Category Archives: Spring

My Favorite Season

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.

Isn’t Bethany a beautiful doll? I think she is just perfect.

How is March shaping up in your area? Did it come in like a lion or a lamb?

Sending you hugs and wishes for beautiful days ahead! 🤗💐 Thank you for stopping by.

June is… Here!

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Yay it’s June!!!

Hello to you all!

These past weeks I’ve been enjoying spring time here in northern Illinois. That is, weather permitting. We had a most dreary and rainy May, but that didn’t stop me from finding those rare days and to enjoy the blossoms growing around me and at the Chicago Botanic Gardens.

English Walled Garden, Chicago Botanic Gardens

Hutch of grape hyacinths, English Walled Garden

Lily-of-the-valley, Chicago Botanic Gardens

Lily-of-the-valley, Chicago Botanic Gardens

Apple blossoms, my yard

Lilac blossoms, my yard

Phlox in full bloom, my yard

Forget-me-nots, my yard

My planters and Kitty

I’ve also been doing a little knitting, and I mean a little, sorry nothing more to show. I am finding it hard getting my knitting and ‘making’ mojo back after my hiatus. My mind wants to create, create, create, but my body is still slow. By the way, I thank you all for being patient with me. There is so much I want to do… I have faith things will improve albeit rather slowly.

Here is something I managed to accomplish. I won’t mention how long this took to knit…

Off my knitting needles and currently blocking is a sweater dress for the Little Darlings. When picking out a color for this project, sunny yellow seemed the perfect color to knit with during our dreary spring weather.

The sweater dress is knit with Aunt Lydia’s bamboo thread. It’s comparable to #10 cotton crochet thread, but has lots more drape. I love this thread, and was very disappointed when it was discontinued by Red Heart. I’ve also used this bamboo thread interchangeably with fingering weight yarn. The stitch gauge is pretty much the same (maybe a tad smaller, but needs no adjustment). However, garments knit up shorter, which can easily be adjusted by adding some additional rows.

yellow sweater dress blocking 537

I’ve previously made three sweater dresses for the Little Darlings out of this thread (see photos below). I think embroidery really looks delicate and beautiful on these dresses. I look forward to picking out colors and getting started!