Calico Critter Sister Party Dress

This is the sister version of this dress made from one of On a Calico Day's patterns that can be purchased here.

Notes:

I needed size 20 thread and a 1mm hook for this outfit.

Reading my notes from last year I had to make some changes. This year I must have read directions differently because dress fit as written.

Calico Critter Mom Party Dress

This is one of On a Calico Day's Patterns that can be purchased here.

I've been working on the Calico Critter projects as they are quick projects to work on as I'm making the larger more complicated doll patterns. I finished the pants for the Our Generation Boy and the top section for his PJ's and stopped and made this as one completed project.

The longer more complicated projects are important for the donation but there is something mentally relaxing about having something completed and ready to go in a donation bag without multiple work sessions.

Notes:

I tried an experiment that was semi succesful. The 1mm hook was too tight for the top this year so I used the 1.5mm hook. I would transfer to the 1mm hook for the skirt for future projects. I used the 1mm for the trim.

This is made with size 20 thread.

The neckline needs to be reduced as a result of the skipped stiches to create the arms. I've thought about reducing the arms but haven't tried it yet.

Calico Critter Brother Christmas Overalls

With this Christmas outfit complete I need just one more for the 16 inch baby doll and all will leave with something to wear for Christmas.

This is a pattern set available for purchase here that has a pattern for the sister and brother Calico Critters.

Notes:

These are made with size 20 crochet thread and a 1mm thread hook.

I reversed the colors I used for Dad and having added the trim like I did with Dad chose not to use the buttons.

The pants legs are finished with a round of sc green and followed by a ss row.

Calico Critters Dad Christmas Overalls

Sadly I don't have many patterns for the male critters. I did discover one after the donation last year that I haven't tried but the overalls are my tried and true for the boys.

This is a On A Calico Day pattern that can be purchased here. It includes a pattern for Mom and Dad.

Notes:

I used size 20 thread and a 1mm hook to get these to fit.

There are several options for the pants. I can never get the full length legs to fit so mine are always the shorter legs and I choose not to add the cuff. This time I added a red trim to give it a holiday feel using sc around the top and surface stitching the bottom of the pants using a chain 1 between stitches.

I looked at adding buttons to this set of overalls but found with the contrasting colors it was too much.

Calico Critters Sister Party Dress

This has been a popular pattern this week. This is On a Calico Day's Party Dress pattern. The set comes with patterns for the Mother and Sister sized Critters. You can purchase the pattern here.

Notes:

For my own reference as I've just repurchased and at some point might forget where I bought it the size 20 thread used for these smaller doll projects comes from Creative Yarn resources.

I used size 20 thread with a 1mm hook.

I needed to decrease around the top to get the outfit to fit, especially the arms. I did not finish the arm holes.

The flower is part of the original bunny outfit.

Chelsea Critter Party Dress

Mostly when I crochet late at night trying to finish something the outcomes are not always great. However, sometimes I make interesting discoveries.

As I was finishing the Calico Critter's Mom Party Dress I happened to grab the Chelsea doll by accident and tried the dress on her. Clearly the dress was too short but oddly the dress was not too tight. I took a closer look at the dress and realized it could be a top for Chelsea or with some work I could actually get it to work as a dress. I just needed to make the skirt section longer.

Notes:

This was made with size 20 crochet thread and a 1mm hook.

I didn't count the extra skirt rows I just kept trying it on the doll until I reached the point I wanted to add the trim to the bottom.

Like the Calico Critter I had to decrease the top section to keep the straps from sliding off. Again it would be worth exploring the arm chains.

I am curious to explore more Calico Critter patterns for Chelsea options.

Calico Critter Mom Party Dress

This is another one of On a Calico Day's patterns that can be purchased here. For those of you looking for Calico Critter patterns hers are easy to follow and frequently go on sale despite a pretty affordable entry price.

Notes:

I used size 20 cotton and a 1mm hook for this outfit.

The only real change other than size of cotton and hook is I needed to reduce around the neckline as it was large even with the smaller hook and thread. One possible solution is fewer chains for the arms but I'd have to play with this to see how it changed the overall fit to the dress.

I finished the back but even doing so I was unable to join in the back and left it open for the tail.

Calico Critter Brother Overalls

I believe I've mentioned it before but there aren't many patterns for the male Calico Critters. Many crochet patterns seem to be overalls likely because it is easier to keep the pants up with the straps from the overalls?

