My day should have been filled up with more doll sewing, but sometimes “life” gets in the mix. It was one of those days. My hubby’s old boss had a jacket that needed to be fixed for a job interview that she has in 4 days. It was a pretty black dressy jacket but it just sort of hung in the front. We decided a frog closure might work the best to hold it in place.
If you didn’t know…this is a frog… (The one I used on her jacket was a bit fancier than this one…)
It was a pretty simple task to complete, but it did cut into my day…the dropping off and the picking up. HOWEVER, she was so thrilled when she just picked it up, she paid me $40 for doing it! I told her it was too much but she insisted…she didn’t know anyone else she could trust with her jacket and on such short notice…
Then I had a friends coat that needed buttons sewn on the shoulders…on the epaulets. This should have been a simple job too, but as I looked over her navy pea coat, I noticed several of her buttons were about ready to fall off… so they got stitched back on too. That took a little more time…
I was looking for something silvery or wintery or white and snowy for the background to take pictures of Nyssa’s new Christmas dress, but just couldn’t find what I was looking for… Time was ticking away and I finally just decided to use 2 different sized Christmas trees and a park bench that I had in my props. I had bought a bag of tiny little snowflakes so I placed them in the trees to get a bit more “wintery” feel for my pictures.
I finally got my 90+ pictures taken, culled, cropped, and decided on 19 of them… You can see them in my Ebay auction that began on Friday evening. It will run for 5 days and end on Wednesday evening.
So here are a few of my shots and if you’d like to see the auction, click HERE.
There is still time left in the day, so I’m moving on to finishing up Eden’s Christmas dress next… who knows maybe I’ll get 2 dolly things done after all…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Nyssa looks just adorable ,and so dreamy, Jeanne! And the title————well, so flattering for me! Thank you! I love the little purse you fashioned for her, it is adorable! I love the way the dress is photographed too, with the silvery sheen showing in the illustrations. You certainly know how to market your creations!
You did a great job with the trees and snowflakes, even if it wasn’t what you originally had in mind. Oh, just want to say, that you can also use ceramic trees too, or even a mix of different trees, especially with Ten Ping, who is so tiny.
It was so nice of you to to help out with your expertise on sewing those little pesky things like buttons, snaps and such! At least you get paid!
HI Linda,
Thanks for the title… I liked it the moment I read it in your comments about the dress! I just wasn’t sure I would have enough “characters” on the Title line of my auction to use it all, but I did! Thanks again.
I searched Hobby Lobby, Kirklands, Wal Mart, Joann’s, Goodwill, and a few other stores, but just couldn’t find that perfect backdrop for her…so I had to use the tress and get going on getting it listed. I need to find one of those “Christmas Stores” that seem to pop up every Christmas in malls.
I got everything done for Eden’s dress last night except for her slip, so I’m hoping to get her dress listed tonight…
Thanks so much Linda, Have a great weekend!
Blessings, Jeanne
Nyssa looks lovely in her outfit. She reminds me of someone who might be out shopping at the little stores around the town’s square. Like the shops you and your sisters and mom have gone to. She can stop for tea dressed as she is. Beautiful work.
HI Paula,
Now that would be a lovely background scene… shop windows all decorated for Christmas… hmmm… maybe I need to look at posters at Hobby Lobby…
Thanks so much Paula,
Have a great day,
Blessings, Jeanne
One dolly thing is better than none! Still working on the Ten Ping tunic. Here’s how it’s going. Not so good.
Sewed the tunic trim on according to directions, but found I had actually sewn it on the usual way. (old habits die slowly.) So ripped them both off. After which I found I had sewn one on correctly. 🙁 Sewed them both back on right to wrong as directed. Turned the trim and found that when a “scant” 1/4 in was turned under to the front, the trim was looking too narrow. It didn’t match the sleeves or pants trim. So, narrowed pant and sleeve trim to look more like the tunic. Fortunately, I had not sewn just pinned. Then, I looked at the top of the tunic trim where it says to stop 1/4″ from the top which I did. There are no directions as to what to do with it. I figured it had to be turned under so it wouldn’t show, but when that was done, the seam down the side would pucker. So decided it was supposed to be clipped? But wouldn’t that look unfinished? So, I just stopped to think about it. Today, I’m taking it all apart again. Cutting new trim pieces and adding about 1/4 inch to the inside pattern edge, repining the pant trim and sleeve trim and trying again.
