Swirly Whirly Childs Sundress Pre-Release Giveaway

I am so excited to be able to release the first Child size pattern I've made.  To celebrate the occasion, let's do a giveaway before it is available for purchase. 
1. Leave your name and email in 1 comment below (if you prefer not to leave your email in the comments, please email me at craftingfriends4you@yahoo.com so I have it listed and have a way to contact you if by chance you win)
2.Tell me what colors you would use to make this dress
3. And how you would photograph it - How you would make it a fun photo. 

I will only add 1 entry per person and only if all of the above are mentioned. Winner will be chosen through Random.org tomorrow morning at 8am MST.

Here are a few more dresses from the wonderful women who have tested this pattern for me :)

Dress made by Chelsea (worn by her daugher)

Dress made by Lori (worn by her daugher)

Dress made by Amber from CraftyBunkerCreations

(worn by her daughter)

Child Size Patterns

I have started getting results back from testers for the Child size Princess Britt and Swirly Whirly Sundress patterns.  I should be able to release them this weekend.  Here are a few of the dresses from testers so far with links to their shops.

The first one is my Swirly Whirly Sundress.  My camera died, so I still need to get better photos for the pattern, but I love how it turned out.

This Princess Britt was made by Marilyn from Nana's Crochet Creations

This one was made by Amanda from AC (Arts&Crafts)

And this one was made by Rachel from TheCountryHooker

I love seeing the different colors everyone chooses and little personal touches on the dresses they make.  It makes it all worth it. This is only 4 of the 12 dresses that are being made, so I will have more to show this week.

Chance to win a free pattern
Right now through the end of the month, I would love to have you post photos of any dress you have made from my patterns on Craftsy or Ravelry and link them to my patterns.  At the end of July, I will add all the names of those who did to a list and draw at least 1 winner through Random.org for a free pattern of choice.  It's great to have all the photos in 1 place and it helps others who are looking to buy the patterns to see more photos than just mine.  And, I would REALLY appreciate it!
Wishing you all a great week
Kate

Winner of 7-7-12 Random Giveaway

Thank you all so much for sharing your talents/stories with me.  It is fun to see everyone's comments.
The winner of this giveaway is Ronda

List Randomizer

There were 24 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Ronda
2. Francie
3. Candice
4. Brenda
5. Sarah
6. Carmel
7. Dyanna
8. Melissa
9. April
10. Martha
11. Penny
12. Debbie
13. Jen
14. Jonna
15. Krista
16. Dian
17. Bev
18. Angela
19. Becky
20. Detra
21. Nancy
22. Lauren
23. Cara
24. Leanne

Timestamp: 2012-07-08 13:33:25 UTC

As I mentioned before, I will be holding more random giveaways here on the blog instead of FaceBook to abide by their rules.  I will still be joining in on a few multi-vendor giveaways, but less than I had been and holding more of my own to focus on the Friends who stick around.  So, Thank you for supporting me!

Music

Along with Crocheting and Gardening,  I was blessed to be in a musical family.  I was able to take 1 year of piano lessons when I was quite young and then the teacher quit to go back to work.  I was very sad!  My 2 older sisters had taken lessons for a while and could play quite well and I wanted to be able to also.  So, I started to teach myself.  I learned to play by ear - which drove them crazy at the time and I had some not so nice comments on many occasions...BUT, I never gave up.  Although they remain better at piano playing than I ever will be, I was able to teach myself enough that I played for our choir concerts in High School and I play for the Young Women in our church now.  We were all blessed with the ability to sing also. We were all in choirs in school and sang at funerals and in church.  I LOVE music!  It is comforting to sit down and play the piano to sing.  I also am excited that this love has been passed down to all 3 of my girls.  Madtie has also been in choirs in school and sang in church and usually has a solo in each concert and I am proud of her.  The 2 little ones are into making up their own songs and singing along to the radio in the car.  It's amazing how many words they actually catch on to while listening to the radio. 

My questions for today's giveaway is this:  Do you play any musical instruments?  Are you good at singing, or should you only sing in the shower or car when nobody else is around?

