Dolly-rama or hooked on couture

I've been on a dolly kick since I've not been able to blog for a while and decided to crochet all my dollies a new dress. Some of them I had for a while, some were gifts and some I purchased inexpensively at crafts supply stores or rummage sales. No matter what the condition of the doll, after being outfitted with a new dress, they all look like a million bucks (in my humble opinion.)

When growing up, I preferred Teddy Bears over dolls, because Teddies were squeezably soft and never poked you in the ribs during the night. I did, however, enjoy my dolls for playing school or having a coffee klatsch. My great aunt was a seamstress and therefore my dolls never lacked in pretty dresses that where custom made just for them from leftover materials.

I hope you will enjoy my crocheted dolly couture:

I love this color combination of white and blue. It reminds me of snow and ice. If you notice, the hat has a big snowflake sewn on top. I gave this dolly to one of my 86 year old neighbors, who couldn't have been happier.

This is one of my dolls that I purchased a while back in California. She is my Southern Belle. She has a white petticoat underneath. She had pretty a pink outfit on and a lovely wide rimmed hat with a pink featherlike rim. I didn't want to crochet her another hat, because I like her hair too much to cover it up.

This is also a doll I purchased when I lived in California. She used to be "my Russion girl" because of the warm, brown clothes she wore. Now she's wearing a royal blue dress with a butterfly on it and her hair is bundled up in a snood with a flower. The blue really brings out her eyes. She looks more cheerful now.

This is one of my favorites. This is my doll and I will not sell her. She was quite expensive and a gift from a dear friend. I named her Diana. Her original outfit made her appear somewhat of a tomboy, but I gave her a carefree look and bloomers, leaving her barefoot to run through the meadow collecting daisies for her hair (look at her crocheted daisy chain crown she's wearing.) She definitely looks a lot more comfy and feminine now.

When my next door neighbor saw the dresses I crocheted, she hinted at one of her dolls needing a new dress too. So, I offered to make her one for her as a birthday gift. After she gave me her little doll, I used my neighbor's favorite colors to crochet her this dress. My neighbor was so thrilled - she showed it to everyone!

This is one of my smaller doll girls who has a boy doll companion. I named them Hansel and Gretl, but now Gretl looks more like a Suzie and if postage were not so expensive, I'd send her to my mom in Germany for Mother's Day, because lilac and purple are her favorite colors. (We'll see...)

The upcoming Valentine's Day inspired me to crochet this bon-bon of a bed doll. I named her Candy, because her dress reminds me of a Valentine's candy box. When I took her next door to my neighbor (at dusk) to show her what I made, she told me that she thought I was bringing her something good to eat...I especially love that eyelash yarn on the bottom ruffle and around her top.

I crocheted a pretty white and magenta dress with mohair flowers for my "Chemo baby." This dolly lost all her hair. Apparently the stress from being in her storage bag for so long, made all her hair fall out. When I lifted her out of the plastic bag, all her hair was lying on the bottom - looking sort of desintegrated. So, I crocheted her a pretty hat with a beautiful mohair flower and voila, no more crying over spilled hair ;-)

I love the color red and red roses! What a romantic Valentine's dress this turned out to be. I just love this doll! The pictures don't do her justice. This dress is designed to fit over a spare toilet tissue roll, but it can stand alone or over a vase. The doll is intact, so there has to be room for the legs somewhere. I call her my Spanish Senorita! She looks so exotic to me.

This is my latest creation. I finished her just this morning. I call her LavenderPrincess. The dress is also designed to cover a spare toilet paper roll - or anything else that accommodates her long legs. I hope you enjoyed looking at them as much as I did crocheting the dresses. If you want one in a particular color to match your decor, just let me know and I'll make one for you. The cost is anywhere from $30 to $65 depending on the cost of the materials and time involved. Remember, I give a 15%  Discount to all my blog followers!

Well, I'd best get ready for tomorrow morning. I have to be at the hospital at 8:30 am. One of my kind neighbors (and fellow anmial lover) will be driving me.

Glad to be back online.