Tag Archives: basket

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! 🤗❤️

Bella Has Been “Mushroom Hunting”

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2022, as is autumn, seems to be fading fast. This morning it is snowing here in northern Illinois–and will continue on and off until tomorrow morning. *sigh* I never feel ready for the first snowfall. There are always a jumble of phrases going through my head. Mostly I hear “n-o-o-o-o not yet–too early”, or something silly like that. Last Thursday I was out for a walk in shorts and a tank top (and was still very warm), and the begonias were still blooming. *sighing again*

Anyway,… on to sweet Bella (a Ruby Red Fashion Friend) who has been pestering me to show you her brand new fall ensemble. She may have snuck out mushroom hunting, so I apologize if she has soiled her dress. 😉

Bella’s knitwear is made with the softest silk yarn. It is a little hard to knit with, so I only purchased it in this one color–and also it was quite pricey. But, oh, the luxury! Bella loves it! It is a now discontinued yarn from Knit Picks, Diadem Fingering (50% Baby Alpaca, 50% Mulberry Silk) in the Pearl Solid color way. Maybe you have some in your stash?

I crocheted a gathering basket out of 10lb. hemp cord. It is rustic and gives the effect of an authentic basket. Bella has gathered a few interesting mushrooms. They have been knit with fingering weight wool in coordinating colors and embellished with various beads.

Bella’s dress fabric is one of my all time favorite prints. It’s so cozy, colorful, and mushroom-y. I find mushrooms very interesting… The fabric is from 2015–“Faraway Forest” by Lizzie Mackay by Blend. I previously used this fabric for a Little Darlings ensemble in 2016. You can see that post here.

Bella and I are wishing you a great day. We are making a conscious effort to enjoy the beautiful “white stuff” happening outside. What do you see outside your window? Please say hello. I’d love to hear from you❤️❤️❤️!

Patience Has Been Patient

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My poor little Patience. She has been overlooked by my other girls for months now. However, she is now finally getting her chance to show you her new spring ensemble.

I asked her what her favorite part of her new ensemble is and she said it’s “all the roses”. Fair enough… this is an ensemble filled with rose motifs and rosy hues. There’s also a touch of the palest of blues in the dress print, which I love. I brought out more of that color with her ribbon tie, bow on her headband, braided basket handle, and in the cardigan’s embroidery.

Patience’s cardigan is knit out of lace weight merino/silk yarn in a rosy berry-ish color. It’s a little bluer than what appears on my screen. I embroidered rose motifs in coordinating colors on the yoke. She can wear it open or buttoned. The buttons are glass pearl beads in a cream color.

Patience’s rose print dress features a multitude of rosy hues with touches of pale blue. Around her waist is a rayon ribbon in blue. The full skirt has a tuck near the hemline– underneath the tuck is a row of delicate English cotton Cluny lace in a warm white color.

The pearl headband is crocheted with faux pearls in cream. It ties at the back, so is fully adjustable. A matching ribbon bow adds extra sweetness.

Patience has already picked a few blossoms for her crocheted flower basket. (They can be arranged and rearranged.) It is made with natural colored bamboo thread. The handle is braided with the bamboo thread and the blue ribbon.

Patience’s pretty bracelet is made with genuine freshwater pearls and garnet beads. The mother-of-pearl heart dangle shows Patience that this set was made with love, just for her.

Her rosy rayon knit tights complete her new spring look.

As you can see Patience is all ready for spring! We are starting to enjoy some warmer days mixed in with the yet cooler days. I am enjoying frequent walks to check on what is newly blooming. 💐 I don’t want to miss anything! I LOVE this time of year!

I hope you are enjoying spring (or autumn). Have a wonderful weekend (& Easter if you celebrate) wherever you call home. Sending hugs from my sewing room… and my sunny front porch. 🤗💖