Cofelia’s Jacket

It is done! I finally have a new Barbie Who? piece finished for Cofelia. I am proud to present Cofelia’s jacket.

This jacket was not easy to make. I ended up going through several different patterns before I gave up and created my own pattern for it. I have spent nearly a month on this, which is fairly ridiculous. I’m sorry this side- tracked me to this extent.

The first coat pattern I attempted was cute, but it required worsted weight yarn. For consistency, I need the jacket to be made with the same yarn as the skirt – which is a size 10 crochet thread. I didn’t realize that pattern required worsted weight until I had finished the first two rows and saw it was waaaaaay too small for my doll. I unraveled my work and went looking for a new pattern.

The second pattern looked great in the bloggers pictures, but it was so badly written that I gave up after ten rows. Maybe I’m not at an ‘intermediate’ level in crochet, or maybe it was the density of the pattern that caused my problems. Either way, we just weren’t compatible and I had to move on.

After that, I looked for patters on Pinterest. I found several paid patterns that were promising, but I don’t want to spend money on a relatively simple endeavor. It was at this point that I decided to make my own pattern. I have made infant vests before, so I just used the techniques I learned from that application while adding a collar and sleeves. This is the same technique I used for the peasant top Cofelia wears under this jacket. After everything, I am pleased with the results.

I went through several different phases to create the pattern for this jacket. At first I tried to make it with black yarn, but I had a hard time counting the stitches with that color. I then made a version of it with off-white yarn in the same size. I was able to make a nice jacket, write down the pattern, and adjust it for the final product.

It took extra time because I made the pattern myself. I blame this for throwing the first doll into November. The original goal was to finish the first doll before the end of September, but that was overly optimistic. Despite this setback, I am very pleased with how the jacket turned out and how well it pulls the whole ensemble together.

To make this, I used thread bought at the hobby store, beads from my sewing box, and snaps from a second-hand store. It doesn’t have as many thrifty elements as other pieces I’ve worked on, but I still find it delightful. The photos don’t do this jacket justice; it is so hard for my camera to capture the detail in such a dark yarn. The next element for the Cofelia doll I will be making is an adipose (or two) to hang out with her. I mean, what would astronauts be without her charges? I already have white thread, a pattern, and my crochet needle at the ready for it, so keep your eyes peeled for the next update!

If any of you are ambitious and want to make one of your own, here is a link to the pattern I created.

Random Shorts

In all the excitement of the yarn I found earlier this week, I decided to make a pair of shorts for my dolls!

I used this pattern from Crochet for Barbie to create this. I basically used her pattern using only pink yarn and a slight alteration to the top. The final round of decreases on the top made it too small for my dolls, so I omitted the last round or decreases. I also added an extra row or two to make the top longer and omitted the decorative buttons. Still, it is a nice pattern and I am happy with how it turned out. I finished mine with a clasp and it fits great!

The stripes are pretty and gives the pants a lot of stretch. I think I will techniques from this pattern to make pants for the Ken doll I found. I think that would make for a very cute pair of pants for him (his nakedness bothers me – same with all the other naked dolls, actually).

Beyond that….. Well, I am almost done with the jacket. I am working on it right now, actually. I am having trouble making the collar look the way it does in Doctor Who. Hopefully I can work that out and do the finishing on the entire outfit before October ends. I am cutting it close, but I am cautiously optimistic that it can be done.

Short-Sleeved Peasant Blouse Pattern

I created this pattern for a Barbie doll, and it will fit most 11.5″ fashion dolls. It is a quick pattern and can be easily modified if needed. For example, the placement of the snaps at the end can be adjusted as needed to make the shirt have a more tailored look. You can also add a row or two at the end to add length if needed.

Supplies:
– Size 10 Crochet Thread
– Size 6 (1.80 mm) Crochet Hook
– Size 4 Snaps

Here are a few notes before you begin:
– I suggest that you leave extra-long tails on the yarn when making this so that you can use the tails to sew snaps at the end. This isn’t required, but I find it easier to do it that way than to join in a new piece of yarn just for the snaps.
– This pattern isn’t the most solid, so I suggest only using it for under-shirts. If you want to make a more solid shirt, you would want to do a pattern with single crochets instead of double crochets. When I have some free time, I will make a pattern for it.

