Category Archives: Sweaters

Evianna’s First Ensemble, “Spring Greening”

Happy Sunday to you! I hope it is a good one. The sun is shining and the snow is already melting here in northern Illinois. The snowfall we had on Thursday ended up being a disappointment for me, but that is ok. The flakes were so fine that they could hardly be seen. I think we ended up with 5 inches of snow over the course of about 18 hours. Maybe the next one…

However, I still made the most of the day by staying in and finishing up Evianna’s first ensemble. It was very relaxing.

Evianna is my Christmas 2022 doll. I love getting a new doll for Christmas… or my birthday… or Mother’s Day. In fact, anytime! A box showed up yesterday and it was a dolly shaped box… but it was only a new filter for our water filtration. 😞

Evianna is the first Li’l Dreamer Dianna Effner doll. She is a sweet addition to my Dianna Effner doll family. I love her!❤️

I found this dress partially finished in a box from another doll. I guess it didn’t fit that ‘new’ doll well enough, so I abandoned it. It fits Evianna quite well, not perfect, but nice enough so I finished it and completed her first ensemble. I have no notes on which pattern this is, so I have to start from scratch for her second ensemble. Oh, well…

I dyed merino wool to get the palest shade of yellow green for Evianna’s knitwear. In the hank the yarn looked barely dyed, but when knit up it is definitely a beautiful yellow green and matches the dress florals beautifully. I made her sweater a bit longer to cover the bodice length and gave it a slight a-line shaping. After many hours of embroidering, and adding shimmery Czech glass bead buttons her sweater was complete.

The beret was looking for some adornment, so that too, got some embroidery.

To complete her ensemble I made pale pink cotton tights. Her tiny crocheted basket holds some pink blossoms. Evianna’s heart charm bracelet tells her that this ensemble was made with love just for her!

Evianna and I say ‘bye for now’. Thank you for stopping by for a visit with us today. We appreciate the company! Take care and enjoy the week ahead! 🤗❤️

Alisha is “Pretty in Pink & Blue”

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Hello to you! I hope you have been enjoying this mid February weekend. I am having a hard time believing it is February. The sun is shining and it is quite nice today. I am feeling April vibes not February vibes. There are some crocuses and grape hyacinths that have started showing their leaves in the gardens already. I hope they don’t regret coming up so early.

Now for what I’ve made for Alisha who is a Helen Kish doll. Yes, it has been awhile for her. She was long overdue for something new to wear.

Alisha’s soft and fuzzy long sleeve blue cardigan was made with two strands of lace yarn, a cornflower blue and pure white mohair/silk. When these two yarns are used together it produces a very soft shade of blue to match those tiny blue flowers in her dress. The cardigan is embroidered with pink roses, leaves, and deep pink colonial knots. Tiny Miyuki rainbow drop beads button up her cardigan.

Alisha’s dress is made with 100% cotton from the Guernsey collection by Brenda Riddle. It’s been in my stash for years–I have no idea the name of this particular print. However Brenda Riddle always has some very sweet florals in her collections. The print has the tiniest rosebuds in shades of pink with even tinier blue blossoms and greenery. Delicate white cotton lace edges the full skirt and a silk ribbon ties around her waist.

Alisha wears a crocheted beaded headband that is beaded all around with clear rainbow Delica beads and the blue lace yarn used for the cardigan. She wears a pink seed bead bracelet with a silver toned “Loved and Beloved” heart charm. Her tights are in pink cotton knit. She has managed to pluck a blossom out of Mom’s garden too. It has a bit of stretchy jewelry cord strung around it so that Alisha can hold it.

As you can see she is one happy little girl, and I think she is oh so pretty in pink and blue. Alisha just whispered in my ear that she’d love to hear what you think of her new springtime ensemble!

Wishing you a great rest of the weekend and a good week ahead. ❤️ Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Winter Beauty–Moody & Something Bright

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Hello! I hope you have had a wonderful January, and that it has progressed at the pace most suitable for you. I used to wish January away as quickly as possible, or better yet, I wished to skip it altogether. However, this year (surprise, surprise!) I have thoroughly embraced winter’s dark and moody days.

January is coming to a close with peaceful snowfalls here in northern Illinois. They are so beautiful!!! We don’t have a lot of snow, but it has been snowing lightly on and off for the past couple of days.

We are very lucky to have forest preserves around us. Last Sunday we had the first 2023 daytime snowfall where the conditions were perfect for a walk. My husband and I, along with quite a few others who had the same idea, had a wonderful walk around Hastings Lake. We made these tiny snowmen on the railing of one of the bridges. The snow was packable, but not pliable, so this was the best we could do. Anyway, I thought these doll sized snowmen were cute. ⛄️⛄️

Now for something bright which, by the way, I had to create myself. The sun, it seems, is hibernating for the winter 😴. My Ruby Red Fashion Friend, Holly, hopes to brighten up your day with the first ensemble for 2023.

Holly is dressed as sunnily as you can get. The fabric I used to sew her dress looks like a 1930s reproductions print. I’ve had this fabric since 2016, so it is now hard to find. However, an Etsy seller in Australia has some yardage. The fabric is called Bread n Butter Yellow Pansies by American Jane (Moda Fabrics).

Holly’s longer a-line cardigan is knit with off white merino wool yarn and is embroidered all along the neckline with matching green leaves, deep peach blossoms, and tiny vintage red beads. The cardigan buttons with matching deep peach bead buttons.

Holly’s hair ribbon and sash are sunshine yellow grosgrain ribbons. Her ivory tights are in a warm cotton/lycra ribbed fabric. Her bracelet is made with porcelain green beads which match perfectly in style and color, ivory pearls, and yellow seed beads. A peach/clear glass heart dangles from the bracelet. I’ve embellished Holly’s teddy with a bow made from the dress fabric.

I think that both Holly and her teddy are ready for a cozy day playing inside while the snow falls outside. She’d like to invite you over too.

How has January been for you? Has it gone by quickly or sluggishly? Sending you hugs from the dolls and I.🤗 We thank you so much for stopping by to visit with us today.❤️ Bye for now. 👋