Luna's little sister is named Rieke

Hello doll mommies,

today Luna's little sister arrived. A tiny 35 cm “tall” and so very sweet.
She babbles away when you press her tummy.

    This is my Rieke.

  the two sisters

   one sweeter than the other

I just can’t get enough of looking at these two cuties.

Luna is all set for clothes at the moment, but Rieke urgently needs something new. So it’s time to grab the yarn and needles.

Best wishes
Marlies

Dear Marlies, I’m so glad the two baby dolls are bringing you so much joy. It’s wonderful when it warms your heart and fills you with good feelings, isn’t it? I wish Rieke and her sister a happy life with you. And now I don’t want to keep you from knitting doll clothes any longer.

Warm regards, Ina

Thank you, dear Ina. The three of us are happy!

Oh my gosh, your Rieke looks so adorable, and so tiny next to Luna.
I hope you have lots of fun with the two of them.

Unfortunately, my little one is still an only child.

Will you show us your doll clothes then?
I like dolls
Best wishes, GABI 

Yeah, Andrea, I knew Rieke was small, but in person she’s tiny. Right now, the two of them are sharing a crib. It just barely fits them, but of course Rieke will get her own one too.
A pair of siblings like that for you—that would be something, wouldn’t it?

Sure, I’ll show you the new clothes, Gabi.
The pants and jacket are already done. Just the sweater left. It might look familiar to you...

Your Rieke is just so incredibly sweet!

Three years ago, I dissolved my teddy bear collection and distributed the dear ones among the family, where they were all warmly welcomed. In the new apartment, I unfortunately didn’t have as much space as upstairs in the old one to accommodate them all, but I still can’t be completely without them—five stayed with me :-).
All in all, there must have been around 200 teddy bears that I sewed; except for those 5, they’ve all moved out—even one moved as far as London. Most of them ended up at the children’s charity.
Each of the grandchildren definitely has three teddy bears, my daughters each have between 3 and 5, and my sister probably has about 10 of mine too, because she collected them as well. Then some went to nephews and nieces. Today I only sew when I need a special gift for someone special.

Best wishes, Inge

Thanks, Inge. Well, you’ve really been busy with all those teddy bears. It’s great that most of them have found good homes.

Maybe we should start a new thread here where we can all show off our babies and bears. I’m sure we’ll end up with quite a collection.

Photos of the clothes will follow tomorrow. The lighting isn’t good for taking pictures right now.

Love, Marlies

Here are Rieke's first pants, sweater and little bear hat. The green and yellow is from the swap package.
A jacket is finished, but the matching pants aren't quite done yet.



I'm going out for breakfast with a friend today. I hope I'll get around to finishing the pants afterwards.

Well, Marlies, I would have fallen in love with your Rieke right away, too. She’s just so sweet. I’ve been looking at her for quite a while now. Yes, Christina’s right—it can quickly become addictive... But who cares? It only does us good. :)

Your little baby already looks so adorable in her new clothes. I’m sure there’s plenty more to come. I’ve now put together almost an entire collection for my little one in the same size. A hooded jacket is still to come, which I’ll finish today.

Inge, teddy bears are among my favorites, too. I’ve never had as many as you, but I still have plenty.

It’s nice to know I’m not alone in my crazy fondness. The child in me is still very active.

Marlies, I’m sure you were just as happy as your Luna that her little sibling arrived so quickly.
Your Rieke is so cute, too, and the new outfits look great on her. I’m sure there will be more to come—I’m already excited to see them.

Marion, I think your little Mäxchen would finally like to have a sibling too.... He looks so sad...

Marlies, where did you get your Rieke? I might like that size—or maybe just a tad smaller.

Haha... Andrea, it’s funny and lovely to watch you give in after all. Believe me, 35 cm is very small and fits anywhere.

Monika, my little Mäxchen doesn’t look sad at all—he’s happy every time he gets new clothes.

But you really did manage to make me give in.

Since yesterday, Mäxchen has had a little brother. May I introduce him?

I'm little Finn and almost exactly as big as my big brother.






i

Oh Marion, your little Mäxchen is really beaming right along with little Finn.
Looks like you’ve got some dressing to do again. 

