Edwardian outfit for crochet Bleuette

With a basic crochet pattern you can do just about anything.  The Edwardian dress being modeled by Kittie Bleuette and Ruby Grace is based on the Simple Bleuette dresses you can find on this blog and right here:

Simple Bleuette Dresses

I made the drop waist dress, added long sleeves with a puffed cap, and altered the color scheme.  I needed to add an additional four rows to the bodice, which just goes to show you need to fit check whenever you crochet; or, at least I do :-)

The hat is from an Annies Attic collection of designer shoes, hats, and bags that I've had for years; Annies Miniature Shoe Society.   It is out of print, but if you do a Google search, you may be able to find a used copy.

The boots are based on crochet Bleuette's Mary Jane shoe pattern.  I added several rows to the top of the shoe, using two colors to make the boot.

See what fun you can have using the basic patterns and creating your own amazing fashions.  Enjoy the crochet!

Are you Sher-Locked?

So the question is, are you Sher-Locked??  I know I am :-)  I've fallen in love with the BBC's latest incarnation of that unparalleled detective intellect, Sherlock Holmes.

But this isn't an advert for the show (even though it sounds like one), but a sharing of my interpretation of Sherlock, in crochet and knit. 

Crochet Sherlock

I used the crochet Bleuette pattern for the basic doll, modifying it just slightly:  two extra rows in the torso, one extra row in the thigh, and remove two stitches from the buttocks.  I chose Vanna's Choice Baby in lamb for his pale skin, and purchased a wig from Antina's Doll Supply. 

Sherlock's shirt and pants are crocheted in size 10 crochet cotton, his scarf is knit in size 10 Cebelia #931 (steel blue).  His overcoat is knit in Vanna's Choice dark grey heather, and the shoes are crochet in size 3 crochet cotton.

I painted his acrylic eyes metallic silver, but left the mouth unstitched (no way to capture those amazing lips).   I like the drape that knitting gives his coat, and it was quite simple, just squares and the smallest  bit of shaping.

Knit sweater for Bleuette

I have been working on a commission doll for a dear friend, and in the process made up this knit raglan sleeve cardigan sweater pattern for Bleuette.  The sleeves are knit on double point (dpn) needles, then set aside as the body of of the sweater is knit on straight needles.  I used a light worsted yarn for this (Berroco Vintage) and size 2 and 3 double and  single point needles.  I found it easier, for me, to place the body and sleeves on a pair of circular needles to finish off the sweater, but straight needles will also work.

Bleuette Raglan Sweater

And here is the commission complete!

Enjoy the crochet!

New Year, New Doll, New Hope

A new doll, and a new technique, for the New Year :-)  Rory Elizabeth, a commission doll for a dear friend, is a crochet Bleuette that is also sporting move-able wrist and ankle joints, in addition to her move-able neck, knee, and elbow joints :-)

The patterns:

Move-able wrist and ankle joints

Crochet Bleuette


A New Year, a New Hope.  Maybe we can all try to be the change we would like to see in the world.  A quote often attributed to Gandhi; a paraphrase of his exact words, but something nonetheless to strive for.  More kindness, more compassion, less me-ism.

I hope you all have a New Year filled with good health and creativity!

The gift of handmade love

Three years ago my good friend Bev asked me to make three Free Spirit dolls for her Grandgirls.  It was a fun project, and even now the girls still play with their Free Spirit dolls (which is the very highest complement a dollmaker can get!).

This year, Bev asked me to make some tops for the girl's Free Spirit dolls, that she could pair up with some skirts that she would make, to give them for Christmas.  Pictured above is the wonderful gift that Bev will give her Grandgirls this year.  The skirts are all separate, so they can be mixed and matched with the tops.  And then, Bev knit each doll a sweater/cap/mitten set! 

I love everything about this gift, and I wanted to share it with you.

