The joys of sewing for Willa…

My new camera battery was shipped today so it will be a few more days before I can get back to taking pictures the regular way. It takes forever on my phone… I need to talk to my son about how to upload my pictures differently. They come out SO big I can’t get them to upload when I put them in my posts unless I go in and resize them and then compress them. It took me over 2 1/2 hours to get Willa’s dress listed on Ebay… But I did it! You can see the listing HERE, or you can click the picture of her at the right and it will take you right to the listing.

In case you are just joining in, I am debuting 14.5″ Willa, my Wellie Wishers doll from American Girl.

I wish I had some “extra” pictures that were different to use and show you, but I just have the ones I used in my listing. So, I’ll have to show them and talk about something I did when I was making her dress set. Here is a picture of the full set. Again, it looks a little different in person..not so “mustardy” in color.

Willa came with a stretchy headband so I followed that same idea and came up with a headband and a bow attached to the end. The ends overlap with velcro for a nice fit. You can wear the bow on top of her head or on the side like I’ve done.

Linda was wondering what to do to “spruce” up the dress so this is what I did… added a double row of buttons on the bodice…

Of course Willa had to have one of my slips…

I set out this morning working on getting her shoes just right. I made a pair out of brown felt first. (sorry I didn’t get a picture of them, but I will..) They turned out pretty cute… just a bit too wide maybe. So when I made her green pair I shaved off a bit of the sides on my pattern and came up with these. Somehow in the pictures they don’t look as cute as they do in person. I don’t know why that happens…

I was almost finished with the first shoe, when I remembered a few ladies saying, “oh, I bet you’ll make her a pair of pretty red shoes..” It was too late to start on a red pair and get them done in time to list my auction. Maybe I’ll do red next time. I DID add a red button! :o)

I wasn’t sure what price to start my doll dress out at. Most of the dresses on Ebay are just single dresses…no shoes, no hair bows, no slip, no accessory and most of them are listed at $8-$15. It took me every bit as long to make Willa’s dress as it does for any other doll I sew for, so I took a chance and decided to start it out at $55 and I got a bid within an hour of listing it. Maybe this will work after all… :o)

Well, that wasn’t much of anything new but it will have to do. I did discover one new thing about Willa… remember those colorful straw hats my sister sent me a while back and they were too big for the Effner dolls and just a tad too small for the American Girl dolls? Well, guess who they look cute on? Yep, Willa! She’s set for Easter hats for a few years! I’ll show you a picture of that too, when my camera is up and running again…

Thanks for reading,

See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne

24 thoughts on “The joys of sewing for Willa…”

  1. I love that your detailing (i.e., buttons) are so precisely placed and perfect. The shoes are darling. Good luck on the sale. Green is my favorite color and redheads, well, they are a favorite, too, although my family are all blondes. I have a redheaded Waldorf doll named Kathleen Marie. She looks really good in orange/yellow prints. The Wellies are quite cute and I am so far resisting…

    1. Hi Joy,
      I fixed your typo…so no worries!
      Thanks for your compliments on Willa’s new dress. This is a great color of green on her…I have to agree.
      I got a $10 coupon from Kohl’s on anything in the toys department. ..I also got back $10 in Kohl’s cash when I hot Wiila. I could get another Wellies Wisher for $40! Woohoo!!!
      Thanks Joy,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  2. Charlotte Trayer

    I love the touches of red on Willa’s outfit, and especially love her shoes–they are so cute! Even thought they are a shade of green I don’t normally care for, I have to admit, they Are cute!!

    Congrats on having a bid already!! Sounds like you might be on the right track!!

    BTW, in your post from 10/11, you said that Joy wrote the last comment on 10/10’s post, but if you check, I think you’ll find there’s one after hers! I’m always the night owl!! 😉

    1. Hi Charlotte,
      Thank you for your compliments on Willa’s new shoes. Ten Pings tiny little 1 inch shoes wete much harder to figure out .
      I went back and answered your comments from a few days ago,
      Thanks Charlotte,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  3. Joy and Charlotte are quite the night owls!! I’m quite the opposite! Such an adorable outfit, Jeanne! Like Joy mentioned, the buttons are so perfectly lined up and sewn precisely! I think a lot of seamstresses would not even bother to add them, too much trouble and time spent, which is why your outfits are so much superior to many others you see on Ebay. It’s the detailing that makes the difference, and of course, the quality of the outfit as a whole.

    That headband is such a cute idea too, and if someone wanted ribbons, it’s always easy for them to get their own. The headband is something the ordinary person would not attempt!! The shoes—-adorable! That’s another added extra that only a Jeanne Marie dress will get! I love them! Do they slip on, or does the strap actually button?

    All in all, Jeanne, —-a winner!

    1. Thank you Linda c for all your swat comments about Willa’s new dress set. I truy appreciste them.
      Willa’s shoes just slip on. I wish her shoes looked as cute in my pictures as they do in person.
      I wish I had remembered the red…
      Blessings, Jeanne

  4. Your ‘detailing’ takes time. Time+money… I think you should follow your ‘pricing plan’ that you shared with us – no matter *what* doll you’re sewing for. It’s a lovely outfit – and I think the green shoes are *perfect* with the dress! 🙂

      1. Hi Mary,
        I knew you meant time equals money. I hope you are right. I really want to keep sewing for her.
        Thank you so much,
        Blessings, Jeanne

  5. This is a VERY LOVELY outfit, Jeanne. I so enjoy the creativity of your hands/head. Willa’s shoes turned out so well too. It is such a pleasure to read your blog…thank you.

    Blessings.

