Teaching your dolls to sew…

The other day I missed showing Susette’s roses when we were talking about flowers in our yards… I wanted to make sure I didn’t leave them out…aren’t they pretty? This is how things grow in California! :o)

I always wanted to find a little sewing machine for my dolls because I thought it would be fun to do a post about them learning to sew. I’ve seen the ones from the Queen’s Treasures, but they usually go for $50-$100…a bit too pricey for me. I’ve watched and watched for one to be on Ebay and finally found one a while back. It was $17.00… I was actually wanting to wait until I had a story line and a dress started for one of my little girls, before I showed it to you, but decided I would go ahead and let you see it. It is actually a music box and plays The Blue Danube Waltz. As it plays the needle moves up and down and so does the foot treadle. The one I bought is wood and not plastic, like some you find on Ebay. Just type in Sewing Machine Music Box and check the measurements if you are interested in one for your dolls! :o)

I knew it would just be for the small dolls of mine and Trixie got the honors of showing you how she looks sitting at it… I think Ten Ping might have to sit on a pillow when she sews…

Patsy didn’t want to be in the pictures because she was nude…oops, snapped one without her knowing it…

We found her a top… just a top… with undies… so we could finish this post without having to rate it R!

I had a little chair that worked pretty well with her sitting in it…

She’s a pretty good fit for it…

I will probably take off this blue and red scrap of fabric and change it out for a piece of what the doll is sewing on at the time…

Here are a few shots of the machine without Trixie in the pictures…

You can see the music box and the wind up key in this picture a little better…

Nora is still standing on my cutting table with pins still poking out of her shoulders…holding on her necklace piece… My day was crazy busy and the only time I sat down was to eat supper and then to do this post… It’s now 11:15 and I only made it into my sewing room to take pictures of Trixie at the machine. I’m hoping tomorrow might be a sewing day! I bet you hope so too… I’ll already tell you, Anne thought of the title for Nora’s dress…. “Victorian Elegance.” Isn’t that pretty?

I’ll see you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne

23 thoughts on “Teaching your dolls to sew…”

  1. Beautiful roses, Suzette! You have such a “green thumb.” And though I am a couple of days late, your grand-daughter is adorable, Joy! I’m sure she must bring you a lot of pride and joy. I’m up late tonight, and it sounds like you might have been as well, Jeanne. Your wood music box /sewing machine is so cute and a great buy for $17.00. It has a lot of detail, too. It is a perfect fit for Trixie, and I bet she is thrilled to try it out for you. I wonder what she will sew? I also noticed your new painted screen in your photos. It looks very nice as a backdrop. I hope you get a good night’s rest after your hectic day, Jeanne, and I hope your tomorrow is less “crazy busy” so you have some time to work on “Victorian Elegance” because I know you are anxious to get back in your sewing routine. I am humbled that you plan to use the title I suggested, and I’m sure Trixie would help you sew the details for Nora’s dress. 😉 Blessings for your Friday, Jeanne, and happy sewing!

    1. Hi Anne,
      That’s a good idea…I’ll put Trixie to work on the straight stitching! :o)
      Well, today has been a little better, a haircut for George and then I had to Cal the phone company as my mom had called and had her phone turned off while we went to Debs…? ?

      I am hoping desperately to get more done on Nora’s dress…I am making 2 Brownies in a Jar gifts for a bridal shower tomorrow. I bought the bride to be a new 8×8 pan to bake them in…I hope they are an okay gift to give someone…some night when they are hungry for dessert, they can open up my jars and make them…:o)
      Thank you Anne,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  2. I love “Victorian Elegance” as an outfit name. Congratulations, Anne and Jeanne, on already having a fine name for a charming dress.

    The sewing machine is very cute and I’m looking forward to a series of dresses that show it off. Are the Effners too big for it? Trixie really is a great size for it, but I’d love to see Ten Pig try it with a nice cushion. I was thinking we’d get a day of “What I found on vacation” and “what we did and ate on vacation” so I was surprised to see an Ebay win featured, but it was a great find. There’s still time for more vacation stories.

    Susette’s rose is almost a vacation in itself. Those blue flowers really set the roses off beautifully. Thanks to both of you for a great start to the day.

