AMERICAN GIRL DOLL SWEATER

ONE MORE

One more sweater I made for an American Girl doll.  It is light pink with some tiny flowers crocheted with DMC variegated floss (6 strands) and size 4 steel crochet hook.  I tucked this one inside Frannie's Easter Basket.

Here we see Grace Thomas modeling the new sweater.  This is her puppy, BonBon.  She (BonBon) was hiding in Frannie's basket too.

Look how adorable her charm bracelet is.  The American Girl Doll Company (a subsidiary of Mattel) makes the cutest things, and we have never been disappointed in the quality.  No junk here.  This is our own opinion.  I wish they would sponsor us.

S.W.A.K.

CUTEKATYDOLLS on YouTube!

PILE UP

It's very difficult to photograph shawls,  shrugs and ponchos, especially if you don't have a willing model.

South Bay Shawlettes - Free Lion Brand Pattern.  The top one was crocheted with Cascade Cherub Aran.  I made this one for Frannie.

 

Another one for Frannie.  The blue and pink are Cascade Cherub Aran.  The white is Caron Simply Soft.  This one is Frannie's favorite, although I would have bet money that she would have picked the pink one.  She said it is because this one looks "Frozen" inspired.

This is the first South Bay Shawlette I made and it belongs to me, although someone keeps asking me if they can wear it.  I used Red Heart Boutique "Unforgettable".  I get a lot of compliments on this one.  People especially like the colorway and softness of the yarn.  It drapes beautifully.

Up next is your basic granny poncho.  Again, for Frannie.  This has gotten a lot of wear, I think mainly because it is soft and cozy and feels comforting on those chilly days.  This poncho was made with Red Heart "Love" in fuschia.  I don't know exactly how many pom-poms I crocheted around the border, but there are a lot.  I used this pom-pom pattern from Once Upon A Pink Moon.

Last up is a shrug made with Tahki Cotton Classic.  Free pattern on Ravelry, but I did have to modify the size.  I made this specifically because when the weather turns warmer and Frannie starts wearing sundresses to school, spaghetti straps are not allowed to show.  So, the dress has to be covered up over the shoulders.  I thought this would be cuter than your standard t-shirt.

S.W.A.K.

P.S. - CUTEKATYDOLLS on YouTube!

CROCHET FLOWER BASKET

 

Frannie's Easter Basket

(That's our dog, Ollie.  He is a nosy neighbor!)

Frannie is not really into candy.

I filled it with some American Girl accessories.

The flowers and leaves were all crocheted.

I came across the patterns on Pinterest.

LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

You can find them here and here.

I used different weights of cotton.

Flowers:  Tahki Cotton Classic, Paton's Grace, Aunt Lydia's #3

Leaves:  Reynolds Saucy 

The flowers and leaves were pinned to a base of styrofoam and foam rubber which I covered in cotton batting.

Then I wrapped some 100+ year old lace trim around the side.  This lace was from one of the garments in the trousseau of Aunt Grace's mother.  (I have spoken of Aunt Grace before.  She was my husband's aunt through marriage and we had lived next door to her for 35 years.  We loved to have tea and talk about needlework together).  This lace came from Italy, probably about 1910.  It was given to me several years ago and I thought it would be nice to use instead of keeping it rolled up in a drawer.  I did not cut into the lace (a very long piece), just wrapped it around and around and secured it with a sequin pin.

 

I added some black and white piping under the base to finish it off.  I love how a little touch of black accentuates all of the other colors.

When Frannie is finished using this as an Easter basket, I am going to call it mine, and use it to hold my knitting/crochet works in progress.  The top part reminds me of a cake, but in reality it can be used as a pincushion, the largest one I think I have ever seen.

S.W.A.K.

CUTEKATYDOLLS - YouTube!

K1 P2 FOR AMERICAN GIRL

PHOTO HEAVY

Sweater and Dress Set.

