Hi everyone,
I hope you had wonderful New Year’s celebrations…even if you were by yourself…ours was pretty low key!
I wanted to thank you all for the feedback you gave me this year, the compliments you shared, the advice you gave when I asked for help, the suggestions you sent my way, the pictures you shared so freely, the joy you gave to all the other members on here. It was a nice year (on here, at least) and I hope 2021 proves to be even better!
I have enjoyed reading all the comments you had about the dresses before you voted and then after you found out the results. Everyone was very kind and none of the girls on my dolly shelf broke down crying… at least not yet… They might after they hear what I have to say…
This is going to be hard, because I don’t want ANYONE to think a dress they bought isn’t special just because it didn’t rank as high or even not at all, as some of the others… So, I thought I’d just share my perspective on the dresses I made through the year. I asked myself some questions and tried to answer them… just so you could see where I was coming from…
Cutest Dress:
“Old Fashioned Christmas” modeled by Bailey and “Christmas Cheer” modeled by Navi…
Both of these dolls are kind of whimsical and the expression on Bailey’s face won me over for being the cutest…
Look at those sweet blue eyes…
Navi won me over for being so fun to pose and her size…at just 6″ tall, she is SO adorable when you place her in different positions. I DO need to look for a new wig for her… one that isn’t so overpowering for her tiny features.
Best Use of Color:
Lian’s purple and burgundy (Welcome Fall) and Kirsten’s pretty blue gauzy plaid dress (Hello Fall) stood out to me for this…
Lian’s dress was (I’m sorry, but it was FABULOUS in person) but probably only the winner and I know this. At least I hope she thinks so… It was one of the prettiest combinations of color I have ever sewn. It was hard, however to capture the colors and get them all to be the same in my pictures, so some were brighter and others were more subdued… Anyway, to me, Lian looked divine in this set…
Kirsten’s dress definitely wins the best color award… I found this fabric at an estate sale back in the summer and debated about keeping it to make something for myself. It’s soft and gauzy-like and the color blocks of the different shades of blue are a great combination. When I added the white accents to the dress, it made the blue pop even more…
Most fun to make “accessories for!”
This had a few dresses in this category… I love making little shoes and hats and bonnets and books and book bags and glasses and purses and slip and hairbows… These dresses were my favorites for the “littles” that made them special…
Ten Ping was my hubby’s 2 place choice in “No Easter Parade.” I made a tiny little bonnet for her and she looked more adorable than she ever has… I also made her tiny little shoes from Ultrasuede too…
Navi got to wear 2 sets like this as I sold them to 2 ladies on my blog… I didn’t name them, but just called them Blue and Yellow.
“Springtime Delight” on Emmie…I enjoyed making her bonnet and intend to make some more for Easter this year! I better get started!
“Happy Holly Days” shown on Ten Ping, got shoes AND a purse especially made for her dress. I think she looked so adorable in this…
“Get the Vote Out” for Chrissa… She got her very own sign! :o)
“First Day of School” For Molly…
“A Pretty Pair in Pink” modeled by my Boneka girls…
This set was one of those I just kept adding and adding more pieces until I finally HAD to stop…
The Dress where I made something I hadn’t made before: … goes to Nora in “Civil War School Girl Charm”… I wanted her to have a bonnet and didn’t have a form for the style I wanted, so I just used a bowl and turned it up side down… and used my braid like this. I thought she was very sweet in this set. Nora tied for 4th place along with Samantha in Barely Beige and Molly in First Day of School.
The Pink Dresses That Seemed Forgotten: went to Molly in “Coral Charm” and Eden in “Vintage Easter.” I think both were lovely, and the right person found them in the end, but they were struggling a bit on Ebay… still not sure why. I do think the pictures of “Vintage Easter” were a bit drab looking. I may try another dress from this wonderfully sheer and very pretty fabric, this Spring and see what happens this time.
The Dress my Hubby voted for: Noel, my sweet 10″ Boneka doll didn’t get any votes on the blog, but my hubby came through and gave her HIS vote… She was adorable in this last dress of 2020!
Most Dainty Dress Award:
This was an easy decision for me… Samantha and Nellie’s blue and pink almost sheer plaid dresses, “Pink Perfection” and “Beaming in Blue” wins hands down! They were divine to sew and I really enjoyed making them… I think my girls looked like little princesses!
Navi also gets in on the Dainty Dress Award for Time for Tea. She was so sweet in her pearls and bonnet with flowers lining the brim…I made her shoes for this dress too!
