Tag Archives: sweater

Gina Loves Rudolph, Do You?

I had to use this “super cute” print again for one of my last 2015 Christmas dresses and Gina begged me to make it for her. Who can say no to Gina? Certainly not me!

Last year I used this print for Talyssa. You can see that ensemble here.

Gina’s sweater is knit with tan mohair/silk lace yarn. Embroidered all the way around the neckline are berries and leaves. I’ve also embroidered a few hearts because there are hearts on the dress.

I wanted to make Talyssa a Rudolph toy last year, but didn’t, so this year I was determined to give it a go. It’s a fair amount of work to draw the pattern pieces, dye the felt, and put it all together. The little faces, or expressions, are the most important part on these little toys, I feel. They have to be “super cute” and make you say “awww”. I hope I was successful…

This little guy is a two dimensional toy and stuffed with plastic bean bag pellets to give him some weight. I think Gina likes her little Rudolph.

For more information on Gina’s “I Love Rudolph” ensemble, please visit the “Shop What’s New” page at cindyricedesigns.com.

“Snowmen and Candy Canes”

5 Replies

With our first snowfall now behind us and Christmas right around the corner, it is the perfect time to debut Gina and Lucy’s “Snowmen and Candy Canes” ensemble.

The Little Darlings’ hand knit mohair/silk sweater is embellished with embroidered snowflakes in shades of light blue, crystal seed beads, and a wool felt embellished snowman.

The hand knit candy cane striped scarf can be worn a variety of ways.

For more information on Gina and Lucy’s “Snowmen and Candy Canes” ensemble, please visit my “Shop What’s New” page at cindyricedesigns.com.

Live and Learn When Things Go Wrong

11 Replies

What do you do when you are working on something, putting your heart into what you are making, and then, something goes wrong?

I was really sad and oh, so disappointed. The hours I spent knitting and embroidering this sweater flashed through my mind as I looked at the stains that a new strand of beads had left behind around the buttonholes. I tried dabbing the worst stain out with water, then tried a tiny bit of Shout, the one stain didn’t budge, so I didn’t even try with the others.

Well, how bad are the stains? Not too bad, in my opinion, but the sweater is not perfect now. 😞 I know that I don’t have it in me to remake this sweater and the stains are very faint, so the sweater isn’t ruined. I removed the offending beads and replaced them with glass beads. If the sweater is buttoned, the stains are totally covered up. And, (ha ha) unbuttoned in a darkened room they are unnoticeable. Hey, I gotta laugh or I’d cry!

But seriously, see not too bad.

Here is the sweater with the new glass beads sewn on and the sweater buttoned up.

And, here is Talyssa during the photo shoot when everything was going perfectly, or so I thought. I liked Gina’s “Ivy and Holly” ensemble so much that I decided to make Talyssa one of her own.

Now, for the learning part and in case you were wondering about these beads. These beads were labeled as “Dyed Bamboo Coral”. I wanted to better understand how this happened and how I could test beads , so I took the strand and rubbed it on an old wool sweater and sure enough there was a faint pink stain left on the wool. Needless to say, I will be staying away from dyed beads.