Cossies for Blythe Dolls

I have been making Cossies / swimsuits for Blythe dolls - trying to develop a knitting pattern for them and giving my dolls plenty of opportunities to channel their inner "Bathing Beauty".

 

Lillian's cossie is a classic vintage style with a 'modesty skirt' - the colours and stripes make it a little bit nautical.

And yes, she nearly did get her feet nibbled by the gold-fish!

Audrey got a boy-leg suit in candy stripes - it has a low back.

 


Violetta's is purple (but of course) with a frilly bottom edged in white just so you notice it!


Violetta's beach towel is a face-cloth (or flannel) cut in half and hemmed on that edge - the beach ball is a ping pong ball with texta colours.

Now - all these swim-suits are my own knitting pattern/s.  They all have the same halter neck top and, except for Audrey's boy-leg suit, they are basically the same shape in the body & bottom.  They can be worn over the doll's underpants - taking those on & off is an ordeal I was keen to avoid!

Lillian's old ADG body (see this post all about Lillian's body transplant) makes a wonderful dressmakers' dummy - I'm calling it Elle (after a certain supermodel who was known as The Body).  The dolls are really relieved that they no longer have to try on half-made garments with knitting needles and sewing pins that scratch and get all tangled up in their hair ... and I guess this photo should come with a "Partial Doll Nudity" warning!    

Pattern-making in progress ...

But wait - there's more ... I've made some swimsuits as swaps & things too.  So more Bathing Belle photos ...

This suit & bag was part of my Secret Santa pressie at the WPWD's meet last weekend. Mandy got my parcel - hope her dolls like it.

In soft aqua, a very girlie version with a frill skirt all round - this time edged with pearlised embroidery thread.  The beach bag is crochet.

And this was for a swap done through WPWDs.  I couldn't post about this until my swap partner got her parcel ... she lives on a Pacific Island which (predictably) made me think of resorts and lazing about a pool ... 

Doesn't Audrey make a wonderful swim-suit model?  The suit is a plain maillot but in a variegated sock yarn - there are some glass beads at the decolletage.  Another ping-pong / beach ball but this beach towel is knitted - stripes of left-over sock yarns in moss stitch (aka seed stitch) for a rather vintage look.  A knitted beach bag with crochet trim.

  And to complete the swap parcel - a maxi-dress.  This is from the halter-neck dress pattern I have for free (at the top of the page).  I used a self-striping sock yarn that I bought in Versailles :-)   it is "Opal Planète" for Bergère de France, the "Rosa" colourway.

Well, you've seen some beach bags above,  I made my own dolls a bag each too - to match their cossies.

 

Lillian & Audrey's are knitted in bamboo yarn - with trim to match their suits.   I used the "Turkish Cast-On" to make these ...

Audrey & Violetta both have really alabaster complexions - so sun-hats are a necessity.  Audrey's is crochet from the same bamboo yarn I used for most of the beach bags - the frill makes it rather like a May Gibbs gum-blossom baby's hat.

Violetta's hat & bag are both crochet from a metallic tape-yarn that I found un-banded in an Op-Shop.  Makes a great dolly hat as it is rather stiff.   I went a bit flamboyant with the purple nylon ribbons - but why not when she looks so cute!

Well, after all that modelling of swim-suits the girls decided to have a picnic and they tested the carrying capacity of their new beach bags.