HI everyone,
Just a reminder…Isabelle’s Minty/Aqua dress (really just minty) ends this evening on Ebay… If you want to check it out or even bid, you can see it by clicking the picture at the right side bar or you can click HERE.
My day was long and varied… I woke up and before I even saw my hubby, I had painted one more coat of paint on some of my kitchen cabinets. Then he came in from outside and said, “Oh good, you’re up…I need some help!” and so my day began… It was back in the basement and up in the attic for us…
We did get the water heater moved to it’s new spot and the bracing made and screwed in place in the attic which will hold the last leg of the vent pipe as it goes through the roof… The hole has been marked but we decided to wait to cut it out until we run the pipe through the chimney area… It’s a bit tough because the ceiling in the attic is too low to get the pipe down the narrow hole… but it’s in 5 foot sections that have to be twisted and locked in place to make it about 20 feet long… that’s what we were figuring out today… how to lock it in place when it’s inside the chimney… One of us will have to be down in the basement holding the bottom piece in place, then the other person will have to be in the attic and reach a 5 foot section of pipe down the chimney hole and try to get the pipe locked in place… I opted to be on the bottom and just hold the pipe, and my hubby gets the job of twisting the pipe down the hole and trying to lock it… Pray for us! It’s going to be tricky… If we had the hole in the roof cut out we could theoretically have put it all together, and dropped it down in the hole, but we only have inches to work with on the sides and we weren’t exactly sure where the hole in the roof needed to be. We don’t want the pipe that comes out of the roof crooked, so we opted to do it this way and be more sure that it goes out straight, by marking it the very last thing. After today, I told my hubby, I think we could give Chip and Joanna a run for their money on this project! :o)
Anyway, enough on that… still no hot water, but there is hope that maybe if things go right we could have some soon… Rebecca took another “Little House on the Prairie” bath this afternoon… She’s getting good at heating up that water on the stove!
The last couple of days I have been sneaking into my sewing room every time my hubby says, “You can do something else for a few minutes… this is a one person job.” I decided to sand down my pink Sculpy shoe lasts for the Ruby Red Fashion Friends dolls, because they were JUST TOO BIG. No wonder my shoes looked like “Clodhoppers!”
I took one of the high topped tennis shoes that Sara came in and used it for a guide, and then I took one of Rozen’s turquoise shoes and used it for a guide… I sanded and sanded and sanded on those goofy shoe sculpts trying to make them smaller…until I got them to fit in the shoe and the tennis shoe… It wouldn’t begin to fit in that tennis shoe before.
Then they were so smallish and sleek looking, I just had to give them a try… and every spare minute I was “given” I tried to do a little more on them… the molds worked very well… just by wetting the edges of the leather that needed to be curved…the toe area and the back heel part that needed to be flared out…and then shaping them over the molds worked perfectly!
My eyelets went in well and my stitching is getting better each time I make a pair… I still have a ways to go, but these are the first pair I am actually really proud of…
I need to work on the sole area but I found a video and watched it and realized all the layers need to be cut at one time, not each time you stack a new layer on there…I guess I’ll need a sharper knife…
I don’t remember if I ever showed this pair of boots I made for the Ruby Red Fashion Friends, but I got them out and compared them to the new brown boots I just finished…and you can see the differences… my hubby liked them so much, he said I should keep them and put them on a little shelf or in a shadow box! :o)
Well that’s all today from your friend, and shoe cobbler, and kitchen cabinet painter, and pipe connector, and chimney helper and wife! :o)
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, my, what a Huge task you and George have undertaken! Gee…last time we had our water heater replaced, the gas co. came and put the new one in, got it all hooked up, and we were good to go. I have no idea how they vented it (I’m assuming thru the furnace chimney, since it sits next to the furnace), just that it works!
I hope you and George were able to get the entire thing hooked up with no trouble, and by the time you have your next evening meal, you will have hot water for doing dishes and also for your showers!
What a great idea, to sand down those Sculpey shoe lasts until they would fit into the shoes that came with Sara! Then you know that whatever shoes you make on those last will fit well
The new boots are looking good!! Much better size-wise as well as finishing. Yes, cutting all the sole pieces at once should help a great deal in getting them to “match”.
Speaking of shoes, thanks, Anne, for telling us about making those lacy shoes. They are fabulous! That is just the perfect lace for them, and if they came in my size, I’d buy them!!
Now, as to your granddaughter, and her size. I, too, was always way smaller than anyone else my age, and got some of the same reactions she’s gotten. One thing you can tell Ashley, especially as she gets older, and if she stays very petite, to be sure to always act and dress her age if she wants to be taken seriously. And if people question her age or the appropriateness of her ….driving a car…working at a job…or whatever–she doesn’t Have to answer!! I am only 4’6″ tall, and looked like I was 12 until I got into my 40s. I had people ask me my age, my height and my weight–perfect strangers!! I finally caught on to the fact that…it was NONE of their Business!! And that is okay–and it’s also okay to let them know! One response I’ve found works very well when someone asks me an inappropriate question is to draw myself up, look them in the eye and ask, “Why do you want to know?” in a polite but very formal voice. Usually it works the first time; I rarely have to ask again. It’s actually rather funny to watch them backpedal and apologize when they realize they’ve actually asked something that’s none of their business!
I had to laugh. I can just see you and George trying to twist and leverage that pipe to get through the old chimney and up to the attic. Sounds like something we’d do around here. But be careful, those metal pipes are sharp. We do have a crooked vent pipe, though plastic, from our bathroom addition. Only bothers me, and fortunately, it can’t be seen from the front of the house. Any chance that they make flexible sections of that vent pipe? Would be so helpful on that last bend through the roof. Hope that the vent pipe replacement is successful and safe. I suppose that the pipe is okay to touch the wood patch of the roof? Ours gets pretty hot. But, I’m sure you guys know that. Looking forward to a successfully completed vent project and well deserved showers. 🙂
The new boots are such a success. Perfect stitching. Well done. Love seeing the comparison to the earlier boot. Yes, display them. 🙂 I wonder if a Dremel sander might sand/finish off the sole edges better than just a knife? Or something like a band saw with a very fine blade? I think the new boots for Fashion Friends are perfect for a romp out to feed the chickens or a hike in the forest. So many cute outfits will go with them. Good job! 🙂
Barbara, before I forget, the “Get the Look” dress was the free pattern from Pixie Faire the week before last I think (or very recently). I think it was the first freebie this year I didn’t bother to download because it isn’t my historical girls’ style otherwise I could have shared the link. Now, the gardening apron last week was adorable and I snagged that. I’ have a few patterns I want to have, but haven’t purchased yet. Luckily, one I wanted in the past became the freebie a few months later. Patience paid off.
Nice you got a coat of paint on the cabinets before the day began. I’m sure you will be glad to hot water again and I hope the project went smoothly.
The little brown boots are really nice. I agree with joy, you could make a RRFF chicken feeding outfit like Kit has one.
I have been buying from Pixie Faire for years. When they started doing “freebies” almost every one of the patterns ended up being something I already had. