Addy is just beaming as she models this new Civil War dress. She told me she loves it! Well, it doesn’t get much better than that!
I styled her hair so it wasn’t just two braids hanging down her back, but twisted into a pretty look, and accented with her new hair bow. I made it from some silky wired ribbon and attached a snap clip to the underside. You all were wondering if I could come up with something using those tiny scraps I had left over from her dress. Well, I only had a scrap big enough to make a single fringed bow. I just used a straight pin and stuck it in her hair. I didn’t want to add it to the orange ribbon permanently.
This is the way the bodice looked before I started ripping it apart…
The bodice seemed just a little bit too short (ugh) so I took the skirt off and added about 3/8’s of an inch extension onto the bodice to make it a little longer. The plaid is slightly crooked but I had to use it as that was the only scrap I had that was long enough to extend it. You’ll see in a minute that it’s covered by the belt, but before I added that extension, when I fastened the belt around her waist, it smashed the gathers in the skirt and didn’t look very nice. By extending the bodice down even just a little bit, it helped with that and made my skirt lay much nicer.
I am slowly running out of this wonderful embroidered and scalloped braid trim that I’ve been using for years. It makes a great belt and I love to make it come to a point by stitching a sort-of dart on the backside. It fastens in the back with Velcro.
The dress opens all the way to the hem so you can put her crinoline on and them easily dress her in the dress with her arms extending outward. If the dress is sewn partway up the back, you have to put the dress on first and then pull the skirt up over her head while you get the crinoline on. (The dress won’t slide up over the crinoline since it’s boned) Since this dress fabric is homespun cotton, I didn’t want it to look like a wrinkled mess by you having to wrestle with her getting her crinoline up under her dress. The simplest thing to do was to leave the dress open all the way to the hem and easily slide it on, then snap the back shut with six sets of snaps.
You can see I also added a black tie under the collar. I think it was just what this dress needed.
I hope you like it and I hope your girls are jumping up and down asking you when this one is going to be for sale! :o) It won’t be too much longer till I’m completely finished. :o)
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne,
The dress turned out beautifully! Yes I think the black bow under the collar adds just the right touch to the complete outfit. I like her black cumberbund, too. Nice save on adding a bit of length to the bodice!!
The hair bow is really pretty, also. I hate to mention this, and it may be just me, but it seems like the left loop of the orange ribbons is just ever so slightly bigger than the right one. I do like having the option of an extra plaid bow to pin on top of the orange one–nice blend of colors, too. I didn’t really “see” that orange in the plaid until you added the bow!
How pretty this dress turned out, Jeanne! I especially love the belt, which turned the dress into something special, not to say it wasn’t special already, but it certainly did give it an added touch of class! I too, love the bow you added at the collar, and it was a treat to see the whole dress in one picture.
The hair bow is just the thing to highlight her dark hair, and that little scrap of material from the dress makes it work. At first I thought the orange was too bright, but that extra piece tones it down.
This is a fall dress, for sure, and the holiday it reminds me of is Thanksgiving. She could be off to her grandparents house, and bringing a basket of something good to eat, like cookies or little tarts.
Dear Jeanne, the dress is lovely. Any Addy out there would be pleased to wear it. I hadn’t envisioned a belt but once you added it I see that it pulls the dress together. I love the orange bow in Addy’s hair as it pulls the color up to her face.
I can hardly believe that this is the last weekend in September. I feel like I was just counting down to May and now I am counting down to the new year.
This has turned out to be gorgeous. I agree with Linda that it’s perfect to wear to a Thanksgiving dinner. Would Addy and Mama be invited to Mrs. Ford’s or would they host her at their home?
Fall is officially here! Yesterday I rode my bike past a field of beans being combined. The field is a couple miles south of here in Iowa. They’re always ahead of us up north in Minnesota. 😉 😄
Addy looks lovely in this beautiful autumn dress. The black bow is just the right touch against the crisp white collar. I also like the black belt at her waist. More than anything the color of the plaid and how you designed this dress is wonderful. Love this plaid.
The idea of Addy at Thanksgiving is neat but something going on in October would be neat too- a harvest town dance?
All of the extra work and additional details make Addy’s dress a special one of a kind Jeanne Marie. Seems to me that Addy is the teacher here attending the fall oral presentations program for her talented students. She’s wearing the new dress made by her mother as she receives accolades for her teaching skills. 🙂
Didn’t that turn out beautifully ? Not only the style but the colors and trims and buttons! Everything works. It will be good from today clear through November.
I love a doll dress that opens all the way down the back. It just makes dressing those beauties SO much easier let alone less wear and tear on arms ( on the antique leather ones) and on delicate vintage fabrics.
Poor Addy will be neeked again soon but she’ll love her dress while she has it!
Have a fun weekend!
The dress is so very fetching on Addy, Jeanne. Addy seems to be beaming away with how beautiful she looks in this plaid creation….so very pretty.
Blessings.
Oh my! Didn’t this dress turn out too good to be true. I love it! The belt is marvelous and the bow at the neck is perfect. I really love plaids. I’m inspired to do some plaid sewing when I get home. It’s funny to see the difference in people’s color vision re fabrics. Charlotte said she didn’t really see the orange in the fabric and the orange is mainly what I saw. It would be fun to have a piece of fabric and have several people say what color jumped out at them. Unfortunately we can’t do it online, because the colors on our computers can be so different. But it would be fun.
I keep forgetting to add this to my comment. Someone was saying the other day how difficult it is to find good trims of the right size and price. I get most of my trims from Home Sew. They have an incredible selection and many sized for doll clothing. They also have a section for doll notions like zippers, etc. Home Sew is in Bethlehem, PA, and I remember living there when they first opened and my mother would go there a lot. Their store was amazing! After we moved there was no internet so for years I wasn’t sure they were still in business. When I found them online and realized it was the same company we used to buy from I was delighted. I often go through their “clearance” section and add to my stash. Wonderful stuff!!
Thanks for the Home Sew tip. I took a look and wow, they have some great things. Thank you. 🙂
Addy looks stunning in her new Civil War gown. The dress has all the right little touches. The orange hair bow is the perfect choice. It reminds me of her striped dress (which happened to be the first Addy dress I bought) , but on a much grander scale. Yes, Addy will certainly enjoy your creation for the few days she gets to enjoy it. Such is the life of a seamstress’ dolly.