When I last chatted with you on Saturday, I showed you the slips I had made to go under my Little Darling’s Christmas dresses. Lian got a white tulle one, Isabelle’s was made from a red tulle and Janie received a gold glittery one. I was a little uncertain about Janie’s slip but everyone seemed to like it the best. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but something didn’t seem quite right about it. It was made from a nylon fabric and was very pretty but it didn’t seem to hang right to me… it looked too fluffy and seemed unmanageable as well. This is what it looked like on Janie…
If you click on the pictures they will enlarge.
It probably would have been fine under her dress, but it was sort of bugging me.
Well, I’m happy to tell you, the mystery of the slip has been solved. Sometimes the only thing to do is go with your gut and try again. That’s just what I did. Anne mentioned something about the waistband being different on Janie’s… hers was the only one where the stretch lace was NOT folded over. That’s where I started. I had done the one layer of stretch lace for her waistband because the glittery fabric was stiffer and I thought it might make it too bulky at the waist, but instead, it actually made it more flimsy because the lace wasn’t stiff enough to hold the fabric in place.
The second slip I did the gathers a little differently. I put my two layers of glittery fabric together, stacked one on top of the other and used a machine basting stitch to stitch about 1/4″ from the right edge. When I got to the end of the 2 strips of fabric…(they were about a yard and a half long), I started back at the top edge again and ran another row, but this time I stitched it about 3/4th of an inch from the edge. When I gathered it up, by pulling the strings, it scrunched up very nicely and in between the two rows of stitching it was very evenly gathered. As I laid my stretch lace on top of the gathers, I used my left hand to hold then straight out and in place. I used my right hand to pull the lace and stretch it as I sewed. I could only go about an inch at a time and then I’d have to lift my left hand and shift it to hold more gathers.
Well, it did much better this time so I folded the lace over the top and stitched it down. The extra weight of the lace on the backside held the slip much better and it was much more stable and not so flimsy as it was before.
Here’s what it looks like now…
I know if you don’t own a Little Darling, you probably aren’t interested in all these 3 dresses being made right now, and you’re probably thinking, “When is she EVER going to be done with them?”….but they’ll be done soon… I actually got Janie’s slip done AND the headbands for their dresses made too…
Wanna see???
Here’s Lian…
Here’s Janie…
Here’s Isabelle…
They were sort of nudies, so I just cropped the picture off enough to show you their new headbands and their teddies…
It won’t be long now… just some new white thigh highs…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
They are all beautiful. You’ll have to show us exactly how those headbands work with their hair, and speaking of hair, Janie’s new haircut looks so professional. I want to say, “She could not look prettier,” and then one of these days soon, you’ll prove that the impossible can happen.
I am so pleased that your worked out a solution to that gold slip we all like so much. Tomorrow you may be done — if you don’t have matching shoes for everyone, will you go with black?
HI Marilyn,
Sure, I can show how I made the headbands…
I am so glad I cut that wig… I’m sure it will get more use now than the way it was before. I need to try it on Nyssa…she sometimes wore it too.
I have looked through my shoes and I have a pair of black ones… maybe two and a pair of black boots… I may have to have one girl wear boots… they are sort of Victorian…a button up kind…
Thanks Marilyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
Janie’s new slip is wonderful!! Sometimes it’s the little things that make such a big difference in our sewing!
I haven’t made any slips quite as full as what you make, but before I entered a Little Darlings smocked dress in the fair this summer (modeled by one of my Faith and Friends dolls–I don’t put my LDs in the fair!), I made a petticoat to go underneath it. Now, the dress I smocked has a high yoke (to mid-armscye) and the skirt is pleated/gathered to the yoke, and hangs rather straight from there, so a big full petticoat wouldn’t have looked right. I think I only used about 18″ of tulle and attached it to stretch lace (but didn’t fold mine over, since I didn’t use as much tulle), and it worked very well, and held the dress out just a little, enough to make it look pretty!
I think soon I’ll have to make some fuller petticoats, though–my girls are clamoring for them! LOL
HI Charlotte,
Thanks for your compliments on Janie’s slip. It is much better…at least in person it is.
Sometimes you do only need a slip with a little bit of poof… I need to find a different white stretch lace…something that’s sturdy but decorative at the same time.
Thank you Charlotte, ( I still can’t imagine you at 4’6″… you seem much taller “in your comments!” :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
Hahahahaha!!! Thanks!
