“Springtime in the South” is coming right along…
Well…about that embroidery project I was facing…you remember, the one I was going to redo because my stitching was too close on one side? I got it finished..and a lot more done as well. The embroidery wasn’t a big thing to many of you, but it was to me, so I HAD to redo it. Now, I’m sure some of you are going to say, “I can’t tell any difference” but don’t tell me… I think I don’t want to know!
I redid it and moved over the right side as you are looking at the front, about an 1/8th of an inch… to me it looks better, but now I need to redo my bow that holds the two front pieces together. I don’t like my bow this time… but that’s not a biggie.
Okay…now what else. I thought maybe I should show you the inside of Rebecca’s dress since I used a Keepers Dolly Dud’s pattern but changed it just a little bit.
I did enlarge my pattern just slightly because so many of the older Addy dolls have the larger bodies. I didn’t want someone to win this and it not fit your Civil War girl, so I did make it a little bigger. I also lined my whole bodice…the pattern called for a neck facing. I wanted the dress to have a little more body and the facing allowed me to hide quite a few seams, which I whip stitched in place.
I also made a facing for the scallops on the skirt. The pattern said to hem the edges but I wanted the dips in the skirt to stand out so a facing helped with that. It also made it easier to stitch the trim on the very edge. Then I hemmed the straight edge of the lightweight cotton facing by hand.
I also didn’t want as much bulk at the waist, so I added a small 1″ addition at the top of my underskirt and then only had to gather it up slightly, creating much less bulk.
So those were my changes to the dress… want to see the bonnet now? It’s kind of pretty… Here’s a far away shot…
I used a piece of lavender linen I had and just made this up as I went along… it has heirloom cotton lace, a cotton applique, silk flowers, beads and the trim I used on the skirt scallops. Then I used a sheer ribbon on the back….(which has to be straightened up… I sure thought it was straight!) to make a pretty bow and added a sheer white ribbon to the sides that can be tied under her chin or behind her neck if you prefer. I kept saying to myself, “Keep it Springy, Keep it Springy looking!”
I still have to make her spray of flowers …but that shouldn’t take long…
My goal is to see if I can get this listed on Ebay this evening. I sure hope I can make it happen…
Thanks everyone,
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, this is perfection to a “T”! The way you have sewn the inside of the dress, with all the special touches, make it worth the price you give it. So many people do the “assembly” line thing, and don’t think to give it those special touches that you do. It is turning out beautifully!
Oh the bonnet! So pretty and spring-like! I love the lace applique with the flowers and beads! Your imagination has no limits! Some pretty lace fingerless gloves would be nice for her too!
HI Linda,
Thank you so much for your sweet comments on Rebecca’s newest dress. She likes it and so do I! Oh…and you too!
I like your idea of some gloves and think I might just have to give her a pair… I could put tiny little lavender bows or buttons on them for another detail… :o)
I have the bow on the back of the bonnet fixed, the bow restitched on the front of the dress, it’s been pressed, and now I need to get those gloves made… I think it’s just about ready for pictures.
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh my goodness! Her bonnet is breathtaking! As I was looking at it, I kept see another aspect I like. I agree with Linda about all the little touches you do. It really sets your work apart from all the others.
I very much appreciated seeing the inside of the dress and hearing you talk about construction aspects. I always enjoy your posts (best part of my morning) and love learning more about sewing too.
Take care.
Thank you Charlotte, for your very kind words about this latest dress of mine. I’m glad you enjoy my blog posts each morning and am happy you are one of my readers!
I’m working as fast as I can to get this one finished so I can get the next one going! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
I totally agree with Charlotte and Linda above…your details and attention to the outcome/style of each outfit surely makes you one of the leading seamstresses. Any doll should feel comfortable in this beauty.
I admire your ability to add so many details to the bonnet and yet make it all come together. Ahh, Jeanne, thanks for the pleasure and honor of seeing your work behind the scenes.
Blessings.
Thank you Becky,
What sweet thoughts you’ve given me today! I hope “Springtime in the South isn’t only a Civil War dress, but maybe an “any girl” dress! I can lots of dolls in this one…
I think it’s very pretty in person… I wish I had a 3-D camera that could capture it in 360 degree pictures!
I like to show the insides of my work at times so everyone keeps me on my toes as far as my workmanship!
Thanks so much Becky,
Blessings, Jeanne
Beautiful Jeanne. I love you small changes to the pattern. I often line KDD patterns instead of the way it is shown in the pattern.
The bonnet is a masterpiece — Love it.
HI Ann,
I appreciate your kind words about Rebecca’s dress. I do like a lined best of all… glad to see I’m not alone in that!
I’m glad you like her bonnet… the other girls on my shelf are very jealous and all want bonnets now!
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh the bonnet is just perfect! The new improved embroidery and finely finished interior just add to the loveliness.
Now we have a dam spillway failure at our largest water feature here in northern CA. About 100,000 people down stream were evacuated yesterday. Not near us, but now we have too much water and the dam is overflowing. Hard to believe. Guess they have a ton of engineers trying to figure out what to do before we get more rain in a couple of days. We did have a beautiful dry weekend though which was so nice after all of the soggy days.
Thank you Joy,
Oh, I like how you said it… “new and improved” embroidery! That makes me feel like it was worth redoing it!
I saw a dam with a big hole in it on the news the other night… but didn’t catch where it was… was that the one by you??? Oh my, that’s a big mess and very scary I’m sure! I hope they get it figured out and solved soon!
Blessings, Jeanne
This dam is in the central valley of northern CA. Spills to the flat land rivers. We are coastal fortunately. They have been dumping rocks into the spillway holes trying to stop any further erosion. However, they won’t let any residents return home as it is still extremely dangerous. We’re talking a ton of people who are camping out or staying in motels around Sacramento. The video is pretty dramatic.
HI Joy,
It was on the news again tonight. I hope they get the problem solved soon. Being displaced from your home has to be horrific! Thank goodness you are safe where you live!
Blessings, Jeanne
Rebecca is so very pretty in her new dress. I love the embroidery on the jacket, it really adds to the beauty of the dress. So neat to see how you make the insides of the dress almost as beautiful as the outsides. The bonnet is absolutely lovely. Rebecca certainly does look like a Southern Belle. I’m with Linda concerning some fingerless gloves. They would finish off this ensemble perfectly. Wish it were available in my size!!
Thank you Laura,
Rebecca is very pretty in this dress. I debated about using her in the beginning because she had hazel eyes and there wasn’t even a hint of green in the fabric, but I think I made the right choice with her. Addy would have been to dark I think, for this Springy dress.
I had a lady email me saying she wished I made grown up clothes…she’d take one of this dress in her size!
I think I’ll get those gloves made and add them…
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
I can definitely see a difference in the embroidery, Jeanne–so much better!!
That hat is just wonderful! It really sets off the entire outfit. Can’t wait to see it after gloves and the little bouquet are added!
As to the “no green” and Rebecca’s hazel eyes–I was taught it’s not what a color does for your eye color, it’s what it does for your skin tones! If you face seems to look a bit younger, or your skin tone more even or creamy-looking, then it’s a good color on you.
There’s a particular shade of khaki-green that Really brings out my eyes–I had held it up in jest and someone said, Wow! Look at your eyes!! So I bought some and made jeans and a jacket! However, after I had my colors done, I realized it was Not my color, as it made the rest of my look Dead!! LOL Before too long, that outfit was no longer in my closet, although I did wear it with tops/blouse in my colors for a while.
Now I realize these are dolls, not people, so it may not matter so much. Just pointing out you don’t necessarily need to use the doll’s eye color as a guide to choosing the garment color/fabric. Rebecca looks fabulous in lavender!
HI Charlotte,
You caught me just before I headed to bed.
Thank you for your sweet comments on this lavender set. I’m very pleased with how it turned out and think Rebecca is going to be sorely disappointed when she has take this one off!
I know it doesn’t really matter about the eyes, but sometimes you find that perfect fabric that picks up the color in the eyes and it really makes them sparkle. I think they works well on Rebecca and I might have to try it on Addy before it gets sent to the winner.
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne