My younger sister came up to visit for the weekend and I’m loving our time already but we’ve only had one night together so far! We always have fun and tonight we’re going to have one of those “parties” (just us and my mom) where we do make up and paint our nails and maybe curl each others hair and I can’t wait! I’m bringing over all my stuff, creams, cleansers, scrubs, unopened makeup, eye shadows, mascara’s, blush, and we’ll see how much fun we can have! There might even be some popcorn involved! I’ll let you know if we become glamour stars! I wish we had a real Mary Kay beauty expert to tell us how to do all the stuff but I think we can probably figure it out…
Since I’ve got other things planned, my sewing sort of went by the way side, BUT, I do have something to show you.
I wasn’t happy with the pink fabric that I picked out for Rebecca’s 1900’s dress,
so I looked again in my stash…and I found this pretty coral colored fabric that has a sort of silky feel to it. I know it’s just a cotton but it has a sheen to it and with the print on print look to it, it’s pretty nice and think it will work well for Rebecca’s dress. Can you tell anything by how I have it laid out?
I very carefully stitched the vintage laces on the front bodice and think I got them pretty straight. It will look better once it’s all pulled together but so far, Rebecca is liking it very much… of course, she was just thrilled to get to model “anything” instead of standing naked on that dolly shelf.
She looks pretty with this color next to her skin too. I worked on it this morning before my sister got here and have a little of it done to show you. The bottom will have pleats I think and then I think I’ll have a lace tie hit at the band around her hips.
So that’s going to be it for today… short and sweet… but hopefully you like it better than the pink floral…
See you tomorrow, (with my new face… maybe… :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
It’s sweet, and at this point, definitely short. I like everything about it and I’m looking forward to seeing the skirt. And then the Easter bonnet. After that super Civil War era cap, I’m really looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
I hope you have a wonderful time at your party. It sounds a lot like a slumber party — the sort where no one gets any sleep.
While you’ve been vacuuming up ladybugs, I’ve been having almost as much fun cleaning bookshelves — too bad I’m allergic to dust and with one metal knee and some tight spaces, I sometimes wonder if I’ll ever get up again, but I always do. I always find books I’ve been missing and a couple of duplicates, as well as a few that I’ve had long enough and need to take to the second hand dealer, where I can check to see if they have more of the Laura Child’s tea shop mysteries. Given this group’s interest in your sister’s tea tables, I hope I’m not the only one reading them.
Hi everyone,
My sister came up because my mom was having some surgery on her leg. She made it through just fine but they have decided to keep her over night just in case. Deb and I will probably skip the “beauty party” tonight and just visit! It will still be fun.
I am having a hard time keeping a connection here at the hospital and I am running low on battery time on my iPad so this may be it…
Thank you for all your comments… I will keep you posted on the dress…soon!
Blessings, Jeanne
What a lovely choice of fabric and lace for Rebecca. She truly is a beautiful doll…your choice of fabric just enchances her and your skills will have her standing out in a crowd.
Have a wonderful time with your mom and sister tonight. Family is precious.
Take care.
You must have been thinking of Lady Bugs when you picked the coral fabric. Love it, and I think Rebecca can’t wait to see the finished product. Hope you, sis, & Mom can hit up some shopping over the weekend too. That is always fun.
Oooh, love the dress so far, Jeanne! The color is so striking, and the delicate off-white lace gives it an ethereal look! I think this is much better for a turn of the century dress for Rebecca, since it will show off the lace and pleats more than the patterned fabric would. Can’t wait to see what you do for the skirt! I love the drop waist line on dresses of that era. I’m beginning to think they are good for THIS era too!! 🙂 Who has a waist anymore?
Have fun with your sister and mother!
Hi Jeanne,
It’s always hard to balance sewing with everything else we want to do, isn’t it? You’ve got it right though, so have fun. Don’t forget to take and share pictures with us, please…
I hope that your ladybugs disappeared. We don’t have a ladybug problem, but don’t worry, we have other bugs; it’s still a little chilly to worry about them here yet. One great thing about winter is–no bugs!
I love the coral red on Rebecca. The fabric looks a little like a brocade to me. You have such gorgeous lace to work with too; I know her dress will be beautiful.
