Category Archives: Effner Dolls

“Pink ‘n Plum Sweetie”

It’s Lucy’s turn to model something new for you. She has been quite patient, I must say. She hasn’t had a turn since early May.

Back in June Lucy was already wearing a new dress and waiting for me to return from Florida so she could model the entire ensemble for you. Well on the way home from Florida (we drove) we found out that Alice would be arriving very, very soon. Lucy wanted to welcome her with open arms, so gave up her new dress to Alice. Isn’t Lucy the sweetest Little Darling ever!

I love this fabric.. and I think lots of you did too! I used it about the same time last year for an ensemble and then quickly made another in the smaller scaled, but same color way fabric. It turns out that this fabric is PERFECT for the pink mohair yarn I often knit with, so I decided to use it again. Lucy wasn’t around last summer, so this is all new for her! Doesn’t she look happy!

pink 'n plum sweetie 413

This time I made a longer sweater, so the dress is a drop-waist style. You can see my first “Pink ‘n Plum” here, and “Pink ‘n Plum Encore” here. I changed the waistline sash from ribbon to lace, and added a bow to the headband. Lucy has a drawstring bag (which she LOVES!) instead of a little bouquet. All in all, she one happy girl.

pink 'n plum sweetie 424

pink 'n plum sweetie 410

lucy 366

pink 'n plum sweetie 471

pink 'n plum sweetie 433

During our photo shoot Lucy and Alice wanted some photos taken of the two of them. Then, Gina wanted to try on Alice’s new outfit, so I took some outdoor photos of Gina. Most definitely, we had fun!

First, it’s Lucy and Alice modeling together.

lucy alice 393

lucy alice 401

alice lucy 391

Then Gina tried on Alice’s outfit.

chic not shabby 494

I thought Gina looked adorable in “Chic Not Shabby”.

chic not shabby 476

Lastly, a hug for Gina from Lucy!

gina lucy 500

One last look at Lucy in “Pink ‘n Plum Sweetie” which will be available tonight (July 24, 2016) at 7:00 pm CST, cindyricedesigns.com. Check the “Shop What’s New” page at that time for more information.

pink 'n plum sweetie 408

Bye for now! Thanks for visiting!

My “Calico Cutie”

11 Replies

Usually I cannot remember the names of fabric collections that I use for my outfits. I get asked quite often, and I’m sorry to say that I just don’t remember, especially when it has been in my stash for a while. The name of this fabric, however, stuck with me because it was named after one of my favorite childhood television shows and books, Little House on the Prairie.

I was probably older than the target audience when this show first aired, but still loved the cozy peek into pioneer life. My younger sister, who was really into this show had the book, so I also read that. I’ve been enamored with log cabins lit with cozy fireplaces ever since.

This tiny calico print is filled with shades of purply flowers on a navy ground. You all know I love every single shade of purple, but I don’t work with navy blue too much. When I received this fabric I wasn’t thrilled with it (it seemed too dark to me), but it looked so pretty with this lilac mohair sweater, so I took a chance and made this fabric into a dress. I am glad I used it! It is a different look for Gina. In fact, I love her in this dress set!

calico cutie 155

calico cutie 127

Gina’s light as a feather mohair/silk sweater matches the beret which is knit in a heavier weight of Peruvian wool. I preferred the “less fluffy” fiber for her beret. I am now quite comfortable knitting in the round, so that is how I knit Gina’s beret. A simple white silk ribbon bow and bead decorate the beret.

calico cutie 150

I had this ribbon in my stash which was the perfect color to accent the waistline of the dress.

calico cutie 116

My newly acquired white tassel styled cotton lace from England looked perfect with this print.

calico cutie 141

Of course Gina wanted a little bouquet to give you. She picked deep purple and white blossoms which she tied together with white silk streamers, and a bow made with matching embroidery thread.

calico cutie 166

“Calico Cutie” will be available tonight (July 19, 2016) at 7:00 pm CST, cindyricedesigns.com. Check the “Shop What’s New” page at that time for more information on this ensemble.

“Garden Princess”

8 Replies

I crowned my Little Darling, Gina, the garden princess. Her grace never fails to shine through on the thousands of photos I’ve taken of her over the years. She’s a beauty, my oldest, and I am happy she’s a part of my ever growing Little Darling family.

Here she is modeling her new ensemble called “Garden Princess”.

garden princess 530

I love the violet-y pink shades in these two fabrics from the same collection. The border print is the same design as “Beauty in Blue” made for my Kaye Wiggs Gracie. The print has a totally different feel when done without the leaves and stems in green, doesn’t it? I like them both, though, no preference.

garden princess 582

I didn’t have the right shade of pink, so I knit Gina’s sweater in white mohair/silk then hand dyed it in a very, very light rosy pink dye bath. I think it dyed to the perfect shade and created a nice background for the embroidery.

garden princess 572

Here’s a close up of the embroidery.

garden princess 485

The accessories all came together perfectly for this ensemble.

garden princess 617

garden princess 500

garden princess 535

Gina has a bouquet put together just for you. It features baby’s breath, tiny off white blossoms, and a cool pink rose blossom. She tied her bouquet together with a bit of lace and pearl trim.

garden princess 550

“Garden Princess” will be available tonight (July 6, 2016) at 7:00 pm CST at cindyricedesigns.com. Look for more information under the “Shop What’s New” tab at 7:00 pm.