Leave your answer along with your name and email address so I can contact you if you win.  Please tell me if you are a fan of Crafting Friends or Shop Around Baby on FaceBook or both.  I will tally the comments and choose a winner through Random.org at 9pm tonight (7-7-12).  This is just for fun to show thanks to those of you who interact with my page :)

1/2 Way through the months of the year SALE

Good Evening my Friends!  I hope you all have had a Fabulous weekend and have some Fantastic plans for the 4th of July :)  I was able to spend yesterday with my family at a cookout and enjoyed every minute of it.  The strongest childhood memories I have are from all of the cookouts we had next door to us at our grandparents house....Oh, the good ole days!  I have been so blessed to have the family I do.

I can't believe how fast this year has gone by!  I decided today that since we are 1/2 way through the months of the year, it would be fun to have a 1/2 off Sale.  Every pattern in my Craftsy Shop here: Crafting Friends on Craftsy and also in my Ravelry Shop here: Crafting Friends on Ravelry are now 1/2 off.  The prices on Craftsy have already been changed and the prices on Ravelry will automatically change at check-out.

For those of you who do not crochet, but would love to purchase a Ready To Ship dress, I have adjusted the prices to 1/2 off of most of my dresses in my Etsy shop here: Crafting Friends Etsy Shop
I have not listed all of the dresses on Etsy since some of them are in a Boutique in town, so if there is one you know I have that you would like, please email me and I will let you know if it is still available.  This is a great way to get handmade gifts for baby showers or even your own babies.

Wishing you all the best
Kate

Fancy Yarn / Quick Giveaway

To enter the Spot Giveaway, you must be a fan of Crafting Friends on FaceBook (I will be checking)
Leave a comment with your email address, # of my patterns you already have and which pattern you would like to win.  Giveaway will end in 24hours (6/30/12 at 4:30pm MST)


 In trying to find the best mesh yarn to use for the Princess Britt dresses, I ordered some "Fancy Yarn" from Ebay.  I loved the colors, but was slightly disappointed with the width of it when it came.  It is about 1/2 the width of the Red Heart Sashay yarn.  I decided to try it on a Newborn size dress first since it was smaller. Here is the result :)

It was slower/harder to work up than the Sashay, but I think it turned out beautiful!  I wanted the pink around her ankles, so I used measurements from Heidi's Hoook Miss Priss baby leg pattern found here: Miss Priss Pattern  and just made anlkets.  The baby is having pictures done today and it is around 90*, so I didn't want the whole legging for right now.  Loved that idea and will be doning more :)

I did learn a lesson though....DO NOT start a pattern really late at night when extremely tired!!!  I started a dress and was not paying attention to the actual pattern since I have most of it memorized and  was more than 1/2 way finished before I realized I had grabbed the Toddler pattern and was working the 18mo size instead of the Infant pattern Newborn size.  Sooooo, I ended up with 2 dresses.
This is the 18month complete.

Since this yarn was smaller, I had to do shorter stitches for the skirt on this one so it would still look full.  It made it slightly heavier, but not a huge difference.  I have 2 more skeins to use that are a deep pink and brown verigated that is REALLY pretty.  Those will have to wait until I finish the 2 other dresses that have already been started. 

I hope everyone has started a wonderful weekend.  My heart goes out to those who are effected by the fires across the country!  Stay safe and keep cool.

Kate

Camo Pattern Sale

Do you ever look at your stash of crafting/hobby supplies and think..."I really should use this before I buy more" ?  Last night, I was looking under the bed for some pictures for my husband.  I have a bunch of yarn stashed in a box with 2 Camo afghans started.  One is Pink and one is Blue.  They really are easy to make, but I have been so busy with baby dresses (which only take a few hours to make).  I find it hard to work on afghans now since they take so long to work up.

Here is the one I finished while writing the pattern

The beauty of this pattern though, is that it can be made in any size you want...SO, the time it will take is completely up to me.  I need to finish both of them and have them ready for Christmas.  Whether I use them as Christmas gifts or not, at least I have put a deadline on finishing them and they will be ready no matter what :)
To give myself a little push, I have the pattern on sale right now for $.99.  I think it will help to see others working on it also.  Here is the link to the pattern: Camo Afghan Pattern on Craftsy

If you ever make an item using any of my patterns, I would LOVE to see photos!  You can either email them to me at craftingfriends4you@yahoo.com or post them on my FaceBook page Crafting Friends on FaceBook.

