From dolls in Ugly Sweaters to dolls in Sweet Dresses…

Have you ever seen a parade of dolls in Ugly Sweaters? Me neither… till Joy sent me these pictures. You’ll love them… especially those of you who have 10″ dolls, such as Patsy Tonner and her friends… Take a look…and they really aren’t that ugly… trust me…
Uh…. I believe I count 18 ten inch dolls there Joy… that’s a lot of Ugly sweaters to have to put on!

If you click on any of the pictures they will enlarge and you can see all the fun details!

Joy said a few times setting her dolls up, was like a game of Dominoes…one fell and the others went too.

Aren’t they fun looking all lined up like that? Great job Joy!

Linda wasn’t into Ugly, so she dressed her dolls up in their finest dresses for The Veiled Prophet Ball…take a look…

Here are some of her dolls dressed in AG Christmas dresses…

Then she shared some Christmas pictures… some cupcakes she made with black tube icing and little baking M&M’s for the lights… so cute…and a few scenes of her dolls dressed up for Christmas…

Also a little while back, I showed you some pictures of doll outfits that Kathie had made for a Christmas Doll Swap on the Little Darlings forum. Well, Charlotte received her swap and this is what the dress and “ugly” sweater looked like on her dolls…

Charlotte also sent along a picture of a dress she copied from a 1954 catalog and Cora wanted to show you what it looked like. A flash from the past, don’t you think?

I sure hope I have these pictures assigned to the right person… let me know if I’m wrong on any of them…

See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne

22 thoughts on “From dolls in Ugly Sweaters to dolls in Sweet Dresses…”

  1. What an adorable group of little dolls in their not-so-ugly sweaters! It sure brought a smile to my morning to see them, Jeanne! My gosh, what a job to set all that up! Where did you find all those darling sweaters, Joy? It looks like a Christmas parade going by on your deck! So cute!

    Wow, Kathie, your dolls look darling in their new outfits! Well, they ARE Little Darlings, aren’t they? I love that red, curly wig! And oh yes, that 1954 dress is spot on! I have 3 younger sisters and remember seeing them wear dresses like that. Was that from a Sears catalog?

    While we are featuring smaller dolls, I wonder how do you ladies put their shoes on and get the strap completely in the metal buckle part? I have a heck of a time getting Betsy’s shoes on and the last piece of strap under that buckle! Does it loosen with time or is there a trick? Jeanne, how do you do it?

    1. HI Linda,
      This was another fun day for me to share with everyone.. I had to look hard to see the “tumbling gingerbread men” but enlarged the pics and saw them. How cute! You have a great imagination.
      I don’t unbuckle my dolls shoes all the way when I take them off if I can help it. I leave the straps still in the buckle and just easily slide the dolls shoes off carefully. If they come unbuckled, I do run it through the buckle and then pull the strap back over the dolls foot as snug as I can to make the strap over the top of her foot tight. I just use my fingernails to push the strap through, but a hemostat is a good tool if you need it.
      Thanks Linda,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  2. I had a dress a lot like the last one, but green instead of red, in 1956. I have a cousin who had red hair like Charlotte’s Effner sculpt 3 — it’s much easier to manage if you are a doll, and it’s certainly beautiful.

    Linda’s dolls are beautiful and her collection of furniture and accessories must be one of the best ever — I especially like the tumbling gingerbread men, don’t you?

    I must say that Joy’s parade of 10 inchers in their holiday sweaters is something that deserves to be passed on and shared. Where on earth did you find all those tiny holiday outfits, Joy? The domino effect must have been frustrating, but the shots of the army of tiny, brightly dressed people was worth it. The pictures would make wonderful Christmas cards next year.

    Many thanks, Jeanne. You must get the best emails and the very nicest pictures ever.

    1. HI Marilyn,
      I DO get the best pictures to share. If I didn’t have a blog about dolls and sewing, I could just use everyone’s pictures… (which I have been lately…thanks everyone!)
      I’m glad you enjoyed the pictures today, Marilyn… me too!
      Blessings, Jeanne

  3. What an amazing collection, Joy! I can’t imagine making all of those dolls stand up at the same time. I sometimes have trouble making even one doll stand up for her close-up, let alone tens of dolls. I wonder, too, where you found all those sweaters. Patience must be your middle name. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

    Linda is the Queen of the Vignette! A wonderful themed collection, kitchen, baking, formal dress, party dresses and detail, detail, detail. I thought I had studied the pictures well, but Marilyn found the tumbling gingerbread men and I had to go back and find them. Again, an amazing collection and nice to use for reference to complete outfits. What a lovely home she has in which to display her collections.

    Like everyone else, I had a plaid dress for school and loved it. Remember when we changed to play clothes when we got home. Thanks for sharing the all the pictures with everyone, Jeanne.

    1. HI Susette,
      I loved seeing Joy’s 10ers marching on the deck too. I can’t imagine how long it must have taken to set them up. I’m like you…sometimes I can’t even get 2 to stand up without falling over.
      I hadn’t noticed the tumbling gingerbread men until you mentioned it. Of course I had to enlarge the pictures, and survey every little inch of each picture until I found them! I did!

      I enjoyed the pictures as much as anyone else…
      Blessings, Jeanne

  4. Fun pictures!
    Love Charlotte’s little 50’s number. Brings back memories! I had to wear the same dress two days to school. Probably because of the laundry/ironing. Always came home and changed to play clothes like Susette.
    Charlotte’s swap is a nice one. Her LD’s are sweet.
    Linda’s scenes are so fun to view. All of the details are great. I’ll be visiting several times today. What a wonderful doll house too.
    The 10er parade was fun to do. The ugly sweaters are actually Christmas ornaments. They have been available for the last couple of years at Michaels. If you cut them down the back and add snaps, you save messing up hair/wigs. I also have a few larger wine bottle decoration sizes that were available at many places too.
    For Linda, the shoe buckle problem. I have found if there is a pair with a tight buckle, I can use a hemostat and grab the end of the strap and guide it through pretty easily. I also use the hemostat to pull elastic through on waistbands.
    Thanks Jeanne for showing the fun pictures.

