After weeks of redesigning, crocheting, typing, editing, testing & more I am so excited to announce that the doll updates are finally available!! Even though the changes are really quite small I think they make a big difference & I hope you agree!
Showing posts with label Sister Dolls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sister Dolls. Show all posts
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Doll Pattern Update: Coming soon!
My dolls were some of my very first patterns. Although they got the stamp of approval from testers & customers, the more I learn about designing, the more I feel my dolls could be improved! So I am finally doing something about it!
I am currently working on updating all of my Doll Patterns!! It is a very big project that includes making several dolls, painting eyes, taking pictures, editing pictures & retyping the pattern. I will also be sending each revised pattern to testers all over again!
I am currently working on updating all of my Doll Patterns!! It is a very big project that includes making several dolls, painting eyes, taking pictures, editing pictures & retyping the pattern. I will also be sending each revised pattern to testers all over again!
The revisions are fairly minor & focus on simplifying steps but also improving proportions or shape. So far I have only worked on the dolls themselves, although I do plan to revisit each outfit as well. All of the revised dolls will have attach-as-you-go limbs to eliminate sewing!
As for timeline, I am hesitant to give an estimated release date, but I will post progress pictures as I go along. If you're interested in staying up to date follow me on Instagram & Facebook!
Sunday, October 1, 2017
Monday, August 21, 2017
Adding Hair to a Crocheted Doll: Video Tutorial
Wondering how all of that hair gets on my dolls??
Check out the 4-part Video Tutorial on YouTube!
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Attaching Limbs As You Go: Video Tutorial
Are you one of the many individuals who dislikes sewing the arms & legs onto their crocheted dolls & stuffed animals? If so, I have just the technique for you!
I've played around with this technique for a while & there are instructions included in a few of my newer patterns. It is a fast, easy way to attach limbs straight, secure & neat. No more messy stitches, going over an area multiple times (just to be sure) or threading needles!
The instructions included in the patterns are as follows:
1. Pinch top of limb flat, single crochet through stitches on both sides sealing limb shut.
2. Line up the new row of stitches on the limb with the corresponding stitches on the body.
3. Insert your hook through the first stitch on the limb AND through the stitch on the body.
4. Complete a normal single crochet, making sure to pull pieces tightly together.
5. Repeat for each stitch on limb until all stitches are secured.
6. Continue round as directed.
I've played around with this technique for a while & there are instructions included in a few of my newer patterns. It is a fast, easy way to attach limbs straight, secure & neat. No more messy stitches, going over an area multiple times (just to be sure) or threading needles!
The instructions included in the patterns are as follows:
1. Pinch top of limb flat, single crochet through stitches on both sides sealing limb shut.
3. Insert your hook through the first stitch on the limb AND through the stitch on the body.
4. Complete a normal single crochet, making sure to pull pieces tightly together.
5. Repeat for each stitch on limb until all stitches are secured.
6. Continue round as directed.
Sounds easy right? If you're still not convinced, I made a video tutorial (with the help of my silly cat, Clementine) showing each step.
Many patterns can be adapted to use this technique, but not all. Here is a list of my own patterns that already include it as part of the instructions:
Although instructions are not included in the patterns it will also work with:
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Susie & Sunnie
Meet Susie & Sunnie!
Two best friends who love the outdoors!
Both dolls are made from the Featherby & Friends Little Sister Pattern
& both dolls feature Suncatcher Craft Eyes!
For Susie, I finally used the Opaque Ivy Green eyes that I got a few months ago! I absolutely loved these eyes from the start but I took a long time deciding how to use them. What finally made up my mind was finding this fantastic brown yarn in my stash. I bought it many years ago, long before I started making dolls, & had completely forgotten about it. I am so happy I rediscovered it, because it is the perfect hair for my Ivy-Green-eyed Susie!
If you'd like to get the look of this lovely curly hair, I think it's Lion Brand Homespun, possibly in Barley? Like I said, I bought it years ago & the label is long gone.
Sunnie's hair, on the other hand, is definitely Caron Simply Soft in Autumn Maize. Although it is technically worsted weight this yarn is slightly thinner & oh so soft! With Susie's hair being so magnificent Sunnie had to have something special too!
For Sunnie's eyes I used more Suncatcher eyes, this time in Shimmer Aqua! They are a little brighter than the Opaque eyes with just a touch of sparkle.
If you love what you see here, visit Featherby on Facebook!
Also check us out on Ravelry for these patterns & many more!
For eyes (& noses) in every imaginable color & size visit Suncatcher Craft Eyes!
The eyes pictured above are 9mm for Little Sisters & 12mm for Big Sisters!
(Also see my review of the Opaque Country Blue eyes & Sky Blue Sleepy eyes)
(Also see my review of the Opaque Country Blue eyes & Sky Blue Sleepy eyes)
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Summer Coloring Contest!