OMG, Marion! I’m totally head over heels in love with your Finn. He’s soooo cute! He goes perfectly with Mäxchen. Tell me, where did you get him? I’m really curious.

And you’ve been keeping him a secret from us since yesterday? I’m blown away....

I went out for breakfast with my friend today, and afterward we drove over to my place. I’d just mentioned that I have two new roommates.
When she walked in: “Oh my gosh, there are two babies lying there.” I laughed so hard.
Later, I showed her the reborn babies online. She’s already on the fence…

Let’s see just how big our “daycare” here ends up getting.

Oh, Marlies, that’s so nice that you’ve already gotten your friend excited about it, too. I think it’s really great that we’ve found each other here.

Marlies, I'm curious too whether our "kindergarten" here will get even bigger; that would be wonderful. .

Monika, I found my Finn, like Mäxchen, at the company with the A... .
By the way, he's still available!!!!!

Marion, your Finn is really adorable! A very sweet pair of brothers has found their way to you!

I’m slowly getting the impression that you won’t let up until everyone gives in… one baby is cuter than the next, the temptation is huge, but once again, NO—my four are definitely enough! (And I don’t have time to dress them in new clothes anyway…)

Dear Marlies,

Why do you have two baby girls? Did you want girls, or could they have been boys too?

Marion chose a pair of brothers—so two boys. Now I’m curious—did you do this on purpose, or are there some “old” preferences at play here?

Best regards, Ina

Dear Ina,

the thing with my two girls just worked out that way because I’d fallen head over heels for both of them.

But I also prefer to crochet and knit girls’ things. I used to do that for my little sisters, and later for my daughter and sisters. My youngest sister is four months younger than my daughter.

We were a family of 6 girls and 3 boys at home. So I guess I grew up with a bit of a “girl-heavy” influence… lol. And my dad was always happier about every girl, too.

But Rieke and Luna are going to get a little brother, a Niklas—just not right away. They’ll have to wait a bit longer. Maybe it’ll even be a Niklas and a Leonie—who knows…

Best regards,
Marlies

Marion, I’ll check out your Finn at A... But he won’t be moving in with me—otherwise we’ll need a new apartment soon... ;-)

       Now the little outfit is finally finished, too.

    

The sweater and pants are a variation on the pattern.

You’ve dressed her so, so cutely, Marlies.

I think all your babies are absolutely adorable and sweet. But I think I’m immune to them. I enjoy your reports and pictures.

Marlies, the little green sweater turned out great with the border along the bottom edge.

I’m currently crocheting for a very tiny doll from the kindergarten. I find it very difficult to dress her. Every yarn seems too thick to me. I’ll keep experimenting a bit and will probably keep ripping back a lot.

Petra, I felt the same way, and now I’m a mom of two…

The little sweater is a variation on the jacket. It looked a bit odd with the pants because it was a little short. So I just crocheted the border onto it, and now it looks much nicer…Since it was so tight in the back to fasten, I added a triangle there. That makes it easier to put on and take off.

Yeah, with such little dolls, it’s tricky. I’m already seeing that with Rieke. I’d bought yarn for Luna and then decided to make something for both of them. It’s too bulky for Rieke, too.

Marlies, you’ve really been busy.

The outfit for your Rieke turned out lovely and fits her perfectly.

Yeah, that’s true—dressing such tiny dolls isn’t exactly easy. But 35 cm works out fine. I just finished another set with pants and a hooded jacket. The good thing is, it’s quick to make.

Thanks, Marion.

Monika, that’s true. Everything gets done much faster for Rieke than when I’m making things for Luna, even though sizes 56/62/68 aren’t really that big.
With smaller babies, the fit usually works out better, too. With Luna, I have to “juggle” a bit.

Marlies, your Juna is about the same size as my Rosalie. I’m currently knitting her a hooded jacket to match her footed pants. She’s a different size than my previous babies. It’s a bit of a challenge, but the result will be absolutely adorable.

You really shouldn’t read along here—it’ll drive you crazy! Now I’m already eyeing my bears, wondering which one needs new clothes....

