I had a wonderful visit with my sister Deb this weekend. We tried to cram as much fun and chatting into the time we had. We started early and I stayed late the last 2 nights at my mom’s apartment. I’m SO glad she was able to come!
Needless to say, there wasn’t any time for sewing… not much time for anything but visiting. My hubby was a little under the weather, so he didn’t seem to mind that I was gone as much as I was.
S-O… I decided to show you a few of my past Valentine dresses from years past. I hope you don’t mind seeing them again. I’ll try to show a few each day for the next couple days and work on something “behind the scenes” to share with you in a few days. :o)
This was a Regency Valentine dress I sold on Etsy. I think Lanie looked wonderful in it, don’t you? These are the only pictures I have of it. It was similar to one I made for Rebecca.
Tiny little 7 1/2″ Riley Kish is up next. This was always one of my very favorite sets I made for Riley. I think she was just a “pink kinda girl!” See if you agree…
Here’s a fun collage I did of all Riley’s pictures…
Last up today is 10″ Patsy Tonner in a sweet Valentine dress… Elin (Iplehouse) got to share the modeling stage with Patsy for this one. I loved this fabric…
Well, I hope that was enough Valentine sweetness to hold you over till tomorrow!
See you then,
Blessings, Jeanne
First of all, yesterday I did add a message to Saturday’s post, with some additional comments, if you’d like to read them. Thank you for all the prayers and well wishes for my husband. He had another x-ray tonight, and the obstruction is still there; I’m hoping to hear something from the doctor in the morning.
Also, my larger labels are from http://www.labelweavers.com . (The old ones were by Charm, which has gone out of business.)
I do love your Valentine dresses, Jeanne! Lanie’s Regency dress is so elegant, and the purse adds such a nice touch! Riley’s outfit is adorable–love the little pleated skirt!! But my favorite is the one for Patsy Tonner/Elin Ipplehouse. That fabric is just wonderful, and you added so many details to each part of the ensemble!
By the way, I got my wish today–SNOW! We had about 2-1/2″ this afternoon/evening, so I made sure to leave the hospital well before it got very deep. Even though I live in the Seattle area, I grew up in the Midwest, so I do love snow, and driving in it doesn’t really bother me–unless one of our very long, steep hills is involved!! Fortunately, I can get to the hospital by a route that avoids the worst of the hills!
HI Charlotte,
Thanks for keeping us updated on your hubby….and thanks for the link to the labels. I need to get some teeny tiny ones for my doll dresses. I used to put them in there, but when I ran out I stopped.
I loved that fabric for Patsy’s dress too. I had that in purple and the coral color. I think I called it Love Birds.
Snow? YAY for Charlotte… she got her wish! It got up to 61 here! I think I’ll keep what we had, thank you very much! :o)
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
You’ll probably need to talk to the people at Label Weavers, and see if they can do teeny tiny labels for you. There may be other companies that could, if they can’t. Good luck!
I’m so happy to hear that you had such a good time with Deb and your Momma this weekend. The weather was just about as perfect as you can get it for early February, wasn’t it?
Oh gosh, I do NOT mind seeing these darling dresses again! It sure gets me going in the morning to see how cheerful and sweet they are, like putting sugar on top of something to make it sweeter!
Oh my gosh, Lainie’s dress is just “perfect in every way”, to quote Mary Poppins! I remember both of those dresses you made with that material, and how could I not?
I can’t believe the perfection in that tiny little dress/outfit for Riley! I always thought she was more like 14 inches, so that little outfit, with the perfect pleats, darling jacket and hat that fit to perfection, give me a new admiration for your sewing skills—-as I always had, anyway! The collage was fun to see!
Patsy was cute too, with her “monkey business”! That dress showed how a different doll can wear the same kind of outfit and turn it into a different vibe with whoever is wearing it. A sweet dress, with some monkey business too!
Charlotte, I hope and pray that things go well with your hubby. Be careful driving in the snow, and you actually are a Midwest girl? You did mention having grandkids in Missouri. What town are you from? We are all getting to know each other better now, and I hope we get to continue with that.
