Hi everyone,
I worked with Rebecca for hours today and I am happy to say the scrapbook is finished. I was determined not to drag this project out another day…
I will show you some “embellished” pages soon but our computer has not been connecting to the internet, and it would take too long to do it from my phone. Kristoffer said he’d come over tomorrow and check it out…
Meanwhile I’m going to try and get these pictures of Julie’s dress loaded from my phone.
The dress isn’t hemmed yet and you may notice I took a hint from Julia and turned my lace the opposite way from what it was when I first sewed it on. It does show off the ruffle on the sleeves better.
One sleeve before AND one after…
I also have a pretty choker in the works!! It is totally from the 70’s!
I haven’t looked at shoes yet, but I’m sure I can find something.
I hope you think I’m in the “groove” with this dress… :o)
Here is a closeup picture of the fabric… I hope you can see the little tufts…
I did it…all from my phone…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
The dress is coming along nicely. I just read yesterday’s comments, and I had fogotten about the Gunne Sax dresses from the 70s and early 80s; I guess I was too busy raising a little boy to pay that much attention!! In the light of that particular style niche, I think the fabric you chose is most appropriate to that era. (But, I don’t think I’ll Ever be a “beige person”! LOL) And, yes, I did see the little tufts. It’s Almost like a dotted Swiss.
HI Charlotte,
My wedding dress was a Gunne Sax dress pattern. I still have that pattern. We got married in 1981. I LOVED Gunne Sax dresses and wore them a lot! I managed a resale shop back then and whenever they came in, I snagged them! They were my favorite style dresses at the time.
Sorry, you’re in the “non beige camp” Charlotte! I bet you’d like it in person… well, maybe! :o)
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oops, I sent it with my other email address again.
So sweet, Jeanne. Julie does look very 70’s-ish.
Blessings.
Thank you Becky,
The more I look at Julie, the more the 70’s are coming back to me. I should look at my high school yearbook to get some styles… as I was in high school from 70-74! I know a thing or two about those years! I was also busy sewing up a storm those years too!
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
So glad it is a long dress. š That’s what I remember. Hope there are no further embellishments as things were fairly plain at that time. And then the velvet choker a definite must.
I remember that for Pioneer Days at college, about 1970, our dorm all made similar dresses in green with black trim and of course, the black choker. Wish I had a pic of that. š
Would love to see a photo of your scrapbook. Hope you get your computer fixed.
HI Joy,
Yes, it’s a maxi dress but no velvet choker… but I think it will be okay… you’ll see it tomorrow. Oh, and I did leave it plain… as per your request! :o)
My computer wizard of a son did fix my computer! hip hip hurray!
I got a few more pictures and comments for the scrapbook today so it is “almost” finished unless I get a few more pages in… but I just added the extra blank sheets to the back of the book and can easily embellish those pages and slip them in… I’ll share…
(I’ll also share your latest soon!) :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
A maxi dress! I was hoping it might be long.š Do you have clogs? I also remember black patent leather with a block heel and 3 straps that buckled. A modified Mary Jane. Fashion boots too but those were worn with minis or hot pants.
HI Julia,
It’s a good thing I did make it a maxi as I didn’t really have any shoes that would have worked with a shorter dress. Since they don’t show on this one, I just used a brown buckle over shoe. I did have a pair of white sandals but though the brown worked better.
Thanks Julia,
Blessings, Jeanne
Is that a huge smile I see on Julie’s face? Looks like she’s more than pleased with her lovely new dress. Since she’s new to the fold, have the other girls enlightened her on how the system works? Hopefully not yet. Don’t want to see her lose that charming smile.
I loved the long dresses. I had a couple that I wore to work. I was a secretary. Most buildings in Texas until recently were not insulated. Energy was cheap. The floor in our office was always cold in the winter and we used floor heaters to help keep us warm. It was decided, for safety reasons, that we could no longer wear the long dresses for fear of them catching fire being so close to the heaters. So we went back to our mini skirts. Problem is being 5’3″, what was a mini skirt on someone else was actually knee length on me.