Just in time for July 4th

Jennifer from Little Luvies Shop and I have teamed up to offer this set of patterns together 1x only.  She designed the Hat and Barefoot Sandals and I loved the pattern!  It is available to purchase alone here: Swirly-Whirly-Combo-Pack for $5.
I designed a dress and diaper cover to go with it (with a little help on the diaper cover from Ronda of  Yarning4More )  I think the set turned out Perfect!  I can't wait to see photos of babies decked out from head to toe in this fun little outfit :)

The Set of patterns is available on PreSale for $6 until Sunday night at 8pm MST.  Once all the PreSale orders are sent out on Monday, I will release the Dress and Diaper patterns on Craftsy on sale for 1 day only for $4 and then it will be $6. 

The Dress pattern is for Newborn - 4T and there are 4 Diaper Cover sizes.  The Hat and Barefoot Sandals include instructions for NB-Adult.  To order, you can either leave your name and email address in the comments below or msg me on Face Book here: Crafting Friends.  I will send you an invoice and it must be paid by Sunday night in order to receive the Sale price.  All invoices unpaid will be deleted after that unless prior arrangements have been made with me. 

I would love to hear your feedback and any ideas you would like to see :)
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!
Kate

Princess Britt Toddler pattern

The Princess Britt Toddler pattern is now up and running.  It is available for instant download on Craftsy
http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/Clothing/Princess-Britt-Toddler-Dress/18004

I have a new sundress in the works that I'm hoping to release this coming weekend in order to give people time to make some for July 4th :)  The tables have been turned on this one.  I designed it to go with a hat and barefoot sandals that a friend designed and I think it will all work together wonderfully!

It is slightly chilly here, so I am going to wrap up in an afghan and finish writing this new pattern.  Hope you are all staying warm and enjoying your weekend

Kate

Dress Accessories

As I have mentioned before, I have a wonderful group of women who test my dress patterns for me.  We have all become great friends - even though none of us have ever met.  We feed off of each others creativity and it makes it so much more fun! 

I am quite busy designing dresses and don't have time to design accessories that will compliment my dress patterns.  The women who test for me have a wide range of things they make, so they have started designing the accessories.

This is a hat made by Jonna from Frayed Knot that works well with my Ribbon & Lace Dress pattern. It is available for purchase here: Vintage-Vine Hat pattern

The Barefoot sandals were designed by Jennifer from  Little Luvies.  This pattern is not released yet, but I will let you know when it is.

Marcia from  Made by MTL has designed this hat to go with my Snap Dragon Dress.

 This pattern is available for purchase here: Snap Dragon Hat. I worked one up this morning to be sold with the dress shown above

 

It is a very quick and easy pattern to work.  The flower shown on this hat is a pattern I found from Bonita Patterns and is available here: Croco Flower

Last, but not least, the Miss Priss Baby Legs designed by Heidi from Heidi's Hook

These little leggings are darling with this dress!  The pattern for these can be found here: Miss Priss Baby Legs

I LOVE how everything comes together and there are more in the works :) 

Welcome to JUNE 2012.  I hope it is a wonderful month for you all!

Kate

.

Princess Britt Infant pattern

It's ready!  The Princess Britt Infant pattern is now available for instant download on Craftsy:
http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/Clothing/Princess-Britt-Infant-Dress/17512

The toddler sizes are still being tested and I should be able to release that pattern this weekend.  I have some photos to share of that size, but need some time to load and edit them. 

I have also been asked to write up some child sizes and I will be doing that shortly also. 

If you ever have any ideas you would like to see, please let me know.  I would love to hear what you are interested in and love a challenge every once in a while.

I hope your week has started off great!

Kate

Princess Britt

Have you ever worked with Mesh yarn?  I dind't know anything about it except that others have made some very cute scarves with it until a week ago.  A friend of mine saw a dress on Etsy that she really wanted me to make for her baby that is due this summer.  It is a very pretty tube dress using mesh yarn as the skirt.  I purchased the pattern - not realizing she had already purchased it also (and she doesn't crochet) so that I could make one for her.  Upon reading the required materials, we began our search for the mesh yarn - and Oh Boy - it's not cheap!  I checked all the local stores and even asked sales associates about it and none had heard of it. 

