Well, I did some ripping out today… those sleeves got removed… something about them looked too droopy to me, so it didn’t take too long to remove them and add a new look. Here are the old sleeves…
…and this is what I did to “hopefully” make them better…I think ideally, I’d like to redo my sleeve pattern and make it fuller on top and still shorter under the arms… but… that’s for another dress…
After I took the bodice apart, the pieces looked like this…
Then I pulled out all the loose threads and pressed the pieces flat where the seams had been…
I decided I could use the same sleeves but I took off about 1/4″ from the top edge… I folded them in half and cut it just by eyeballing it.
When they were sewn in, they looked like this, a little less droopy to me…
The side seams and all the way into the sleeve were sewn… and I did take up the sleeves just about 3/8th’s of an inch… If I went any smaller, I can’t get the sleeve over her spread out fingers on her left hand.
The seams were pressed open and flat…
The serger threads were tucked to the inside seam and hand stitched down… I also stitch down the seam where the sleeve meets at the underarm… The one on the left is done… the right one is not…
Now they are both done…
I wanted my gathers on her skirt to be spaced as close together as I could, and evenly distributed from the back seam on one side to the back side on the other side… I ran 3 rows of basting stitches and pulled them up evenly…
I pinned the skirt on in a few places and it now looks like this…
Just what I was hoping for…
With the skirt added on, the dress looked like this…
Now it was time to embellish… I used my favorite Swiss Batiste lace and stitched it in the ditch of the waistline and folded it up on itself… It was about 2″ wide, so the extra length of the lace on the back side kept it from being too see through… Then I added a few flowers with a button.
I added 3 little pearls to the edge of the piping on the sleeve…
…and decided to run some embroidery floss in a coordinating blue through the beading on the lace…
Emmie wanted to show you a few more poses in the dress. It’s not hemmed yet and she has no slip on either…
…and one more…
Beautiful, Jeanne! The sleeves do look so much better now! I like the trim at the waist, too–hadn’t thought to try that with a wider trim like you did, and folding it over itself that way. Great idea, and one I will have to try soon.
My one thought is that maybe the flowers should be moved in just a bit. As they are now, it looks like she’s going to brush her arm against them every time she moves, and–if she’s anything like I am–that will drive her crazy!! LOL
But otherwise, perfection! Can’t wait to see what’s next!!
Thank you Charlotte,
I like the sleeves better now too!
I AM going to move the flowers at the waist in toward the middle just a bit… I hadn’t noticed it until you pointed it out… That’s an easy fix!
Thanks for your “eagle eyes!”
Blessings, Jeanne
Beautiful, Jeanne! I must say that I do like the sleeves better today than yesterday’s version! When I was little, the fit of the sleeves on my dresses bugged me no end, because I was on the slimmer side, and all the puffed sleeves were way too big to fit around my arms, and I felt like the Ugly Duckling! Emmie’s dress looks more like her size now!
I too, feel that the flower is placed too far back, and should come to the front more, but out of that, perfect!
It looks like raindrops are falling here now, so no outdoor pictures for Emmie, at least for the next few days, but how pretty that dress will look against all the green that will be coming soon!
HI Linda,
Glad you like the redone sleeves and soon the flower will be moved…and then to get it all pulled together…
We had a pretty morning but it’s clouding up now and I’m sure the rain will start within the hour. No outside pictures today for Emmie… Oh well, I’m not done with it yet, but maybe soon.
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
It’s a beautiful dress. The gathers are so even, and the sleeve fit is excellent. The spread fingers are definitely a consideration on how snug the sleeve openings can be.
Thank you Carolyn,
Emmie likes it better, you like it better and I like it better. I guess it’s a win win win!
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
You redid all that gathering in the sleeves! Quite the perfectionist! But the sleeves and cuffs do look to be a better size. One really is somewhat limited when the tiny fingers are spread. Beautiful fabric, very pricey but worth it.
HI Susette,
I keep my eyes open at yard sales and thrift shops thinking maybe I’ll run across some Liberty fabrics but so far, none… although I do find my fair share of other things, so I can’t complain.
I’m glad you like the new sleeves…
Blessings, Jeanne
Look how happy Emmie appears wearing her favorite blue dress. Will she have a satin hair ribbon? or an oversized bow? Tights or thigh highs? I would love to see a sleeveless under slip like some of us wore in the 50’s, instead of the usual 1/2 slip. Just something different. 🙂
Looked like we were in snow country around here yesterday. We had hail and a lot which caused a mess of accidents and even talk of snowplows which are not something the highway people here ever use. Fortunately for us, we weren’t caught outside walking during the episode but almost. 🙂
On a good note, my tiny little minty blue Wrascal by Rose B Flockling arrived safely. She’s a petite little thing only 6 1/2 inches and has very tiny feet. We need Jeanne to make shoes her size. 🙂
HI Joy,
I haven’t decided on her hair accessory just yet. I watched a few videos on fancy hair styles for longer hair and would like to try one on Emmie. There were french braids and lots of twists and things and I just thought maybe…. ???
