Before I show you what I’m working on, Jane sent me a picture I wanted to share. She said she had a dress back in 1975 that reminded her of Nyssa’s blue one I just finished. I’m not sure if she made it or not, but I thought you’d like to see it. Now we all know what Jane looks like… well, at least back in 1975! :o) Pretty! Pretty!
I think everyone is still searching frantically for that pattern with the rounded collar and the cap sleeves… Look what Joy discovered on the My Meadows Dolls page…
…and Me… just today I saw this one on Ebay…there it is again… this auction was for the WIG, not the dress..
If you want to check out the wig…here is the link to that auction… WIG
If you aren’t interested in THAT pattern, how about checking out this link Dorothy sent me. It’s from Martha Boer’s blog. Antique Lilac patterns
The patterns don’t have any instructions and are for advanced sewers. She mostly sews for the Ball Jointed dolls and does incredible work. I have looked at her things for years!
Okay, so I better get to today’s post. First of all I looked up some colors to see if I could get it right before I mentioned the color. I believe this is Coral…I looked up Salmon too and it wasn’t that. This isn’t pink, but it’s bright and pretty and so I’m going to call it coral… unless you think of something better…
…and our models will be Samantha and Nellie. So as you many have guessed, it’s a turn of the century dress with big puffy sleeves and pretty vintage lace on the front. I got a pretty nice head start on this one this evening and hope you like the looks of it so far.
The sleeves look pretty huge now, but I think (I hope) they will calm down when I get the rest of them finished and the side seams sewn together. We certainly don’t want a repeat of the pink Samantha dress with the “football shoulders” do we? Maybe I better show a picture of that one again… YiKes!
I did put sleeve headers in this dress because I wanted them puffy… again I hope they aren’t TOO puffy!
I took the band at the waist and the skirt and pinned them to the bottom of the bodice so you could sort of imagine what the dress will look like. There’s still plenty to do, but it won’t take too long, I don’t think.
Did you see Nyssa sitting in the background watching everything we were doing? She’s been staring at Samantha for each of her fittings not saying a word… I wonder what she’s thinking?
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
And the star is Jane! What a wonderful ’75 photo. Nice to see you Jane. 🙂
That LD wig is perfect. Love the color and the style. It reminds me of the Ellowyne Monique wig. Maybe? And the dress of course is “that pattern” I like so well and in the LD size. It is definitely another Carol Pringle dress.
You have done so much already on the latest creation. All of that lace sewn so perfectly and buttons too. The coral in the dress matches Samantha’s lip color too. Always fun to see the progression.
And where is everyone this morning?? I couldn’t be first?
Hi Joy,
Well, here’s my take…Charlotte is at Expo, Linda is probably scraping the ice out of her driveway, and don’t forget, Marilyn’s computer conked out, Jane is probably busy sending todays post to all her friends, Barbara is probably mowing her grass or picking her roses, Susette is probably sewing for Riya. Kathie is probably shoveling snow in Omaha, everyone else is staying in bed, so that leaves you to be first!
Just kidding…thanks for all your comments!
Blessings, Jeanne
Everyone must have slept in this morning. I’m usually one of the last to comment.
Great picture Jane. And I like the dress. From your comment about the seasons I assume you live in the southern hemisphere. Where exactly? And thanks for your help with the “sticky” situation. When I looked up the word “tights” and “sticky”, they are both the same. The word “clinging” was in one of the translations so I can see the reason for the same word. French is more finite than English, so I guess inventing a new word when a usable word already exists didn’t pass muster. New words don’t just “happen” in French like they do in English.
Jeanne, I think coral is a good word for the color of the fabric. Very pretty. And I can’t believe how far you’ve come with the dress already. Having broad shoulders myself, I’ve never been one for the big sleeve look, but it does seem to come off well on American Girl dolls. The “football” shoulders dress really made me realize how much trim can control the look of an outfit. Taking the trim off the sleeves would have shrunken the optics. The dress is lovely. I enlarged the picture and the fabric is absolutely beautiful. Close up you don’t see the problem with the trim like you do in the overall picture.
We got a surprise front yesterday that dropped us from almost 80 to 42 all day. Today it is a little warmer and tomorrow it’s supposed to be 75. Then Sunday the bottom drops out and we are cold, cold all next week. I’m looking forward to Spring because I’m so tired of this weather roller coaster. It’s hard to figure out what to wear.
