I wanted to do some sewing today even though I was in the middle of cleaning my sewing room… (now I have to clean up the mess I made tonight!) Guess what I wanted to sew? Yep, a doll coat. I could have picked just about any doll to model it, but Nora was in the front row and she was kind of looking down at the floor, trying to tell me “pick me” in a quiet sort of way…so I did!
Anyway, I looked through my “wintery” stash of fabrics, and decided I’d make a furry gray and black leopard coat… (on my monitor, the fur sort of looks like it has a greenish hint to it… it doesn’t!) It’s just gray and black! This fur isn’t a polar fleece, but a soft pile-like fur. I’ve tried to take some close up shots so you can see it. This is the pattern I’ve used hundreds of times because I wanted to get it done quickly so I could do the auction.
The front of the coat closes with a 3″ piece of soft and flexible Velcro and the buttons are just sewn on for looks. The sleeves are hemmed by hand, but the rest of the coat is topstitched along the edge about a half inch in. A black band of shimmery fold over elastic was used at the neck and on her tam.
I found these 2 pictures in a 1943-44 winter Aldens catalog I had… so this really would work well for Molly dolls… the first picture of coats were priced around $18…
These were fur coats and were a a little bit higher priced…
OKAY…so here’s what we’re going to do today… I’m going to have a ONE day silent auction with this coat and hat set…right here on my blog! You’ve seen the pictures and this is what you can do, if you’d like to try and win the coat… NO PRESSURE at all… if you like it, fine, if not, don’t worry about bidding!
Since I’d like it to be a silent auction, where you can’t see who else is bidding on it, you’ll have to SEND me the dollar amount of your what you’d like to bid… (you’ll have to do it through “Contact Me” just under the header at the top of my blog) or you can copy and paste my email
jeannewiedlocher@gmail.com
with your $$ bid. A few times through the day, I’ll post the high bid amount, (not the person’s name), at the bottom of this post, and maybe in the comments, just in case you want to “up” your bid… but again, no pressure… I just thought this might be fun. I’ll take bids until midnight (Central time zone), Wednesday night… and we’ll see what happens! :o) (Just like on Ebay, if 2 bids are placed for the same amount, I will go by the time the bid was placed, and the earliest time will take precedence.) The high bidder will win the coat, hat and sweet kitty! I’ll send the winner a Pay Pal invoice or you can send me a check…whichever you like. We’ll do FREE shipping on this set!
UPDATE:
Here is the silent bidding so far…I’ll keep updating it here if needed.
At 6:18 a bid was placed for $22.55
At 10:26 a bid was placed for $25.00
At 3:33 a bid was placed for $38.40
I hope I’ve thought of everything… Here’s one last picture…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Very strange. I don’t see any comments. Must be something going on like everyone has a frozen computer.
Adorable little outfit. So perfect for the cold weather currently going on.
Can’t wait to see who becomes the new owner of the lovely coat.
Hi Joy,
I think everyone thought they could only comment if they left a bid when they emailed me. That’s not true…go ahead and comment, everyone, whether you bid or not! It’s fine…
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Forgot to mention about the 40’s coats. That curly lamb was popular into the 50’s too. My mother had a black jacket that now resides with a daughter. I somehow have become the keeper of the furs. Have no idea why. I have my grandmother’s mink as well as my mother’s. Horrors that one would actually wear them, but so soft to the touch and all farm raised in their day. Thankfully, the fake fur of today fills the need. I can also remember the mother of an aunt and her husband raised chinchillas which were quite popular. Must have taken a lot of those little ones to make a coat. Pretty awful!
It’s funny when you said you guessed you had become the keeper of the furs!!
My dad used to raise chinchillas. ..nothing can possibly be as soft as chinchilla fur!!
Blessings, Jeanne
I have my mother-in-law’s mink stole, Joy–her daughter no longer wanted it and offered it to me. (Mom’s been gone 16+ years now).