Abbreviations:
Ch – Chain
DC – Double Crochet
Sk – Skip

Pattern:

Chain 37

Row 1
DC into third chain from hook,
DC 6, ch 2,
DC 6, ch2,
DC 8, ch 2,
DC 6, ch 2,
DC 8, turn
(43 stitches)
(DO NOT skip stitches in the base chain after you chain two in the pattern – you will be making holes to work in during subsistent rows – if you need to skip stitches it will say so in the pattern)

Row 2
Ch 2, Skip first stitch,
DC 8, ch 2,
DC 8, ch 2,
DC 10, ch 2,
DC 8, ch 2,
DC 9, turn
(51 stitches)
(Work the increases directly into the ch 2 holes made in the precious row)

Row 3
Ch 2, Skip first stitch,
DC 9, ch 2,
DC 10, ch 2,
DC 12, ch 2,
DC 10, ch 2,
DC 10, turn
(59 stitches)

Row 4
Ch 2, Skip first stitch,
Dc 9,
Join the next two ch2 loops together with a DC (skipping 16 DC – you’re joining two loops made by the ch2 in the precious row)
Dc 12,
Join the next two ch2 loops together with a DC (skipping 16 DC between them)
Dc 10, turn
(33 stitches)
(This may be confusing, but you are making the arm loops – I will post a picture of this the next time I make a shirt with this pattern to help make it clearer)

Rows 5 – 6
Ch 2, Skip first stitch,
Dc 33, Turn
(33 stitches)

Row 7
Ch 2, Skip first stitch,
Dc 11, sk 1,
2 DC, sk 1
Dc 2, sk 1,
Dc12, turn
(30 stitches)

Row 8
Ch 2, Skip first stitch,
Dc 11, sk 1,
Dc 3, sk 1,
Dc 12, turn
(28 stitches)

Row 9
Ch 2, Skip first stitch,
Dc 11, sk 1,
Dc 1, sk 1,
Dc 12, turn
(26 stitches)

Rows 10 – 11
Ch 2, Skip first stitch, DC 26, turn
(26 stitches)

Row 12
Ch2, Skip first stitch, DC 11, increase, DC, increase, DC 12, turn
(28 stitches)

Row 13
Ch 2, Skip first stitch, DC 28, cast off

Finish by sewing in snaps and working in the loose ends.

I finished this top with two snaps because I only had two snaps available to use. Three snaps is what I recommend using when finishing this shirt.

This is my original pattern and protected by copyright law. These instructions may not be duplicated, distributed, or sold in any form. You are welcome to create and sell the items that you make using this pattern; I kindly ask that you link back to my blog if you choose to do so. If you make this pattern, please let me know! I would love to see your work, and I will update the pattern as needed with the feedback given.

Cofelia’s Top

Wow! October is flying by. I haven’t had as much time to work on Cofelia’s outfit because I had a few commissions for baby hats (I have to support my crafting hobby somehow). I am also working on our Halloween costumes (our family will be The Avengers this year – and yes, it will be awesome). In addition, I am having a terrible time making the jacket. Still, I managed to make some time to make a shirt for the Cofelia doll!

I didn’t want to do anything fancy with this; I just needed something to go under the jacket. I have been working on the jacket off and on for the last few weeks. Now that I have something worked out, I believe the main body of it will fit better with an undershirt. Hence why I created this! I decided to use black yarn because it will help reinforce the color of the jacket (though I was tempted to use a wild color since I am convinced Cofelia has a wild side below her matronly exterior). I made a peasant-style top based off of techniques I learned from a child’s vest pattern. It is fun when you pick up little tricks to transfer between works.

This blouse took about 2 hours to make, but a decent amount of that time went towards jotting down notes and revising the pattern. I’m sure that it wouldn’t take nearly as much time if I were to make another one. This shirt one of those small details that won’t be easily seen. It may not seem very important, but it all adds up to the finished Cofelia doll.