HI Barbara,
If you read my comments to Joy, you’ll see my take on where everyone is! :o)
It is funny the meaning of words in different countries! We go to a church with International students and we see and hear everything… :o)
I’ve already worked on Samantha’s dress just a little bit today and I think the sleeves are going to be okay… I added the cuff and that helped pull them in. I’m hoping to find some sewing time tonight! Who knows how much I might accomplish!
We are supposed to get the ice and snow tomorrow night… maybe 4-8 inches. SPRING can’t come soon enough for me. I bet you too!
Blessings, Jeanne
Ha! Scraping ice off the driveway?? Well, that could have been true, since we did have some freezing overnight, but it wasn’t bad at all. I was at the grocery store, after reading the blog, and then trying to find a certain picture!!
Jane, you looked wonderful in “75, and probably still do! Love your dress too!
Those dollies in the snow are just adorable,! For a minute there, I thought they belonged to Joy, and thought how could she do that, outside with no coats??
Then the sweet dress you found Jeanne with the wig for sale, that dress is so cute too, I wonder if a wig like that is hard to keep up. After all, I don’t think they are glued on, are they?
Well, now to the new dress you are making!! I could not believe my eyes! It turns out that I made myself a Gunne Sax dress for Christmas one year, 1975, mind you, and it was a red and cream calico just about like that, although it probably was more red, and I had lace on it exactly like that, plus it was long. Wherever is that picture of me wearing it? That’s what I was trying to find this morning, but then had to stop so I could get to the store before the snowstorm comes tomorrow evening——yet again!
So your so called “turn of the century” dress, could actually be also for a 1975 girl, like Julie, I guess! Didn’t you make yourself a Gunne Sax wedding dress too? It was popular for quite awhile. My dress had long sleeves, and tied in a bow in the back, but I can’t tell what this one will have, so far.
So 1975 was a big year for Jane and me! I’ll see if I can find a picture of me in that dress, but don’t hold your breath! Michael just stopped by the computer while I had Samantha’s dress shown, and mentioned to me that it was like mine!
HI Linda,
I know “someone” else who looks good too!…and I’ve seen her in person!!! :o) I do declare I have the prettiest readers! :o)
I would think those wigs would be a breeze to keep styled…or rather…unstyled. I think they are supposed to be sort of wild looking. I think it’s adorable.
I hope you find the picture of you in the Gunne Sax dress, Linda… I want to see it! Share it whenever you find it. That’s so funny that you hubby even remembered the dress. Now you HAVE to find it! :o)
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, that was a surprise. I thought it might be a small mention not a headline. So yes I made the dress, it was duck egg blue with deeper blue and sage. I don’t sew for me now, but I might start.
The L.D. dress in the wig auction is the most perfect I’ve seen. The scoopy neck wide collar look is what appeals. I am making mine with cap sleeves but will try slightly longer in another dress. I got a L.D. from Nelly Valentino, and she doesn’t do casual. Her name is Allegra and I think she is an Italian princess.
I bought a wig for her – from Prince Edward Island – much like the one Jeanne is featuring. It’s multi coloured and I fear for it in the heat and humidity, I know caring for it will be a mission. Want to see a picture?
I live in New Zealand. West of the small city of Whangarei. On a beef farm, pasture grazing, no grain.
And for Barbara Volant translates to frill or flounce as well as steering-wheel and shuttlecock. I guess context is everything.
The coral dress is looking great. Love the lacework. Nyssa is saying ‘I can wear sleeves of great volume, but can she?’ I know Jeanne will work her magic and all will be well.
Perhaps today someone will see a daffodil, or a snowdrop.
I got my patterns yesterday from Vaniline and was translating the instructions. One of the lines read “frown at the length of the bodice side”. I did that, nothing happened. The Cambridge French/English dictionary is great for word by word, but what I was using I could translate by sections of instruction. I will now go back to the Cambridge dictionary to find out what it really says.
I converse with a woman in New Zealand. Her name is Ruth Power and she has a blog called Piano Picnic. It’s hard sometimes to participate in learning sessions because of the time and often date change. Lovely place to live.
HI Barbara,
I had to laugh at you “frowning at your bodice!’ Such funny readers I have!!!