Best Photo Shoot:
This probably goes to Nyssa… we had a great time taking pictures of all her books and her in her glasses, cocking her head this way and that… I loved making this pleated dress again and apparently you all loved it too… Nyssa lives in her box so her resin doesn’t yellow, and sometimes she seems to be my forgotten doll… But every time I sew for her, I ask myself, “Why don’t you sew for her more often?”
Nyssa’s dress was fun because you asked about pleats, which started a 2 week (or longer) series on how to make pleats! :o)
The dress that gave me the most trouble:
Maryellen’s “Thanksgiving Helper” dress was in a class of it’s on in this category. I started out thinking of one direction I wanted to go, but ended up so far from that it wasn’t even funny… I wanted there to be a drop waist and 3/4 length sleeves…
First try…
2nd try…
3rd try…
…and finally got it where everyone seemed to approve…shirred up the sleeves and took the skirt off and added a regular full skirt…
The dresses that took the longest:
I’m not positive by this probably has to be the 1900’s dresses for Nellie and Samantha. I have rows and rows and rows of pictures in my media library on my website… I was making TWO dresses at the same time, but you can’t believe how many pictures I have… I learned a few things when I made the Barely Beige dress, so when it was time to make the blue one (ultimately for Nellie) “Blue Diamonds” was much quicker but it still took time to get it just right! :o)
Here are just 2 shots of “some” of the pictures from making this set…
The dress that surprised me the most:
That would be Julie’s Maxi dress…I LOVE how it turned out, but I wasn’t sure about the fabric… my hubby didn’t like it AT ALL from the git go… said it was too drab for his taste… but I just loved this fabric and had been saving it for something special… I was pleased with how it turned out and when I found that LOVE charm for her necklace… I was over the moon with delight. I think Julie’s platinum blonde hair and this dress were just MADE FOR EACH OTHER… I absolutely could not stop looking at Julie as she stood on my cutting table waiting for a bid on this dress.
My Top 3 dresses:
When I have to think about what were my top 3 dresses, I have to think of the ones I studied the most, the ones that I wanted to get things JUST PERFECT on them, the ones I couldn’t get enough of, the ones I could picture in the mind if you asked me if I had a favorite, the ones that seemed to be made especially for the doll they were shown modeling it.
And that led me to choose these 3 dresses…
Regency Romance, modeled by Elizabeth…
Didn’t Elizabeth shine in this dress and spencer and bonnet? I have had the fabric for her dress for years and didn’t know what to do with it… When I discovered the red piece went with the print, it was like it just clicked and I knew it would make a pretty set… I never dreamed you would vote for it as the top dress of 2020, but you did. I really enjoyed making it and several people have requested another dress with that jacket soon… I’ll do my best…
Barely Beige, the 1900’s dress I made for Samantha… (or Nellie) was another of my top 3 picks.
This one looked unbelievably beautiful in person. There was no way taking pictures did it justice… it was stunning in my opinion… and I don’t usually say that about my own dresses… I loved it on Nellie, but when I switched and let Samantha model it, something just happened in me, and I knew it was “her” dress…
The 3rd dress in my top 3 was the one for Lian… Again, I just loved how it turned out… it was one of those again, that my camera just could not match the brilliance of the fabric and the color of that purple wool felt jacket with it. She was adorable in it and once again, it was one of those dresses I couldn’t stop looking at…
The dress set I liked the best from all 25 dress sets made:
This was SO SO SO hard… but I asked myself a few questions to help me decide…
If you could only keep ONE dress, which dress would it be?
Which dress did I enjoy making the most?
Which dress did I enjoy seeing come to life the most?
Which dress did I make where EVERY single thing came together just as I hoped it would?
Which dress captured the beauty of the doll that was modeling it?
Which dress won my heart from the beginning?
And that dress was Samantha’s 1900’s, “Barely Beige,” dress… I drafted this pattern and there were a few detours along the way to get to the final dress, but it was for me, perfection. I just loved this dress! I very seldom ever feel the way about a dress, the way I did with this one. I couldn’t have been more pleased with it…and all my girls who got to model it felt the same way…
Well, that’s it for 2020… a year in the books and a brand new year to start sewing a whole different set of doll dresses!
Thanks for tagging along this year… I hope you’ll stay for this new year! You never know who I’ll be sewing for… it just might be your favorite doll! :o)
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
It was fun to read your takes on the various outfits you made this year, Jeanne, and to see the many pictures again. (Wow, you really DID take a lot of pictures of the Blue Diamonds dress!)
That Vintage Easter dress fabric is a small enough print, I think it would look lovely on one of your Little Darlings. Just sayin’…..
Here’s to another year of beautiful clothes for our dolls!
I TOTALLY agree with you, Jeanne, on your top pick, Barely Beige! It was mine too! No other dress was made like that, and the color, fabric, trims, etc., were the most elegant and unique of them all! I loved the dolls modeling them too! Just perfect in my eyes! I wonder if a fellow sofa sister bought that dress?