I was delighted to have it, as I loved my mother-in-law very much and it’s a nice keepsake. I actually did wear it last Mother’s Day, to church, along with my own mother’s wedding set. It was my way to honor my “two moms”. (I do wear my mother’s rings every now and then, but the weather in Seattle doesn’t usually cooperate to wear a mink stole on an appropriate occasion!
This time this might not be as smooth as you’d like, but if it works, next time it will be smoother. People may be making their comments for the day in their emails to you. I guess we’ll find out.
The coat is cute, but the matching cat is the real draw. I have a new doll, purchased Monday and named Hope, which seems like something we need this year. She, of course, is coatless. See you on your email.
HI Marilyn,
Well, one way or the other, if it works out or not so much, it was fun to try!
That little strange kitty has been lurking in my accessories drawer for a while and he almost has “leopard” fur himself! :o)
Oh, I can’t wait to hear about Hope…I’m guessing she’s an American Girl doll? We want details!!! :o)
Thanks Marilyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne and company, I just wanted to ring in with hello and I hope everyone is staying warm. Brrrrr! I don’t have this doll so I won’t be participating in the auction. Good luck to the bidders.
HI Dorothy,
I am trying to stay warm, but truth be told, I have been freezing all day… I can’t seem to keep my feet warm, so I’m cold all over! Hope you are warm!
Blessings, Jeanne
Very cute coat Jeanne and looks great on Nora. The kitten is so adorable and perfect for Nora.
Marilyn got a new doll!!! I’m assuming your new doll is an American Girl doll or a doll of similar build? Could you share with us which one you got? It’s exciting when someone in our group gets a new doll.
I remember my mother having a fur coat like the second group of women – minus the tassels at the neck. I remember snuggling up against her in church and liking the feeling. Now I’d be horrified to even look at that coat for my love of animals.
Julie, who used to live at Jeanne’s, loves her fur coat because it’s fake. Like you, she doesn’t want a real one.
I bought a used Jess on Ebay. I didn’t have a doll with an Asian face and decided she was what I needed. She was relatively cheap — less than $100 — and seems pretty much untouched, except that she has pierced ears. She looks quite cheerful, and I think her hair has never been out of its braids. She should be cheerful — she already has the basic blue jeans set, a pretty pink sweater, a Christmas party dress (gorgeous gold), and a volleyball outfit, all on the way. Her name is Rowan (a kind of mountain ash thought to be able to repel malevolence) Hope, and she’ll be called Hope. She’s campaigning for a Jeanne outfit before the end of the year.
HI Marilyn,
Oh, I’m going to go check out the completed listings for Jess and see if I can’t find her. I’ve never seen a Jess doll in person… I “hope” you like “Hope!”
I’m sure we can come up with something for her by the end of the year!
Blessings, Jeanne
HI Paula,
I sort of got sidetracked with my 1943 catalog last night, thinking of the 40’s… and the fashions back then. It’s amazing how many styles are similar to today… Some things are just classics, I guess.
Yes, I want to hear about Marilyn’s doll too!
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne,
What a sweet coat set! Love it. Good luck with your silent auction.
Hugs
Ingrid
Thank you Ingrid,
We’ll see doing a silent auction works on here… nothing ventured, nothing gained!
I hope you’re staying warm.
Blessings, Jeanne
I’ve been encouraged to share a note about what salaries were like for the coats to sell for those prices. When I first started working in 1960 as a secretary in a U.S. Government office with relatively good pay, I remember taking home a paycheck for a two-week period that was $99 after taxes! A friend stated much the same when I wrote her. I was kind of embarrassed to admit that, but that’s truly the way it was “way back when.” All is relative. Thanks for the memories, Jeanne Marie.
In 1964 I was a student worker on the university switchboard and was paid 99 cents an hour, though eventually it was raised to $1.25 an hour. Since I was living at home, my 20 hours a week enabled me to cover expenses (no car, which helped) and lend money to friends. We always had hope that it would be repaid, but realistically we all knew not to expect it. Tuition was $180/semester, but a scholarship covered that.
Susette, I’ll bet you had to dress nicely for work, and pay for that out of your princely salary.
