation.

This is a now out of print free Coats and Clark 20 inch Baby doll pattern that I played with to try to get it to fit the JC 16 Inch Baby Doll. This doll tends to be a bit chubby so I was hopeful that the adaptation wouldn't be too difficult but it was much harder than I'd anticipated due to the structure of how the dress came together.

For those who might wish to find the pattern for a larger doll as it does seem to be out on the Internet in places the pattern is Coats and Clarks WC1651 Sunny Day Doll Dress and Headband designed by Joyce Nordstrom. It uses Aunt Lydia's Size 3 thread. I ended up moving to size 10 to get close to fitting the smaller doll.

I'm glad I acccepted the challenge of trying something new for the baby doll this year, but unless I adopt a bigger doll for the donation I don't see this pattern coming back out in the near future.

16 Inch Baby Doll Snuggle Sack

I've been slowly working my way through the baby doll snuggle or sleep sacks as a new item for the doll donations this year. I have one more to make after this and I should be good for the year.

After making one for the Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll I tried it on the JC 16 Inch Baby doll and it was clearly short but the fit was close. I found an old skein of Red Heart I'd picked up prior to COVID at a Church sale and it felt lighter than the ones I'd previously used for this project so instead of an I hook I went with a J hook and the fit was good.

You can find the free pattern for this project here.

Notes:

With the lighter yarn I did go up a hook size and it might have worked with an I hook as well. I plan on going back to an I hook with more modern Red Heart Yarn for the second one I need for the donation.

While I had to add rows for length I didn't need to change the stitch count for width by using a larger hook.

16 Inch Baby Doll Diaper 4

There is a feeling of accomplishment when I finish off sets of items for the donation. I feel like there should be celebratory music or horns. This is the last of the 16 inch doll diapers I need for the 2023 donation and I couldn't be happier to have them finished off. I now have the diapers, the bibs, and the wipes done. While not the most exciting projects in the world they do add to the play value of the dolls the children receive. Having these finished in January means they won't be forgotten as other stuff comes up during the year.

The diaper is made using a free pattern you can find here. I've adapted it to fit the 16 Inch Baby doll by using a K hook. I use snaps to close my diapers not buttons so I don't skip stitches in the first row for the button holes. I also add a reduction row at the crotch to make the diaper fit a little better.

Baby Doll Wipes Round 2

This is the last set of wipes I need for the 2023 donation for the 16 Inch Baby doll as I picked up the Melissa and Doug Diaper Changing set for the Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll that includes wipes.

At one point I used to make the diaper bag, the bottles, the changing pad, and tried making the baby food jars, but it got to be too much.

I still make the baby bibs for all the dolls to make sure they fit, and diapers and wipes for the 16 inch baby dolls. I've either used donated diaper bags or purchased them.

I've been purchasing the Melissa and Doug feeding kits when I can get them on sale to send with the 3 larger baby dolls. There are some things that are harder to make than others and feeding kits with the magic bottles and baby food jars are one of those items that I'd rather buy than make.

The wipes are still a practical item to make as few of the store bought ones last. Sadly I can't share where to purchase the pattern because while I've kept monitoring hoping Crochet n'Play will return I've yet to see their shop back offering the diaper bag set that includes these wipes.

16 Inch Baby Doll Diaper 2

New Year's Day 2023 and I've finished half of the diapers I need for the 16 Inch Baby Doll. I try to get these little acessory projects out of the way as quickly as possible and they are great projects to work on while doing other things because they don't require tons of concentration.

You can find the free pattern here. I'm using a K hook this year and I remembered to decrease at the crotch for the second diaper. It makes the fit a little less bulky, especially if the child wants to put clothes on over the diaper.

Just two more diapers and both 16 Inch Baby dolls will have diapers for the donation!!!

16 Inch Baby Doll Bib Yellow

I love getting the accessory items off my doll donation list as early in the year as possible. It allows me to explore other doll patterns once all of these items are done.

This is the last of the doll bibs I need for the large baby dolls. I've never made bibs for the smaller dolls. It's hard to get them to fit, but who knows perhaps at some point I may try with thread. You can find the free pattern set that includes a food jar and spoon, along with the bib here.

The trim for this project finished off another one of my my scap balls. I've made a significant dent in my supply already this year.

To get this bib to fit the larger doll I've made the following adjustments:

Start with a chain 16

Continue pattern for 20 rows

Row 21 do row 11 neck shaping

Chain 40 stitches for ties

16 Inch Baby Doll Diaper

I try to get the accessory projects started and finished early in the year as they are quick projects to squeeze into busy end of year and start of year schedules and they often get forgotten if I don't target them early on in the process.

While last year I reduced my hook size to an I this year I went back up to a K hook as the diaper was too small with an I. Gauge is always a challenge so I try to document what worked when. I used Red Heart Super Saver for this project. I think last year it was Caron Pounder but I haven't found the weights to be that different to require that different a hook change. It is likely me.

This is a free pattern I've been using for years for the JC 16 Inch Baby dolls you can find it here. I've never found a diaper pattern I love for the Lots to Love 14 Inch Baby Doll although it does come with one cloth diaper. This year I picked up the Melissa and Doug Diaper Bag Set to send with the smaller 14 inch doll and I'm hopeful the diaper will fit the doll along with providing the other diaper bag essentials I make for the larger baby dolls.

Baby Doll Wipes

I looked again but Crochet n' Play still hasn't returned to selling online so I can't share a link to find the pattern for this diaper bag set.

I mostly just use the wipes from the set for the donation but it is truly a great set to make accessories for a little one's doll. For my purposes I've moved to adding Melissa and Doug's Time to Eat Accessories for many of the diaper bag accessories I donate. However, I still make the wipes, bibs, and diapers for many of the larger baby dolls, despite buying the play set.

There are some sets that do offer wipes but some either are a box that "pretends" there is something inside or there is something inside but they either dry out quickly or are paper and rip and don't last long. The crochet ones while not as realistic as the wet ones last longer and are reusable. They are easy to replace if lost. While I don't sew I've seen sewn ones that are also practical.