I also agree on many of your picks, but there are so many, it is hard to digest! All the work you so lovingly did on each and every one of those dresses just shows that you really are a professional with heart! You pour yourself into each of the outfits, and it shows. They are not cookie cutter dresses, like some seamstresses make. You have a story for each outfit, and little”extras” that make it so much fun to see what is coming up next!
I too, think the doll modeling the clothes counts for what is liked or not. What’s not to like, though? I myself, do not care for so called”character” dolls. I like smiling, sweet faces on my dolls, but I realize i am not the only one who does so. There is enough room for us all!
Thank you Jeanne, for keeping us focused on “fun things” like doll clothes in a year that was not fun at all! Looking forward to brighter days ahead!
I’m thrilled that Barely Beige was your favorite! I’ll be sure to find another picture along if I find one and leave it to Marilyn to issue the challenge. It certainly was a labor of love by the time it was completed.
It was wonderful to see all of your comments about the thought process it takes to design and sew a dress from a picture or even from a little girl’s mind as I did with Riya’s dress. Nothing is easy about doing this. All of your dresses are amazing in their own ways and unique in the true sense of the word. Thank you for everything you do and for sharing tips not only for sewing but for living and enjoying life while serving others.
Jeanne, I am with you on “Welcome Fall” although it is my all time favorite of all your outfits I have seen. The color matches came out perfectly on my MAC, I loved the ruffles on the
jacket collar, and I just adore that fabric. As I told you, I was given enough of it to make a blouse for myself, except I don’t sew for myself anymore. I would love to copy what you did, but I won’t. I love sewing on Liberty Tara Lawn and have made many dresses from it with matching vintage hankie pinafores for Helen Kish and a few for others.
Loved seeing your perspective, wise one with the creative genes. I still believe that photo of Julie I like is one of your best. Love that fabric too. Sorry George. Do you have any more of that? What a wonderful dress that might make for Nyssa or others maybe in the 30’s style.
On to a hopefully much happier 2021.
My choices and preferences are all about color. The beige and tan were nice but I just didn’t feel it. The dresses I picked all gave me a little zzzing the first time I saw them and every time after!💗😍💜
Jeanne, the questions you pondered about in how you felt about your creations were logical and to the point. I understand your reasoning in being the creator of these magnificent designs.
It truly was a tough decision for us to choose favorites because of so many variables. One, I think you chose the right girls for the right outfits, which included colors and how the right girl complimented those colors. As well as, you have the right girls for the different eras.
The little girls are just too cute and each outfit they wore enhanced their sweetness.
One outfit I love, as well as the girl, is Ten Ping, in No Easter Parade. When you first got her, she looked sad and her facial paint was too loud for her sweet face. When you repainted her face, it altered her expression in my view. She looked happier in a shy way. Now this will sound weird but you dress her in such lovely outfits, it was like you brought her out of the cold and cared for her. In No Easter Parade, she looks lovely and happy and cozy and well cared for in this outfit.
Jeanne, you covered all the questions as a designer like you would have and it was interesting to hear your thoughts. Keep those questions so next year we can follow your guide and it will help us decide. Your outfits are unique and those questions will help us immensely at the end of next year.
Even if I don’t have all the dolls you sew for, I sometimes wish I did, just to have a particular outfit. Your accessories are fun and amazing when you add them to the outfits too.
Despite the decisions you had in creating Thanksgiving Helper, I love that design and the material. It reminds me of a dress my mother made for me when I was in grade school.
It was interesting to hear your thoughts about the outfits you made for 2020 and we are all enthusiastic about what you have in store for the new year! It will be fun to look forward to your surprises!
Barely Beige is an excellent top pick. I was very torn between putting it first or second and really wanted to tie it with the Civil War dress. I think it’s the fact that Civil war and bonnets always get to me. Barely Beige was truly the most unique dress I’ve seen you make and I think that was because of the color not being the usual bright or prints.
Looking forward to seeing who gets to model the first dress of 2021.
I would very much appreciate prayers for my Dad. He was diagnosed with Covid over the weekend and I learned of it yesterday morning. He’s in the higher risk group due to a previous heart attack and some kidney problems. I’m feeling super stressed as we haven’t been able to get together last year and I can’t be of any help now due to distance and I can’t expose my mom and daughter. My dad has friends who are covering the bases. My daughter has a history of respiratory issues, so she’s somewhat high risk as well. I’ve been super, super careful with shopping and avoiding contact. Rough start to my year.
Oh Laura, so sorry to hear about your dad. Let’s hope he gets excellent care and beats it quickly. Thoughts with you.