I’ll have to think about the full slip… and see how tight her dress is in the back… I don’t want it to be too snug…
Wow…that must have been some hail storm…
I did see on Facebook that you had won a Wrascal doll and we definitely need pictures of her… put her next to one of your other dolls, like a Twinkle so we can see the difference… Is her foot the same size as Navi’s, and Fabbi’s?
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, if it helps on the full slip idea: I remember in the 50s our full slips had several rows of elastic shirring across the back, so they could be easily pulled on, no back opening required, but they fit fairly nicely. (Of course, I think my dress bodices fit a bit more loosely than we put on our dolls!) Don’t know if that’s an idea you could adapt to dolls’ slips or not, but thought I’d mention it. You’d probably need to use a really lightweight fabric, though, like batiste. I remember one I had that was almost a polished cotton, maybe? But then the bigger “cancans” became popular (half slips) and that’s what I wanted! LOL I don’t think I had a tricot (lingerie-type) slip until I was in my teens.
Beautiful dress, love the fabric and the model!
Thank you Martha,
Beautiful fabrics look prettier on pretty dolls! :o)
Thank you very much!
Blessings, Jeanne
Thanks for the tutorial on how you sew your sleeves in, Jeanne! That’s the way I do my doll sleeves. Emmy is definitely a “blue” girl. It’s her color!💙
I got my first COVID vaccination yesterday afternoon! In the early afternoon my clinic sent me a message that I could make an appointment. I was so surprised that there were a couple slots for later in the same afternoon. I jumped right on one. My arm is a little sore. No different from when I get a flu shot in the fall.
Joy, will we see a picture of your minty blue Wrascal? I will have to google.
HI Julia,
I am glad you could understand my way of putting in sleeves… it was just the quick version, but I thought it might help everyone understand how I do it…
I hope your arm soreness is over soon…
I asked Joy to send us some pics of Wrascal… I bet she will…
Blessings, Jeanne
I thought the original sleeves were okay, until I saw the revised sleeves. The results were well worth the effort!
My understanding is that in vintage patterns (from the golden age of the 50-60s) the sleeves were wider from sleeve side seam to sleeve side seam, and shorter from shoulder seam to cuff/hem. The look was puffy without being droopy. That’s the modification you made on this little dress and it is interesting the difference this small modification made.
Pretty doll + pretty dress = success!
Thank you Mary Sue,
I’m glad you can see a difference in the sleeves… it wasn’t hard, just took a little bit extra time… I need to draft a new pattern for the sleeves now so I don’t get them wrong the next time… I didn’t know about the sleeve dimensions.. interesting…
Thanks for your kind words…
Blessings, Jeanne
Emmy’s dress is coming along nicely, so sweet and feminine. It’s lovely on her. Your details always compliment your outfits.
Thank you for explaining why the material is so nice to work with, as well as the feel of it and the pretty print design. It has probably been years since I was in a material store.
HI Paula,
Thanks for your compliments on Emmie’s dress so far… now to get the rest of the set all finished…
One of my favorite fabric stores in a town about 45 minutes from here is closing. I am SO sad… she has been trying to find a buyer and so far no one is interested in giving her what she is asking… I told the lady I love to “feel” my fabrics and she agreed she did too…
I have gotten so many pieces of fabric from there and will truly miss this store…
Thanks Paula,
Blessings, Jeanne
Thank you for the tutorial, I found it very interesting and helpful. Love the colour on Emmie and the fabric is just lovely. Do you take out the gathers on the skirt and sleeve or just make sure you sew below them? I usually take mine out as my sewing isn’t always perfectly straight and I sometimes sew above them instead of below. I have used a method for gathers that I saw on Pinterest (I love Pinterest, it’s my morning treat), zig zag over a heavy thread like crochet cotton and pull the thread to make the gathers. It works very well on heavier fabrics.
Quite cool again today, especially in the mornings. It wasn’t raining earlier, I haven’t looked since I made coffee but I don’t think it is now. We don’t need rain here for our water supply but when it is dry we overload the wells when watering our gardens and they put us on restrictions, i.e. hand held hoses only, no sprinklers so rain is great for the garden. Our tap water comes from aquifers (underground rivers) so we need it to rain and snow in the Alps. Until a couple of years ago we didn’t treat the water. Unfortunately some of the well heads up North that were also fed by aquifers, had problems with the wells getting contaminated from above and had an outbreak of ecoli so the health dept decided that all water has to be treated even though we had never had a problem down here. Doesn’t taste anywhere near as nice as it used to. A big Chinese company has a bottling plant just outside Christchurch. They take the untreated water directly from the aquifer itself, (for free) bottle it and export it to China, that’s how good it used to taste. One of the down sides is that the pipes, that have only ever had the purest water through them, are not coping with the chlorine. Plumbers and drain layers are having a great time replacing pipes, taps and hot water cylinders. Fortunately I don’t have a cylinder as I am on gas but have had to have one tap replaced, a part to another tap and the outside pipe repaired.
