Well, this is going to be exciting… the Highest Bid for Chrissa’s outfit is now $55.55!
First of all, thank you VERY much for all the kind comments and words of encouragement and compliments and LOVE you showered on me yesterday… I was humbled at what you said… Thank you for always being such loyal customers and readers and watchers and bidders and buyers of my doll outfits. I realized from the comments the day before just how much I love to sew what I LOVE…and that would probably be little girls dresses. I can do other things and most likely will in the future, but my heart just sings when I make little girls dresses… So thank you for making it clear to me that it is OK to just be me and make dresses… I loved what Susette said… “I think you may have been giving yourself a case of “seam stress” instead of being a seamstress!” She was SO right… Life is too short to be stressed out about whether to make jeans or dresses… do what you love…and I WILL!
Now, just as reminder this is what I left you with a few days ago… Chrissa’s outfit…
* a pair of jeans that were better than the first pair I tried to make
* a pink tee with short sleeves
* a bright pink furry coat
* a newsboy cap in a fun polka dot corduroy
So today I enlisted the Big Guns… Rebecca, my daughter, helped me come up with something that might just salvage the whole thing…
She picked Julie as the model because her hair would show off these colors better than Chrissa’s black hair. This isn’t a 70’s outfit, but it could be… it’s just a “today’s” outfit…
The first thing she told me to do was make a denim skirt and top stitch it in pink thread… I left the hem for last so she could help me get it the right length… It opens in the front and closes with 2 hidden snaps…
Then she said to tuck the pink tee in the skirt…
Then she said the jacket needed to be cut off quite a bit…about waist length or just a bit higher… This is the length we settled on…
She said we could still keep the hat…
…but she needed a purse of some kind… This was the only thing I had… a white faux leather drawstring purse… trimmed in black…
Then I got out Addy’s black tights and a pair of black shoes… (I didn’t have any black boots) and finished off the look…
NOW… this is what’s going to happen…
I am going to have an auction right here on my blog… these are the pieces included… the pink top, the jean skirt, the pink furry jacket, the hat and the purse…(Sorry Addy’s black tights and the black shoes aren’t included) I’m going to start the bidding at $30… If anyone wants to bid you can do it by clicking on the “Contact Me” tab at the top of my post, send me your bid amount and it will send your email to me… I’ll update the bidding prices as often as I get a new one… and will put the NEW WINNING BID AMOUNT at the TOP OF THE POST. So if you want to check to see how much it is, go to the top sentence of my post and see what the top bid is… If you want to bid higher, just send me another email… If you have any troubles, just leave a comment below and I’ll get back with you privately…
THEN… if it gets to $40, I will include the second pair of jeans I made for Chrissa…
THEN… if the bidding goes to $45, I will include the floral blouse I made for Chrissa…
AND… if it goes to $50, I will include the first pair of jeans I made for Chrissa… you can surely find one of your dolls who wouldn’t mind wearing a pair of jeans with an elastic waistband in the back…
So for $50 or more, you could end up with 7 pieces…
You don’t have to bid in the increments I listed.. you can bid $34.56 if you like… or $42.99 if you want…
WHOEVER HAS BID THE HIGHEST AMOUNT BY MIDNIGHT (Central Time Zone) THURSDAY NIGHT WILL BE THE WINNER…
This is the best way I could come up with for how to send out these items to someone. It’s fair for everyone and I’m just trying to make back some $$ for my time spent on them…
If no one buys them, I’ll put them in my Etsy shop.
The auction will run on my blog until midnight Thursday (Central Time Zone)… that gives 2 full days for anyone to have a chance at winning something or maybe ALL of it!!!
(Sorry all my international readers…this is just for U.S. bidders…)
I better include this… IF TWO BIDDERS place a bid for the same amount, I will take the bid of the person who put their bid in first according to the time stamp on their email to me…
Let the bidding begin…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Bless Rebecca — the pink stitching was a brilliant idea. The white purse goes with the white polka dots on the hat, and now you have a new hat pattern. I’m terribly disappointed that you didn’t make the boots with the 6″ heels that Susette suggested, but maybe some other day. I just saw a perfect pair in a photo accompanying an article saying that Amsterdam was moving their famous red-light district out of the city center. I still remember my dad’s reaction to a hotel clerk’s suggestion that he and my mom might want to tour that area. My dad was perfectly civilized but also perfectly clear.
I’ve got jeans with pink stitching. Betsy Colvin (Sew Cool) made them but stopped because there was too much competition and too little profit. There may be a message there.
Jeans were referred to as waist overalls up to about WWII and became popular for non-work wear in about 1955, thanks to James Dean, though we wore them for camping and picnics in the 50s. They started o become a national uniform in the 60s. This is from Wikipedia and is a story I’d never heard:
In the late 1950s drainpipe trouser had been the fashion aspiration of youth. 1963 a medical student in London had no casual trousers and asked his mother to open up the seams of a pair of almost new drainpipe jeans that would not pull up over his thighs. She opened the outside seams to the mid thigh and inserted pale blue inserts. She rather over did it. The results were floppy bottomed trousers but tight around the crotch and buttocks and flopped on the legs into the chain of his bicycle. His weekly shopping for food was on Kings Road Chelsea. In January 1964 the student was obliged to wear this creation. Surprise, the following week Kings Road had about 20 persons who had also altered their old drain pipes. About 3 weeks later hundreds of alterations had been created some evidently were also too short and extra length was being added. That was the origin of bell-bottom flairs as a fashion item. Bell-bottoms became fashionable for both men and women in London and expanded into Europe and North America.
[6] Often made of denim, they flared out from the bottom of the calf, and had slightly curved hems and a circumference of 18 inches (46 cm) at the bottom of each leg opening. They were usually worn with Cuban-heeled shoes, clogs, or Chelsea boots.
Yes,
Bless Rebecca… she saved me big time! Sorry about not having those 6″ black boots… but I realized I DO need to get a pair of black boots for my girls… all these shoes I have and not a black boot in the bunch… my Effner girls have a pair but they are way too small for the AG’s.
I think if I could ever get the pattern figured out, they might go quickly, but if Becky got out of them, she might know something we all don’t. I didn’t realized she had her jeans made from China… maybe paying the middle man was the problem… and I didn’t realize she had stopped making them… because I’m never looking for jeans… I guess the people who got them from her were happy to have a pair.
Thanks for the lesson on the bell bottoms… I didn’t know that and it’s pretty interesting how it all came about… it’s very fun to find out new things about fashion…
Blessings, Jeanne
WOW!!! What a difference that made, to shorten the jacket, and then combine it with a denim skirt! Brilliant!
Sounds like it’s going to be a fun auction, and someone will be able to dress one or more dolls, and perhaps (well, probably–is there any doubt the bids will go up?!) be able to mix and match pieces to her heart’s content! Good luck, everyone!
HI Charlotte,
Yes, what a difference just a few changes made… Julie actually likes she has on a completely new outfit now… and all in the same era… yay for Rebecca…
I hope everyone has fun with this one, watching the bidding and seeing what happens in the end…
It’s got plenty of pieces for a nice mix and match grouping now…
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
This is exactly what I thought you would do, Jeanne, and it is a good idea! Whoever gets this will certainly have a great mix and match set, and an excellent one if they go over $50! This set can work for many dolls, and will be fun to see what they can do with it.
Sorry about not seeing the boots with 6″ inch heels, Marilyn! that would be a hoot! Thank you for the history of jeans! Who knew?
Rebecca certainly made the right call on the jacket, skirt and purse! It is truly a set that can work for today or any day! The skirt is just darling with the pink topstitching! Julie is the perfect model for the outfit too! Kudos to her! And where in the world did you find that darling purse? It is perfect!
HI Linda,
I’m glad you liked the idea of an auction and a few more pieces in the lot… it works out for me and whoever the winner will be! I hope the winner will enjoy the pieces…
I’ve had that little purse for several years… and have no idea where I got it… maybe at a craft store somewhere… I’m always looking for accessories for my girls…
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
I certainly agree with Rebecca on the “new” items. The coat/jacket is now the right length. Sorry that I have been nagging about it so much. The skirt and tucked in tee look very nice with it also. I’m sure the auction will goes well.
So back to the beautiful flowered dress for sweet Sara. Can’t wait to see the bids on that one. 🙂
Thanks Joy,
Thanks too, for your comments and suggestions… and thoughts… I lean on everyone’s advice when I’m stuck more than you know… thank you!
I was working on Sara’s set last night and hope to show it tomorrow… changes for it too !
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Excellent call by Rebecca! She is quite the consultant! The same colors, but they just seem to pop now. I can’t help thinking though, that Julie was just sitting on your shelf the whole time, giving you the side-eye, saying “Come on Jeanne, I can rock that outfit!” And she does! Oh, and I am happy to see the jacket is still open front.
Hi Linda,
Yes, I think my daughter deserves a gold medal… I think it all turned out cute and looks like a real pulled together outfit… Julie is thrilled! I guess I should have listened a little closer to the chatter on the dolly shelf as she probably WAS calling out to me that she could rock it!
Thanks for your thoughts on the whole set.
Blessings, Jeanne
Shara couldn’t get her comment to go through, so I copied and pasted her email here…
Hi Jeanne:
For some reason, the box to comment isn’t showing up, so I’m sending a response by email.
I LOVE your Carnaby Street look and Julie is the perfect model!
The denim skirt looks great with the contrast hot pink stitching.
The fabrics told you what they wanted to be and you let them dictate the design.. nothing wrong with that!❤️
I have the same “heart” knit in aqua..my mom’s stash from the ‘70’s.. memory lane time:)
I would love to see Chrissa as Snow White.. maybe you could have fun with that. Her black hair and blue eyes are SO Snow!
