On Sunday, my SIL came to me and asked if I could replace the lacy back of her sweater with crochet.

She is one of the sweetest persons I know, so I of course said yes!

First, I showed her some pretty lace options from this really great website called My Picot, so that she could see if any struck her fancy.  

There were a few she liked as we were browsing, but the very last one (links directly to the PDF pattern diagram you can download) is the one she liked the most. 

Working on the veils is taking a bit longer than I thought it would.  Mostly because I needed to slow down this last week.

So I thought I would give you all a little preview of the crochet edges you will be able to add onto your veils.

There will be four different edging options.  Each has a few variations, and is demonstrated in three different thread sizes using two different hooks.

Some of the variations include crocheting with beads.

After over a year of telling myself that I needed to crochet a small shoulder bag that I can use, I finally did it!

I started on it last week, and have been working on it in between working on the wedding accessory series and the mermaids.

It is not quite finished yet as it still needs a zipper, but the crochet part is finished.

It is roughly 6" wide by 8.5" tall (15 x 22 cm approx.), and it is straighter than the photo was able to capture.

It has two separate sections inside the bag.  The smaller section, which is about half the length of the bag, will be used for my keys, change and any other miscellaneous small items.  The larger section, which is the full length of the bag, will be used for my cell phone, camera and any other item that I might need.

Here's the second part of five in the Wedding Accessory series for Fashion Dolls.

This how-to-tutorial includes written instructions to crochet several mini flowers that you can use to embellish your fashion doll dresses and veils.

Each of these can be made bigger or smaller depending on your chosen hook size and thread or yarn.

Enjoy!

Here's the first part of five in the Wedding Accessory series for Fashion Dolls.

This how-to-tutorial includes written instructions to make several types of headpieces such as crowns, tiaras and headbands, and how you can come up with some of your very own designs too.

There are 8 crochet versions and 4 wire-beaded versions in this tutorial.  Each of the crochet version can also be crocheted with beads (if you need a video tutorial for this, let me know, and I will see what I can do).  Each of the wire-beaded versions come with their very own video tutorials below.

These headpieces can be used on their own as a stylish accessory for your fashion doll outfits, or you can use them to fasten the veils (now available here) into place for your barbie weddings.

I am still getting a few things in order for the wedding accessories, and if all goes well the first and possibly second parts will be available later this week.  

I am thinking that it may be best to switch part 2 - the veil assembly - with part 3 - the flower appliques, since some of the larger flowers will be used like a headpiece base for the cage veils, and most flowers are meant to be placed onto the veils anyway.  Also by making the switch, I will be able to get all of the patterns out to you sooner.  So that is a plus...

I am working a little slower than usual this month to give myself a little rest from the craziness and fun of my two most recent pattern releases - "Happily Ever After" and "Pretty in Pink" (free).  But rest assured that I am working diligently on these wedding accessories, along with prepping for the Mermaids (you may have seen the little sneak preview of the mermaid's friend on Facebook).  Plus, I've even got a secret project underway that I am not quite ready to reveal just yet, but I will tell you that one of you suggested it in the Crochet Pattern Survey from May.

Wishing you all a fantastic week full of sunshine!

You'll remember from last week that I had asked several of my crochet designing buddies what their most favourite pay patterns from their shops were (see Designer Favourites - Crochet Pattern Round Up)...

Seeing how we all love a good freebie too, I also asked them for their most favourite free crochet patterns!  So, here they all are rounded up just for you...

The Pretty in Pink crochet pattern is finally here!

I still have some things to do before the video tutorials will be ready, but I decided that I would add them in later... Update: Video Tutorial is Live!

This free crochet pattern has everything you need to crochet serval sweet outfits for children fashion dolls like Kelly in no time at all.  

Plus, since the Chelsea doll is only a little bit taller than Kelly, all you have to do is increase the lengths (how many rows you do) of the tops, dresses, etc., and you'll have pretty outfits for her too!

The following directions include instructions on how to crochet dressy dresses, simple dresses, dressy skirts, simple skirts and pants.  Both kinds of dresses have a couple top variations, plus several dress lengths.  Both kinds of skirts also have several lengths, and the pants have capri and shorts variations.

A PDF Version of this pattern is available, and you can add this to your ravelry queues and favourites here or below too...