Blessings, Jeanne
HI Jane,
I was going to email you and ask if it was okay to use your picture, but I thought if you saw it and didn’t want it on there, I could get it off pretty quick like! Glad you liked it. You were and probably still are. Your teeth are gorgeous and your smile is so pretty! I wish you picture was in color so we could see the duck egg blue color….one of my very favorites!
Allegra, your Italian princess, sounds wonderful… I bet she is adored and spoiled by you!
Of course we want to see a picture of Allegra’s wig…
Where you live sounds wonderful.. I’d love to come visit your beef farm… my hubby managed the one here at the University Farms for 26 years. He was raised on a farm too… Cattle are in his blood… Maybe sometime send a picture of your farm so we can all take it in. I bet it’s beautiful…
Thanks for your knowledge about “foreign” pattern words we might not know… I love how much everyone knows and shares on here!
Thanks so much, Miss Beautiful Jane!
Blessings, Jeanne
So glad you shared the lovely picture, Jane. I think I spy a Wedgwood Cameo Necklace? Very pretty dress and so nice that you made it. I agree with Linda, no doubt just as pretty today. I’ll be looking up Whangarei on Google Earth. How interesting to have blog readers from all around the world.
Those Little Darlings are truly “darling,” Joy. What pretty dresses. They really are tiny. We are hearing about your flooding in Northern California. And looking at another couple of storms, Yikes! Stay safe.
Your Coral Dress is looking great, Jeanne.
HI Susette,
I was just telling Jane we’d all love to see a picture of her beef farm… wouldn’t that be fun? I’m so thrilled to have a New Zealander as a subscriber!
Maybe we should do a post where everyone takes a picture of where they live and send it to me. It could be what it looks like outside your front door, or an open field… anything… just to get a sense of all the different places represented here!
I was wondering, how close do you live to Joy?
I’m hoping to get in my sewing room in a little bit. Rebecca will be home soon.
Thanks Susette,
Blessings, Jeanne
Lovely picture, Jane and how neat that you sewed the dress. I really like your cameo necklace as well. I love old-fashioned jewelry, have a couple of antique Victorian/Edwardian necklaces that I always get questions about when I wear them. So you live in New Zealand? What a beautiful place that is… so otherworldy when I’ve seen it used for movies. Just beautiful. Have to look up Whangarei as well.
Samantha’s coral dress is very pretty so far. The sleeves remind me of Anne of Green Gables blue dress in the movie… “the puffiest” My Samantha and I are excited to see the rest and I also wonder what loveliness Nellie will be modeling. Cute that Nyssa is watching. She’s probably thinking ” Don’t get too attached to that dress, Samantha. You know no one gets to keep anything around here.” LOL Well I remember the Gunny Sax/ prairie style look. I had a lovely flouncy prairie skit with the wide ruffle hem in about sixth grade.
HI Laura,
I’m hoping Jane will send us a picture of her beef farm… wouldn’t that be a treat to see? I hope she will.
I think you guessed what Nyssa was thinking!!! I’m sure you got it right!
I worked on those sleeves a little bit this afternoon and I think they are going to be fine… I’m making them pretty tight at the wrist so it really pulls the puffs in!
Thanks Laura,
blessings, Jeanne
Omgosh…that isn’t Jane…it’s Ann Margaret! Or her doubleganger.
Pretty lady!
Loving the coral print and the way the lace is applied is so clever. Not every lace would work but that one sure does! As always I love to see what happens with accessories and hats.
Yes shoveling has become a part time job in this town. I certainly remember winters that were miserably cold and plenty with lots of snow but none with record setting snow amounts AND record setting low temps. -30 tomorrow AM so school may be cancelled
….that’s 6 so far..4 were built in to the schedule.
Our anniversary is April 23 and twice it has snowed…this may be another year!
HI Kathie,
I just saw your comments and wanted to thank you for your kind words. Well, you can see the dress in all its glory as it’s finally on Ebay… as of a few minutes ago.
We have been very fortunate to have missed lots of the big snowfalls, but we certainly are making up for it in the cold temps department. Not quite as far down as you are… -30 but still 3 is cold enough for me.
I hope your anniversary is sunshiny and blue skies! :o)
Thanks Kathie,
Blessings, Jeanne