Let’s start off with something fun first…. I received a package in the mail from Susette and look what was inside… bunnies…
She ordered a set of 12 of them…and decided to share half of them with me… AAAWWWW (they were actually key chains, but you can clip off the little metal key clips and they make the most adorable stuffed animals for my smaller dolls.) Ten Ping jumped on the new toy shelf and wanted to show you just how “perfect” they are for her.
Thank you Susette… I thank you and my girls thank you…into the Dolly Toy Box they’ll go…
Okay…next fun thing…
Remember when I made Patsy’s last dress… after I added the pintucking at the bottom of the dress, it sort of made it hang in folds and didn’t stand out very well. I mentioned that I was going to make a slip for it. Well, I just got it finished for the winner and thought I’d show you the difference. I hope you can tell… it really does hold out the dress quite nicely…
Here was before…
…and now…
The tulle slip has a stretch waistband and just slides up Patsy’s legs…
Okay, now about that title today… “OH NO! Not the seam ripper again…”
I want to ask you a question… Look at this picture from the last time I showed Rebecca’s coral colored 1900’s dress… what do you really think?
Okay, now be honest… look again at these pictures of the 1900’s dresses and think about mine… I’m wondering who saw something but was afraid to say anything?
What’s wrong? Just say it outloud to yourself…
Here it is again…
What’s wrong? I’ll tell you what’s wrong… the sleeves aren’t full enough… they don’t have enough gathers in them and they just look pretty puny to me. There’s a fine line between looking at something you are making and thinking this will do and then looking at it and sort of questioning what you’ve done… you realize you should have changed it many stitches ago, but instead you kept sewing, thinking it would somehow look better in the end…
Well, for me, it didn’t. I think it has the potential to be a very petty dress, but not if I left the sleeves looking the way they did. SO….I got out my trusty seam ripper and took out one of the sleeves. As I looked at the inside of the dress sleeve, this wasn’t going to be a fun job…
I knew I was never going to be satisfied with the rather pitiful sleeves the way they were. I have just a few scraps of this fabric left and I’m hoping I have enough to cut out new sleeves and a bonnet too. If no bonnet can be cut out, I still think the sleeves were more important to get right.
I had to be very careful taking the lace off the sleeves as this is all I have of the one used on the edge. It took me about an hour to get the lace off and the sleeve out of the armhole.
I’m already convinced I did the right thing… but I sure wish I had listened to my head when I was gathering up the sleeve cap… I’ll have to change the sleeves just a little bit because a fuller sleeve will require a full width at the bottom and the piece of lace I have is only so wide. I think I’ll have to make like a cuff with the laces on them and then make a really full sleeve cap.
Anyway, not much new to show you but at least you know what’s going on. I’ll hopefully get something done on it tomorrow and you can tell me if I made the right decision by taking them out and re-doing them.
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
You are right, though many of the AG Samantha sleeves aren’t all that full. I’m just wondering, when did elastic become common? I think that you are right about the sleeves being more important than the bonnet in terms of fabric. I looked up Girls Hats 1910 on Google and got a wide — really wide — range of styles and sizes, as well as lots of references to Pinterest. If you have to revise your plans, at least you’ll have lots of inspiration. I’m already looking forward to tomorrow to see what you get done today.
HI Marilyn,
I just think I’ll be happier and the winner of the dress will be too, if I make the sleeves fuller. One of these days I’ll catch things like this before I get so far along… *sigh*
Elastic was first seen in some 1800’s clothing, but it wasn’t very widespread in it’s use and it was pretty flimsy… it didn’t hold up very well. Then in 1820 Thomas Hancock invented a machine called a masticator and it shredded the rubber shreds and it was a little better. But elastic as we know it today really didn’t become widely used until the 1900’s. So I guess it’s okay if I use it in my dress… if I want to.
Yes, the hats of the 1900’s are varied and almost endless in styles… you can find just about anything you like.
I hope I have something good to show tomorrow…
Thanks Marilyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
I was thinking that an elasticized waist on some of those dresses would make ironing so much easier. I’m so glad at least some of those ironing women benefited from it.
I have read that in WWII England it was reserved for the military. Beatrix Potter needed it to support some medical problem, maybe a hernia, and had to make do with plain cloth. I thought her service to England deserved at least that much consideration, but I suppose she wouldn’t have taken it if it had been offered. A lot of people know that she bought up a lot of the Lake District to save it from development and gave it to England, but I only found out fairly recently.
Yes, I too, think the sleeves should have been fuller, and you are doing the right thing. Like Marilyn says, some of the AG outfits don’t have sleeves full enough, but then, I guess they make thousands of dresses and it’s saving money or material to skimp when doing large quantities. But yes, seeing all those dresses in the book, wow, they sure do take a lot of yardage! I would hate to be the one ironing those outfits!
The bunnies are cute! And oh yes, the slip shows the pantalettes now! So pretty!