 The Grandgirls Free Spirit dolls

If you are interested in making the mittens for your own dolls, the pattern is a freebie from the WEB's yarn site.  Here is a link:  doll size mittens

One last picture to share.   One of my little Bleue's went to live with Bev, and what a lucky little Bleue she is!  Bev has knit her several sweaters, caps, mittens, and the sweetest little bear muff.

 Bev's Bleue, little Beth Jane, with her snuggly knits made by Bev

Make some magic on Black Friday!

After I finish this blog post, I am going to fix myself a cup of coffee, get out my hooks, and make a little mouse (Neville the Nibbler) for one of my nephews for Christmas.   You can see him up in the left hand corner of the collage above; his pattern is under "Crochet an Outdoor Setting."  

Patterns for all of the dolls and toys pictured here are freely available on this blog.    Along the top are a mouse and turtle, a Free Spirit doll, a Crochet Bleuette, and a Basic Amigurumi Doll.  Next row is a Beagle from " Links to my Animal Patterns," and a Knit Waldorf Style Doll.  Next row is a Prairie Flower Cloth Doll and a Pocket Spirit with a simple bed made from a picture frame and wood turnings.  Along the bottom row is a Free Spirit, Mini Free Spirit, and Labrador puppy (around the Christmas tree), two Teacup Spirits, a Prairie Flower cloth doll, and a littler of Kitties.

You can find all the patterns by scrolling down the left sidebar, looking for the header, or a picture of the type of doll or toy you want to make.  Links to all of the patterns are listed there.

We can all make this Friday a creative Black Friday, and give the gift of handmade love.  It just takes a little time, and a little yarn.

However your day, have a good one!

UPDATE: Saturday 11/24/2012

Meet Neville, Ernie, and Trevor :-)

 My Black Friday Mice!

Crochet Collars for Bleuette

A couple of crochet collars for your Bleuette, crochet Bleuette, or any other similarly sized 11 to 13 inch doll (think Kish Bethany or Effner Little Darlings!).

These collars are detachable, and button up the back.  They are made from size 10 crochet cotton using a size 6 steel hook.  They are an easy way to add a touch of old time elegance to any dress.

Bleuette detachable collars

Enjoy the crochet!

Simple Bleuette fashions from hankies

A simple 12 inch square of fabric can become quite a wardrobe for your Bleuette or crochet Bleuette.  These three hankies on the left were turned into a simple pleated dress, panties, nightgown, and sundress.  Each one took less than an hour to complete, and the hankie does all the fashion work for you!

Here are the patterns:

Basic Pleated Hankie Dress  dress with the purple flowers

Simple Hankie Panties and Nightgown nightgown with red roses

Simple Hankie Sundress/Pinafore sundress with blue roses

I hope you enjoy making these sweet little outfits, and hunting for hankies to turn into Bleuette frocks :-)

A gift from Victoria

These two wonderful wigs for crochet Bleuette were made by Victoria DiPietro, a most talented dollmaker and generous friend.  

Heads Up!

I've been wanting to play around with faces on dolls, so I made up several heads to work with.  For me, on crochet, the simplest faces seem to work the best.  I wasn't real happy with the face on the peach head (the one with the dark red curls) so I picked out the embroidery and reworked it.

Don't be afraid to rework your doll; they are really quite patient and both of you will be happier :-)

All of the heads were crocheted with Vanna's Choice yarn with the exception of the peach complexion, which is Red Heart Classic in light peach.

I worked up the dark toffee colored doll first, as a little cat girl with Lionbrand Fun Fur for hair.  She has furry underwear that her tail is attached to, and little ears peeking out of her shaggy hair.  I love this rich colored skin tone, and gave her gold eyes, the better to see in the dark :-)

This is Mehitabel.  If you recognize the name, can you tell me who her best friend is? 

Here is the pattern for her Simple Knit Sweater.