HI Anne,
I generally sew my gathers so they can be gently pulled out…that is, I don’t sew a row of basting stitches right at the 1/4″ mark… so I do one about 1/8″, another just past the 1/4″ mark and one about 1/8″ past that last row… that way, I’m not stitching on top of any of my basting rows.
We’re back to getting rain today and probably tomorrow… your watering system sounds interesting… I’ve never known anyone who got their water by aquifirs…
Thanks Julia,
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, Emmie looks adorable. I love, love, love the fabric!
I can see the dress long, as you are making it or short as a Sunday School dress. Well, I guess a Sunday School dress from years past because I don’t know if girls dress for Sunday School these days.
Just a reminder for the Sofa Sisters: The Virtual Doll Convention is happening at the end of the month. The registration is $5 to $50. You pay what you want.
For the crafters: there are workshops on wig making and doll stringing. And there are free patterns!
Another highlight is a tour of the North Carolina Museum of Dolls.
Here is the link:
https://www.virtualdollconvention.com/
HI Dorothy,
I did make her dress just slightly shorter than I usually do, as it seems most ladies like them shorter than I do… but I haven’t hemmed it yet, so I’ll decide in a bit…
Thanks for the heads up about the Virtual Doll Convention…I think I will plan to attend this one… Keep reminding us in case we get busy and forget…
Blessings, Jeanne
Such a pretty little dress. I didn’t think there was a problem with the sleeves before but what you did provided a contrast and I agree they look better. I definitely like Emmie with the dark hair. You are a very bad influence on me Jeanne but I love you for it. If it weren’t for you I would have never known about Liberty of London lawn. I just bought three pieces and can’t wait to get it. I actually bought one more than I set out to do so I could get the free shipping. I’d rather spend the money on product. I bought three pieces of 1/2 yard each. If I were making a dress for my granddaughter I would definitely spring for a larger piece. But since I only sew for my dolly children and their clothes don’t take much, I opted for less fabric but more designs.
I do my sleeves the same way you do but I never did the three rows of gathering stitches on doll clothes. I’ve done it on little girl’s clothes. I need to give it a try since it does look like it has benefits. I just didn’t think I’d have the room to do it.
Hubby starts his cardio therapy next Monday. It’s hard to believe it will be six weeks tomorrow since his surgery. He is doing great. And he will also be getting with his doctor soon to start making arrangements for his first knee surgery. He has to do his cardio therapy in Katy but fortunately there is a place here in town where he can do PT after his knee surgery.
Thanks Dorothy for the reminder of the Virtual Doll Convention. I have the link in my email but I had forgotten.
Hi Barbara,
I’m a bit late on my comments to a few of you, but wanted to answer you… Thank you for your compliments on Emmie’s dress… I worked hard at getting lots of things done on it…
Ooooo, I’m anxious to know which prints of the Liberty fabric you bought… do you know the names of them?
The three rows of basting doesn’t have to be inside the seam that you sew… in fact it works better if one of the rows is down about 1/2″ from the top edge…it keeps your gathers neatly squished together…
I’m glad your hubby is doing so well… it will be wonderful when he gets all well and is totally back to his old self…
Blessings, Jeanne
The changes you made , which seemed so minute, sure made a difference in the way it looked for sure. It will all be lovely I’m sure as every JeanneMarie dress is!
So….does she get an Easter hat and basket?
Thanks Kathie,
The hair bow, hat, bonnet, is still up in the air…it’s the one thing I still have left to do for this set… but it will definitely be listed as an Easter dress, even though it’s not pastel.
Thanks so much for your sweet compliments, Kathie,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne I like the modifications you made to the sleeves. It was very interesting to see the difference those slight adjustments make to the dress. I too like the way you did the skirt. It looks so evenly gathered!!. I really like this dress and am now on the lookout for this type of fabric as it looks regal. I have a question for you. You mentioned in one of your blogs the name of a detergent you used to whiten hankies. I have looked back but cannot find it. Can you tell me what you use? Thanks.
Hi Carole,
Thanks for noticing the difference on the sleeves…it was just a slight difference, but “I” think it looks better… not so much like a big bubble on her shoulders.
This Liberty lawn fabric is fabulous for gathering… it really is.
I can’t remember what I said about whitening hankies… but I’ll try to think of it… and let you know…
Blessings, Jeanne
Might it have been Biz? Not a detergent but a whitener; Martha Pullen (of heirloom sewing fame) always uses it.