Free Patterns

Making a doll with your own two hands can be such a rewarding experience. These handmade dolls are not only fun to create but make much appreciated gifts that will be cherished by anyone. There's just nothing to compare with the warmth of a handmade doll created by loving hands.

I want to make you aware of a very special place that you will find a wealth of free patterns to make dolls, doll clothes, toys, plus accessories for doll houses and more.

These include; free doll clothing patterns for American Girl, Barbie, porcelain and china dolls, cloth and other miscellaneous dolls.

You will also find free patterns to make the actual doll itself. There are many to choose from; "Country Angel Doll", "Hankerchief Doll" and "Cupid Doll" just to name a few. There's even a free pattern for a life sized baby doll.

Each pattern is complete with a list of required materials, the instructions and pictures of the finished item. Add your own special touches to create a one of a kind doll, toy or outfit.

You will find a link at the bottom of this page that will instantly take you to the site that offers these free doll patterns.

 I have found a wonderful place to obtain free crochet patterns. It is a directory that  list sites across the Internet which offer free crochet patterns. There are patterns for afghans, angels, animals, baby items, bags, totes, purses, Barbie, bedroom, boxes, containers, broomstick lace, cases, caddies, Christmas, neck warmers, doilies, dolls, doll clothes, Easter, edgings, filet crochet, flowers, hairpin lace, hair accessories, Halloween, hats, hearts, home decor, jewelry, kids clothing, kitchen items, mittens and gloves, pets, pillows, pin cushions, ponchos, religious, rugs, shawls, slippers and socks, St. Patrick's Day, table cloths, teddy bears, Thanksgiving, toys, Valentines Day, weddings and many more.

   This directory is broken down into about 400 categories, which have many sub-categories.  For example; when you click on a category such as dolls and doll clothes, you will then be taken to another page which will direct you to hundreds  of  free crochet patterns for everything pertaining to dolls, which include free crochet patterns for many of the dolls themselves, such as bed dolls, Geisha dolls, yo-yo Santa, gnome doll, Christmas bride doll, baby dolls, Humpty Dumpty and many more. 

    You will also find many free crochet patterns for clothing and accessories, some are for dolls such as American Girl while others just list the dress, clothes or accessories  in sizes such as 9 1/2" doll dress, 18" doll poncho or 12 " baby outfit.

    The free crochet patterns not only include the pattern directions and instructions  but include pictures of the finished work.. New patterns are added twice weekly on Wednesday and Saturday, so check back often for new projects. There's always something new, interesting and 100% free at Crochet Pattern Central. There is a link provided at the bottom of this page for your convenience.

I have found a wonderful site that offers hundreds of free knitting patterns. There are many free pattern categories, such as free patterns for babies, kids and adult clothing, shrugs, boleros, ponchos, sweaters, vests, hats, socks, slippers, mittens, shawls, wraps, scarves, handbags, afghans, dolls, toys, pet patterns, holiday patterns and many more. Each category has many free knitting patterns for you to choose from and best of all there are no limits as to how many you're allowed. Choose one or choose a hundred.

For example; the babies category of free knitting patterns include the following;

Baby blankets, baby booties, baby hats, baby sweaters and miscellaneous baby patterns which all have sub-categories with hundreds of free knitting patterns.

A sampling of the baby blanket patterns includes;

Color Block Blanket

Diagonal Rectangle Afghan

Diagonal Square Afghan

Easy Eyelets Blanket

Garter Stitch Blanket

Interlocked Hearts Afghan

Heart Blanket

Lace Baby Blanket

Loop Blanket

.Moon And Stars Baby Blanket

Reversible Baby Blanket

Slip Stitch Baby Blanket

Striped Ridges Baby Blanket

Teddy Bear Baby Blanket

Two Way Striped Baby Blanket

The free knitting patterns are complete with easy to understand directions, instructions and also include pictures of the finished work. There are also specialty knitting patterns such as the one for a Chemo Cap.

If you love to knit, and you're looking for free knitting patterns, you can not find a better place than Knitting on the Net. The link is provided in the links section at the bottom of this page.

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen either cooking or cleaning up afterwards and let me tell you , sometimes it can be a real job, especially if I'm in one of my let's experiment moods , which is pretty often. :) I came to know a long time ago that an apron was the best choice on days like this.

I prefer to use 100% cotton for my aprons and always wash and dry the fabric before starting. Get your fabric ready and in about an hour , you'll have a great little apron that's cute and can be worn as a barrier to keep soils and stains away from your good clothes.

