I didn’t make it to your comments yesterday… I was on a roll and had to use my time wisely because I never know when something will pop up that keeps from being a “seamstress” and I know you all love that hat I wear the best! Well, I think you do… :o)
I did have to comment on Dorothy’s comment though… at first glance she thought Sara’s cake was a uterus and thought maybe it was Alba’s way of telling the world she was pregnant! I laughed so much and hope Alba didn’t see her comment so I can tell that to her in person!!!
Dorothy was happy, but sort of sad too, that Sara meant for that to be a teardrop. :o( Somehow I’ll make it through this…
Charlotte, I hope you are feeling better now…and not too sore after your little tumble…
And Leigh, seriously you aren’t the first person to think that those tubes of “toppings” at Cool Spoons were fabric bolts… it was mentioned before! :o)
Okay, so I guess you are wanting to see what I did all day… It’s not that it’s so earth shattering, but it did take me this morning and this evening to complete… Do you have any idea how long it takes to sew on 32 buttons…and teeny tiny buttons at that? A LONG TIME…AND three sets of snaps to boot! But let’s start at the beginning…
I thought Emmie’s hair was too overpowering…too much hair for her delicate features…
…so I decided to French braid that wig and sort of make it closer to her head… I think it looks better now… and what little girl doesn’t look adorable in braids. I might redo it and do a better job as I just did it quickly trying to see if it would look better. I’d like to have some tendrils around her face too, I think.
So let’s start over… here are her pantalettes again…
The dress fabric had quite a bit of body to it, and if you positioned the skirt just right it stood out on its own, but I decided to make a slip anyway to hold out all those buttons… you’ll see them in a minute. The winner’s doll can wear the slip over the pantalettes or just alone with the dress and some tights or socks. If it’s pulled just above the elastic waist on the pantalettes, it’s not too bulky.
Now to the dress… I have lots of tiny 1/8″ buttons and was thrilled to have all the right colors. I alternated them with blue buttons between each color since blue is sort of the main color for the accents. I used blue, red, pink, and yellow buttons…
I used 3 more buttons on the back of the bodice….Just a note: the blue checked border matches up evenly, but I must have bumped it because it doesn’t look like it does in my pictures.
…and 3 more buttons on the centers of the felt flowers I added to the front…
All in all… 32 buttons…and one sore finger! :o)
I still have to figure out what to make for her hair and what she’ll end up with for her “accessory” but I’m getting closer to having this set finished. Now I just hope when I’m ready to take pictures, the sky is blue! Remember it’s going to be called “Under Blue Skies!”
We had storms go through here tonight, but thank the Lord, they missed doing any damage to us…at least that we know of… I did hear one report that we had one 60 mph wind gust! Yikes… that’s windy! But wind is better than snow, which is what Marilyn has right now! :o)
Well, I better get to bed… looks like Emmie is pooped out too!
My dinner dishes are done and my hubby is going to work at the church tomorrow… Rebecca has to work… so I DO SEE SOME TIME IN MY SEWING ROOM… don’t you???
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, my goodness, what a lot of buttons to sew on!! I remember sewing buttons on my wedding gown…..many years ago……33 down the back and 6 on each sleeve! Thankfully I was able to purchase satin-covered buttons, so I didn’t have to cover them all myself! (It was my girlfriend Judy who thought I should have buttons on my gown, as it looked so pretty!! It was, and SHE got to button them all!! She was one of my bridesmaids.)
Anyway, the dress is turning out so cute, and I just love the flowers at the waistline. Really sets the whole thing off, and pulls the colors out of the print. Can’t wait to see what you do with her hair decorations (love the braids, by the way)!
And, thanks, Jeanne, I’m starting to feel a little more comfortable, but that fall did jar my still-recovering sprained shoulder (from March), and set me back a bit on that. Fortunately, the next day I had PT, and Carrie checked my range of motion and muscles, etc. and thinks I didn’t really re-injure it, just jarred those muscles. Today I had a previously-scheduled doctor’s appt. and she x-rayed my toe; I’ll find out more tomorrow, I imagine.
Hi Charlotte, Glad to hear you are feeling better and that you didn’t re-injure your shoulder. These things take time to heal and if you are like me we are too impatient with soo much to do so maybe you can talk yourself into putting your feet up and reading some of those books, magazines etc that we never seem to have time for :o) I know, easier said than done. Hope your x-ray comes out good and you have a super, fast recovery.
Hi Charlotte,
I’m glad you like Emmie’s dress. I got it finished and listed on Ebay… You can find it under Under Blue Skies Effner if interested… Actually it goes on in 15 minutes. I hope you are feeling better with each passing day. Shoulder pain can be rough… I know about it…
Hope your toe is better too…
Thanks for all your compliments.