She didn't want to spend the money ordering it online and also paying shipping (I wouldn't have either). So I decided to try and come up with my own version using just the Caron Simply Soft yarn....This is my end result:

It is in the testing phase and I have seen a few photos of it on babies and I LOVE it!  It is so stinkin cute :)

Then, later that week, I stopped by Joann's craft store to see if by chance they had some mesh yarn.  To my delight, they had 1 box and only 1 box (I asked) of Red Heart Sashay and there were only 5 skeins left.  They are $5 each and there was only blue or teal to choose from.  Not having used it before, I didn't want to stock up on it if I didn't end up liking it so I bought 1 of each color (should have bought them all!)  I came home and was excited to give it a try on my own pattern and here is the end result for that:

Both versions will be included in the "Princess Britt" pattern.  The Straps are written up as optional for Newborn size, but will be needed for infants/Toddlers who are mobile.  I will release the infant pattern which will include 5 sizes: Newborn - 12mo and then the Toddler Pattern which will be 18mo-4T.  I am debating on even larger sizes...It would be extremely easy to work out, but I will wait for feedback from my fans before I decide.

Heidi from Heidi's Hook https://www.facebook.com/HeidisHook?ref=ts was one of the testers for the NB size and has written up a pattern for leggings to match :)  They are darling and I can't wait to see it all together on a baby. 
This pattern will be available in the next week or so and I will post a link when it's up and running.

I hope the weather for your Holiday weekend is full of sunshine - Have a wonderful holiday and travel safely my friends!

Kate

Pinwheel Applique

It is a very rainy day her in Utah!  Luckily - I love the rain :)  I hope you are all off to a great start for the weekend.

I have released the pattern for the Pinwheel Applique that I added to the Toddler Oh Snap dress. 

Pinwheel Applique Pattern

Pinwheel Applique

Size G hook

Gauge: 8DC & 4 Rows = 2”

Materials: Small amount of WW yarn

Center: Ch 8 & Sl St into 1^st Ch to form a ring

Ch 1, make 16 SC in ring, Sl St in Ch 1 to connect

Petal 1: Ch 13, Dc in 4^th Ch from hook, 

            2DC in next 4 Ch Sp,

            DC in next 5 Ch Sp, 

            SK 1 SC of ring, Sl St in next SC

Petal 2: Ch 10, Sl St in 8^th DC from 
             ring of previous petal,
            Ch 3, DC in 1^st Ch Sp from Sl St just made,

            2DC in next 4 Ch Sp, Dc in next 5 Ch Sp, 
            Sk 1 SC in ring, Sl St in next SC

Petal 3-8: Repeat Petal 2

Petal 9: Ch 10, Sl st into 8^th DC from 
            ring of previous petal, 

            Ch 3, DC in 1^st Ch Sp, 
            2DC in next 2 Ch Sp,

            DC in next Ch Sp, 
            Sl St in bottom of Ch 3 of 1^st petal,
            DC in same Ch Sp, 
            2DC in next Ch Sp, 
            DC in next 5 Ch Sp

            Sl St in final SC of Ring, Fasten off & weave in ends

Center:

            With 2^nd color, Sl St 1^st skipped SC of ring

            Ch 1, SC, Ch 3, 3DC in same Stitch

            *SC in next Skipped SC of ring

            Ch 3, 3 DC in same stitch* Repeat 7x

            Sl stitch in beginning Ch 1.  

            Fasten off and weave in ends

Purple Pinwheel Applique

I had fun making it and adding it to the dresses.  I had the pattern tested to make sure others could understand it.  The purple one was made by Jennifer from  https://www.facebook.com/LittleLuvies?ref=ts on facebook.   She is using it on a bag she is making.  I would love to see how you use it. 
Kate

Oh Snap Toddler Dress

#3 Release in the Mama Mia May event is the Oh Snap Toddler pattern.  It will be available as an instant download on Craftsy on sale for $3 for 1 week and then will be moved to $5.  During this time, the Oh Snap Infant pattern will also be on sale for $2. 
Here is the link to the pattern
http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/Clothing/Oh-Snap-Toddler-Dress/15353?fresh=true

I finished the dress today and I still think it needs a ribbon around the waist, but I don't have a good color to match it right now. 

And remember that you can still get 25% off everything in my Etsy shop through the month of May by using code MamaMiaMay.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mothers Day weekend.
Kate

Toddler Ribbon & Lace

#2 Release in the Mama Mia May is the Ribbon and Lace Toddler dress patterns.  It includes instructions for 4 sizes: 18mo, 2T, 3T, 4T along with directions for 2 different styles.  The regular looks more like the infant dresses where the skirt pattern is long.  The Drop Waist Dress has a longer body and shorter skirt.  The dresses you have seen my girls wearing in photos is of the Drop Waist.  The purple dress shown here is also the Drop Waist style.