    1. Hi Marilyn,
      Sometimes having the name ahead of time keeps me focused on what details to use…

      I think my Effner girls might be able to use it, but their legs are spread out when they sit down so they might just have to stand beside it… I had to laugh…you made a typo and said Ten Pig…I was reading and all of a sudden, just smiled! :o)
      As far as vacation pictures…I really didn’t take many…I only have 2 shots from an antique place we visited…we didn’t go to any tea rooms this time, made no fancy dinners, but just visited….and chatted.
      Well, I better get started on something…
      Thank you Marilyn,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  3. Victorian Elegance is a great name!
    The miniature sewing machine is great and makes a darling accessory for your girls. The detail aspects make it look nearly real.
    Susette, beautiful roses!! What are the happy purple flowers near the roses?
    Hope you have a good day.
    Take care.

    1. Thanks Charlotte,
      I think Victorian Elegance is a beautiful name and I’m so glad I don’t have to think of one now…
      When I looked on Ebay last night to see how many “music box sewing machines” there were, I was surprised…there were LOTS! I had always just looked under doll sewing machine…there were way more under the music box category… I’m glad you liked it…
      Blessings, Jeanne

    2. The blue ones are agapanthus, Lily of the Nile. They last quite a long time. Glad you like them.

  4. It’s all one rose bush and they are Peace roses. The blue ones are agapanthus, Lily of the Nile. There were a lot more yellow iris later on. They really bloomed well this year. Thanks.
    I stopped right away after seeing the little sewing machine and ordered one. I’m so glad you found one, Jeanne. I had bid on an old one for American Girl dolls a while ago but was able to cancel it within the hour when I studied it more and found it was rusted. So Ten Ping or the Little Darling Riya will have to do the sewing for the girls. Thanks for the tip. I bought one of the screens at Hobby Lobby earlier, so you’re keeping me spending.

    1. Hello, Susette! I want to tell you again how beautiful your roses are and how lovely your yard looks. I agree with Marilyn that seeing them is almost like a mini-vacation. Thanks for sharing your lush surroundings with all of us. I also want to apologize for misspelling your name in my earlier post. I have noted the spelling before, and I can only think my mistake was due to the lateness of the hour. It was almost 3:00 AM here in Ohio when I sent my post, which is not usual for me. I do try to pay attention to names, as I am often identified as Ann or Annie, not Anne, like the princess. It is a little thing, but it means so much. So again, I apologize for my error and will try to do better in the future. Enjoy your weekend!

      1. Hi Anne,
        My goodness…up at 3:00 a.m….I’m hoping it was just a case of insomnia keeping you awake…
        Blessings, Jeanne

      2. Never worry about my name. It is the Swiss spelling as opposed to the French. I’m just glad you are such a lovely blog friend and I always look forward to your thoughtful comments. Thanks.

        1. You are so kind with your words, Susette. You are a nice blog friend, too, and your pictures are always a treat for us. It’s interesting to learn about your name. Do you have some Swiss heritage? My heritage is English and French on my mother’s side, and Scottish on dad’s side. There are traditional naming patterns in Scotland, and I am named after my paternal grandmother. My dad’s sister was named Anne, too. I find the traditions and meanings of names so interesting. Susette is a lovely name which I think means “lily.” I also think I spelled your name correctly, but my “auto-correct” changed the “s” to a “z.” That happened again just now, and I had to go back and change it three times for it to read correctly! Thanks for your forgiving comments, Susette!

    2. Hi Susette,
      Your roses really are pretty…is that the front of your house? Are they right beside your driveway?
      Oh, I’m glad you found a sewing machine too… They really do make a cute little prop…and you have a screen now….how fun…it does make a nice background piece…now to get some curtains made…
      Thank you Susette….don’t give up on the sewing…unlike me…who can’t seem to find the time to get back to mine…
      Blessings, Jeanne

  5. Love Susette’s flowers. We rarely see any blooms on our agapanthus, because the bloom tips, right before opening, are a favorite of the neighborhood deer. So, all you see are sheared off tops. 🙁 The deer were out grazing on the violets last night, which they also love. But, they didn’t eat the strawberries in a big pot near the window. Yay.
    The little sewing machine/music box is perfect for the 10ers. Very cute. And your screen looks so nice as a background. I have a sewing machine the size for American Girls. If I have a moment, I’ll see if I can send you a pic. It is not the one from Queen’s.
    Weekend is here already. Hope you have a good one.