Crochet Mock Smocked bodice and Mary Jane shoes for Bleuette

I love the look of smocking, but I've never been very good at it.  Too cheap to buy a pleater, and too impatient to mark all those little dots on the fabric :-)  As W.C. Fields put it so eloquently "A thing worth having is worth cheating for!"  So here is a crochet version of smocking, that I call mock smocking.  It is achieved with triple crochet post stitches and a bit of embroidery after the crochet is complete.

Mock Smocked Bodice

Here is what the smocking looks like before and after embroidering:

You could also use this pattern to make an Aran sweater in crochet.  Post stitches are extremely versatile, and add wonderful texture to your crochet pieces.  They are not hard to do, just a bit different and take a little practice.

I also have a pair of shoes for you to crochet for Bleuette.  They are made with size 3 crochet cotton and a size C crochet hook.  They fit over the crochet socks.  The pattern is for Mary Janes, but once you have the right fit for the foot, you can modify them for boots, slip-ons, and embellish them as you wish.

Crochet Mary Jane Shoes

Enjoy making these new patterns for your Bleuette or Crochet Bleuette!

Simple Wigs, and other Bleuette goodness

Making wigs and hair for my dolls is my favorite part of the dollmaking process.  Once the doll has a wig, that is when her (or his) personality comes alive.

Simple Bleuette Wigs

These four wigs are very simple to make, based on the basic crochet wig cap.  In this instance, the wig cap is also part of the hair.  By using mohair yarn, you don't really need to cover the wig cap with strands of yarn.  This saves on yarn, saves on time, and is great for a play-able doll for a child.  These wigs will fit any doll with a seven inch circumference head, and can be adapted to fit any doll at all.

You can make these wigs with any yarn, really; but the fuzzier it is (higher mohair content) the more it will look like those pictured above.  Brushed nylon will also work, and the many 'fun fur' eyelash yarns as well.

The only drawback to these yarns is that the stitches can be hard to see.  So, if you are just beginning, I would suggest making light colored wigs at first: blond, gold, peach and light shades.  Also, crochet with a piece of white paper in your lap...it helps to see the stitches.  Don't worry too much about mistakes or missed stitches...they become invisible in this kind of yarn :-)

A couple of other goodies to share:

A Mostly Knit Shrug for Bleuette!  The shrug is knit as a rectangle nine inches long and three inches wide.  Fold it lengthwise and sew up  two and a half inches on either end for the sleeves, then crochet a border around the rest of it.  I like the knit for the body as it gives a soft hand to the fabric, and the crochet edging adds crispness around the edges.

And a Link Stitch Bodice.  This bodice is worked from the neckline down, so you can easily make it any length you want.  It starts with a series of 18 links.  I like working into links better than working into chain stitches; it is easier to get a neat border, and gives a sweet eyelet look to the neckline.

Enjoy the day, and enjoy the crochet!

Love Knot Nightgown for Bleuette

 

This nightgown pattern was created several years ago, when I was first bitten by the Bleuette bug.  I'm posting the pattern here, but it may be a bit rough.

Love Knot Nightgown

It will fit both Reproduction and crocheted Bleuette.  If you are not familiar with the Love Knot stitch, I recommend looking it up in a good crochet stitch dictionary, or Google it for instructions.  I can do the stitch, but I'm not the best person to try to explain it!

Enjoy the day, and enjoy the crochet :-)

 

Pretty dresses for Bleuette

Here are a couple of very simple dresses you can make for your Bleuette or crochet Bleuette, using the basic camisole as the bodice.  The drop waist dress has a crocheted skirt, and the short waist dress has a fabric skirt.

Simple Dresses for Bleuette

With this bodice, you can make any number of outfits for Bleuette.  Shorten it a bit more, add a long fabric skirt, and you have a sweet nightgown.  Or, pair the long waisted bodice with the pantaloons to make cute rompers.  These are some of my favorite outfits to make for dolls.  They are simple, and look sweet :-)

Enjoy the day, and enjoy the crochet!