Speaking of cold, it’s been quite chilly here for a couple days. In our area it goes from summer to late fall pretty quickly. I went walking Monday at 5 p.m. The temp was 82. When David came in for supper about 6:30 p.m. he said a front had come through. The temp had dropped to 66. Yesterday’s high was 56 and today it’s about that and rainy which not only makes it cold but damp too.
HI Barbara,
I haven’t heard any chatter on the dolly shelf so I don’t think Julie knows the system yet… she’ll learn quickly, I guess.
Oh to be able to wear a mini skirt again… I don’t think I ever wore the micro mini skirts, but I did wear them above my knees. How I wish I had some of those dresses I made back in the 70’s… I might have to look in my yearbook and see if there are any of me in there… I was looking at my pattern book and every time I’d see a pattern that I remembered, I could see in my mind what I had made from that pattern. It was definitely a trip down memory lane.
We’ve had some cooler temps too and rain… it’s raining right now.. I can hear it hitting the window as I’m sitting at my computer!
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne
Love what you have done. Looking forward to seeing your scrapbook pages. Congratulations on selling Kirsten’s dress.
My foster daughter’s eldest daughter is pregnant. Sam and I looked after her till she was 3 so she was always my grandaughter, so another great grandchild for me. She and her partner have worked so hard to save enough to buy a house and they managed that last year. She has had a really rough time growing up so deserves all the happiness she has now. Nardus, her partner, loves her to pieces and treats her like a queen, I am so happy for her.
Finally got the garden finished, from now on it shouldn’t be too hard mainly just watering regularly. It rained again last night so won’t have to do that today, yeah. Just as well it is finished, I think every part of me aches a bit and the bits that usually hurt (my back, hip and shoulder) are hurting twice as much as usual. Still it had to be done and I really was the only one who could do it the way I wanted it.
Some good news on the family front, Greg can go back to work on Monday. Only part time to start with. The bad news is that, due to Covid, the company can’t get the parts they need, they are backed up at the Port of Tauranga. so they are on short hours anyway. The last community case was someone who had worked on one of the ships in the port. He must have handled something that was contaminated. By the time he showed any symptoms the ship had left and was headed for Brisbane. The crew was tested there and several had the virus. Genome testing showed it was the same strain as our case. So far only one other person has tested positive from that contact but it will be a few days before we know for sure.
Looking forward to seeing Julie in all her finished finery.
HI Anne,
Well, anyone that has raised a foster child deserves recognition… so congrats “grandma to be!”
Congrats on getting the garden the way you wanted it. I hope you get some rest and recuperate quickly. Gardening is hard work!
That’s good news about Greg. I hope things work out for him to actually go back to work!
Julie’s set is almost complete… one more thing, I think, to make… :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
Julie’s lookin’good so far. Turning the lace around does show off those bell sleeves better. I do remember velvet choker necklaces. Those had almost a Regency vibe to me. Maybe because of my age or place, I recall the long prairie styles and chinos etc. in the seventies more than mini skirts. If Julie’s AG wardrobe had been a bit later era I might have connected with her more. The pioneer days must have been somewhat throughout the ’70’s. I recall in 1977 or 78 when I was in fourth or fifth grade we were allowed to ditch our uniforms for an entire week as long as we wore prairie skirts or similar Gunne Sax dresses. I can’t remember what the boys were to wear though. We mixed pioneer with ’70’s by imitating dyeing fabric by making rainbow tie dye t-shirts and making hot dogs and smores over a campfire. LOL Lots of fun!
HI Laura,
I was looking through my 1974 pattern book and I did run across the long dresses that were on the “prairie” side of fashion… I even saw a Hobby Hobbie pattern in there complete with bonnet.
I’m glad I turned the lace around on the sleeves… it does look better that way.
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
Arenāt square necklines so flattering? With Rebeccas velvet necklace that will hide the seam At her neck and be so pretty! Loved those years of long dresses. One Christmas my girls and I all had dresses alike. We felt so special š„°
The fabric You used looks like great quality and she looks āpleased as punchā in her new dress!
Darn snow is hanging around…but supposed to warm a bit this weekend.
HI Kathie,
Well, I hope you won’t be disappointed at the choker I ended up making.. .Hobby Lobby had NO velvet in brown so I opted for something else.
I do love this fabric and hope the person who ends up with it loves it as much as I do. It’s really very pretty in person… I think I’ll have to do some outside pics to show just how pretty it really it.
I hope your snow melts soon… nothing like being stranded MORE than we already are!
Blessings, Jeanne
Iām finally chiming in from Branson! Oh my, where is Noah when you need him? It is raining cats and dogs, and has been for quite awhile. We did get in a couple hours at Silver Dollar City before the deluge. Leaving tomorrow, if the roads are not rivers!
I love Julieās dress! Thatās the kind of dress I like for her, something sweet, not the crazy gaudy colors that are sometimes used for 70ās clothes. I love the lace too, and am glad you are keeping the dress longer. A choker would be perfect, and I can see her wearing a big floppy hat with this, although Iām not sure if you are going that far with it.
Everyone is mentioning shoes, so maybe you should invest in more shoes for Julie to show off other creations you make for her. Simple flats just wonāt cut it!
Back to watching raindrops fall!
HI Linda,
Welcome from Branson. I hope you are, and have had a wonderful time with your hubby!
Wow, it’s been years since I have been to Silver Dollar City. I loved it years ago…is it still as much fun nowadays?
I’m going to have to break down and find a pair of clogs or wedge shoes for Julie before I do something shorter for her… you’re right, flats just won’t work.
We are having lots of rain here too… enjoy the pitter patter on your windows!
Blessings, Jeanne
Cool creation. Maybe some knitted vest and of course a necklace. These journeys in time and history are very interesting. Greetings.
Thank you Alina,
Well, if I knew how to knit, I could probably whip Julie up a vest, but since I don’t know how, I’m going in a different direction… you’ll see in a day or two. I’m glad you are enjoying yourself on her, Alina!
Blessings, Jeanne
I like the square neckline and the way the flower is centered on the bodice. The skirt is the right width. The choker idea is excellent. Does she need a bag or purse? A hair decoration? These are the best clogs I found https://www.ebay.com/itm/American-Girl-Today-2009-Photography-Outfit-Flower-Clogs-Shoes-only/353248264415?hash=item523f3cc0df:g:tdMAAOSwfmFfkulF
There are several era-appropriate sandals or clogs in purple — not good for this outfit, but maybe for another one later.
Etsy has many sandals
https://www.etsy.com/listing/461750516/faux-suede-sandals-18-inch-doll-doll?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=american+girl+sandal
or these (mentioned above)
https://www.etsy.com/listing/831758679/tan-doll-sandals-18-doll-sandals-fits?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=american+girl+sandals&ref=sr_gallery-1-10&organic_search_click=1
or this etsy shop has a ton, indicating that with the right materials, you could make your own
https://www.etsy.com/shop/LorelieCreations?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=779075424
Pixie Faire shoe patterns
https://www.etsy.com/search?q=pixie+faire+shoes
You probably know about them, but maybe someone here will see something useful.
I can now stand by myself for several minutes at a time. I am using my new talent to clean out drawers and found, to my great happiness and relief, my cake tester.
HI Marilyn,
Oh goodie, it looks like lots of links for Julie…
I LOVE those brown clogs with the little rose embroidered on them… They would be perfect for this dress. I might have to let everyone know about them… if they are looking for the right shoe for this dress. Thanks.
…and the tan suede fringed clogs are very cute too! They are really nice and different than what you see so often…
After seeing all those pictures on Etsy, I think the “shoe cobbler” should get busy! How hard could sandals or clogs be??? :o)
Super congratulations on being able to stand on your own! Wow, the year 2020 might be crummy for lots of people, but for you, it’s your best year ever…well toward the end! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne