PLEASE NOTE:
Please don’t get too busy and miss the end of the auction for Isabelle’s dress set. It ends this evening on Ebay and you can see it again by clicking on the picture at the right side bar or you can click HERE to get to the auction.
I didn’t get totally finished with Molly’s dress set but I’m getting there! I think another “sewing session” and I’ll be able to get it completed. She is looking SO adorable in this. It might be my favorite one for her. I think something about how soft it looks against her skin is what’s getting to me. Maybe it’s because I think “she” likes it too!
My back was a little bit better today and I was able to sew in a few spurts and this is what I accomplished.
We picked out her shoes… blue or pink, blue or pink… we debated and debated and because it’s almost Valentine’s Day, we chose the pink….and white socks. (Sorry, but I thought I better mention here…the shoes won’t be for sale.)
But… as I got the shoes out and was looking for something to make her socks out of, I ran across these little girls tights that I use for thigh highs or socks, and when I laid them against the dress, it made the dress look totally peach colored. The tights are however, sort of a bubblegum pink, whereas the shoes by themselves pick up the tones in the dress. This all made me question if it’s really a pale pink or maybe it IS a pale peach and I just WANTED it to be pink. I’m not 100% certain what color to call it now. I know everyone’s monitor will show it as a different color too… so that doesn’t help. So I made a judgment call and I’m still going to call it pale pink. If the winner gets it and wants it to be peach… just wear white shoes with it…
The basting stitches were removed from her collar too…
A white tulle slip was called for to hold out her dress a little bit…okay… a lot. I’m not fond of skimpy dresses… sorry…
…and last but not least, the snaps were sewn to the back of the dress, letting me tie a pretty bow in the back now that the sides stay together like they are supposed to.
Isn’t she pretty??? I love it when I love my dresses too! :o)
Thanks everyone!
Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you Monday… or tomorrow night at Isabell’s “finish line!”
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, that Did turn out to be a beautiful dress, Jeanne, and I can see what you mean about the color. I think I’d call it “iced coral” (which is a pink/peach combo), but then, I’m looking at it on my monitor, not in real life.
It’s funny, I do have Molly (she was my first American Girl doll, and I’ve had her over 20 years now, I think), and her favorite color is Red! The first dress I made for her was a pretty lavender floral stripe, and she tried it on for me, but just would Not wear it!! She reminded me, “Lavender is Your favorite color, mom, not mine!” I gave it to a friend for her doll, and, some years later, after she died, I got it back again. Now I have April Eleanor, who Loves lavenders–all pastels, really–and it is her dress. She loves it (and is really glad Molly didn’t want it after all!). It’s a good thing April doesn’t know how to bid on ebay yet, as I know she’d want this dress, for sure! LOL
Thanks Charlotte,
Wow…20 years with your Molly….that’s like an extra child! I loved your story about her first lavender dress…and it’s nice that April Eleanor loves it!!
I’ve had ladies tell me “their dolls” learned how to bid on Ebay… *wink* *wink*
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
LOL I’ve taken Molly shopping, and she shows me which fabrics she likes! Just reaches out and grabs them!! LOL
That made me smile Charlotte!
~ Jeanne
Molly looks oh, so pretty, Jeanne! I do see the dress as a soft pink, but in an earlier post, the pink flowers look definitely orange! It was just two close up pictures, but now I see it as a soft pink, so I guess you can go ahead and call it something pinkish!
I love that beautiful bow in the back! Molly must feel like a Valentine princess with her pretty slip and full skirt to twirl in. Remember doing that? I know that we didn’t have full slips and skirts like that in the 40″s, but if I had the chance to have them, I sure would have wanted to!! Molly is a lucky girl!
Now for a pretty pink ribbon for her hair? I think you mentioned a headband, but I think she needs a bit of “something” extra up there in her hair to top off everything! It might be hard to match up a ribbon with this color of pink, though. And of course, she needs a pretty Valentine to hold!
Thanks Linda,
I got out some felt flowers in orange and thought they might work…but the flowers aren’t orange at all…they are a coral color…
Yes, I loved twirling in my dresses…when I sold little girl’s dresses at Farmers market, the moms and grandmas would sometimes slip them over the girls hands and they almost always just started twirling..
I have something in mind for her hair…I think it will be perfect.
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
When we were searching for my daughter’s wedding dress we ran into the color problem. She didn’t want white. The one we bought was described as blush tulle. I think that color name or pink blush works for this fabric too. How about a simple plain headband in the same fabric? And maybe a cute purse with a matching bird and spray of flowers?
Hi Christal,
That’s what I had decided to call it…pink blush.
I was thinking about making Molly a sweet little purse…hmmmm….
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
Now I’m wondering what Charlotte’s April Eleanor looks like. My Eleanor Margaret is about the same age as her Molly, and she’s a gray-eyed blond who wears most colors well.