One of the nicest things a college friend said to me years ago, after I had said something to do with my height, was, “Oh! [like she’s a little startled] That’s right! You are shorter than average. I never think of you as short. We just do things together and have fun and visit….” I’m now old enough where *I* don’t think about my size very much, either. It used to be a huge issue for me, because when I was in my 20s, I still looked like I was 12! Not so at 70!! LOL
Hi Charlotte,
Maybe being as little as you are will always give you the sense of being younger! Hey, I’ll take that any day!
Thanks,
Blessings, Jeanne
I absolutely LOVE those headbands, Jeanne! So pretty and sparkly! Janie looks like a golden girl—well not the TV show, but she is just darling in all the gold! That one is going to sell fast! I too, would love to see how you made those headbands. They can dress up any outfit.
Oh, Janie’s slip turned out just as pretty as it could be! I think anyone else wouldn’t think to tweak that slip, but knowing you, it had to be done to feel right about it. That’s what makes a Jeanne Marie original!!
Hi Linda,
I made a note to show how I made the headbands. It’s pretty simple.
Thanks for the sweet comments on Janie’s slip. I like it much better now.
I hope I can get everything finished today… but then all those pictures…ugh!
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
Your gut works so well, Jeanne….good going with the slip on Janie. It does look more stabilized. They are all so cute and going to be dazzling.
Blessings.
Thank you Becky,
If I just listened to my gut all the time…. thanks so much!
I appreciate your sweet compliments.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving…a little early wish!
Blessings, Jeanne
Definitely like the fold over elastic. Slip is adorable and those headbands perfect.
How was your Thanksgiving church dinner? I’m sure it was successful.
HI Joy,
Yes, the stretch lace folded over did the trick… it’s what the slip needed!
The Thanksgiving dinner was nice… we had about 300 people and it was the most organized and successful it’s ever been. I have a few pictures, but I was so busy as soon as I got there, I didn’t get too many taken.
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Glad you feel better about the gold slip. All the dresses are absolutely adorable and the girls look precious in their headbands. As I’ve said many times before, I’d love a Little Darling but it sounds like a lot to sign up for one. Do the wigs come with the dolls by chance?
I have a 10′ Shirley Temple and I often wonder if she could wear any of the dresses you make for another doll. I forget how tall the Little Darlings you have are.
Hope your Thanksgiving dinner was enjoyable.
I’ve been running around like a crazy person with errands and for other reasons and it doesn’t sound like it will slow down any time soon. I need to get some Christmas going…that always energizes me. Blessings!
HI Paula,
Thanks so much for your compliments on my girls headbands and the new slip! Now to get the thigh highs done and get these dresses listed. It’s going to be a lot of pictures to take!
You may want to consider one of the Mini Maru Dolls by Dianna Effner. They are almost identical in size to the Little Darlings at a fraction of the cost. $99 including shipping, if I remember correctly. I showed them in an earlier post. I was even debating about getting one, just to be sure of the fit. They are pretty sweet… and I’m sure there will be more coming… at least I hope so.
I’ll have to look up the 10″ Shirley Temples measurements and see what size her body is.
We are trying to figure out what to do for Thanksgiving. My brother is coming down to pick up my mom and take her back home with him for a few days. Sara and her family got invited to another family’s house for Thanksgiving this year. There is Jean and Bithar and their kids and we will probably have them over. I need to get to the store and see what’s left on the shelves! I was making out a list this morning, but nothing definite. Kristoffer is making the turkey and his dressing.
I hope you don’t run yourself ragged…
Happy Christmas shopping… that’s the spirit!
Blessings to you Paula… Jeanne
There is no sewing challenge beyond you, Jeanne, and there is no detail too small to merit your attention. Good job following your gut, and bravissima to you on Janie’s new slip. It looks perfect now, and with her beautiful new bob, Janie really is a golden child in this gold dress.
After you showed the spools of glittery ribbon under the girls’ arms, I wondered if you had scrapped the idea for using them. I should have known you would have the perfect plan to incorporate the ribbons in your styling. The headbands add just the right amount of sparkle, and I love the pearl accent on each one–so sweet and feminine. All your girls look charming, Jeanne, and somewhere out there, three little darlings will be very blessed to have these lovely Christmas outfits!
HI Anne,
There might not be a sewing challenge I won’t take on, but I’ve been talking to someone at Ebay trying to navigate their new system… They changed it AGAIN on me since my last listing and it was giving me fits. I had to call Ebay twice. FINALLY I got one dress set listed. Now I just have to remember how to do it for the other two dresses!
