Samantha and I had a busy day… I was more busy than she was, but she insisted she was “busy looking pretty in her pink coat!” I don’t think that counts… *sigh*
I was hoping to get more finished on her dress, but it was one of those days… quite a bit of time was spent trying to decide how I was going to “embellish” the bodice and I finally decided on a piece of pretty white lace down the front… and you know there’ll be “something” on it! :o) I added the stand collar and have the facing on so it’s all neatly finished off…I decided to leave the dress unlined as I want the softness of the fabric to have soft gathers.
I have one sleeve sewn in and I thought I’d shirr up the forearm area with a few rows of elastic, but as I’m looking at it, I think my lace at the bottom is too big… so it might be coming off. I needed to make sure the sleeve will fit through the arm of the coat, and I slipped it on, and I think it will, but I’m not positive. I’ll have to check it tomorrow…
I took the coat back off Samantha and put it on Nellie again.
Then Samantha said, “Show them my boots!” She was standing in her pink coat and I asked her if she could wake up enough to try the start of her dress on… she said, “…only if I can keep on the boots!”
Don’t you just LOVE it when your dolls talk to you?
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
This is going to be a beautiful dress. You must have bought the entire order of those boots, but they certainly are cute. Samantha is going to be a lovely model for you. You were right about her — her coloring really works for photos. I hate for you to undo your work, but I agree about the lace on the sleeves. Do you suppose the edge section would work by itself? You’ve probably thought of that — is it still too long? I’ll bet you’ve already found the perfect buttons. It will be fun to see how far you get on this dress by tomorrow.
Hi Marilyn,
Samantha won’t be wearing the boots for this dress set, but she just wanted to keep them on while she was trying on what I was making.
They really are the cutest things!
I’m working on the sleeves right now, trying to come up with something that is acceptable for the 1900s. I hope I get them right.
Thanks Marilyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
I like the way the sleeve repeats the design of the body of the dress. It’s going to be a great outfit. I’m still thinking “Poppy Pink.”
For the seamstresses out there who read Jeanne’s blog, I’m sharing info from an email from Lee & Pearl: Joann’s is having their “Famous 99 Cent Simplicity Pattern Sale” today through the weekend. Also moms and nanas might like to check out DollCake, a company in Australia that specializes in fancy dresses for little girls, either for the dresses or to check out the fanciful designs. It’s summer in Australia, so the dresses are light and summery, of course.
Hi Susette,
After seeing your mention of the .99 cent patterns at Joann’s. ..guess who had to go?
I looked at the book for at least 45 minutes, wrote down 4 patterns I thought I might like, got them out of the drawer, looked at them…then decided I didn’t really need any more patterns, and put them back…silly woman!!
I think I’ll check out DollCake…I love looking at little girls dresses!!!
Thanks Susette,
Blessings, Jeanne
I like the sleeves the way they are but I understand the potential construction issues with their movement within the coat sleeves. So I am sure you will choose whichever is best.
Those boots are so cute!
Hope you have a great day!
Take care –
Thanks Charlotte,
I am getting ready to start on the sleeves again… I’m sure they will be better after I fix them.
The boots won’t go with dress…she just wanted to keep them on a little longer!
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
The sweet little dress is coming right along. Can’t wait to see what you add to the lace. Beautiful on Samantha. Wondering if a simple ribbon in her hair would be right? Those boots are adorable, but remind me of winter. Maybe when worn with the coat, but seems like white boots or plain white Mary Janes would be right with the lovely light dress along with white tights/stockings.
Humm. Wonder if I can fit in a Joann’s run today, after seeing Susette’s mention of the 99 cent pattern sale.
Hope your Friday isn’t completely packed and you have some room to create.
Hi Joy,
I had some interruptions in my day, but I’m back in my sewing room trying to get the sleeves fixed.
I found the perfect color ribbon at Walmart too!! Yay!!
That .99 cent sale Susette mentioned, got me…hope you found something!
The boots were only on Samantha to keep her feet warm till I finished her dress and found the right shoes for the set.
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, I think I only bought 6 patterns. And one can’t remember either Butterick or McCalls for 1.99 Bad me.
Dear Jeanne, I love the dress already! I think I had a blouse in a similar pattern years ago. And yes, I love when my dolls talk to me but it usually ends up costing me money, as when they see something on ebay or etsy that they just “must” have (smile).
Can you believe this is the last Friday in January? Weren’t we just wrapping presents (laugh)?
Hi Dorothy,
It’s nice to hear that my dolls aren’t the only ones who voice their opinions…. :o)
I’m trying to get more done on the dress this evening….and hope you’ll like it when it’s finished.
We WERE just wrapping presents…now it’s time to buy hearts of all kinds…chocolate and fabric!
Thanks Dorothy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Beautiful, Jeanne! The stand up collar is lovely, and the lace is so feminine and perfect for the delicacy of this dress. Like Charlotte, I love the deep lace on the sleeve, but understand that it might present a problem when topping with the coat. Trust you will do what is best. Also love the gathers on the sleeves–not the usual elastic casing. An added detail that creates interest.
We are blessed with an unusually mild and sunny winter day here in Ohio–temperature is 55 degrees! Hope you are equally blessed weather-wise, as well as with time in the studio to create. Can’t wait to see your progress on this special Valentine ensemble. Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Thanks Anne,
I’m back in my sewing room working on the dress again…I hope I can get something done that’s worthy of showing everyone…
We had a lovely day too…it was 59 today and it was nice to go out without a coat. I’m hoping the nice day helps me sew faster tonight!! :o)
Thanks so much Anne,
Blessings, Jeanne