Molly looks lovely in this dress, whatever color it is, and on my computer, I’d call it pink, but the flowers are coral and blue, so I’m not really sure either. Whatever, it’s a very pretty dress and someone is going to be very happy with it.
My story about this fabric is probably about the cotton and polyester version, since the story took place in about 1970, when I was in grad school, taking a class in late 19th century literature. I had made a two piece dress in white with rows of delicate brown flowers, and on this day had not had time to pin my hair up. My classmates had never seen it down, and it was very Victorian, long enough that I could and often did sit on it. We had been reading Jude the Obscure, and when I walked in a couple of minutes late, my classmates took me for the heroine. It’s very odd to be treated like someone who has recently committed suicide and might do it again.
Hi Marilyn,
Thank you so much for your kind compliments on Molly’s dress. I decided to call it pink blush and hope that works for everyone. The flowers ARE coral and blue.
I LOVED your story and wish so much you had a picture to go along with your story!!
I need a picture of you, Marilyn. To go with your comments… I’ve seen pictures of several of the ladies here, but I haven’t a clue about what you look like…if you want, send me one sometime… :o)
Thanks so much Marilyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
I got April Eleanor about 2-3 years ago; she was F1217, My American Girl (2014 catalog), with honey blonde hair in two pony tails, little wispy curls on her forehead, and her eyes were “hazel”. I went to the AG store and looked at 4 or 5 of this doll, and chose the one whose eyes looked the most green (a nice rich realistic green)! Just about every thing she owns is pink or lavender or some other pastel!
Charlotte, I believe your April Eleanor is my AG#21, Susan! She is the prettiest doll, isn’t she? She is Molly’s friend and wears a lot of Kit’s clothes. Sadly, she is no longer available from AG, so hang onto her!
The dress is lovely. I’d vote for pink with coral flowers. All of the pictures look fine now. I was beginning to wonder if there was a problem with the focus of the camera on your phone when pictures were taken of the whole doll. Closeups which were fine. Which model and make of phone do you have?
Here’s a nice YouTube video about turning spaghetti straps without tube turners. I entered “niler taylor youtube spaghetti straps.” I wouldn’t have thought to line the straps with the two layers of fabric of the seam allowance. .
I do wish people would include where they are located when posting about the weather. It helps to know where people live so we can sympathize. I know you have followers from around the world. Hope more people will join the discussions.
Thanks Susette,
The pictures shown so far were taken on my phone…a Samsung Galaxy s9. My camera actually takes better pictures of my dolls… it seems to get the colors better.
I’ll have to check out the spaghetti strap video…thanks…
I know where most everybody is from but it is fun when everyone checks in by telling their weather forecast… thanks Susete,
Blessings, Jeanne
I’ll go with quiet blush peach background and coral flowers with blue birds. I’m in love with this fabric! What a wonderful find by Cindy. I’ve scoured sources and have found quite a few prints, but nothing as lovely as this. I’ve learned so much about dimity thanks to you. 🙂 It is a striking dress.
I was hoping to hear Susette’s take on the photos. I too thought there was a camera/phone focus problem. I’m still not seeing the photos in sharp focus. Parts are and parts are not.
I’ll have to take a look at the spaghetti strap video that Susette recommended. Sounds like a good idea.
So, your back is on the mend? 🙂 Hope so. Really puts a stop on what you want to accomplish. We pulled blackberry vines yesterday and my back is feeling it today. Lots more to do though.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Hi Joy,
I’m in love with this fabric too… I think I’m ready to do another dimity dress for another doll. It truly made this dress for Molly a stunning look. She loves wearing it.
Today was my best day for my back in about a week. I took it easy but it just feels better…not so weak.
I hope your back holds out after pulling the blackberry bushes out… that’s hard work.
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeannie.. this is officially my VERY favorite dress you have ever made!
I would call the background color “blush”.. a sweet peach pink:)
But mostly I call is gorgeous!!
Thanks so much Shara
Oh my..your very favorite? I love that you love it so much. I’ll have to make sure and finish up everything else perfectly so it stays your favorite!
Thanks Shara,
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne
Molly’s dress is so sweet and I just love the fabric. You always come up with just the right accents ie the waist trim and buttons on the sleeves. I like the “deep” hem too and your choice of little dainty pristine white socks over tights. Those little pink shoes are so dainty too.
I hope you are feeling better every day. Back problems are no fun :0( I know it is hard to relax when you have so much you want to do. It’s funny how many times we just want a day to do nothing but when we are under the weather all we can think of is all we want / need to do. So wishing you a relaxing weekend.
FYI still having some problems getting your post on the same day you wrote it so I often don’t join in since I will be a day late and not part of the current discussion. This has been happening since fall. I still love reading and keeping up just sometimes I’m a day behind.
