Monthly Archives: March 2021

Daffodils Blooming Soon, But in the Meantime…

Last week while I was waiting for the daffodils to bloom in the garden, which for me is a sure sign that spring has arrived, I cut into a fat quarter of a small scale daffodil print and made a dress for my Little Darlings. I was able to purchase only one fat quarter of this fabric at a sale. Sadly I have no idea who the designer is, but it is the perfect scale for doll dresses. Does anyone recognize it?

When searching for the perfect yarn to knit the cardigan for this ensemble I tried yellows and orange yellows; the daffodils in the fabric seemed to get lost. I then tried this green and it made them pop, so green it was. The yarn is Knit Picks Comfy fingering weight pima cotton/acrylic in the honeydew color way. I used my sweater coat pattern, shortened it and made the sleeves three-quarter length.

The daffodil embroidery is created with three bullion stitches and then straight stitches for the petals. The stems and leaves are back stitches. I had some vintage bone beads in my stash; they felt a bit rustic and seemed to go nicely.

I used aged vintage cotton thread to crochet the cutting basket. It was very fine, #30, so I held two strands together. The handle is braided using 12 strands, and then it is hand sewn on. I didn’t have little daffodil flowers, so I made do by adding an orange bead to the centers of the yellow flowers that I did have. Not bad… it’ll work.

In case you are interested I have published a You Tube video showing “Daffodil Darling” in process.

Here’s another photo of Alice. By the way, this beauty is painted by Nelly Valentino.

How was the first week of the new season for you? We’ve had some nice weather here in northern Illinois–lots of sunny days and some warm ones as well. We are on a bit of a cloudy streak right now, but that’s okay, cloudy spring days are nice too. I am thankful winter is over and milder temperatures are now the norm.

Take care of yourselves, and thank you for stopping by today. 💛 I appreciate it so much! 🤗

My Favorite Season

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Spring Magic
by Cicely Mary Barker

The World is very old;
    But year by year
It groweth new again
    When buds appear.
The World is very old;
    And sometimes sad;
But when the daisies come
    The World is glad.
The World is very old;
    But every Spring
It growth your again,
    And fairies sing.

Happy Spring to all those with me in the northern hemisphere. Happy Autumn to my other friends.

We have a day fit to honor this new season. It couldn’t be more beautiful–sunny and warm for March.

This past week was a slow week for me working on dolly things. I’m not sure why, just one of those things, I guess. I have a daffodil themed ensemble in the works for the Little Darlings. The dress is sewn and the cardigan’s embroidery is almost complete. After a few false starts embroidering the daffodils I decided to go with the style of daffodil embroidery that I did for Sugar many years ago. Here is a photo of one of those dresses. I loved these dresses for Sugar!

I hope you get to enjoy each and every day of this new season. It is filled with wonderment and possibilities.

Hugs and 💕 til next time, my friends! 🌷

“Feelin’ Peachy” This (Almost) Spring

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Do you believe we’ll be starting a new season in 11 days? It’ll be springtime here where I live in northern Illinois. If you are starting autumn that is a wonderful season as well. But here it’ll be spring… and, oh spring you are my favorite!

The warmer days after a cold winter are pure bliss, and all the surprises coming up in the garden are well, wonderful surprises. And we’ve already received some of these gifts. We have had a couple of days that have gone over 60° and my crocuses have started blooming. It seems early this year being that it is still early March, but so appreciated after the -24°F windchill on Valentine’s Day. It’s hard to believe that was less than a month ago!

My spring welcome committee continues to grow. Bethany has received the latest spring ensemble. It’s been so long since I’ve made anything new for Bethany. Before I received my first Little Darling (Christmas 2012) Bethany got lots of new things to model.

Here is my blonde Bethany modeling “Feelin’ Peachy” for you.

Bethany’s rose floral dress is a print by Robert Kaufman from the Margeaux collection. I’ve had it in my stash for about four years. Alice received a new ensemble made from this fabric in 2017. You can see her here. Scalloped cotton lace peaks out from the hemline and a rayon ribbon sash tied around the waistline is the perfect color to add some brightness to this pastel ensemble.

Bethany’s soft and warm cardigan sweater is made with hand dyed merino wool. I dyed it in a very pale peachy pink. This yarn has become my favorite to dye and use for doll sweaters. It is Knit Picks Preciosa in fingering weight. It is a one-ply yarn which makes it a little bit fuzzier and cozier than a plied yarn. I embroidered two coordinating rose motifs on the front and added glass pearls for the buttons. I think Bethany loves it!

Bethany’s accessories include a crocheted pearl headband, rayon knit tights, and a crocheted mesh drawstring purse. She carries three little Easter eggs inside. The mother-of-pearl heart dangling from the bottom shows that I made this for her with love! 💖

I have a new YouTube video from the past week showing this ensemble in progress.