The Toddler pattern is only available on Craftsy right now for instant download. It is on sale for $3 for 1 week and then will go to $5. 
http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/Clothing/Toddler-Ribbon--Lace-Dress/14762



To celebrate the release of the toddler pattern, you can also get the Infant Ribbon and Lace pattern on craftsy for 1/2 price right now ($2). http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/Clothing/Ribbon--Lace-Baby-Dress/7317

Mama Mia May

I am finally able to start releasing my toddler dress patterns.  I will be celebrating (hopefully) 1,000 fans on my FaceBook page this month https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crafting-Friends/180595232008676?ref=tn_tnmn  and have a fun multi-vendor giveaway going on. 

With Mothers Day coming soon, I wanted to do something fun.  So...EVERYTHING in my Etsy shop will be 25% off if you use code MamaMiaMay at check out.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftingFriends4you

To start the release of the toddler patterns, I will be adding them to the Craftsy website individually at a sale price of $3 for 1 week.  After that, they will be $5 each.  As soon as they are all released, I will have them available in a pattern pack for $18.

The Snap Dragon dress pattern was released today and you can get it for instant download here: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/Clothing/Snap-Dragon-Toddler-Dress/14257

As I was trying to finish this dress today in order to have a  photo for the pattern, this is what I started with

I liked it, but wasn't sure on the flower placement.

Taylee LOVEs it!

I still need to put the buttons on the back, but I felt like it was missing something. So....I remembered I had some pink ribbon and gave it a shot.

And now I just need to do the buttons and she will be able to wear it to church :)  My friend Julie was awesome and made the girls some slips to use with these dresses.   http://sewinsanity.blogspot.com/

This is so fun!  The girls have even started requesting new colors for dresses - not sure I would be able to keep up with them, but it's great to see them wear something I have made :)

I would love to hear ideas of things you would like to see here, or on my other pages.  Please feel free to leave comments and let me know what you think.
Kate





Saturday/Sunday SALE

I have been a slacker lately and have not posted my deals here on the blog.  A while ago, I decided that I need to start having a daily focus on my Facebook page and one for the weekends, I chose to have 1 pattern on sale.  It has been crazy busy with all of the giveaways I have been part of and now holding my own for 1000 fans :)

Today, I have been trying to get everything tagged and ready to go for the Craft Fair I will be participating in tomorrow.  Since I won't be around much, I set up my sale to start today.  If you have not purchased it yet, you can get the instant download of the Diamonds Infant Dress Pattern in my Craftsy shop for 1/2 price ($2) this weekend only.
http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/Clothing/Diamond-Infant-Dress/4277

For those of you who are waiting for the Toddler sizes, I hope to be able to start releasing them next weekend. 

Wishing you all a wonerful and warm weekend!
Kate

Behind the Scenes of Designing

I thought I would share with you what it looks like while trying to create a pattern in 4 different sizes.

 The Bright Blue and Bright green tops are infant size from creating the Infant pattern pack.  I cant decide how I want to finish them, but they have taken a back seat while I work on the toddler patterns.

The Bright Pink and White top and the Teal and White top are both ideas I would like to get written up, but also took a back seat to the toddler patterns. 

The 4 Larger tops are for the Basic Toddler patterns.  I have the tops set and work up several rows of each of the 6 skirt pattern and send it out to the testers.  Then I get to finish them :) 

This has been a wonderful adventure!  I have had so many customers send pictures of the dresses they have made using my patterns and quite a few of them surprised they could even make a dress - but that was the point of the Basic Patterns.  I want even beginners to feel accomplished in making something other than a scarf or hat :)

The toddler patterns should be complete within the next few weeks and will be released for sale on Craftsy and Etsy.  I look forward to designing some more intermediated patterns and adding other Items to my pattern list.  I found some patterns for baby sandals and baby barefoot sandals, but even after gauging, they are to large for newborns, so I may be up for designing some myself.

Thank you for following this blog and please feel free to leave comments or suggestions.  I love to hear feedback from all of you :)

I'm gonna make it work - or balls of yarn may be flying through the air

As I began my adventure in designing baby dresses, I intended on only making newborn size.  I quickly learne that - though that size is great - Everyone wants a variety of sizes to go with each option.  Jumping to the task at hand, I was able to create instructions for 4 sizes ranging from newborn - 12 months.  4 testers, 6 patterns in 4 sizes plus the 4 dresses I made to work with the testers was actually smooth sailing in order to release my first pattern pack of dresses.