Sorry to bore everyone, but I had to vent! Everyone else’s pictures of this pattern finished are so cute.
Nyssa’s outfit is sweet. Such a cute little polka dot bag too.
HI Joy,
I feel your pain working on Ten Ping’s little tunic. You are running into the EXACT same thing I ran into…not enough fabric when it’s turned up and what to do with those exposed ends and corners… If you turn it up and satin stitch them down it works, but it’s not nearly as nice as it should be with the edges just turned up. I added more to my edges too… if you run across any tricks… I would certainly love to know them… If you scroll through the pics of some of them, you’ll see you (we) aren’t alone in getting those corners just right…
I hope you get your mastered… I should try and finish mine, but I have an excuse right now… Christmas dresses needing to be finished…
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Frosted Silver Reverie is lovely. I love that the dress is as nice without the jacket as with it. My very favorite one is of Nyssa standing next to her bench — the one right after the jacketless pictures. That hat is perfect for her.
Thanks for including the picture of a frog. My mother had a vase with a frog in it — my aunt “borrowed” it to take to the cemetery and didn’t tell anyone, so it was lost. We didn’t know for years that a frog in this sense was a gadget that helped hold the flowers in place.
I think part of our lives is spent in service to others. You got in a lot of service time yesterday. It’s a nice compliment that people know that you can and will help them, and that you’ll do it well and happily.
HI Marilyn,
Thanks so much for your sweet comments about Nyssa’s dress. I was a bit worried that since it wasn’t red or green it might not look Christmas-y… but with the Christmas trees in the background, I think it does….
Yes, there are quite a few different “frogs” out there with quite a few different meanings…
* a reptile… we all know about this frog…
* a thing used to hold or fasten something, in particular.
* an ornamental coat fastener or braid consisting of a spindle-shaped button and a loop through which it passes.
* an attachment to a belt for holding a sword, bayonet, or similar weapon.
* a perforated or spiked device for holding the stems of flowers in an arrangement.
* the piece into which the hair is fitted at the lower end of the bow of a stringed instrument.
* a grooved metal plate for guiding the wheels of a railroad vehicle at an intersection.
How’s that for today’s History lesson?
Thanks Marilyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
And English-speakers wonder why non-English speakers think our language is difficult. There were several of those I didn’t know, but after working on the Shakespeare costumes for years, you’d think I’d know the sword one. Many thanks for being our thesaurus.
:o)
The third photo of Nyssa is my favorite. Love the little feet crossed. Nice to be able to pose the doll instead of the straight limbs on the American Girl dolls.
Just for Joy: You are not alone: They say misery loves company, but it does help some times to know that you are not alone with miscalculations (sounds better than mistakes). I don’t wish it on anyone and am plowing through and consider it a learning experience. I put white plush cuffs on short sleeves and they were too puffy to let the arms through and didn’t look right anyway. So I made them out of contrasting color of the same brocade material as the dress and they’re fine. Thanks goodness no fraying or I would have been dead in the water. I sometimes go one step forward and two steps back, but I always figure I’ll know better next time, ha, ha. I’ve learned how to make a flower for trim on the dress, very time-consuming, but it sure finishes the dress. It helps to know I am not alone when something doesn’t work out as planned.
Can’t wait to see more of your dresses on eBay, Jeanne. Happy sewing!
Hi Susette,
Thanks for letting me know which picture you liked best. It is fun to have a doll that poses!
I think anyone who sews has days like Joy, and you and me… it just comes with the craft! I’m glad you got your problem solved… I hope Joy gets hers conquered too!
Thanks Susette,
I got Eden’s dress listed on Ebay and hopefully Ten Ping’s will be on tomorrow night!
Blessings, Jeanne
Thanks Susette! Have started in again and this time, it is looking promising. Pants about done and hoping the tunic will sew nicely since the new “trim” is larger than the pattern. Tomorrow will tell.