HI Linda,
YES, the weather was just wonderful for visiting and getting out! We did have a nice time and even had the window open at momma’s apartment last night! Deb just texted me that she made it back to Springfield MO okay. I was sad to see her go!
Thanks for your sweet compliments Linda. I sometimes wish I had Riley back to see how much I have improved on my “tiny” sewing… I’m sure things would look better than they used to. But I’ve got Navi and she’s even smaller so I’ll just have to keep practicing on her, I guess.
I’m glad you like the idea of us getting to know each other a little more with new information about ourselves. I think it’s fun that way!
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
What a delightful Valentine repertoire. Lovely to view the bright colors and think exciting thoughts of the upcoming big day ahead.
My mind has been with Charlotte and husband. Hoping that there is a fresh take on the situation with Monday’s changing of the guard and that we hear a positive note soon.
So glad you and Deb and mom had an enjoyable weekend. I’m sure Panera appreciated your business. 🙂
I just looked over at some dollies perched around here, and they all do deserve more attention. Bad me. Looking forward to whatever is hiding behind the scenes at your place. Hope George is feeling chipper again. Best get painting those cabinets again soon. 🙂
Thanks Joy,
I’m glad you enjoyed seeing my Valentine girls again. I’m working frantically on the Married Couple’s Valentine Party on the 13th. We are back at a restaurant so it won’t be quite so much work. I won’t have to decorate anything except for the tables and I won’t have to coordinate the food being brought and doing the games too! It should be much less stressful.
We’ve been to Panera’s so many times, they really should know us on a first name basis. I think we might be in a rut! ;o)
I am seriously ready to tackle my cabinets and soon… maybe as soon as the party is over…
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Charlotte, I’m joining everyone else in wishing the best for your husband. Since you grew up in snow country, we don’t have to worry about your driving, just about the driving of everyone else, and there are a lot of them. Stay safe and watch for the hills. A friend who moved to Seattle said she drove to the top of one high, steep hill, where there was a sign that said, “Hill.” She thought that it was a little obvious and a little late to make the statement, and then she looked down the other side. She said, “They labeled it ‘hill’ so we wouldn’t mistake it for a cliff.” Stay off cliffs whenever possible.
Jeanne, these are lovely Valentine’s creations. It would be fun to see Lanie’s dress next to Rebecca’s dress. That is such pretty fabric and the dresses you made from it are worthy of it. Have you ever done a “just Riley” slideshow? That would be nice sometime. So would a slideshow of black and white dresses, maybe with color accents added. One of my favorites is the Civil War black, white, and red outfit.
On a completely different subject, I finally used my Savory pan and I thought it did a great job on a chuck roast with vegetables and red wine, with bay, rosemary, and parsley, though adding bay and rosemary to anything savory is going to be a good idea. I’ll use the pan again soon.
Thanks Marilyn,
Your story about “the hill” was funny…
Maybe I’ll put Rebecca’s dress and Lanie’s dress in the same post soon so you can see the differences.
I wrote down your ideas for posts.. and maybe I can get those put together. I have some sweet tiny dresses for Riley that would “surely” welcome Spring sooner! :o)
I’m glad you used your Savory and liked it. Your roast sounds wonderful! I made BBQ chicken in mine recently and marveled again at how well it tasted…and how easy it was!
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
Prayers for Charlotte’s hubby. It’s so hard to see a loved one not feeling well.
The comment about not worrying about our driving in inclement weather but the driving of others is a sure thing no matter where you live. My hubby is from CO and KS and I’m from PA and DE, so we’ve both done our share of driving in the snow, but we notice that when we’ve been in CO when it snowed, the natives of the area seem to want to show us Texans we don’t know how to drive in the stuff, so they fly past us at unsafe speeds. They forget we might actually be natives of places other than Texas and are driving safely rather than tentatively. Coloradoans are not fond of Texans in the least anyway. Here in the Houston area we have to watch for bad drivers in the rain, or the ones who go too slow, which is just as dangerous. As I’ve gotten older I prefer staying home in bad weather if at all possible.