On to the next task - Toddler sizes for the same 6 patterns.  Luckily the sizing of the infant dresses was an easy fix.  If it had not been, I may have stopped there!  Honestly - The toddler sizing has KICKED MY BUTT!!!  I should have taken pictures of the tragedies I came up with. (really, the dresses didn't look bad, but the sizing was just not right)  I would work 8 rows of the pattern to find out that it was to wide or not wide enough and have to start over...not once, not twice, but at Least a dozen times.  Grrrr! 

Alas, I think my trials for the toddler dresses are coming to a close :)  I have made the tops to an 18mo, 2T, 3T, & 4T.  Now, to work on the instructions for the 6 different skirt options and get it all out to the fantastic ladies who test for me. 

Once the toddler patterns are released, I will hopefully be able to figure out instructions for 1 more size to the Emerald City dress (which has not been released yet).  I have also had requests for different sizing of the Angelique dress - That will be an interesting task, but I shall give it a try.

I also have an option for the butterfly pattern on the arms.  I can't decide if I should type it up and offer it as a freebie option for those who have purchased the basic patterns, or if I should create a new skirt and release it as a new dress.  Any thoughts or suggestions?

Have a safe and relaxing weekend and if you can, take a minute and notice all the beautiful flowers that are popping up everywhere and the birds chirping :) 

Pattern Pack

I fianlly have all the results back from testers.  24 dresses later, we have a pattern pack available.  It includes 6 dresses at 4 sizes each.

Dresses include: Shell Brook which was just released individually today, Diamond, Ribbon & Lace, Snap Dragon, Oh Snap and Baby Tay.

Pattern can be purchased on Etsy here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftingFriends4you

Weekend Pattern Sale

As part of releasing my patterns in 4 sizes (newborn - 12mo)  I will be highlighting a pattern every weekend and posting it for 1/2 price on the Craftsy website.  Sale will be from 9am mst Friday 3-30 through Sunday 4-1 at 6pm mst.

The feature pattern this time will be the Diamond Infant dress

The 1/2 price will ONLY be on the craftsy site so it will be instant download.  The link is here: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/Clothing/Diamond-Baby-Dress/4277

Pattern Sizing

I have finally updated my Ribbon & Lace Dress pattern to include 4 sizes (newborn - 12mo).  I have emailed out the updated version to everyone who already purchased it and have updated my Craftsy pattern store.  If you purchased it and for some reason did not receive the update, please email me at craftingfriends4you@yahoo.com with your paypal email address and I will verify the address and send out another copy. 

If you are interested in purchasing this pattern, you can get the instant download here: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/Clothing/Ribbon--Lace-Baby-Dress/7317

If you would like a discount, use code FRIENDS25 on Etsy to receive 25% off http://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftingFriends4you

This next week, I will be working on updating the rest of my infant patterns to include 4 sizes also.  I have started writing the patterns for 18mo - 4T.  These  sizes will be released as a seperate pattern - hopefully within the next month. 

Emerald City Dress

It has been a while since I posted, so I figured I'd better get some updates on here.  I have been BUSY :)  I have had most of my dress patterns tested and have them for sale on Etsy, Craftsy and in my Facebook Shop.  I will be placing the Buy Now option for patterns back on the blog to make it easier for you. 

Originally, I only wanted to focus on Newborn dresses but I have been bombarded with requests for larger sizes.  That has been my focus the last couple of weeks.  I designed the Emerald City Dress and this is the first of my patterns to have multiple sizes.  The hard part of this is that I don't have any infants near me to try them on.  The good news is that I made the pattern large enough to fit my 2 girls, so they will each be getting a new dress :)  The smallest size has been tested and ok'd and I'm waiting on 2 more before I release it.
 My picture of the original -smaller Green dress has disappeared from my computer somehow, but a picture of my 2yr old wearing her Emerald City Dress

Angelique Baby Dress

I have a group of wonderful ladies who are testing the pattern for this "Angelique" Newborn Dress pattern.  As soon as they are finished and I make any changes that may be needed, I will post the pattern for sale.  The pattern will include instructions for a Short version and Long version.  This is more of an Intermediate pattern.  It takes some concentration and as I learned, it's best to use some stitch markers on this and I think I will laminate it so I can use a wet erase marker to track where I am at.  Once you get through the first 7 rows, it is a breeze.