Thank you, Joy. I appreciate the thoughts.
Laura, I’m so sorry to hear of your dad’s illness. You can count on me to pray for him to recover and so you all can once again see each other. Yes, rough start to the new year, indeed!
Thank you so much, Linda. I , and my dad will appreciate your prayers so much!
Dear Laura, I am so sorry to hear of this. I will add your father to my prayer list.
I’m sorry to hear about your dad, Laura. He will be on my prayer list, also.
Well, as I made choices I realized that I tended to have favorite dolls – those are Ten Ping, Lian, and Navi 🙂 I think they could wear anything and I’d pick those dresses! But I also really loved Barely Beige as well; maybe had something to do with seeing the process you went thru to get to the final point… thanks for sharing Jeanne.
best regards,
Joy Lynne Carter
Jeanne I loved reading about the way you created your dresses and accessories, and which outfits were your favourites and why. I love how you seem to fit the dress to the personality of the doll.
I’m in agreement with Linda, I am not keen on the character dolls either, I, too, like my dolls with sweet, pretty faces. If we were voting on the dolls in the photos and not the dresses I would have put Emmi first, she is so very pretty. Having said that, I would vote Bailey as the cutest she has such an appealing face even though she isn’t as ‘pretty’ as some others. I still love Elizabeth in her Regency outfit, I would love to see you do a similar outfit again the jacket was just lovely.
Laura, I am so sorry about your Dad, I will pray for his recovery. We keep seeing your (and UK’s) stats on Covid every night on the news and they are truly awful in some parts of the country (countries). I worry all the time about my sister, her husband and daughter (who has had to leave her family and move in with her parents because her family are still working outside the home). All three have health problems and have to be especially careful. I don’t think they have been anywhere for nearly a year. My daughter was having heavy duty chemo through our lockdown but was also having to go to the hospital for the chemo so she was immuno compromised but also a risk to others as she was travelling away from her immediate area, (we also weren’t allowed to go anywhere further than our own neighbourhood and only on foot) so we weren’t allowed to be in the same ‘bubble’. Not sure if you know what I mean by ‘bubble’, you probably have something similar. At midnight on the day we locked down the people in our homes at the time were our ‘bubble’ and we weren’t allowed to mix with anyone outside that group for 6 weeks. Since I live on my own I found it a bit lonely (I did a LOT of sewing), particularly when my cat died, though Sam and I did break our bubble that day and spent the afternoon together, fortunately by then most of the chance of infection had passed.
Looking forward to seeing what you come up with this year Jeanne.
Thank you, Anne. I appreciate your praying for him as well. I hope Sam is doing better now. It sounds as though she has had a lot of sickness for a long time. I will pray for her as well.
Yes, I do know what you mean by “bubble”. We also are supposed to stay with just the people we reside with and not visit relatives who don’t live with us directly.
I’m so sorry to hear about your kitty passing. You do have a dog though, right? A furbaby is a great comfort at all times. I couldn’t live without them.
Loved the way you expressed your thoughts on color and fabric and design. So many things go into getting the right combination for your wonderful dresses. Having lots of different dolls, in multiple sizes keeps you always busy deciding who comes next😉
Hope this will be a prolific and fun year of ensembles for all your dolls⭐️🤗⭐️
Looking forward to dress #1…I’m sure you have it in mind if not started already☺️
Oh Laura, so sorry to hear about your dad. I will keep him and you in my prayers. Keep us posted on how he is doing. Hugs long distance.
Thank you so much, Paula. We will both appreciate you prayers. I will keep everyone posted. He had to go to the hospital this morning and have his kidneys evaluated to see how they are functioning. He finds out tomorrow. Thank you for the long distance hugs. I did see that you normally live in Ohio as I do. We might be close neighbors in real life. Wouldn’t that be neat!
Laura: keep us posted on your dad. Hope things look better tomorrow.
Perhaps Jeanne could help connect us by email?
Yes — Laura, do keep us posted and remember that good things happen too.
I am really thrilled that the beige dress was your favorite. I felt guilty for sending you on that quest, but it seems to have paid off. My number one was Elizabeth’s spencer outfit. The back of the jacket was pretty enough to make it a winner, but the jacket back and the bonnet put it over the top.
No Easter Parade made Ten Ping look perfect — that may be her color, when I would have said red or pink.
Julie’s outfit was a winner for me too. I loved the color and design and look forward to another Julie dress soon. And then the sister dresses…I guess the only thing to say is that you had a very good year.
Dear Jeanne, it was interesting to see your selections. It is always fun to see what choices the artist/creator makes.
I can’t wait to see your creations for 2021.