Blessings, Jeanne
Goodness, what patience you have, Jeanne, sewing all those buttons so perfectly! This is not about me, but I do NOT like sewing on buttons, and especially those tiny ones and getting them straight too, so I appreciate anyone who can do that! This certainly shows what dedication you have doing things so professionally. They do add to the dress and certainly do give it a custom look! The flowers at the waist are perfect in picking up the colors of the print. The slip is a wonderful addition to the dress and little pantalettes. Whoever wins this will be one lucky person!
Emmie looks much better with braids, I think, and it highlights the delicate features of her face, not to say it makes her head more in proportion to her body. Maybe you could make some sort of hair clip with some of the same flowers as you have on her dress for her hair, or some sort of headband?
Oh my, what a storm we had last night! We had a large branch fall onto our deck, our wall fountain was blown off the wall and broke, not to mention leaves and sticks all over the yard. Today is clean-up for sure! We have an 8th grade graduation to attend for our granddaughter this morning, so we have a full day! Have a fun day sewing, and I think you will get some blue skies today!
HI Linda,
After I did about the first 20 buttons I was sick of sewing them on… I have to admit! But I had to keep going since I had done them the way I had…Oh well, it’s cute now and that’s what matters.
I like Emmie in the braids too… I should try braids with some of my other wigs that seem like too much hair for the dolls. It sort of opened up her face…
I made a little bow for her hair with a snap clip on back and gave her a bouquet. You can see if on Ebay in just a few minutes.. just type in Under Blue Skies Effner and it should pop up… in the newly listed items.
We missed the brunt of the storm I think… just wind and hard rains… but no damage that I’m aware of close to me…
I did have a nice day of sewing and taking pictures outside… Yay!
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
Ah, the dress is beautiful, Jeanne. Despite the fact that you add this and that to your ensembles, they never look overdone…just right. I surely admire how straight your stitches are on all of those buttons….very professionally done and designed beautifully. It is pure delight to see your work.
I trust you will have sewing room time today and blue skies. Our temps will be 20 or more degrees higher today than yesterday…a welcome change.
Blessings.
Thank you Becky… So good to see your name here again… I am so terrible for not answering your letters.. I intend to! :o)
I appreciate your kind compliments on Emmie’s dress. It is one of those dresses that looks so beautiful in person but it’s hard to convey that in my posts… I did take my pictures for Ebay outside today…some were good and some were just okay…but I was pleased with most of them…
We had a beautiful day today and I had the Blue Skies I needed for my pictures. :o)
Thanks Becky,
Blessings, Jeanne
That fabric sure does compliment Emmie’s beautiful blue eyes. I like that you decided to use the blue check fabric as the accent fabric and boy all those tiny buttons! Just love seeing how you put everything together. Hope you get sewing time today.
Thank you Leigh,
I am glad I used the blue check the way I did too… any other way might have been too much! Thank you for your sweet compliments on my work. I did get sewing time and picture time in today.. in fact, Emmie’s dress is going on Ebay in about 5 minutes… you can find it under Under Blue Skies Effner if you want to see it… before I get it posted on the side bar of my blog.
Blessings, Jeanne
Well, we have blue skies here today! Wonderful. I love Emmie’s messy braids. Perfect for the idea that she has been running through a field of wildflowers under those skies of blue. Exhausted, she collapsed in a heap. 🙂
Glad the storm missed you, and sad that Linda lost her fountain.
Amazing how some sunshine can brighten the morning. 🙂
Yay… blue skies for you and blue skies for me… Enough in fact to get my pictures taken of Emmie outside! I decided to rebraid her “messy” braids, but redoing them really didn’t matter because it was so windy today, her hair kept blowing in her face…
As hard as it rained last night and as strong as the wind blew, we didn’t have any damage… thankfully…
I have Emmie’s dress going on Ebay in just a few minutes… it’s under Under Blue Skies Effner… until I get it posted on my blog site…
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
The buttons are wonderful. Do you have LD boots? I just thought of that and it would give the dress a different look. If the moss didn’t catch in Emmie’s hair, a “collapsed” picture after a “running” one might be cute — obviously inspired by Joy’s comment above.
Most of our snow is gone. Now for rain, which appears ready to come next. Lawn cutting at this time of year is always so tricky — will there be any dry days? Still — no tornadoes, and that’s saying a lot.
HI Marilyn,
I’m glad you like all my buttons! I do too! I just have a pair of black boots for my little Darlings… I need to get some of those cute lace up boots I see on Ebay all the time…
There IS a picture of Emmie on the moss in my Ebay listing… I just put the picture of the listing at the right side bar on my post for today…
I’m glad you snow has gone… you really shouldn’t be having snow this close to June… Just my humble opinion… :o)
Stay safe…
Blessings, Jeanne
32 buttons and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt! Old Tennessee Earnie Ford song. 😊 At least that’s what popped into my head after reading the title. We had wind on Tues. and it seems to be the same today. The poor apple blossoms. They barely had a chance to open and now the wind has blown them away. The wind has not blown the song birds away. We had an Indigo Bunting for a few days. They never stick around. 2 pairs of Orioles. The males are very territorial. They chase each other away from the jelly feeder. Hubs says we need 2. Lots of American Goldfinches. Rose Breasted Grosbeaks, Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers, a Hummingbird, only one so far, and the ever faithful Robins, round out our backyard bird population.
HI Jillaurellia,
You are just like me… I actually looked up that song… I was singing it the whole time as I was sewing on those buttons… I remembered it was Sixteen “something” and had to look it up… It was an old Johnny Cash song…
You load sixteen tons, what do you get
Another day older and deeper in debt,
Saint Peter, don’t you call me ’cause I can’t go…
I owe my soul to the company store…
I was singing 16 buttons and what do you get… a very sore finger but don’t you fret.. just being silly, but passing the time away…
You and your hubby sound like bird watchers like we are… we are always looking for them at the feeders…
We had wind today but it was very pretty…
I have Emmie’s dress listed on Ebay now… you can get to it from today’s post…use the picture on the right side bar… or type in Under Blue Skies Effner
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
Blessings, Jeanne
Tennessee Earnie Ford was the the singer of the song as I remember in the 1950’s. Perhaps Johnny Cash sang it much later. 🙂
I think we used to have that Tennessee Ernie Ford record. I LOVED his voice. His and Nat King Coles… :o)
Yes, Joy, Tennessee Ernie Ford sang it. We have lots of his records!
My goodness the crazy weather everyone is having! We are havingNovember this week…dark, dreary, rainy, cold…but today the sun is out for short periods anyway…and a little wren is building a nest near the patio! They are such fun little birdies.
I think this could be one of my top ten favorite dresses. Really…those little felt flowers are just like the ones in the print! The braids are sweet and tendrils would be adorable. Enjoy your sewing day!
HI Kathie,
I know what you mean about the weather…it seems we are having a smorgasbord of everything imaginable…
This just might be one of my favorites too…it is so adorable in person… The wind was blowing so hard as I was taking pictures of it outside today, I didn’t have time to worry about sprigs of hair being in her face… I was just hoping she wouldn’t blow over… I had to use my stand to keep her upright as I used my camera…
I did have fun… You can see the listing on Ebay now… Under Blue Skies Effner or there is a picture on today’s post at the right side bar…
Thanks Kathie…
Blessings, Jeanne
Sore fingers and a whole lot of measuring. Very ambitious. Really, really cute outfit. I too think a hair clip with flowers would be sweet. And I agree with Joy that the messy braids look perfect for a little girl with tons of energy. No matter how nice her mother fixes her hair, by mid-morning, after a run in the meadow, it will be somewhat on the messy side.
So sorry about Linda’s fountain. Hopefully there was no damage to her deck. We can’t get any rain here now, and we could sure use some. It always rains here in the winter when we don’t need it and when things are blooming and we do need it we can’t get any. This means we have higher water bills on top of higher electric bills for A/C. It’s been predicted for three days now but always goes north of us. Don’t need the wind for sure though. We have a lot of big trees. We have farm crops (mainly wheat right now) in Kansas right in the path of all these storms, so I’m on pins and needles because it’s harvest time. We carry hail insurance, but it doesn’t allow for profit, only expenses. And then there’s tornadoes.
HI Barbara,
Well, Emmie did get a hair bow with flowers on it… does that count? In the wind today outside, her braids got even messier than they were… Her hair was all over the place and in her face…
We just had strong winds (60 mph) and lots of rain, but no damage..thank the Lord…
I just added a picture of Emmie on today’s post… it will take you to Ebay to the listing…
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, Emmie’s outfit is adorable. I love the braids as they do allow her beautiful eyes to shine. I cannot believe you sewed on all of those tiny buttons. It was truly a labor of love.
World Doll Day is coming up next month. I didn’t plan anything special for our doll club to do this year. I will give away a doll at our June meeting.
HI Dorothy,
Yep.. I did sew all those buttons on… silly woman! :o)
No really, I wanted to, but it did take some time… getting them straight and changing the thread every time I did a set of 2… oh well… I like it very much the way it turned out…
It’s on Ebay now… You can get to it from the picture I posted on the right side bar of today’s post… or type in Under Blue Skies Effner and that should bring it up…
I need to do something special for World Doll Day.. I’ll be thinking…
Thanks Dorothy,
Blessings, Jeanne
The flowers and buttons are the perfect embellishments! They match the dress perfectly without looking overdone. No storms here, although it’s been quite windy. I’m near the coast so the windy days are not unusual at this time of year. I hope you are getting lots of uninterrupted time in your sewing room!
Thank you Carolyn,
I’m glad you like the flowers and all those buttons. I can’t believe I had all those buttons and the felt flowers and the paper roses too… all in the right colors. Thank goodness for inventory I guess! :o)
I did have lots of uninterrupted time. I even managed to get pictures of Emmie’s dress taken outside and it’s now on Ebay… you can find it under Under Blue Skies Effner or you can go to the picture at the top of today’s post and click on it…
Thanks Carolyn,
Blessings, Jeanne