This picture is of the Short dress.  I will be adding a few different touches to it. But I'm happy with how it turned out.

Instant Download Patterns

I finally have them posted!  It took a couple of weeks to  type up most of my baby dress patterns, but they have been written, typed up, tested by others and posted for sale. 

The easiest way to purchase any of these patterns is to visit my pattern store on the Craftsy website and with a click of a button, you will have your pattern ready to start and become addicted as I did :)
http://www.craftsy.com/user/pattern/store/17685

The Second way to purchase is on my Facebook page store.  This is not instant download, but I have been able to send the patterns out rather quickly, so you won't wait very long.  If you are a fan of the page, you will receive 10% off your order. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crafting-Friends/180595232008676

And the third way is in my Etsy shop. http://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftingFriends4you
For Patterns only - you can use code FRIENDS25 and receive 25% off your pattern purchases (for a limited time only)

The first few that I have released are very simple to make, yet are very pretty.  I wanted to get them out there so that even a beginner can make a dress.  I don't want anyone being as intimidated to crochet clothing as much and as long as I was.  After making the dresses that I have, I wish I would have started years ago. 1 Dress can easily be made in a single day...Can you imagine how many I could have made if I would have started sooner? 

I hope everyone is having a great week so far and enjoy your extra day in the year tomorrow.  Happy Leap Year!

Spring is here - Even if it snowed!

I resisted long enough!!!  I finished up all the orders I had for hats and couldn't hold off on making baby dresses any longer.  As I was making them last summer, I wrote directions down for each design.  That notebook is somewhere in this house, but I haven't found it yet.  There have been so many people asking for the patterns that I decided to make more and write them up as I go - AND type them up when I'm finished so they won't get lost again. 

This dress was finished yesterday and the pattern is being tested by someone else as we speak.  Most of my dresses can be made using 1 skein of Caron Simply Soft yarn.  The buttons and ribbon I was able to find totally complete the dress!

This one is called "Ribbon & Lace"  and will be for sale in my etsy shop within the next week or 2  http://www.etsy.com/shop/CraftingFriends4you 

and in my FaceBook shop

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Crafting-Friends/180595232008676?ref=tn_tnmn

Bzz Review for Comforts Brand

As many of you know, I am a Bzz Agent and receive free products to try and give my opinion on.  The most recent product was the Comforts brand wetwipes and sippy cups.  I received 1 box of wetwipes and 2 sippy cups shown here:

First, the wetwipes:  I really liked them.  I had never tried Comforts wipes prior to this campain.  They are a strong wipe and you won't have to worry about them ripping when you are changing a diaper.  The only thing I did not like was the moisture.  I prefer wipes with a little more moisture than these had, but that is is personal preference - it doesn't make them bad.

Second is the sippy cups:  These were Great!  I love that the lid for the cup is connected and even better...there is a spot for it to hide when your child is drinking and it won't get in their way.  I wish I had known about these a year or so ago. 

Comforts also has diapers, training pants, and formula and is sold in Kroger stores such as Smith's, FredMeyers and Ralphs. 

I also received some coupons for 20% off  and have some left.  If anyone is interested in a coupon, let me know and I will send one to you.

<img src="http://img.bzzagent.com/image/comforts.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=2503732401&Campaign=4438292618&Uid=1212185&token=284602a74cff1b55ccf8980451e2abb6" alt=""/>

NFL Hat Collection

The latest NFL hat is the Houston Texans.  I still have a bunch of team logos that I'm working on making hats for.  The collection is now over 20 teams.  When I started this project, I never imagined it would go this far, but I'm excited that everyone is loving them. 

If there is a team logo you are looking for and would like to either buy some hats or just the logos, let me know and I will see if it's available.

Lady Bug

Every once in a while, I have to take a break from hat orders and make something else.  I'm really getting the itch to make more baby dresses, but have resisted so far.

 A week or so ago, I decided to order some patterns for photo props from Calleighs Clips (linked here)https://www.facebook.com/Calleighsclips?ref=ts&sk=wall#!/Calleighsclips?sk=app_169505045786  My sister is a photographer and is always doing so much for the rest of the family - I thought it would be great to so something for her.  Here is the first of many to come photo props I get to surprise her with :)