American Girl: The Frog Princess

Yes, I finally have some outfits to post again. I had some trouble crocheting for a bit and then once I started it took me a bit to get back into the groove.

First up we have another one of the Princess outfits my DH put in my Christmas bundle. You can purchase the pattern here.

This was my first attempt back and not my best. The skirt worked out fine, but I struggled with the top and the head piece. The directions and my hook just didn't seem to work together to create what the designer intended. I've found the directions were a bit clearer in her other princess patterns. I think next time I'd rework the head piece and the top a bit more.

American Girl Princess

I am always grateful to those who design and donate their patterns for free use. It means I can stretch my donation dollars even farther. I downloaded this free pattern last year and it looked far more complicated than it was to make so I didn't make it for last year's donation. This year I've been targeting projects that I can make with yarn on hand and this one seemed possible. You can find the pattern here.

The pattern designer focused on the beads when she named her outfit, however, I loved the medieval princess look. I actually didn't include the beads. One I didn't have pearl beads on hand. Second, I'm not a huge fan of sewing beads into my crochet. Lastly, if the doll is going to be displayed those beads have a good chance of survival. If the doll is going to be played with and changed frequently the odds are less likely the beads don't end up on the floor of her new home. I went without.

What surprised me was how easy it was to make the underskirt and then crochet the over skirt after the fact. It was one of the reasons I hadn't approached the project in the previous year. It looked complicated to me. However, it was easy once I got started.