I went back through my notebook to see which dolls had gotten to model dresses this past year and which ones had been seemingly “forgotten.” I had a few on the list and thought maybe I would start with them.
Sweet little 10″ Patsy Tonner (and Trixie) were on the forgotten list, so guess who’s next.
Patsy was on my cutting table, on her back, face up, as I went through my stack of Christmas fabrics, laying the smaller prints on top of her, trying to find what might go with her bluish green eyes. We both decided on this burgundy and gold print. It’s beautiful and with some gold embellishments (I think) it should look very pretty.
The bodice is finished…but not decorated yet…there’s more to come…
I found some burgundy shoes but they are for my Little Darlings and a little big for Patsy… I think I can make them work…
I had to get this policeman’s bullet proof vest finished, so I spent some time on it this afternoon.
The bottom edges were frayed out and needed to be repaired. It was a dark navy blue and the fabric was kind of a heavyweight gabardine, if you know what that is.
I knew I could probably find more fabric choices if I went to the Goodwill. I took the vest with me in a bag and used it to look through all the men’s pants and jackets, the women’s pants and jackets, the kids pants, shorts, dresses…trying to find something that would match the fabric the best. I finally found a pair of pants that were a pretty close match. It actually looks better in person than it does in my pictures. I asked 2 different people in the store if they thought it went and both agreed it did…
When I took a good look at the frayed area, I decided it would be best to make the whole bottom section one piece instead of trying to just repair the end sections. I took my seam ripper and started taking it apart…then I sewed a strip all the way across the bottom section and finished off the back side and corners.
It took a little time but I was pleased how it looked when I was done. There are zippers on the inside where a Kevlar panel goes to stop any bullets.
I’m very happy to do my part to keep this young guy safe!!! :o)
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Well, I have to confess, when I first glimpsed at your subject line, I had to wonder why Patsy Tonner needed a bulletproof vest!! LOL I really need to slow down and read ALL the words!!
I love the fabric you chose for her–so pretty!! I assume that lace is going to figure in her dress or outfit somewhere?! Or is it just the backdrop?
Great job, repairing the vest, Jeanne! I think you were smart to take it with you to look for garments from which to harvest fabric for repairs. Another benefit is that sometimes a really new fabric might not act as well with something that’s been laundered/cleaned a few dozen times–that is, even if you prewash the fabric once, it still might shrink a bit more. But a garment that’s already been thru the laundry a few times has gotten rid of all it’s shrinkage and also lost the “gloss” of new fabric, so it just Looks better!
Hi Charlotte,
It’s funny, but I skimmed over the comments and see you weren’t the only one who thought Patsy was getting a bulletproof vest. :o)
The lace was just used as a backdrop…I need something little less bulky than this particular lace…
I was thinking the same thing as you regarding putting new fabric on a used vest… it’s better to use like fabrics on like garments.
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
So Patsy is getting a new dress and a lucky policeman is getting his bulletproof vest repaired! Nothing that Jeanne Marie can’t do! I too, thought Patsy was getting a bulletproof vest! š
Patsy looks very pretty in that print! A great color that works all through winter! Seeing how the LD shoes fit, she must be very tiny! I think if you put socks or tights on her, they would look just fine!
I spent just about all afternoon raking leaves, but finally got the back yard done. Since we had snow previously, they were too wet to use the blower, so it was all arm power from me! All downhill too, so I was very tired last night, so it was pizza for supper!
Hi Linda,
I’m hoping both of my “customers” will be happy with what I’ve done for them. Patsy is hoping I find some sewing time today…
Patsy is 10″ tall and just a little bit chunky.
I’m glad you like the fabric I chose for her. It’s a very pretty print and was in 2 small pieces so I missed seeing it the last time I looked through my Christmas scraps.
I think some thigh highs might work to make her shoes look like they fit.
Most of our leaves are gone…the wind blew the last of ours off…the Bradford Pear trees still have leaves, but they are on the other side of the garage so they get mulched last…
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, ah ha, so you do work for NCIS (chuckle), the seamstress to investigators.
Patsy looks very cute in that color. I think you can make the shoes work with some heavy tights.
Hi Dorothy,
I had to laugh at your NCIS comment again..
I’m trying to think of my “different” alterations. I once made a Civil War Frock, a furry teddy bear hot water bottle cover, a Tarzan and Jane animal print set for a guy going on his honeymoon.
And now I’ve repaired a bulletproof vest.
Thanks Dorothy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Very interesting to see the bullet proof vest. Canāt help feeling they need a bulletproof body suit with hoodie and face mask. God bless the men and women who take this on.
I have a Patsy. Iāve only made crocheted dresses for her and Anne Estelle. I keep looking for patterns that size and then I donāt buy because they seem awfully expensive. I love metallic gold on dresses! I better not let the you-know-whose see this. š
Hi Julia,
I was thinking how skimpy the vest looked too…I think I’d like a version that came down past my hips. Yes… may God bless all the men and women who keep us safe.
Okay, just keep an eye on ths dress set ONLY when Patsy is in bed!!
Blessings, Jeanne
I couldn’t figure out why you were going to shoot Patsy! Glad I read further. LOL
Hi Jane,
Well, I guess I title certain got everyone’s attention! Good to start the say off with a surprise and a laugh!!
Thank you Jane,
Blessings, Jeanne
I don’t know who is prettier, Patsy or the exquisite lace upon which she is sitting. I’m wondering if the lace might become a lovely scarf to accent a holiday sweater or outfit for big people? Maybe each end could be finished decoratively.
I must have missed something, but how did you end up repairing the vest? I do believe that this job needs to go into your “highlights of sewing” file along with your blowup slide repair. š
Seeing Patsy’s shoes makes me think that a shoe size narrative guide may be in order. You know, 38mm for Meadow Dumplings, (only size I can remember off hand) and showing the shoe, doll size, foot, etc. Little Darling, your big girls, Meadow Twinkles, to name a few. If you don’t still have the doll, just show the shoes so a comparison can be seen. Might be too much work, but would be so useful when looking at shoes/sizes. š
There’s talk from PGE of another power outage this week. Wind might start blowing. š We’ll see.
Hi Joy,
That lace Patsy is sitting on really is beautiful, but probably a little too stiff for a scarf…for now I’ll just use it for backdrops..
A young guy from church asked me if I could fix the vest… the ragged edges really didn’t interfere with how the vest was worn, but it did need to be fixed…”for appearances sake.”
I have a few scraps of paper with different shoe sizes written on them. Maybe I need to get those sizes all on one sheet…
I’m sorry your power might be turned off…I guess with a little planning, it helps somewhat instead of it happening when you least expect it.
I hope it doesn’t happen…
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Sophie is next on my Christmas dress list. I better get to it or she’ll see this dress and want it instead. Just can’t keep the girls off the internet.
I too was wondering how you were chosen to fix the vest. What a fine job you did. I know the officer will be pleased. Hopefully I will get to some fun sewing today. I decided the other day my torn dust ruffle seriously needed a repair job. I’ve put it off for other things but it was getting worse. I hate mending, but the dust ruffle matches my comforter and curtains so I didn’t want to trash it and buy something else. The ruffle is attached to a whole piece of fabric that goes on top of the platform (it’s a sleep number bed). I was going to use some fusible mesh stabilizer to pull the torn pieces together and then zig-zag them in place, then attach it back to the ruffle with my serger. Great theoretically but what I hadn’t counted on was the “fabric” (and I use the term loosely) melted when I hit it with the iron. After cleaning up my iron I just decided to zig-zag it together as best I could. I really didn’t want to make a new piece for the top because I’ve had it for ages and really don’t know how much longer I want to keep it and the damage was mostly in one spot. I haven’t put it back on the bed yet. I’ll get my son to help me with that when he comes today. Hopefully it will at least look better than it did and make the bed easier to make when I don’t have to try to hide the damage all the time.
Fall has returned to southeast Texas after some serious winter temperatures. It’s hard to figure out what to wear. I was going to switch my clothes around but decided it could wait another week since this week some days the temps will be close to 80. Probably just a good excuse on my part to spend the week in my sewing room.
Hi Barbara,
Itās amazing how many dolls stalk the internet
I hope Sophie gets her dress from you, but if not, let Sophie have a look at mineā¦ :o)
I remember making a doll dress one time and my iron melted the laceā¦not goodā¦I had to take it apart and practically start over..I feel your pain!!
I have got to take some time in the next few days to get my Thanksgiving dinner plans in orderā¦we are having Bithar and her family over. Trying to decide if we are having 2 dinners this yearā¦
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne
Yay Jeanne, for repairing that vest! I have to agree with a previous comment that it looks like it should cover more. I surely hope it will keep him safe, and I applaud you for fixing it for him. I think you did a nice job on it, but donāt you hate ripping out dark threads from dark fabrics though?
Patsy hasnāt had a new dress in a while. I like the red and gold fabric on her. Iām sure it will be lovely.
HI Carolyn,
I was kidding when I delivered it to his mom this morning… I said I think I’d like to have the version that snapped in the crotch! :o) She said they are made just to protect the vital organs!
Yes, ripping out stitches in black and navy have to be the worst!
It HAS been a while since Patsy had a new dress so it’s only fitting that she get a new Christmas dress! I’m glad you like it so far..
Blessings, Jeanne
How wonderful that you were able to repair the young man’s bulletproof vest. I’m sure he was very grateful.
Patsy new dress is off to a wonderful start. The burgundy and gold is very festive. Looking forward to the rest and wondering which dolls were the “forgotten” ones.
Thank you Laura,
Just doing my part to keep him safe!
Thanks for the compliments on Patsy’s dress too. I’m glad you like it.
Let’s see if I can remember which dolls were “forgotten” for a while…
I know Elizabeth was on it, Ellowyne, Elin, Trixie, Betsy McCall, Nellie, Nora and Nyssa…
I don’t know that I’ll make it to all of them, but maybe a few of them will get dresses.
I’d love to make a Christmas Regency dress for Elizabeth and one for Nyssa…
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne