Let’s start off with the weather… like they do on your local news…
We are STILL cold and still have LOTS of snow… probably like YOU DO TOO! However we are experiencing a bit of a heat wave…it’s now 15 degrees and the wind chill is just 5! Ha!
Here is a picture I took of Rebecca shoveling a path to the garage so she could park her Blazer in it… she has to leave for work at 5:00 a.m. each morning and we gave her the garage this week… She also shoveled some paths for my hubby to walk Reuben…
We also had 2 casualties… my hubby lost 2 of his birds… one was the mother to a young Old German Owl. So my hubby brought the dad and the young bird inside (in a cage in the living room) and also a pair of Old German Owls who just had a new baby… it wasn’t feathered out yet, and my hubby said it was shivering so he brought them in too…
I was going to call my post, “Birds and Bodices and Boots” but didn’t make any boots yet… so I changed my title…
I also wanted to mention my little fuzzy-like jacket for Rozen looks like the front edges are uneven in my pictures… they aren’t…one is just more “hairy” than the other making it look rounded at the bottom edge.
Now let’s talk about bodices…
There is a difference when you make a dress that has sleeves set in from a dress that is sleeveless. The dress I made for Sara was made using a pattern I had drafted for the Wellie Wisher dolls, so it worked fine. The dress I wanted to make for Rozen was sleeveless and the armhole was too big to suit me, so I started drafting a new pattern…
This was my first attempt…
It was just a little too tight…and too high in the neck area…
So I went back to the drawing board (literally) and tried this one…
It was too high on the shoulders and wouldn’t stay down when she moved her arms…
So I tried this one next…
It was better in the neckline but the shoulders were still too high and too narrow… I don’t like the joints of the arms to show if they don’t have to…
With a few more tweaks I came up with this one…
It was just right…
No gaps in the armhole areas…
…and she could move her arms all around without moving the shoulders up and down of the dress…
Not too bad… only 4 tries to get a great fitting bodice…
My hubby came in my sewing room when I was finishing up with the green print one and he said he REALLY liked it on her… I told him it was just for fit… but he thought I should make it into a dress…so…. maybe….
Okay next… shoes…
I love playing a shoe cobbler… but only when things go in the right direction… let me just tell you… I took a few detours on this Ruby Red Fashion Friends shoe trip…
(Susette asked me what kind of glue I used for these shoes… It’s called Crafter’s Pick and I got it at Hobby Lobby… )
I wanted a pair of shoes to go with Rozen’s new aqua dress but didn’t have anything even close that would work… I could have used the white ones I used with Sara, but I was feeling good about making a new pair… maybe in some Ultrasuede… well that was short lived…
I cut out a tracing of her foot (a few different times)
…and tried adding the top part (a few MORE different times)
…MORE feet tracings… (even using the turquoise shoes she came with…
…and this is what I was ending up with…
NOPE…
NOPE…
…and then I thought I had it… so I kept going…
The only thing was, they looked like clodhoppers on her feet… too wide…
So I gave in and went to Etsy and saw this pattern for $3.99 and bought it… (Love U Bunches)
I enlarged the pattern to 104% and gave it a go… what do you know… it worked… I did them “mostly” the way the directions said, but strayed just a bit… So now I have a basic idea of what I was doing wrong… my shape was more of a U shape and not a rounded V shape… that made all the difference in the world… my pattern was almost the exact same size in length and width, it was just the shape…
So anyway these were my shoes at the end…
Now I’m ready to try them in leather… I think I can… I watched a video on making doll shoes and “think” this shoe cobbler has a grasp on how to do it… I guess we’ll see….
Stay warm and enjoy your inside time…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
What a neat post–something for everyone!! Loved the snow picture–our snow is almost gone, and the temp got up to 48° this afternoon!! Roads are bare and wet (or dry, depending on where you are). There’s still snow along the curbs and in some areas in yards, but, just like that, it’s mostly gone again.
Which was the other bird your husband lost? You only mentioned the one, the mother to a young Old German Owl. Nice to see pictures of them enjoying the warmth of your house!!
I enjoyed seeing your fitting experiments in coming up with a sleeveless bodice pattern. I agree with George, that last fabric is also pretty on Rozen!
I loved seeing your cobbler adventures! I got to thinking, the “clodhopper” ones might be cute with colorful socks and a sort of peasant dress or maybe shorts or something? Just a thought….
I see that you have SIX bids on Rozen’s outfit already!! Wonderful, and congratulations!!! Just goes to show, you really nailed it with the fabric, colors, and accessories!!
BTW, a big Thank You to Kathie; I got your lovely card today!! What a nice surprise!
HI Charlotte,
We still have tons of snow around and with it 21 but a windchill of 11, it’s going to stay for a bit longer…
I asked my hubby about the “other” bird and it turns out it was one of our bluebirds… He loved seeing them in the birdbath… maybe it froze trying to take a bath as it was always fluttering around in it…
I’m not sure if these clodhopper of shoes will work, but maybe if I didn’t have her just naked they might not look so huge… just a thought…
Maybe I’ll add a skirt to the green bodice and turn it into a dress… If I had known it was going to be the bodice that worked, I would have done a little better job at my “fussy” cutting the design on the front… :o)
And the caring wishes continue… stay safe and warm… we’re trying…
Blessings, Jeanne
Yes, something for everyone today, Jeanne! The snow picture with Rebecca shoveling, is just like you were living next door! I was out a bit yesterday doing some shoveling to clear an area for throwing out sunflower seeds for the birds, and let me tell you, it was COLD! Even with the sun out!
Your pretty birds must be loving living wih you inside! I’m sorry to hear George lost a few of them, and hope the rest will get through this horrible weather we are having.
Oh, the bodice and shoe “journey”! You have the patience of a saint to keep plodding through until you get the perfct fitting! I know a lot of us would just go through with whatever we started, just to get through!! I haven’t heard the word “clodhoppers” for quite awhile, and it made me laugh, since I remember using it a long time ago when maybe a teen! We know enough about you to know what a real professional seamstress you are and what we can expect! Perfection!
Are you ready for more snow??
HI Linda,
It’s pretty deep out there, isn’t it? It is up past the bottom of our cars and George was out trying to dig out our cars and his truck in case we absolutely HAD to go somewhere…
It’s like a mad house outside where the bird feeders are… we have so many Cardinals and Blue Jays and lots of Sparrows and Brown Thrashers and they are all fighting to get on the suet cake on the tree… It’s crazy…
Awww… thank you for your kind compliments on my diligence at getting Rozen’s bodice right… If I didn’t do it now, it wouldn’t get done most likely… I wanted it to fit perfectly and I think I got it… I need to make it out of a few different fabrics just to be sure…
Thanks Linda…
You stay warm and safe too…
Blessings, Jeanne
Good for Rebecca for thinking ahead on getting to work. Thanks for the pictures of the snow. I hope followers will remember to say where they live when posting about the weather.
I hope you’ll think some more about selling patterns for the designs of the dresses on your Etsy website. Maybe get some advice from someone we know who does that for knitting patterns.
I second George’s taste in fabric colors and designs. So sorry about the loss of the birds. The usual pair has returned to the hanging basket on my patio and will be refurbishing the nest. No worries about the weather here in SoCal.
HI Susette,
I hope you are still enjoying your sunshiny weather there in Southern California… I only wish we had some of it here… I did hear it might get up to the 50’s next week… I’m hoping! :o)
I’m thinking about patterns and how that all works… I’m getting closer to it, but just want to do it right from the git go…
Congrats on your feathered friends making it back for another year of babies for you to enjoy..
Thanks Sisette,
Blessings, Jeanne
I was thinking about your bird that lost it’s mother last night and about the blue bird, but sounds like another died too. So sad. Hoping that the little bit of fluff makes it. Must be a vacation and a curiosity trip for them all to be inside and watch the activity. Hope you’re not painting now as the fumes probably aren’t good for the birds. They are pretty sensitive, but I’m sure you know that.
Love your snowplow, Rebecca. Hope they are clearing the roads near you so traveling to work is safe.
And that shoe pattern is a great alternative to your own which looked good to me. I’m sure I will be adding it to the collection around here. Although, I’ve only made sandals, I’ve always wanted to make a pair of shoes. 🙂
Hope the freeze lifts and power is back on quickly for those affected.
Hi Joy,
I thought it was another one of his owls that died too, but he told me it just one of “his” bluebirds… he thinks of them as his… :o)
That baby has gotten some feathers now… just since being in the living room… The parents sit at the front of the cage and just watch what we are doing…
My paint isn’t strong and I hadn’t even thought about the birds… but if it were an oil based paint I’m sure it might be too strong for them… I can’t wait to show what I’ve done…
Thanks for the compliments on my shoes… I wouldn’t want to tell how many hours I spent on those shoes… not the ones I ended up with, but the trying and trying and making and figuring on the other pairs… I bet I spent a good 8 hours on them… all for nothing…
Our power is still holding on… just that one night was the only time ours was out… not anything like in Texas…
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
We are getting up to 28 today and the snow is melting. However, when I look at the sky and the weather report, I will not be surprised if more snow arrives before noon.
Keep the clodhoppers to go with cute overalls and a pretty blouse. I agree that George is right about the green bodice — You’ve got a running start there with the pink lining fabric as your accent — you might as well finish it — I don’t think any of us will mind two FF dresses in a row.
The new Rozen outfit is actually cuter on her than her original dress, and the matching shoes are going to be a real draw.
Stay warm, whether you are a family member, a sofa sister, or pigeon.
HI Marilyn,
We had more snow flurries today but the worst of it is going south of us and it’s a lot of ice and freezing rain… so glad we were missed… but sorry for those to the south of us…
I might just have to finish that dress just to see if my hubby was right on his assessment…
I think I need to make another pair of shoes before I forget how I did them… there are a few things I’d change too… like adding interfacing to make them a bit stiffer on the top layer…
Well, I’m a sofa sister, and I plan to stay warm! :o)
Blessings to you and YOU stay warm and safe!
~ Jeanne
The shoes turned out really, really well in the end. Good thing you persevered. We have a lot of snow here, too, but I’m not sure how many inches. It is cold. The kids didn’t have school on Monday or Tuesday, and the Nuns are thinking they may have to return from Easter break on Easter Monday.
A long time ago I had a Peking duck who was lame, cold, and looking sick. It was January and I brought him inside to warm up, but in the morning, he hadn’t made it. His name was Sebastian. Later my husband painted his picture for me.
Stay warm…
HI Karen,
I haven’t looked on a map to see where Union KY is but I know the snow and ice are headed south of us and it might be headed right for you.. but I hope not…
Sorry to hear about Sebastian… I think our baby is going to make it… at least he looks better than he did when he first came inside… he’s got some feathers now…
Stay safe and keep those little girls well…
Blessings, Jeanne
How are your chickens? I’ve been thinking a lot about them as I plan to start a small flock this spring. Was the little shivering no feathers bird in the pictures somewhere?
My 90 year old dad is getting his COVID shot today. So relieved as he will not stay home.
Hi Julia,
Our hens seem to be doing fine… they are shut up in the coop so they don’t freeze if they go outside, but doing well…
Actually the baby bird is in both pictures… he’s closest to the front in both pictures… he does have some feathers since he’s come inside, but when he lifts up his wings he is just skin and bones.. and pretty ugly! He does an awful lot of squeaking while his parents just sit at the front of the cage and watch us moving around…
I hope your dad getting his shot makes you feel a little bit more at ease…
Blessings, Jeanne
So sorry to hear about the birds. They are very pretty birds. Glad they are visiting inside.
Nice to see Rebecca even if it’s from a distance. She thought ahead since she leaves early and it was nice for her to shovel a path for little Reuben.
Years ago, in Indiana, when I as young, I remember getting up early, warming my mustang up because it sat outside. Mustangs weren’t good on ice- my doors and windows would freeze from the cold. A few times I had to crawl out of my window in the parking lot at work. Once, I got stuck on an icy patch on the road. I had no traction and the only thing I had to put under the back tire for traction was my long winter scarf. I got off the ice further down the road and was able to retrieve my scarf. Fortunately, no other cars were on the road that early.
Jeanne, the green print top you made for the RRFF girls is perfect for a future dress for Rosen. Rosen’s hair, eyes and skin coloring go well with it.
The shoes are darling. You persevered and delivered the perfect shoes for those girls. Good sailing with leather!
HI Paula,
I’m just glad as cold as it got that he didn’t lose more birds… the cold weather is their enemy…
Rebecca is off tomorrow so she’ll get to sleep in if she wants… but her internal alarm goes off at 4:00 a.m. so she sometimes gets up early and does something anyway… but hopefully it won’t involve shoveling snow… :o)
Icy roads and frozen up cars are no fun… I remember back in the early 80’s coming home from work at a nice ladies clothing store… I had on brown suede heels and my car slide off the road into a ditch… It was before cell phones but I was about a half a mile from home… I remember getting out and sliding in those shoes that were covered in the snow and walking and sliding and falling and crying all the way home… it was awful and I was scared… Maybe that’s why I don’t care for snowy weather that much…
Thanks for your compliments on the shoes and the “maybe soon to be” bodice of the next RRFF doll dress. :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
15 degrees? Well, it’s practically balmy here at 21 then. It has been very cold overnight and we got another inch of snow. The sun is shining brightly though, so that is good for the little animals. So very sad to hear about your birds. I have the feeders filled to the brim and suet cakes as well. I’m very glad George brought them inside. I’m sure Reuben is entertained by them.
Unlike Dorothy’s Phil, Buckeye Chuck did not see his shadow, so we should have an early spring.
The green print would be my top pick as well. IMO, the fabric has to bring out the doll’s eyes or hair or both.
It was worth buying the pattern because you will use it all the time. Matching the shoes to the dress was a super cute idea and the aqua and now this really compliments Rozen. If you don’t have her paid for with the aqua dress, you will after this one.
I didn’t realize those dolls were about the same cost as a new AG. I haven’t bought a doll since 2015 with Marie-Grace and I got her from ebay NRFB at less than new cost. Your dolls earn their keep. LOL Regardless, another size means another wardrobe and shoes and even though mine do have clothes that are specifically theirs, it’s nice to know they can all share if I wanted.
Stay warm everyone. It’s a good day to bake and heat up the house easily while making something yummy.
HI Laura,
We got more snow flurries today but not much was added or maybe we just couldn’t tell from the deep piles we already have… :o(
Our bird feeders are filled up too, and the birds are crazy out there… I can see them outside my kitchen window and they are nuts for the seeds… We put out a loaf of bread that had little sesame seeds on top and the starlings came and had their very own party over it… :o)
It probably was a good move to buy that shoe pattern… I will use it for most of her outfits and it’s a lot cheaper than buying shoes for the dolls… I’m wanting to try them in ultrasuede if I can…
Yes, my dolls do earn their keep and it’s a nice way to justify buying another doll if I have shoes that another doll wears or I can make them shoes…
I’d like to bake but I was busy painting today… although I did bake a frozen pizza for supper… I was tired and it was easy! :o)
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
Lol Jeanne, I had a whole lot of ‘practice’ items that I tossed out when I was cleaning up the workroom. Including partially made shoes that didn’t work. I ended up buying a pattern from Pixie Faire along with their packs of precut soles. I had great difficulty making a really neat sole (with two that matched). I haven’t used them yet though.
On the weather front it is 8C this morning. A slight improvement on 7C yesterday but not much. Actually when I took the dog for a walk it was fine with just a cardigan, there was quite a lot of warmth in the sun. Apparently summer is due to return from today so I hope they are right though they did say we may get late 20’s to early 30’s which is one extreme to the other.
We didn’t have any snow in the winter but we did have quite a few frosts and Sam had already started filling up the garage by then so I couldn’t get my car in and it was a pain trying to defrost it if I had to go and pick up Kay about 20kms out of town, for Church! I’ve told Sam I want my garage back this winter!! Judging by current weather she doesn’t have long!
My leak is fixed. It was an easy job in the end, relatively speaking, only cost me $166 so I can live with that.
Investigated selling on EBay but I think it might be too difficult to sell from here. I haven’t looked at the Australian site yet.
HI Anne,
Well, now I don’t feel so bad, knowing I’m not alone in throwing out shoes gone terribly wrong…I don’t really mind the trying, it’s just the time spent for nothing that bothers me…
I hope it warms up for you AND US too next week…
I hope you get your garage back… maybe you’ll find some long lost treasures in there too!
I’m glad about the leak getting fixed… $166 cuts into something… hopefully not into your crafting stash!
When I go to list things on Ebay, they have a menu at the bottom of the page that you pick where you want to sell your item from… The US is first and Australia is 2nd… don’t know if that means they are second at selling in the world or not… I just always noticed that…
Thanks Anne,
Blessings, Jeanne
Those shoes are just the best…great fit and so darn cute! I know if I was going to buy a dress and it had matching shoes I would be over the moon! It is a super addition to your talent and Makes your auction way more likely to get bids IMHO
Your bodice pattern is just perfect! Each change made so much difference. I remember that green print…made myself a blouse out of it in the 80’s😉 and used it in some quilting too.
Glad you liked your card Charlotte and amazed you have improved so fast!
Thank you Kathie,
All this talk about how cute the shoes are, makes me want to give them another try in something other than fabric… maybe some of that Ultrasuede!!! :o)
I can’t remember for sure, but I think I made my mom a dress out of the green fabric … I can picture it in my mind, but not exactly sure what it looked like on her…
Thanks for sending Charlotte a card… what a sweetie you are!
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, I love the fabrics you used for all of the bodices. Are you making 4 dresses?
You really have mastered the shoe making process.
We are supposed to get a ton of snow tomorrow. Ugh! I can’t complain though because at least we have power and heat.
HI Dorothy,
No, I’m not making 4 dresses, but the way everyone liked the green fabric, and since it was the bodice that finally fit, I may make a dress from it… :o)
Well, it sure took me long enough to get it figured out that a pattern from someone who has already made them, goes a lot faster than me trying to figure it out on my own… I guess I was licked this time…
Stay safe, and inside and warm and dry…
Blessings, Jeanne