Let’s get started, Veronika—get the yarn out.

Monika, you always design such great things. My babies are already tapping their little feet in anticipation.

Rieke’s new outfit is finished.

OMG, Marlies, Rieke looks absolutely adorable in her new outfit. I’m completely blown away. She really is such a sweet little treasure and very photogenic.

I’m hard at work writing the patterns. They’ll be coming soon, I promise. First up, the ones for the little ones.

Veronika, that really made me smile. Imagine that—my bears—well, most of them, anyway—have all gotten some pretty clothes, too. :))

Thanks, Monika.
It was a bit tricky because I had to combine different sizes from the pattern. Rieke needs the width of the smaller size and the length of the larger size. So you have to do some math or rip it back. (That’s what Grandma used to call it… lol)
Her little hat didn’t fit at all in the specified sizes. So it was “crocheted to fit her head.”

Rieke’s first little dress. I think she’ll get a pair of ruffled bloomers to go with it.

You did a great job on that, Marlies. You’re incredibly fast. The little dress looks sooo cute, and so does Rieke in it.

Thanks, Monika. I made that without a pattern and from leftover yarn. It always goes much faster for Rieke, and crocheting is even quicker. Knitting always takes longer. I really admire how fast you work.

Marlies, you’re really churning them out. 😆

The dress turned out so pretty again.

Thanks, Marion. With such tiny babies, it really flies off the needles... lol.

Rieke got a pair of ruffled bike shorts and shoes to go with her first little dress. A hat will be added soon.

      


The new pants and top are finished. The shoes and possibly a hat are in the works.

Oh Marlies, everything looks absolutely adorable. Your Rieke is going to need a whole closet soon. You’ve crocheted everything so beautifully.

Thanks, Monika. Up to now, the baby clothes were in a little basket. I’m slowly starting to need a basket… lol.

And if even more things for Luna get added...
But it’s so much fun to crochet for the babies. I’m going to try knitting too.

The pants and top are made from swap yarn from the last package.

Marlies, you did a great job on Rieke’s new outfit. I really like the ruffles.
Are you still crocheting from your older patterns, or are these all your own ideas?

Everything goes together so well, and the colors are really pretty, too.

Marlies, I’ll be looking specifically for yarn for my babies in the new swap package. I’ve accumulated so many clothes for them now that I’ve filled two whole drawers. Still, there aren’t enough options yet. When Juna comes over, she’s in her element—she’s totally into dressing and undressing dolls right now. That’s why she’s getting a baby doll with lots of clothes for her 3rd birthday.

Marion, Luna’s pink sweater, Rieke’s purple suit, and her yellow overalls were made using old patterns.
I made the other items without them. You should never give away scraps too soon—I realize that again now. I can make a lot for Rieke with just one ball of yarn.

Since I wasn’t happy with the knitted onesie, I crocheted a new little dress for Rieke.

Oh Marlies, this has turned out so adorable again. You’ve made such a cute little baby with Rieke.

Thanks, Monika. I just crocheted that on a whim.

I spiced up Rieke’s onesie a little. I think it’s good now.

Oh, Marlies, your Rieke certainly can’t complain.

She gets new clothes every day—she could already put on a fashion show.
I really like the onesie.

My two definitely need lighter clothes, but somehow I just can’t seem to get around to it.

Wow, Marlies! You’re really outdoing yourself and working like crazy! You’ve made that so cute.
I’m in the garden right now and just finished the first diaper. I’ll start on the second one today. Juna will definitely need more than one for her doll baby. What will she do when one is full (pruuuust....)? 

Oh man, I really missed out on something there.

Marlies, your little doll looks so adorable in her outfits. You’ve made such pretty things for her. All kinds of fancy outfits for going out. I love them.

You’ve inspired me so much that I guess I really should start crocheting something for my babies soon. I have plenty of leftover yarn.

Thanks for your compliments. Yes, Rieke has enough clothes for now.
Once I finish the projects I’ve started and left on the back burner, Luna will get some new outfits, too. Maybe I can even pull off a matching sister look.

Marlies, your onesie turned out super cute. Now just a matching little hat... So lovely. You never run out of ideas