Congratulations Rylee & Abbie, winners of the 1st Featherby & Friends Coloring Contest!
Thank you to everyone who participated! Let's do this again sometime!
Check out Abbie's Custom Little Sister Doll!
Contest Timeline: This contest is over... but there will be more!
June 14-30: Coloring pages available for download!
June 21-30: Submit your entries!June 21-July 4: Share & vote!
July 5: Winners will be announced!
Rules & Information:
Coloring pages: There are two coloring pages, each for a different prize. Choose which prize you'd like to win & color the page for that prize. One page per child please!*Note: Entrants for Prize #2 (custom doll) must have a valid US or Canada mailing address*
Submissions: To submit your entry please scan or take a *good* picture of your child's drawing. Please do not include your child in the photo as these will be public. Submissions will be accepted via email (featherbyandfriends@hotmail.com) or Facebook message. Submissions will only be accepted June 21-27!
Voting: All qualifying submissions will be posted in a photo album on the Featherby & Friends Facebook page on June 28. Entrants will be able to share their photo with anyone they choose. The Coloring Page (for each Prize) with the most "likes" will be the winner! **Only "likes" in the official album, not on your shared posts, will count towards this contest!**
Winners: The two winners will be notified on the Event Page & by the method they submitted their entries (email or facebook message). The Winners' drawings will be posted on the Featherby & Friends facebook page. The Winner of Prize #1 (patterns) will receive a PDF containing all of the patterns described in the Prize info. If the winner has a Ravelry account the patterns can be sent via Ravelry. The Winner of Prize #2 (doll) will have a chance to confirm the details for their custom doll before work begins. To receive the doll the winner will need to provide a valid mailing address in the US or Canada. Shipping costs will be covered by Featherby & Friends.
Prize #1 - Summer Sister Pattern Set - Includes Crochet Patterns for the Big & Little Sister Dolls, Summer Dresses & Swim Suits in both sizes.
Prize #2 - Custom Little Sister Doll - Includes a Little Sister Doll made to match your drawing (as close as possible). All details will be confirmed prior to work starting. Doll comes with one Summer Dress & one Swim Suit.
If you have any questions or have problems downloading the coloring pages please contact us on Facebook or by email: featherbyandfriends@hotmail.com
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Kayla's Country Blue Eyes
For most of last year I put a lot of energy into designing new outfits for my Little Sister Dolls. I love the way they turned out and I finished the year off by compiling them all into an e-Book. No sooner had I finished when my thoughts turned to the Big Sister Doll. She only had one outfit - the Winnie Dress. Obviously something had to be done about that.
So, I started resizing all of the outfits for the Little Sister Doll to fit the Big Sister Doll. There are 10 outfits total. She already had the Winnie Dress so my next step was to resize the other two basic or "everyday" outfits; the Millie Dress & the Gracie Shirt.
In order to do this properly I decided to make a new batch of Big Sister Dolls, all using the same yarn for consistency. My first doll was Mia. She turned out lovely and I made her a Millie dress in Pink. Unfortunately her eyes are not Suncatcher Eyes, they are Darice, which is the brand I used to use. I can only get the 12mm eyes in brown, and the 9mm eyes in brown & blue, which simply is not good enough.
Around the time I was putting the finishing touches on Mia a box of lovely Suncatcher Craft Eyes arrived in the mail. Along with Nanuk's Sleepy Eyes, there were two pairs of doll eyes. I decided to use the 12mm Opaque Country Blue Eyes for my next Big Sister, Kayla.
The eyes themselves are well made and a lovely pale blue. They also come in many other realistic colors, which I am eager to try. Like the Sleepy Eyes, they came with metal backings that are a good snug fit. I am confident that these eyes are going to stay exactly where I put them! Also, I find them to be generally clearer than the Darice eyes which seem almost foggy in comparison.
Along with being the first doll to have Suncatcher eyes, Kayla is also the first Big Sister to have a Gracie Shirt, which is a fun lime green!
So without further ado, I would like to introduce Kayla!
Another big thank you goes to Michelle from Suncatcher Craft Eyes for the opportunity to try out these wonderful eyes! To read my review of the Suncatcher Sleepy Eyes click here!
Patterns for Big Sister Doll (includes Winnie Dress), Millie Dress & Gracie Shirt are available on Ravelry & Etsy.
Update 7/28/16 - More outfits are available for the Big Sister Doll! Now you can also make the Cozy Outfit plus Mermaid, Fairy, Princess & Super Hero Costumes! See them all on Ravelry in the Big Sister Bundle!
Many patterns are now available on Craftsy too!
To read my review of the Ivy Green Eyes click here!
Also... Kayla has a Little Sister! Meet Kinlie!
Get the Millie Dress & Gracie Shirt FREE with purchase of the Big Sister Pattern with coupon code: CountryBlue
**Ravelry Only**
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