For the ambitious reader, here is a link to the pattern I created for this shirt. It isn’t anything fancy, but I am more than happy to share.

Cofelia’s Skirt

I am making solid progress with Cofelia’s outfit. I have run into trouble with the jacket, though, so I wanted to do something easier to raise my spirit as I continue on. I looked through some patterns and decided that the skirt would be the perfect project. I was right! Even with black yarn, it was relatively quick and was much easier on my eyes than the attempted jacket had been.

I used this pattern by Crochet for Barbie for the skirt, only with a few adaptations. For the first change, I axed the pinstripes. This was rather easy; I just omitted the rows with the contrast color. I’m doing the skirt entirely in black, so they weren’t needed. The second adaptation was omitting the ruffle. I finished the bottom with two rows of single crochets instead. Third, I finished it with a clasp instead of a snap. I did this more out of thriftiness than anything; I have more clasps than snaps, and I want to save the snaps for the shirt and jacket. Luckily I had some cool old clasps that I bought at a thrift store. They are charming, and there is a good chance they are older than me. These clasps are pretty much everything I love about thrift stores.

I chose that pattern over others I found because it had a bit of texture to it. I could have done a boring skirt, but I wanted something a bit more exciting. This had just the level of exciting without deviating too far from the aesthetic seen on Doctor Who. It also worked faster than a plain skirt made up of only single crochets, so it worked out well all around.

The first piece is complete! Next I shall work on a shirt to match it. From there, I want to crochet a jacket and create some glasses for her. The shoes have been ordered from eBay, and I expect them to arrive any day now. Beyond that, I am contemplating creating a pair of stockings for her. I found an interesting pattern for them on Pinterest, but I’m not sure if my sewing skills are up to the task. Time will tell, and I will keep you updated as I continue. Happy Wednesday everyone!

Practice Makes Perfect

I’ll be honest here; I have never crocheted using tiny hooks and size 10 yarn. I have used various other sizes, styles, and techniques, but I have never worked with fine yarn for crochet. As expected, it has quite the learning curve.

I created a practice outfit for two reasons. First, I needed to become comfortable using the materials. Second, most of the pieces I make for Cofelia will use black yarn. It will be harder to see the stitches using the darker color, so I need to be on my A-game before I make that jump. I consider this an investment towards the quality of my future work. Here is the finished product!

I started by creating a shirt. The shirt is quick and simple; it mainly used a shell stitch. I am using a delightful purple yarn (size 10) and a small crochet hook (1.8 mm, size 6 US). For the base, I used a pattern from Crochet for Barbie (she has many cute patterns; I love her blog!) for a sleeveless shell top. Once finished, I sewed up the entire back with slip stitches and used single crotchets to build up the top and create sleeves. I then created a 60 count chain of single crochets in a contrasting color to create the belt. This shirt took me one dedicated evening to finish.

For the skirt, I used another Crochet for Barbie pattern for a ruffled skirt. This one took longer; I spent several nights working on it. I will admit, though, that much of that is my own fault. First, I misread the pattern for the ruffle row and didn’t realize how wrong I had gotten it until I had completed another row. I had to pull out both rows and re-stitch them properly. Second, I made my skirt a few rows longer than the one she created. I don’t like the mini-skirt look, so I wanted it to reach closer to the doll’s knees. To do that, I just added a few extra rows of ruffles. Overall, it is a fantastic pattern and makes an adorable skirt. I remember something similar in a book of patterns for doll dresses my mom had when we were growing up. I also have a few ideas floating in my head for variations. I’ll leave that for another day; first I need to finish Cofelia.

For supplies, I used purple yarn I bought on sale at the craft store. For the contrast belt on the shirt, I used some beige yarn I found at a thrift store a few says ago. To finish the shirt, I used snaps I bought from a thrift store. The finished ensemble comes together beautifully. It’s the type of thing you just can’t buy at a big box store.

I am pleased with how the outfit looks. I am also ecstatic that I learned some new tricks for working with smaller crochet hooks. Now I feel confident that I can create nice pieces for Barbie Who? dolls. Keep an eye out for the next update; it will include the first piece of Cofelia’s ensemble.