Dolly hugs,
Shara
Thanks Shara,
I’m glad you like the way everything came together for this set… FINALLY it looks like it works!
I have that heart knit in blue and in a beige color… it works great for tee’s.
Snow White, huh? She would be pretty in a dress like Snow’s… hmmm… now my wheels are turning… :o)
Thanks Shara,
Blessings, Jeanne
Well…talk about making lemons into lemonade! Rebecca had awesome ideas and you made them work! Did you just make up the skirt pattern? It has the just right shape and length too.
All of those parts make such a perfect ensemble! Those of you with AG dolls are having fun!
Great job!
Back to the darling dress:0)
Hi Kathie,
The jean skirt was from a pattern I had in my stash… I just made it a little differently than the way they said to do it… I wanted to put front pockets on it but couldn’t get them lined up right… so I skipped it.. the pattern didn’t have them… I was trying to add them. I would make the zipper area shorter the next time I made one… it seems a bit long but it goes up the dolls legs easier…
I’m glad Rebecca was able to help me get this outfit whipped into something sellable… because I sure wasn’t getting the job done…
Thanks Kathie,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, so much better. I knew you could selvage that outfit somehow. Thanks be to daughters. If you do decide to make some more modern clothes for the 18″ doll, you need to go to Clarrise’s Closet blog, She gives many good examples, tutorials, and other help. Also Pixie Faire has a good pattern for some skinny jeans for 18″ dolls. Plus a whole lot of other patterns. Now if you want to copy a modern day teenager, you need to make HOLES in the jeans and sand the denim to make it look worn! My grandmother would just cringe if she knew people were spending money on holey jeans!
The outfit you ended up with is nigh on to perfect now! Well, maybe a hole or two in the knees would be called for. 🙂
Connie
HI Connie,
I will check out Clarrise’s Closet… I could certainly use the help!!!
I know Liberty Jane has the skinny jeans (it’s their most popular pattern of all time) and could have used it… and maybe that would have solved all my problems… but I was thinking I could make a pattern on my own… guess not…at least for the first two attempts! :o)
Thanks for your compliments on the set as it is now… Yay Rebecca! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
Thanks for the history behind bell bottoms, Marilyn. Fun to read.The denim skirt with pink stitching was an excellent call. Rebecca certainly helped you rescue that one. Cropping the jacket was a great idea as well. Auction is doing well as someone likes modern.
Yes, back to sewing darling dresses!!
HI Laura,
Yes, thank you Rebecca… I told her everyone loved her ideas and she just smiled… Someone DOES like modern and now I’m the one smiling! :o)
Yes, now back to dresses!
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
What a nice collection you’ve made Jeanne. Even though most of us know Julie’s era, its an adorable outfit for any of the modern girls. The jacket is so cute and her hat and purse compliment each other. Wonderful help from Rebecca!
HI Paula,
I’m glad you too, like Julie’s outfit… thanks to Rebecca. She really did bail me out this time as I was “loster than lost!” :o)
Thanks Paula,
Blessings, Jeanne
Love the outfit Jeanne it looks great. Whoever wins it will have a very lucky/happy doll. I don’t show my dolls your pictures they would be so jealous.
Loved the history of the bell bottoms Marilyn, of course modern designers think they have invented something new with bootleg jeans lol. As Solomon said there is nothing new under the sun.
Are you putting Sara’s dress on e bay or letting her keep that one?
HI Anne,
Aww… I’m so sorry you are so far away from us all… and sorry your girls would be jealous to see the pictures… maybe just let them see the pictures to see if they have any comments or suggestions.. are the styles in the US the same as in New Zealand?
I never keep any of my doll dresses… it will go on Ebay… like I usually do… I used to get sentimental about keeping a few of my doll dresses, but somehow I always make another one that becomes my favorite and forget about the one that I just sold…
It’s just what I do and I’ve gotten used to it…
Thanks Anne,
Blessings, Jeanne
the new short pink fuzzy jacket! Outstanding! love that.
Thanks Joy,
I like the new shorter jacket too… who knew shortening it about 2″ would make such a big difference… but it did!
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, oh my goodness, I love the new outfit! I am going to have to keep my 18 inch dolls away from the computer (laugh).
I think that you and your fashion consultant/daughter have created the perfect look.
I think it is so kind of you to allow the Sofa Sisters to have first “dips” on this beautiful ensemble.
Thank you Dorothy,
I’m so glad everyone likes the new look of the pieces I had made.. .Thank you REBECCA! She really did save the day on this one…
Anne just said she was going to have to keep HER girls away from the computer too!
After all, the sofa sisters were a little bit “invested” in this set too…it’s only fair they got first dibs on it!
Thanks Dorothy,
blessings, Jeanne