    1. Thank you for always encouraging me, Becky. I’m so happy you enjoy reading my ramblings each day.
      Blessings, Jeanne

  6. This is a new audience for you. It will be interesting to see what they want to pay for a special dress. And those are wonderful shoes, which may help make the sale — Wellies are cute but boring full time. A beautiful dress, lovely colors, great details, and really cute shoes — some new WW owner is going to be a very happy person. Are these shoes easier than the Ten Ping sized ones?

    1. Hi Marilyn,
      Absolutely, these shoes are much easier to make than Ten Pings! At least another whole inch to work with.
      I was going to do a Buy it Now, but decided to see what my target range might be for Wellie Wishers. I guess we’ll all see in a few days.
      Thanks Marilyn,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  7. Willa looks adorable in her new dress. I love love love that material. It’s a perfect Christmas outfit. The detail is wonderful and just right.
    The Wellie Wishers have cute faces and they are marketed perfectly for the younger girls. I’m sure many little girls will be happy when they open their presents for Christmas and find they have a new WW doll. They are perfect for little sisters to the bigger AG dolls.

    It will be fun watching their (WW) popularity grow.

    1. Hi Paula,
      I seriously didn’t need another doll to sew for but I really liked the Wellie Wishers size and just decided to give it a try.
      I bet you are right about this Christmas…lots of Wellie Wishers under the trees!
      Thanks Paula,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  8. Wellie Wishers could have been produced at the request of mothers asking for a less expensive alternative to giving a five year old a standard American Girl doll, although not inexpensive. It may feel a little better to see $60-worth of doll go down the hallway nude, dragged by its hair, than the more expensive doll. It is difficult sometimes for adults to dress the dolls, let alone a child of five, but they see the catalogs or older sisters or friends have the dolls. Eight might frankly be a little late to give an AG doll as a gift unless the child is really into dolls and Wellies are a good alternative and can fit in with the collection if the child is still interested in dolls.

    I’m in the middle of sewing two witch costumes like one I saw on eBay, one for me and one for Riya. I finally found the Halloween lace panel on eBay. The rest will go for a hanging on the front door. It’s ending up much more expensive than just buying the costume on eBay, but making two makes it average out okay!

    I love the shoes you made for Willa. I have some with the lace sandals from the place where your sister finds them. I know they take patience as I made sandals for Addy when I made the African outfit. It’s amazing how that glue holds so well. I’ll not be making them for Ten Ping; too small. The dress is lovely with just the right Jeanne Marie touches. I would buy one of the Willa dolls and put it away for a future granddaughter, Jeanne, since it looks so much like Rebecca.

    1. Hi Susette,
      I think the Weller Wishers dolls are a really nice size for smaller hands…lighter weight and much more manageable.
      I hope you are making some headway on your costumes and don’t hit any snags!!!
      My Rebecca would think it’s silly to put away a doll for the future, but it would be a fun surprise!
      Thanks Susette,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  9. And a few buttons… Amazing how you can add details with just buttons. You are the master. I think the shoes are perfect with Willa’s dress. All of the details and extras make this outfit special. Perfect timing for the upcoming season.
    I have my Amelia (A girl for all Time) 16″ standing by my Little Darling and they are a cute couple of sisters. Fun.

    1. Hi Joy,
      Maybe I hit the new market at just the right time…and with the new releases of the Hearts for Hearts dolls coming soon…who knows? You “may” or “may not” have talked me into getting a H4H doll! :o/
      Blessings, Jeanne

  10. Willa’s debut dress is so sweet. The little red buttons are the perfect touch to the bodice along with the eyelet at the waist.
    The headband is adorable. I remember when my mom sewed Christmas and Easter dresses for my daughter I often asked her to create a matching fabric headband for the dress. The shoes are perfect! I really think learning to make doll shoes would be fun and you perfected Will’s very quickly. Well, since your dress received a bid so quickly someone is obviously pleased with all the extras this outfit has. If it takes you the same amount of time to sew for them, you should definitely price your listing according to your list. I would be interested to know if the eventual winner is buying the set for a child or if the collector is a adult. I think the WW are cute, but unless someone is sewing for them for profit I can’t see them being an adult collectors item

    1. Hi Laura,
      My first thought when I got that bid was if the doll was for her or her daughter. Maybe if she wins it, I’ll ask…
      I learned a lot when making Ten Ping’s shoes, so I just applied what I knew worked…only on a bigger scale. I’m ready to make that red pair of shoes now!
      Thank you for all your compliments Laura,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  11. Hi Jeanne,
    I think your new dolly is just adorable, when they came out I really wanted one but I resisted (I knew once I bought one I’d want them all… I know I have a “problem” LOL)
    You are a bad influence on me because I’m back to lusting after one then another and another… Any who… Willa’s outfit is to cute for words. I think you priced it just right. A bid after just an hour on Ebay must be a very rewarding feeling.
    My baby girl is having her first baby and I working hard on things for her shower this Saturday! I’m putting the finishing touches on a diaper cake so back to work I go.
    Hope you have a great rest of the week.

    1. Hi Ingrid,
      Thank you for your sweet thoughts on Willa’s dress set. It was a great feeling to get a bid so soon on a new doll size. It was quite a gamble…buying her. I am trying to resist buying Kendall…she is such a cutie..I want her too.
      Send me a picture of your diaper cake if you can…I love those things! Congrats on becoming a new grandma…have fun at your shower.
      Blessings, Jeanne

  12. There’s not much to say that hasn’t already been said except, “Oh my gosh, I’m wanting a Wellie Wisher doll!!” She’s adorable, Jeanne, and of course the outfit you made is simply amazing! I’ll confess…I didn’t read everything you wrote, only looked at the pics, so I will hope that you have lots of fun sewing for Willa.

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