There seem to be more sewing options for males. I have picked up some holiday sets and recently bought some sewn outfits on Etsy for holiday decorations for my own Critters. However, for the donation it appears for the most part the boys will be heading out with a much more limited selection of outfits.

This pattern can be purchased here. Like the father overalls pattern there is a pattern for the male and female character at this size. At some point I hope to get back to making the sister version to add to her donation.

Notes:

Like the Dad pattern, I switched to size 20 thread and used a 1mm hook for this pattern.

I chose not to go with the cuffed pants.

One challenge I'm finding is the small buttons I bought for Barbie are a little big for the brother/sister animals. Not sure if I can find something smaller but I will be looking for something useful as a smaller alternative to what I have. Since they are sewn on and not functioning as a button I'm hopeful I can find something that works.

Calico Critter Dad Overalls

I've been trying to rotate through the Calico family to make sure everyone leaves with something to wear beyond what clothing was in the box. As is ususal with most crochet doll patterns it is easier to find patterns for the girls than the boys.

This is one of On a Calico Day's Patterns that can be purchased here. It includes an outfit for Mom and Dad. For those interested her patterns do frequently have sales.

Notes:

I looked up my notes from making patterns from this designer previously and I realized despite making gauge my clothes were rather large when I made them previously. I had not made this outfit but after starting with the suggested hook size and thread I checked my notes and realized I needed to adjust for a better fit.

These are made with size 20 thread and a 1mm hook. These notes are just for my purposes. You may find the pattern as written works for your toys.

There are two options for the legs, one has cuffs the other does not, I chose the straight legs pattern.

Even with the smaller hook and thread I found for the full length leg I followed the capri directions for the Dad. The pants were at the bottom of the leg at that row count.

I had bought a bunch of micro buttons for Barbie patterns a few years back. I still thankfully have a significant supply. I'm sorry to see Joann's go as it was a major supplier for my doll project.

Calico Critters Mom Dress

I picked the Calico Critter Bear family to use as a model set to make clothes when I realized the Stephanie Marshmallow Mouse was not the same size as the adult series Critters and therefore not the ideal model to size clothes on for my gifts. I feel much more comfortable when I can try stuff on as I make it. There are always adjustments and issues you can fix as you go along if you have the chance to try the outfit on as you are working on it. It's much harder to fix after the outfit is complete. This set also gives me the brother and sister sizes to try as well. I'd like to eventually make some holiday outfits for my set once I'm done outfitting the ones I'm gifting. I think they'd be cute additions to the holiday decorations.

You can purchase the Fancy Dress for Momma Pattern from On a Calico Day here. The hook size was right for the adult Mom which was a big indication that the Mouse was not actually an adult critter. I used a 1.8mm thread hook. The thread is size 10 from Thread Art. I've been moving to their thread for my doll projects for color options. I'm finding it hard to get the variations in color from Aunt Lydia's either in store or online. I stil tend to go with Aunt Lydia for the colors I can find locally like black, red, and white because I can save on shipping and especially with the white I can often get the large containers on sale.

This pattern worked up quickly. I wasn't able to include as many rows before the dress was at hem length but couldn't have chosen a smaller hook or the back wouldn't have closed so hook size wasn't the issue. I still have one more to make so I'm going to experiment and see if I can switch out a row to have more of the shell rows. I also want to be more delicate in tacking down the shells so they don't flop upward but they also don't become flat.

Calico Critters Romper

I started adding Calico Critters to birthday and holiday packages but until now hadn't ventured into making clothes for the toys.

It's been a busy winter so I opted to skip holiday boxes until Easter so I'd have some time to think about what I wanted to make. I had no idea what patterns were available for the Critters characters and I had to find a model as I need to fit clothes as I make them do to my guage challenges.

It was harder finidng a single character than I thought it would be as I only wanted one adult character to fit the clothes. I realize the animals differ slightly by type but I was hoping for to get close by using one of the adults to make some clothes. I settled on Stephanie Marshmellow Mouse as she was one of the less expensive models and started looking for patterns.

You can purchase the pattern set here. This outfit was made with size 10 crochet thread. I dug out my recent shipment from Thread Art. I'm a huge fan of Aunt Lydia's but I can't find the range of colors I used to be able to find even online so I've been branching out to try other brands. I'm pleased with my experience so far with Thread Art.

While the pattern calls for a 1.8mm thread hook I needed to use my Tulip Etimo 1.25mm hook to get the outfit to fit. Again this is why I try to have a model when I make clothing for dolls or toys because I never am sure if I will need to adjust the hook size or fiber to make the outfit fit until I try it on the doll/toy.