Crocheted flowers (embroidery floss), bead centers, back stitch stems and lazy daisy leaves.

Dress laid out flat after steam blocking.

Lavender and pale pink sweaters to go along with above two dresses to create a five piece set for mix and matching.  This ensemble is to be auctioned off as part of a scholarship fund.

Now for the models:

Up first is American Girl #3.  Her name is Lauren Kelly and she is Frannie's very first American Girl doll.  She is  a "Just Like You" doll (no longer available) and was purchased back in 2007.  She looks pretty good for her age. She is modeling a crocheted poncho (which I posted about here) over a variegated blue dress.  This yarn was chosen because it matches Lauren's eyes. 

Here she is without the cover-up.

 There are even buttonholes for ease in dressing.

Our next model is Samantha Parkington, a historical doll circa 1900.  She is an original American Girl doll who was introduced in 1986.  Samantha is Frannie's second doll and was purchased in 2008.  American Girl retired Samantha in December 2008, but due to popular demand was re-released in August 2014 as part of the "BeForever" collection.  Who wouldn't love Samantha?  Here she is wearing a pale pink dress and coordinating shawl.

 Shawl is crocheted using Size #10 thread.

 Back view

 Shawl stays securely in place with a button.

A crocheted white border was added to the dress to resemble a petticoat, because that is how Samantha Parkington would dress.

Complete ensemble from the back.

Near and dear to my heart is Julie Albright.  Julie is a historical doll, representing the 1970's.  This is Frannie's third doll and was purchased in 2008.  She is part of the "BeForever" line.  Julie required a dress that resembles tie-dye.

The button on Julie's sweater came from an outfit that Frannie wore as a little girl.

Look, Julie even has matching purple
Dr. Scholl's!!!

Say "Hello" to "Girl of the Year" 2009 (GOTY), Chrissa Maxwell, the fourth doll in the collection.  Chrissa represents standing up for yourself, making friends and taking a stand against bullying.  She is wearing a dress in variegated blue, green and purple and a mini version of Lion Brand's South Bay Shawlette, which I posted about here. 

How C-U-T-E are those shoes?!!!

Wish they came in my size.

I sewed on a sparkly button to keep the

shawl in place.

Here it is from the back.

I added a picot border, which is not part of the original pattern.

 

Meet Rachel Anne, "My American Girl" #22, purchased in 2010, and Frannie's 5th doll.

Rachel's dress is bright pink which coordinates with her multi-colored poncho.

Doll number six is Katy Elizabeth, "My American Girl" #35, purchased in 2013.  Katy is wearing the very first dress I knit in the collection.  The is the only dress that follows the pattern exactly as written.  A crocheted flower was added to dress up the outfit (no pun intended). Coincidentally, this pattern is called Katie's New Dress by Janice Helge and is available for purchase on Ravelry.

"Girl of the Year" 2014 is Isabelle Palmer and is the 7th doll in the collection.  Isabelle is a ballet dancer and represents having confidence in yourself.  She was really a "hot" girl of the year, I think mainly because she came with pink hair extensions.  Isabelle's sweater was knit with some leftover Cascade Cherub Aran - very soft.

I added a picot border to Isabelle's dress.

Second to last we have Abigail Brown, "My American Girl" #38 from 2014.  She has strawberry blonde hair, hazel eyes and freckles.  The green sweater was perfect for her coloring and coordinated nicely with her dress.

Last, but not least, is the latest edition to the collection, Grace Thomas, "Girl of the Year" 2015.  Grace represents baking, French culture and starting a business.  How about those boots?!!!

I think I have finally worked out the dress pattern exactly how I like it.

Isn't she sweet?

Even her lips look glossy.

 Perfectly matched sweater.

These dresses and sweaters are all worked top-down, no seams and buttonholes knit in as you go.  And, after steam blocking, they really drape beautifully on the dolls.

Hope you enjoyed my little American Girl doll fashion show.

S.W.A.K.

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