Although I love all the beautiful outfits, I especially love Riley’s ensemble. And knowing how small she is makes it even more amazing. I have both those fabrics and now I feel the need to do something with them. But it will definitely be for a larger doll. Being reasonably new to the blog, your slideshows are new to me and I’m loving them.
Hurray! I found the top of my craft table today. I think that’s the first time in months. Whenever I wanted to cut out a pattern, I just pushed everything aside. I was both amazed and pleased that everything on the table actually did have a “home” to go to. I unpacked my new Accuquilt Go Big and put it on top of the table. It folds up so I still have a lot of room but I wanted to make sure it was up off the floor. Now tomorrow I will get back to sewing knowing my Christmas decorations and my sewing room are well organized. Now maybe my dollies will get some more mommy time – or additional wearing attire, which should please them immensely. I just wish it was the last of things that needed reorganizing. It’s only the start.
Marilyn’s story about the “hill” in Seattle brought back memories of living in Pottsville, PA, when I was a child. I was five years old when we moved from there but I sure do remember the steepness of many of the hills. In Bethlehem there were some streets you just didn’t go down if there was snow. Where I live now from here to the coast it’s flat, flat, flat. No hills here at all, but just north of us it starts into the Texas hill country and they have hills, but nothing terribly steep. Just nice for getting some good walking exercise.
I enjoyed hearing about your wonderful weekend with Deb and your mother. What a blessing for all of you – and Paneras.
Barbara, hello my PA friend. You are right about hills. One doesn’t think of hills when one thinks of PA but we certainly have them. I try to avoid them, good weather or bad. I find them daunting.
Speaking of good weather or bad did you watch Punxsutawney Phil’s proclamation on TV? He did not see his shadow so we will have good weather!!! Well, according to a Groundhog (laugh).
Hi Barbara,
Yes, when our hubby’s are hurting, it’s awful for us.
I know what you mean about drivers..we have plenty we have to watch out for when the new students come into town…and many of them have NEVER seen snow, much less driven in it! Yikes!!
I’m glad you enjoyed the pictures today…I’ve been using them over and over but occasionally I get readers who haven’t seen some so it’s good, I guess, to keep showing them.
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, I am so happy you got to spend time with your mother and your sister. I am sure that they were precious moments indeed!
I love the dresses. Yes, Riley is a vision in pink. Lanie’s dress is so cute. I love the necklace. I have to claim a partiality for Elin’s dress, though. As I have an Elin, renamed Elyse, I can imagine her in that lovely dress. The monkey is adorable.
I am looking forward to doll club (UFDC chapter) on Sunday. I am relieved that I won’t have to use a snowmobile to get there (laugh).
Hi Dorothy,
We really did have a great time…not doing much, but enjoying every minute!
I used to sew for Elin so much and loved it and I wish I hadn’t gotten out of the habit. She is so adorable!!
Have fun at your doll club…unless it snows!! Nah…it won’t!
Thanks Dorothy,
Blessings, Jeanne
When my son lived in Morgantown, WV, I followed one of the big FedEx trucks in a right turn on what I knew would be a hill, but I no sooner made the turn than the huge truck had completely disappeared from view; the hill was that steep. Scary, and my grandchildren were with me. We were actually kind of lost because of a fire that was shooting up flames into the air and had to make a detour. We did finally wander back home.
For Dorothy who wrote recently: I have a file of copied paragraphs on various subjects that people comment on and keep them in an AG INFO file on my computer. These ladies are a wonderful resource and know so much about the dolls. Jeanne has a Search field, too, on her blog for finding different subjects. Thinking of you and your husband, Charlotte.
Hi Susette,
Yikes about following that truck… I thought you were going to say the truck went over the hill and slid down it…
My goodness, that was a pretty exciting trip that day you had with Riya and Krish.
I’m glad you enjoy yourself on here so much that you have a file devoted to lots of different topics!!
Thanks so mch,
Blessings, Jeanne