    1. HI Joy,
      We went out to dinner last night with some friends and Leann asked me if I had my post written for today already. I told her I did and it involved 18 little dolls in ugly sweaters marching in a parade. She and her hubby were curious and when I showed them , they wanted to see all the pics, which started the conversation about why women play with dolls when they get older. I tried my best to explain that we are all normal but just like dolls… I told them we don’t actually “play” like little girls might do, but we like to set them up, dress them, make little vignettes, etc. I “think” the hubby got it but not sure. I should have used the “train” example that one man told me about one time.. Men like toy trains, women like dolls… it’s perfect that way.
      Thanks for sharing your pics… it was fun for all of us!
      Blessings, Jeanne

      1. Pretty funny! I never bring up that I do doll scenes to photograph or make clothes for them, because I get the very odd looks. Only person I have told was a childhood friend who used to play with Ginny dolls like me. She understood.

  5. Enjoyed seeing all the pictures. I wondered too where Joy got all those Christmas sweaters for all her dolls. At Michaels – as ornaments! Clever. It was fun seeing them all together on the deck.
    Linda, your doll set ups are wonderful and so fun to look at all the things you have for them. I’m trying to do the same for my dolls…do little scenes. I have several era type sets that don’t belong together and I need to figure out how to put them together.

    Thanks for sharing all the pictures.

    1. HI Paula,
      Well, when you DO get your scenes all figured out, we WANT to see your pictures too. I’ve only done the sweater ornament thing one time…for Bitty Bethany…
      Thanks Paula,
      Blessings, Jeanne

    1. Hi Becky,
      It WAS fun to see everyone’s dolls dressed up wasn’t it? Glad you enjoyed them. I am working in my sewing room getting ready for the first dress of 2017.
      Thanks Becky,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  6. Joy, love your doll parade in their sweaters. You certainly have a collection of little cuties.
    Linda, wow are you able to set up some great scenes. I always wonder how people with a number of pieces of furniture set things up as I only have Samantha’s PC desk (inherited from my daughter’s collection) and Caroline’s skiff since I love water and it seems to work for all my dolls. I like that you have Molly’s bedroom set up under a table- really cute. Love your dollhouse as well. It looks similar to the one my daughter has called “The Waltons” with the wood shingled roof. She used it when she was very young ( 3-5 yrs) to save the one my grandfather handmade for my mom when she was four until she was a bit older. My mom still has all the Renwal furniture that filled the dollhouse as well and I and my daughter both played with it.
    Charlotte, love your plaid doll dress. Plaid is so timeless. I had many plaid dresses and skirts growing up and have a couple yet today.

    1. Hi Laura,
      I have to agree with you and all you said about the dolls shown today. It was truly a treat to see and I hope everyone enjoyed them. It’s so fun to see how everyone sets up their dolls.
      Thanks Laura,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  7. Laura, I have another dollhouse that I have filled with Renwal furniture too. This red one, is bigger in scale, and was one my mother won at a craft fair. It is filled with bigger furniture, and I will turn it around and send Jeanne pictures of it——-but it needs to be straightened up first! One of the cabinets fell off the wall in the kitchen, and it looks like a tornado hit! I have had enough to do with my own house, so never got around to fixing the dollhouse. You should share pictures of your dollhouse, we would love to see it!

    1. That’s neat, Linda. I’d love to see your dollhouses, both of them. The Renwel furniture is so interesting. My mom and I have seen the exact pieces she has on eBay in different colors.
      My mom’s dollhouse/ furniture is actually in storage now although I guess I really should try to find a place to display it. The bought one my daughter had filled with the Playmobil sets. Her dollhouse was a cross between Victorian and Pioneer. The people walked out of their Victorian furnished dollhouse and got into their covered wagon. LOL kid’s imaginations.
      I would like to share pictures of the dollhouse and my dolls sometime in the future except I don’t have an iPhone. My phone allows picture to be sent to an email. I know, I have one of the dark ages ones. Maybe by spring I can get a display set up and share pictures.

  8. Laura, I don’t have an iPhone either! I just take pictures with my camera, put them on my computer, and email them to Jeanne, or whoever. For sure, I will send pictures to Jeanne when I get the houses fixed up. Hang on!

    1. Ok…so I’ll play moderator and get your pictures to Laura…and if “I” like them maybe everyone would like to see them…*hint* *hint*

  9. Charlotte Trayer

    I am way behind, because I have been very ill (bronchitis/asthma for well over a week now), but I’m finally starting to catch up.

    I really enjoyed seeing everyone’s pictures. It was a special treat to see my own two pictures on you blog, and thank you to everyone who commented on my girls, and particularly the plaid dress. I guess it touched a lot of memories! I have quite a lot of that plaid fabric (originally bought for a blouse for me, but for some reason I just don’t feel comfortable wearing plaid, go figure….), so it may crop up on someone else again some day!

    Tomorrow I’m going to try to teach Sunday School; whether I stay for church will depend on how I do.

    Jeanne, I’ll email this to you, too, as you may not have a chance to look this far back in the comments, and I wanted to thank you for including my dolls.

    1. Hi Charlotte,
      I do hope you are feeling better and continue to get better each day. I had a really bad cough that lasted over a month so I feel your pain.

      It was my pleasure to show your girls and like you said, I think it brought back memories of plaid dresses for everyone.
      Thanks for your comments,
      Blessings, Jeanne

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