HI Linda,
I’m glad you think the sleeves will be better…fuller… me too! I should have known it after looking at the first sleeve, but didn’t…
I think the AG dresses are skimpy for that very reason, fabric costs money and every way you can save helps with the profits… I once visited a bridal factory and you can’t imagine the cutting department… they had probably 50 or more layers of fabric all stacked on top of each other and the pattern pieces were like weights and they were all fitted together like a puzzle, making the most use of each scrap of fabric. Then a big fabric saw, like a jigsaw cut through it all very carefully… it was incredible to watch. They had very little waste.
Thanks so much Linda,
It’s beautiful out today, isn’t it?
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne,
I didn’t catch the sleeve issue but in keeping true to “IDreamofJeanneMarie”, you have continued to show your true colors in being as true as possible to past fashions and styles. Ah, what a lot of work to take out all of those seams, the lace, elastic….I will look forward to your upcoming progress on your re-done dress for Rebecca.
Take care.
HI Becky,
Well, you might not have caught the “sleeve issue” the first time around, but I bet when the new sleeves go in, you’ll see a big difference… at least I hope you do…
Thanks so much, Becky,
Blessings, Jeanne
You certainly do a nice job finishing your creations, however taking something apart is another story. Lots of work picking out those tiny stitches. Can’t wait to see the new sleeves.
HI Joy,
Fortunately the lace was sewn on with cream thread so it was much easier to pick out than it would have been if I had used coral thread on it. The seams of the dress were stitched with the coral thread, but it wasn’t too terribly hard to pick out. I just had to be super careful of the lace and not cut it.
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
The bunnies Susette sent to you are adorable. I have a couple of flocked bunnies that come out each spring along with the antique German Dresden paper egg that is my mom’s as a little girl. It was older that that even then.
I, also, agree the sleeves should have been fuller. The leg o’mutton sleeve was in its heyday in the 1890’s. Some of Samantha’s dress have very full sleeves like her birthday dress and pinafore ( the one pink dress I truly love) and some like her buster brown, not so much. I’ve seen pictures like that in old copies of “The Delineator”
I’ll look forward to seeing how you repair the damage… it sure would be no fun to rip it out and start again.
Our ladybugs returned last night. I was reading a book when one flew down to greet me by landing on it and then on my hand. I was so happy to see it and to me it is another sign of spring, soon to be here. Now to get out the container to remove them to the garden plot.
HI Laura,’
Yes, the little bunnies are so sweet and will work easily for Ten Ping, Patsy, Elin and I think my Little Darlings too. I need to do some Easter decorating in my house…
I thought you might be one who was thinking the sleeves need to be fuller… I hope I have enough fabric to make them really full…
It wasn’t fun, but it had to be done… the ripping out, I mean…
I’m glad you enjoy your ladybugs so much… Me, I’m swamped with them. I went upstairs and they were swarming at a small window up there. If I could I would send them your way in a heartbeat… They’re a little overwhelming to me… like this.
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne!
The bunnies are adorable!
Better to have lots of those bunnies than all the ladybugs!
And I just love your tulle slips! They are so cute and this one does make Patsy’s dress even prettier! Lovely soft color!
Hope you have a great day!
Jano
Thank you Jano,
I’m glad I have some new bunnies in my collection. They really are sweet and a great size for several of my girls.
Thank you for the nice compliments on the slip for Patsy. It really did the trick of holding out her dress much better.
I plan on having a lovely day! Hope you do too.
Blessings, Jeanne
It’s fun to share the bunnies. The baker’s rack sets them off so well when painted white. They’ll have fun in the toy box. I love Ten Ping’s hair (wig). Where did you find it? It looks very different from the one she came with.
I agree with the sleeves being fuller, but that sure is a scary job on a sleeve. It looks like you don’t need to clip that narrow a seam. Also I noticed you stitch the elastic with a zigzag stitch instead of a casing. That makes it less bulky? I always like seeing your construction.
Thank you again Susette,
The bunnies are a really fun addition to my toys… Ten Ping’s wig is called Doris and it’s a soft synthetic mohair. I think it’s a size 6/7. I got it from Ebay… jujus5gkids… and it was $15.
I still have the one she came with and might switch back some day. I’d like to find one about shoulder length too… :o)
I stitched the elastic that way, so I could stitch the lace over the top of the zig zags and then pull up the elastic. If you stitch the elastic down like normal, it gathers up your fabric and it’s too hard to get the lace sewn on top in a straight line.
Thanks again Susette,
Blessings, Jeanne
Thanks, I found the wig and bought one! It’s so cute.
Bunnies are darling.. Although there was a mention of bugs, I am happy there is not a photo of bugs or anything that resembles a bug.
HI Jan,
Yes, Bunnies are much nicer to look at than bugs… I totally agree with you there!
Thanks so much!
Blessings, Jeanne
Good catch there sleeves really need to be fuller. Hope you’ll post pics of the new and approved dress.
Also where do you find the elastic lace for your half slips. My 18 inch Annestelle keeps poking me and she wants one just like it……Lynn
HI Lynne,
I just finished the sleeves and they will be posted tomorrow… it’s a big improvement…
I buy my stretch lace at Hobby Lobby. It comes in white and ivory… hope you find it.
Thanks so much Lynne,
Blessings, Jeanne