Hi Marilyn,
So if my coat sells for a lower price, I’ll just pretend I’m in the 40’s! :o)
Thank YOU TOO, for the real life memories!
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Susette,
When I look at the prices in this catalog, it seems incredible to buy things for the prices they were, but when I see how much you brought home in pay, you’d still really have to watch what you bought.. thank YOU for the memories!
Blessings, Jeanne
Here is the bidding so far… it’s also updated in the post above…
1st bid ~ $22.55
2nd bid ~ $25.00
Thanks everyone,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh Jeanne, I had my sister come this morning for a visit, so have been busy with that, making lunch and visiting with her. so have not had time to comment. Also I thought you had to bid to make a comment. All my 18 inchers have several coats, and now I am needing one for my Betsy McCall.
My mother had a beautiful soft gray-blue coat with a white and gray fox fur collar, so pretty! Fur was big back then I guess, and like Joy, have my mother-in-law’s mink stole. Can’t imagine wearing those now!
I started teaching in 1962, when I was all of 20 years old, and I remember our priest coming up to me with my paycheck, a very small one at that, and giving it to me, and I could not believe I was actually getting paid for having so much fun!!! I don’t think I made over $1,200.00 the entire year!
Good luck with the auction, and I hope it goes to someone who really needs it.
Hi Linda,
I hope you had a wonderful visit with your sister… does she live in St. Louis too?
My mom also had a blue gray coat with a light gray fox fur collar on it. Kristoffer used to love to have in around his neck when he was a toddler… something about that soft furry thing I guess. We have pictures of him with it… I need to find them…
I bet you thought you were rich too, with that $120 a month, didn’t you?
Thanks so much Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, she lives in Hillsboro, a town about 25 miles south of me, where I used to live. She works at a Pier 1 right by me, so it is on her way to work.
Oh, yes, I was a rich school teacher! Not! But it was fine for me.
UPDATE:
Here is the silent bidding so far…I’ll keep updating it here if needed.
At 6:18 a bid was placed for $22.55
At 10:26 a bid was placed for $25.00
At 3:33 a bid was placed for $38.40
Remember, bidding stops at midnight, Central Illinois Time Zone…
This is such a DARLING fur coat and tam set, Jeanne! I can certainly understand why Molly was anxious to model for you. đŸ˜‰ It is appropriate for both Molly’s Era and for our current glacial temperatures. I’m only sorry I won’t be bidding, as my daughter’s AG dolls are all currently in storage, but a silent auction is so much fun! What a good idea for the “cabin-fever-days” so many of us are experiencing. I wish you generous bidding, and I’ll look forward to the reveal of the lucky winner!
Like many of your readers, I also fondly remember various coats my mother owned and how nice she looked in them. We may find the styles of yesterday discomforting now, but they were such a statement of the times. Although I appreciate today’s current casual style, I often miss the social formality of wearing a topcoat and hat when one left the house. I so enjoyed my “little girl” coats and hats with their accompanying gloves and purses. Thanks so much for the memories, Jeanne. Just one of the many “feel goods” of your blog that I have missed.
Thank you Anne,
I just thought doing an outfit this way might be fun …and everyone in the whole United States can practically use a coat!!! :o)
Just looking in this catalog brings back memories of coats from my past too. I’m so glad you enjoyed thinking back to the many coats from your mom too!!
Thanks Anne,
Blessings, Jeanne
The fake fur is so nice and that hat is just so cute! Good luck with the auction. Hope it is successful!
Thank you Kathie,
I’ve been freezing all day…maybe I should put on a hat…Nora looks quite warm in hers…
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
That’s a cute coat! I like the matching hat too. The catalog pages are interesting—I really like the leopard print with the red trim. I noticed they are also paired with the beret-style hats like you did for Nora. One of your readers will be lucky to get the high bid on this lovely set.
Thanks Carolyn,
I almost put red double breasted buttons and red trim on the neck of the coat. I love red trim on almost anything.
So glad you enjoyed the coats…
Blessings, Jeanne