    1. Hi Joy,
      The sewing machine really is a nice size for the 10ers….like you say…a sewing machine for the AG dolls would be fun, but I guess I don’t need a sewing machine for every size doll I own…I’ll just use it for the ones it fits..

      Yes, the weekend is here already and I’m not going to get much accomplised, I’m afraid…I have a bridal shower tomorrow from 12 -4…but that seems like a really long time so I might slip out..
      My sisters and their hubby’s and my brother are coming on Tuesday for some “momma” things so my week will be busy too. I sure hope they don’t plan to do our flooring next week…that would be too much…
      Thanks Joy,
      Blessings, Jeanne

      1. Ah ha, you decided on some flooring? Yay! Can’t wait to see what you have picked. And going to be installed soon. Double Yay. 🙂

  6. Beautiful garden and flowers, Susette! You certainly do have a green thumb, and the whole picture looks like it was professionally done by a gardener the way the flowers accent the buildings. Just lovely!

    OK, Jeanne, I too have a couple of pictures of Molly and Susan sewing. However, their sewing machine is actually for a real little girl, and does sew. It’s not one of the old fashioned ones like you have, but more of a “modern” one, if you can call the 40’s modern! That’s quite a stretch, actually! But it works for Molly and is cute, if not antique looking and elegant like yours, and I will send them to you.

    Oh, Anne, I understand your pain about people misspelling your name! My mother’s name was Ann, my sister’s name is Anne, and my granddaughter’s name is Annie! Plus my great-grandmothers name was Anna! Talk about confusing!

    I am very anxious to see how far you are getting on Victorian Elegance, Jeanne. I too love the name!

    1. Hi Linda,
      I saw an email from you, I think and I’m guessing the girls at the sewing machine must be in it.. I haven’t opened it yet…
      Oh my the confusion of all those Ann_____’s in your fanily, Linda…I bet nobody got their name right.
      Victorian Elegance is next on my list of things to do….yay!!!
      Thanks Linda,
      Stay cool if you can…
      Blessings, Jeanne

    2. Oh my goodness, Linda! All those “A” names could cause some confusion! How nice that your “As” are related to each other (and possibly named in honor). I do make an effort to get names right. A person’s identity is so intertwined with their name, and even one letter can change someone’s perception. I loved my mother-in-law, but she never spelled my name correctly. Thanks for understanding my woes with names, Linda. I hope Susette is as understanding of my mistake! Enjoy your weekend!

      1. And I even forgot that my maternal grandmother’s name was Ann too! And that isn’t even the end of the Ann’s, either! My middle name is Ann, not to forget that was my aunt’s middle name too. Who was I named for? I have no idea, maybe all of them!!
        Trying to stay cool here, Jeanne, but kind of hard!

  7. Suzette’s roses are beautiful and so full of blooms. I have some of those purple flowers but I’ve forgotten what they are called.
    Trixie looks like she is ready to sew something. I have that music box. It sits on a shall in the sewing room. It was a gift from my husband, and I was really touched that he would think to buy it for me.
    I had a much anticipated day off today. I worked in the yard this morning until it got too hot. There’s still more to do, but it will have to wait until the temps cool down. It’s been really hot all week. I was able to make it to Hobby Lobby, but my local one didn’t have those little wooden screens. I saw lots of pretty things, but nothing I had a real need for.

    1. Well darn! I just read everyone else’s comments and realized I misspelled Susette’s name. I wish I could blame it autocorrect, but this time it was my mistake.

      1. HI Carolyn,
        Trixie IS ready to sew something… SO AM I! But it didn’t happen again today… Too many things come before it…
        How sweet of your hubby to find that sewing machine and buy it for you.. My hubby has seen things at yard sales before and told the people…”this has Singer on it, I’m sure my wife needs it!” :o)
        Hobby Lobby ALWAYS has things that I think are pretty, but I don’t necessarily need them either…
        I’m sure Susette will forgive you for misspelling her name… she said it happens all the time… :o)
        Thanks Carolyn,
        Blessings, Jeanne

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