Coral color is gorgeous on the doll. One great thing about living near the Canadian border in ND, was it was an occasion to see a spider no more than once a year. Love very cold weather!m
Absolutely LOVE the fabric! Can’t wait to see it finished!
Rebecca’s dress is going to be lovely. The color is very becoming to her. Can’t wait to see the complete outfit finished.
I found out the Pollyanna mansion is in Santa Rosa and last year we visited that town several times! If I had only known it was there! We are too far away to go back and see the house, but it’s on my agenda if we ever get back up there. How exciting for Joy to dress up and spend time on the lawn. What a memory that would be.
I have never heard of Laura Child’s Tea Mysteries…but I will look that up – I’m looking for a new read. Thank you for mentioning those books, Marilyn.
Well, Jeanne, I hope you have a great time with your sister and mother. It’s fun to try on make up – don’t forget to do a facial !! My sisters and nieces and I do that every once in awhile and we have a grand ole’ time.
Hi Jeanne,
Enjoy your “Girls Night” sounds like lots of fun. The dress color and trim are lovely. I’m sure it will be beautiful when completed.
I have a doll question that maybe you or someone that reads your blog can answer. Here goes… I bought another Tonner patsy doll (my 3rd in 2 months… don’t tell my husband!) Well she just came today and after removing the hair net I found her hair to be for the sake of a better word crunchy. She has black curled hair and I wondered if I’m suppose to comb it.. I think her hair looks “funny” like its not really hair but a hard plastic wig. If I do comb it out will it get frizzy? I don’t know my other girls have short straight hair, so what would you all do??
thanks ever so much and have a wonderful weekend!
Ingrid : )
HI Ingrid,
So if it is a Tonner Patsy then she shouldn’t have crunchy hair. Was she a purchase from a dealer or an on line purchase?
Is the rest of the doll OK? Does the vinyl feel soft? Any discoloration on her body? The only thing that I can think of would be it was stored in an area that was too warm.
I would contact whoever you bought her from and let them know about the hair. Maybe they would offer a discount or an exchange. If that’s not successful email me directly and we can talk about some treatments to try.
Hi Kathie,
I bought the book on ebay, she is brand new ever been out of her box. I really love her so I don’t want to complain to the person that sold her to me plus they only made 125 of them so I’m guessing she is the only one they had. Joy down below made mention that the manufacturer may have sprayed the hair to help keep it in place during shipment. That makes sense to me. Im going to comb it and see what happens.
Thanks ever so much for your reply. I really appreciate your input.
Ingrid
From my experience, and I’m no expert, the crunchy may be from the lacquer spray used by the manufacturer. Do you belong to the AnnEstellesworld Yahoo group? They would know for sure. I can ask if you would like me to.
I looked back at some posts from the Ann Estelle World, and the mention from Robert Tonner is that because of the humidity in the countries where the dolls are made, they spray them heavily with hair spray. Often times, the curls get squished in the box and remain that way. Ideas are, gently combing with a fine tooth comb. Leaving them alone and keeping the nice curls. Or, washing and styling the wig again. That can be done while glued to the doll but very carefully. I have two with stiff curls, and I haven’t done anything with them. The hair actually looks nice I think.
Hope this helps.
Hi Joy,
You are so awesome thanks for the info! I don’t belong to the AnnEstellesworld Yahoo group but could you ask if anyone has ever combed out curly sprayed hair before … does it get frizzy? I was going to comb but I’ll wait and see what they say. I really don’t want to be sorry I combed it.
Thanks ever so much for your input!
Ingrid
That’s going to be adorable! The lace is perfect on it too.
Have fun this weekend!
Have fun at your “Girls Party”. When I was a teen my friends and I would try out all kinds of fun combinations.
I think the choice for Rebecca’s dress is much better. She will look very pretty when it is finished. i like the way the lace is placed… very authentic.
The dress is looking nice. I love the lace and the fabric is really much better for that style than the pink was. I like the pink fabric, but it wouldn’t have had an authentic look for that era. Have fun with the girls tonight–such a treat to have “girl” time together.