Monthly Archives: March 2016

Miscellaneous Ramblings

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Both yesterday and today we’ve had the most perfect springlike weather here in northern Illinois.  It was so glorious today that our happy little crocuses woke up from their long winter’s nap.

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As I was sewing yesterday (Millie is getting a new dress) I kept glancing up at Gracie.  Hmmm, wonder what she’d look like in another wig… I decided to try Talyssa’s “messy braids” wig on her.  I have no idea the name or maker of this wig.  The braids stay braided very nicely though— I like it a lot.

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Does anyone know who makes this type of wig?  The fibers aren’t as silky as those on a Monique wig.

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I am getting tired of the few mohair colors of yarn that I have, and wanted to see if a finished sweater would dye up nicely.  Because the fibers are so long and fuzzy, I don’t even want to try dyeing the yarn; I fear a tangled mess.  I wanted very light colors, so mixed up super light dye.  The sweaters came out darker than I expected and a slightly different shade than what the dye bath looked to be.  The sweater ended up being very pretty pastel shades though.  I dyed the real thing today and took photos of the process to show you soon.

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My husband bought me a bunch of yellow tulips this weekend.  Sugar took one look at the bouquet and had to check them out.  She said that they were so pretty and they matched her dress perfectly.  Whoa, hang on tight, Sugar!

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She made it!  What a little monkey!

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Thanks for stopping by!  Bye for now!

Gracie’s First Outfit

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My new Kaye Wiggs MSD, Gracie, has her very first ensemble to show you…finally, sorry for the delay, but here she is now!  First of all, I am very happy to say that the only adjustment I needed to make from Talyssa’s patterns were for the length of the skirt, yay.  The two girls are thrilled to be able to share clothes.

For Gracie’s first outfit I picked out a favorite print that I used last year for Patience.  I also had this print in the pink color way and a tinier coordinating print.  You can see those outfits here, here, and here.  If you’d like to read the blog posts from those outfits they are here, here, and here.

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Gracie is wearing a Kemper Raven mohair wig in blonde (8-9) and her original dark brown glass eyes.

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Gracie’s sweater is knit with a pima cotton/Modal® in sport weight.  The Modal gives the yarn a slight silkiness.  Two mirrored image rose bouquet motifs are hand embroidered to coordinate with the dress.

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I wished that the crystal beads I used for the buttons were a bit larger, but they went so well that I decided to use them anyway.  I added more “buttons” than I would have if they had been larger.  They are a very pretty champagne colored AB rondelle shape and added a bit of lightness and sparkle to the sweater;  the sprays of white/ecru colonial knot flowers seemed to pop a little more with these beads.  These crystals are so pretty that I used them for the basket’s tassel and Gracie’s bracelet too.

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Gracie’s light blush pink headband is crocheted with beads, Czech crystals and seed beads; it has a luxurious weight to it because of the weightiness of the beads.

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Gracie is a larger doll, so I was able to make a more colorful bouquet for her Victorian styled basket.  The bouquet is removable and can be held by itself as if the flowers were just picked.  A clear band holds the stems together.

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“Roses for my Beauty” will be available for sale Monday night, March 7, 2016, 7:00 pm, CST.  Go to my “Shop What’s New” page at cindyricedesigns.com.

A “Rosey Princess”

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Gina, my Little Darling, is our “princess of the day” here at Cindy Rice Designs.  She let Lucy go first yesterday, and now it’s her turn to shine.

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This is the same print as I used for Lucy’s ensemble.  You saw that one yesterday.  Here’s a photo of both girls together.  I cannot decide which one I like better.  Do you have a preference?

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This white sweater was originally made to go with Lucy’s dress, but it ended up looking much prettier with the pinker background.  At one point last week I had both of these ensembles partially made (bits for this one and bits for that one).  It was hard to keep them both straight.

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Gina has a Victorian styled flower basket, just like Patience’s.  These baskets hold a little bunch of flowers so nicely.  I think it’s because they are narrower and deeper for the flowers, like a vase would be.

Notice the double tucks at the hemline; it took extra care to keep the scallops lined up.

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Gina’s “Rosey Princess” ensemble will be available tonight (March 3, 2016) at 7:00 pm, CST.  Look for the “Shop What’s New” page at cindyricedesigns.com.