I had planned all along to make little glittery headbands, but wanted to keep it a surprise, so I didn’t say anything…
Wouldn’t it be fun to own all three… I doubt that that will happen, but it sure would be fun for someone!
Thanks so much Anne,
Blessings, Jeanne
Nice adjustment on the slip! I like all of the dresses! I have Little Darlings but for those who dont I know they will fit My Meadow Avery and Addison , Betsy McCall and the Kish Chrysalis girls too…all are 14″ ers;)
Hi Shara,
Thanks for your compliments on the slip and dresses. I took some pictures of the dresses on Betsy McCall to show how she looks in the dress too.
I’ll have to check out Avery and Addison…
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
I copied the directions for making the slip and will study them. I’ve made a couple, one full and one half for a dropped-waist dress and I’m sure I could improve my technique.
I have a confession to make: While visiting in WV, Max, the mini Golden Labradoodle puppy, chewed the hand off of Ten Ping!!! I don’t have a dog, so it is my fault as I left it where he could get it. One shoe is in pretty bad shape also, and her wig cap didn’t taste good enough to swallow but it was trashed. So I went on eBay and found a Ten Ping with everything except her original outfit and she will be a sister to the wounded one. Has anyone else had such a tragedy happen or is this occurrence unique in the Dolly World? Just curious and feel relieved to have confessed. Someone is sure to get a laugh out of this.
HI Susette,
Oh….I’m so sorry to hear about Ten Ping… I guess you could have made everything with a pocket for her to keep her hand in…. nah… that wouldn’t work for very long…So sorry it happened. I haven’t ever seen any parts for Ten Ping either… not that I’d know how to put them back on her.
Someone might be laughing, but it’s not me… I feel your pain…
Blessings, Jeanne
First thing that comes to mind is: does Ruby Red Galleria do repairs? Perhaps email them and ask. They respond very quickly. They also have quite a few shoe styles for Ten Ping that might be good replacements as well as cute wigs.
Yes, I had sent a request about repairs but didn’t get a timely answer, so I thought I’d better snap up the doll as it had six other followers and I didn’t know how often they come up undressed but with everything else. She comes with the wig, but her wig is still in good shape as I guess it didn’t set well on the tongue. Ten Ping is the doll I made a Christmas dress for and the same one for Riya and her Truly Me AG doll to her specifications: Green, sash, bow, flower, dropped waist, short sleeves with cuffs. Ten Ping’s dress didn’t get damaged, so that’s why I wanted to replace her. Thanks for the suggestion, though, Joy. I always enJoy your comments.
Interesting with Ruby Red Galleria. I sent a request as to the size of the new Yu Ping shoe size. Never heard back. Upon the 3rd try, I received a message that they had responded previously to me and perhaps it was in my spam. Wasn’t there. So, I think they may just not know English that well and perhaps misspelled the address. I would be very interested if they do repairs there. From their pictures, they may just be a small operation. Not sure. Haven’t seen any more Yu Ping’s available yet either.
Glad you have a replacement.
HI Susette and Joy,
I guess Ruby Red Galleria doesn’t have a hospital like the American Girl dolls do… that’s too bad.
It’s been a while since I saw any Yu Ping’s listed either. I wonder if they only made a small batch of them… waiting to see if they were well received…
Thanks ladies…
Blessings, Jeanne
Poor Suzette. I’m sorry your Ten Ping got chewed. Most puppies will chew everything they can get their teeth on. We always have at least one dog, usually two, and I don’t leave anything within their reach unless I just forget. Once I left the closet door open when I had a young puppy and got the heels chewed off some pumps.
Jeanne, the gold slip does look better, although I thought it was fine before. I’m just glad you were able to use the gold net. It’s so pretty with the dress. The hair bands are nice too. Pretty soon you’ll have everything completed and we’ll get to see the outfits! I still haven’t taken a picture of the slip you sent on my doll. That will probably get done tomorrow. By the way, speaking of dogs, how is Rueben doing?
HI Carolyn,
I’m always double checking to see if I left the gate up on my sewing room. Scruffy used to NEVER go in my sewing room so I left the gate open for him, but Reuben likes to go in there and see if he can find a scrap of fabric or a piece of trim that has dropped on the floor and run away with it. I keep everything I can up higher than what he can reach, but it still makes me nervous when I think he could get something.
He’s over a year old but he still has puppy tendencies… he still barks like a puppy. I always ask him when he’s going to get his “big boy bark!”
Thanks Carolyn,
Blessings, Jeanne