Leigh, some of us solved getting the post a day late by resubscribing. I now get two posts, one on the right day, and one the next. One comes from I Dream of Jeanne Marie and one from just Jeanne. 🙂
Hi Joy – thanks for the info but I did that when someone (maybe it was you?) mentioned it worked for them and it seems like it did work for me for awhile then back to old tricks. I must have a gremble in my computer and right now no time to investigate. Thanks Joy
Hi Leigh,
Thanks for your kind words on Molly’s dress. I’m glad you like it… I’m going to be a little sad to see this one go..
I know there are still problems with my posts not going out like they are supposed to. My web designer, Sarah, is coming back from Kenya in a few days. I want to try again and see if we can get it figured out.
Thanks for letting me know.
Blessings, Jeanne
I love this dress, too, Jeanne. When you said 40’s and first laid the fabric for the skirt on her, I thought it would be more A line, and I wanted it to be more 50’s and very full, LOL. So glad that’s what you were thinking. It’s really turned out just beautiful!!
As to your focusing problem…”Depth of Field” is the part of a photo that is in perfect focus. Camera’s can only do so much, and only what you tell them to do. 🙂 To increase your Depth of Field, you need light. Lots of light. Of course, then you have to be aware of an overexposure problem. Lots of light, as in outdoors, will give you a Depth of Field of infinity (or the entire photo being in focus). What you want is the amount of light that will give your photo the Depth of Field (focus field) for your whole photo. You’ll need to experiment with adding light until you get it right for each camera and each photo.
Your depth of field with your phone and in these photos is extremely short. Maybe as little as a quarter or half inch, where one hand is in focus and the other just slightly behind or in front of it is not.
When there is low light, the camera lens will open full up to grab the most light it can get and when it does that, you lose Depth of Field (or the portion of your photo that will be in perfect focus). You also lose stability for camera shake and ideally need a tripod, an extremely steady hand, or a camera that compensates for ‘shake’.
One hint I learned when taking handheld photos, is to press the shutter on your exhale. For some reason, we are more steady handed when we exhale rather than inhale a breath.
You’ve all seen the photo where the doll in front of a Christmas tree is in perfect focus and the tree is blurred so that our minds know it’s a Christmas tree, but the photo doesn’t show each needle on the branch. That type of photo is taken with a shorter Depth of Field (for just the doll), so the doll is the only part of the photo in perfect focus. Sometimes, this type of photo is a ‘happy accident’, but if you ever want to duplicate it, you have to know some rules of photography.
Phone cameras are generally made to mostly take low light photos, so a ‘real’ camera will make it a little easier for you to get what you want and definitely improve your results.
I hope you all understand this as I’ve written it. I’m not a photography teacher, but just know a bit about cameras. 🙂 I did minor in photography at college, and when I was very young I even had a small studio. If only I could remember it all now that I’m old, LOL.
Love and hugs to all,
Ali
Love your explanation of the photo problem. I’d think you were a photo teacher. 🙂
You’re too kind, but thanks so much! 🙂
Hi Ali,
I think I’m going to put the 1940’s AND the 1950’s in my descrition. I think it would work for either era.
I’m going to read and probably re-read your comments and see what I can glean from it all.
Thanks for taking the time to write it all out…
I used to work in the Cinema and Photography department at SIU…does that count? :o)
Thanks Ali,
Blessings, Jeanne
I love this dress on her! Very little girl! Your collars are always very nice. Do you use interfacing in them?
Hi Marla,
Thanks so much…yes, I do use interfacing…a very lightweight fusible one that I put on the piece that faces the front…I mean…the collar that you see…has the interfacing on that piece… not the piece on the underside.
Hope that helps.
Thanks so much
Blessings, Jeanne
Such a pretty dress and exactly the right length. Socks are truer to the time, pantyhose and tights were just on the horizon for most of us. I also vote for some kind of same fabric hair ornament. Maybe spaghetti type ties for a pulled back hairstyle. We are always anxious to see what you decide on. The color is special and I love calling it blush pink.
Wanted to mention to Leigh that I get the posts a day late too and so I click on the blue title on that post which I’ve received, which opens to a full blog page (?) then on the right side below the pics the list of latest posts is there and I click on the top one which has not yet arrived in my email but it shows there on your page. So clicking it opens it for me to see before I actually get it. And it will arrive as usual the next day. See how much we love your blog, LOL have a great day.
Thanks Dorothy,
I loved your compliments on Molly’s dress.
I like the name pink blush too…and I have er hair “thingy” figured out.. I just have to make it.
One of these days I’m going to have all the kinks worked out of this blog…and won’t we all celebrate?
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Dorothy, I will try your suggestion – never heard of that solution. Thanks for taking the time to pass it on. That is one of the things I really enjoy about Jeanne’s Blog – everyone is so helpful. Thanks to Joy too.