Another great thing about these aprons is that they make excellent gifts. When I give one of these as a gift, I usually stuff something into the pockets that the person can use such as, a little battery-operated book-light if they're an avid reader. A craftier would get a bag of beads or jewels or maybe a measuring tape, scissors , something relevant to their craft.

People love hand-made gifts and who couldn't use an apron for one reason or another ; cooking or outdoor grilling, cleaning, painting, crafting and more.

Below, you will learn how to make an apron from start to finish, in an hour or less. There's no need to buy a pattern, simply follow the direction below.

Things You'll Need:

1 yard fabric of your preferably cotton or cotton blend.(pre-washed)

thread

scissors

Sewing Machine

small inexpensive gifts (optional)

embellishments(optional)

Instructions- 10 Easy Steps

Step 1. Lay fabric flat and cut a 8" piece off the top, set aside.

Step 2. Zig zag all edges, then turn under 1/2" hem on two longest sides and top. press, then stitch with straight stitch.

Step 3. Fold 7 " of bottom under, press.

Step 4. Turn 6" of the bottom fold back up to front side. Turn under 1" bottom , press and hem with straight stitch.

Step 5. Next make 3 pockets by dividing bottom into 3 equal parts and stitch the 6" fold up to the highest point where fabric has been turned up on front of apron. At this point you can add embellishments such as buttons, lace rick rack etc. if desired. Make a tack stitch at the top center of each pocket.

Step 6. At top, make a long straight stitch, gather to about 18". Sew again with a locking stitch.

Step 7. Next, take the 8" piece you cut off top at beginning and cut into two equal pieces, lengthwise. Sew both pieces together lengthwise. Fold under 1/2" hem on both pieces, press. in half, lengthwise , press again.

Step 8. Center the apron sash over the top of apron and sew at bottom edge. Then sew at top edge of sash at waist.

Step 9. Make sure you have the edges of sash even and sew the rest of length on each side of apron.

Step 10. Turn under ends of sash and hand sew closed. Press.

NOTE: If giving the apron as a gift you might like to put something in the pockets. For example; for the crafters, you can slip a measuring tape, pair of scissors, a package of straight pins, beads, glue gun etc. into the pockets. Someone that loves to read, a battery operated portable reading light, bookmarks or a magnifying glass. Someone that is a great cook, measuring spoons or cup, a candy thermometer, turkey baster etc. Get creative, have fun and use your imagination.

If you are looking for costume ideas, I've found a site that offers these and even more great crafting ideas and plans. There are links to many craft projects including patterns and ideas to make bat wings, bat mask, fairy wings and fairy wand. Patterns to make an octopus, baby chick, owl costume costume and many more. It's completely free so why not check it out.

Here's a link http://www.freeneedle.com/directory.php?directory=Costume-and-Fancy-Dress&s=0&np=4&rn=69

This link will take you to a site that will give you a free pattern including pictures and instructions to make a dress using one and a half yards of fabric that you can complete in one and a half hours. No kidding! This is a great project for those of us who don't have a great deal of spare time to spend on one sewing project and the finished dress is adorable.

Here's a link http://www.prudentbaby.com/2010/07/15-dress.html

  I am happy to let you know about a remarkable place that I happened across while searching for new quilt ideas one cold, rainy afternoon. I had hoped to find a new quilt pattern to try out, but was amazed to find an exciting place that offers over a hundred free quilt patterns, each with complete detailed, step by step instructions and lovely color illustrations.

   There are so many beautiful free quilt patterns to choose from such as;  the Birds Nest, Double Nine, Five Patch Chain, Framed Friendship, Wishing Ring, Broken Dishes, Autumn Leaves, Holiday Ribbons, Jewel Box,  Philadelphia Pavement and  King's crown just to name a few.

   Many of the patterns are perfect for beginners. The instructions and details are simple to understand and will show you,  just how easy it is to make these charming quilts.  

  The finished quilts are beautiful. The color photos are in gallery format; just click on the picture for a larger, more detailed view.

   You may also want to subscribe to Janet's free newsletter while visiting, so that you will be informed of new patterns as they are published. There are new free quilt  patterns added each week.

    Be sure to check out  these wonderful, free quilt patterns for your next quilt project. A link is provided at the bottom of this Hub.

The copyright to this article is owned by Becky Puetz. Permission to republish this article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing. (You can, however, freely use the opening introduction and photo with a link to the article here on HubPages to read the remainder of the article.)