Basic Crochet Undergarment for Bleuette

I love dolls in dainty undergarments.  Undergarments are the first thing I make for a new doll.  Not only does it get her decent quickly, but it also lets me figure out the basic garment construction; how many stitches around the waist, how long the bodice needs to be, how large to make the armhole openings.

Basic Bleuette Undies

So now your Bleuette, or your crochet Bleuette, can have a camisole, pantaloons, and socks.  The camisole pattern makes a lovely bodice for a sundress, a drop-waist dress or rompers, and the pantaloons can give you a good beginning for shorts or pants.

Enjoy outfitting your Bleuette...more to follow :-)

Meet Bleuette

As mentioned in my last post, I've had the idea of creating a Bleuette doll in crochet for a long time.  Bleuette is a doll with quite a history, and an even more amazing wardrobe :-)

She started life in 1905 as a give-away (thats right!) promotion to little French girls to subscribe to a girl's magazine...La Semaine De Suzette, which translates as 'Suzette's week.'   The magazine's publishers were devout Catholics, and they were worried that the secularization of French public education would be detrimental to the development of young French womanhood.  Thus the magazine, and its aim to help promote their (the publisher's) ideals of what a young Frenchwoman's accomplishments should be.

One of these things was a proficiency with needlework and hand sewing, and Bleuette is the perfect little companion to sew for!  La Semaine De Suzette published hundreds of patterns, from 1905 thru 1960, for their little Frenchwoman, Bleuette.

There is a lot more to Bleuette's history, and her now incredible popularity.  In 1905, 20,000 Bleuettes were initially produced by the French company SFBJ, but 60,000 subscriptions were received before the first issue was even published!  Bleuette continued to be produced until 1960.  Now, many talented doll artist create reproduction Bleuettes.  The doll in the middle of the picture above is one such reproduction, by Jackie Chimpky.

Here is the pattern to create you own Bleuette in the medium of crochet.  I used a size D crochet hook and both Vanna's Choice and Red Heart Super Saver to make these dolls ;the Super Saver worked up slightly larger (and was harder on my hands!) than the Vanna's Choice.  This is a very tight gauge for worsted weight yarn; 5 single crochet  to 1 inch; but it creates a very firm fabric for stuffing and jointing.  Crochet Bleuette is 11 1/2 to 11 3/4 inches tall with her wig.

Crochet Bleuette

She is jointed using strong craft thread; two strands doubled (so you are passing four strands through the body...you need this strength).  Other supplies you will need are  a three inch dollmaking needle, 9mm acrylic eyes, and a plastic lid from a yogurt or cottage cheese carton to stiffen the bottom of her feet.

I used purchased wigs for this doll, in size 7, which is the head circumference.  Here are a couple of sources for wigs:

http://dollsupply.com/shop/

http://www.dollspart.com/

There are a number of online sources of information and patterns for Bleuette;  a Google search will turn up many.  Here is one of my favorites:

The Bleu Door  a free repository of many of the patterns published by La Semaine De Suzette, and maintained by Janie Hile

Grab a hook and some yarn, and make your very own little piece of doll history; enjoy the day, and enjoy the crochet :-)

A new work in progress

A new work in progress; Bleuette in crochet!  Elbows and knees are jointed in a manner to imitate how Bleuette is jointed, and her head is jointed to move as well.

The body proportions are shaped and similar to Bleuette, even down to her cute little butt :-)

This doll is my first prototype; she's a little long in the torso, and her shoulders belong on a football player.  Mark II should be tweaked to take care of these.  Still, all in all, I'm happy with how she is developing :-)

I've had the idea for this doll in the back of my mind for some time.  I'm fascinated with Bleuette, her history, her wardrobe, and her little-girl look.  When I'm happy with the results, the pattern for her will be freely available here, just in time to celebrate the third birthday of this blog, and over 1000 followers!

More on Bleuette, and the pattern, coming soon :-)