Author Archives: Cindy Rice

About Cindy Rice

My wonderful husband, my beautiful daughter, and I live in northeastern Illinois with our two sweet chihuahua boys. For as long as I can remember I have loved dolls and making things. I got my first Barbie when I was only three years old! My mom sewed for my Barbie dolls and taught me how to use her sewing machine when I was only seven. I cannot believe she let me near that needle, but she did. Not having enough money for my clothes habit in high school and college led me to start sewing all of my own clothes. There were so many fabric stores around back then and fabric was so inexpensive. I would wait for the 99 cent pattern sale and go crazy. Sewing for myself continued well into my 30’s. (I even made my wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses.) Shortly after I got married I left my full time graphic design position and started designing cross stitch patterns. I called my company “The Lilac Studio” and sold my botanical patterns at trade shows, through distributors which sold to retail shops, and mail order. My most popular pattern, “A Bouquet of Pansies” sold 5000 copies and won a J&P Coats Golden Needle Award! I was also featured in various cross stitch magazines and designed special projects for the magazines. When my daughter was born I didn’t have the time needed to cross stitch and design patterns all day long so I let my pattern design business slip away. And then I started discovering dolls again and I now had an excuse to start buying them. The only problem was that they were for my daughter and not for me. I soon discovered all of the adult collectors out there and decided I would be one of them. I started small at first, collecting Mattel Kelly dolls. Soon I collected over 100 Kelly dolls! After Kelly, I discovered Helen Kish’s Riley and Tonner’s Ann Estelle. I have since learned to knit doll sweaters and love an excuse to knit so most of my doll outfits include a sweater and/or hat. I love creating miniature outfits for dolls and enjoy sharing them with others. Currently I create doll ensembles for Ruby Red Fashion Friends, Kish Bethany, Dianna Effner's Little Darlings, Wilde Imagination's teeny tiny Amelia, Kaye Wiggs BJD, Boneka 10", Linda Macario's Penny.

My Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes Have Been Dropped Off

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Hello to you! I hope you are enjoying this late autumn, or spring, weekend. We had a pretty nice day today–some sunshine and crisp temps.

This week/weekend is the collection week for the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. My daughter and I assembled them on Wednesday and then dropped them off that evening at a nearby church. So, they are done!

I started sewing the dresses for the shoeboxes in June. Some of you may remember that I have been getting my fabric from a very nice woman who bought out a friend’s quilt shop in Texas. Twice a year she has been having fabric sales at her home. This year I needed fabric if I was to continue. My doll fabric is all 1/2 yard cuts and the main dress pieces take 1 yard cuts. My post from a past visit is here.

I love sewing these dresses, but they are lots of work. I have no idea if my dresses are fitting the girls and if the dresses are even needed and liked. I mean, who knows, right? We all have different tastes. I thought I’d pray about it and see if I got some guidance. That very day I heard from Margaret telling me the date of her next fabric sale! Yep, that very day! I got the message loud and clear!

I left her house with a garbage bag so heavy that I could barely carry it… and another smaller grocery bag. She was so kind to also let me pick through her scraps and offered me many giveaways–silk ribbon, cotton threads, machine needles, mother-of-pearl buttons, etc. Also, my daughter and I visited her this fall–she said this was the last sale. She sold me fabric for $1 a yard this time! I bought enough for another two years, I think.

This year I got 20 dresses completed! Look at them all! Do you have a favorite?

As for the rest of the items for the boxes we added crayons, a pen, mechanical pencil, paper pads, coloring pages, stickers, toothbrush, washcloth, bar soap, hair clip and ponytail band in a little purse, a teddy bear, and the dress I made. Here are the teddy bears waiting to be packed away in the shoeboxes.

The dresses fold up nice and neat and sit on the top of each box. In case you are interested, I made a tutorial for these dresses years ago. I actually used my own tutorial this year as a refresher. I hadn’t made them in a couple of years… The tutorial is here, or under the tutorial tab at the top of this page.

If you have a favorite dress, I’d love to know… just for fun.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend! Hugs to you all! 🤗❤️

A Letter to Santa

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Hello! Do you have memories writing letters to Santa? I don’t really, but I’m sure I did write to him at some point. Santa was very magical to me until I was about 10 years old. I never figured it out myself–my mom had to break the heart wrenching news to me, and I really was devastated. I was assured he would still visit and leave gifts, as I had younger siblings, but that didn’t matter as much as the magic being gone. 😥

Talyssa is a believer and I will never tell her otherwise. This sweet girl wrote the nicest letter to Santa this year. Talyssa would love a puppy, and only if it is okay with her parents. (After all, they are the ones who will do most of the work, right?) Talyssa then ends her letter with a P.S. offering her help to Santa, that is if he needs it.

Talyssa has donned her Santa hat and festive attire so that she can be ready just in case she hears back from Santa asking for her help.

The dress fabric was purchased last year and is called “All the Trimmings” by Maywood Studio. Talyssa’s cardigan is my pattern and was made longer with a bit of a-line shaping. Let me know if you’d like the particulars on how to change the pattern. I hand dyed Knit Picks Preciosa to this pretty cherry red. Bare Preciosa is used for the hat’s band and pom pom.

Have you started any holiday decorating yet? We will be visiting the tree farm and putting up our tree is two short weeks. Unbelievable!

I’d love to hear about your holiday preparations going on now or soon to be.

Sending hugs and warmth during these darker days in the northern hemisphere.

❤️🤗🧡

My First Holiday Ensemble, “Festive and Frosty” for Rose

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Hi there! I hope this post finds you well and enjoying the season leading up to the year-end holidays. This time of year goes so fast for me! I am making a conscious effort to savor these cozy fall days, although the time is still flying by.

Towards the end of August I began creating my holiday ensembles. My petite (10″ tall) Boneka doll named Rose received my first holiday ensemble for 2021 and she’s been waiting for months to show you her festive outfit.

We haven’t gotten any snow yet here in northern Illinois. Having just recently gotten our first frost it still seems too warm for snow, but Rose is ready for the first snowflakes.

Rose is wearing a cuddly mohair sweater and headband ear warmer. I embroidered some berries and pine boughs on the yoke. Tiny gold jingle bells adorn the tie ends of her ear warmer.

Her dress features the tiniest snowmen and pine trees with a border of delicate cotton lace around the hemline. She wears tights in a fun kelly green and around her wrist is a jingle bell bracelet.

Rose is absolutely smitten with her tiny needle felted snowman. I think the hopes of me making one for her may be the reason she picked out this snowman fabric for her dress. lol What do you think?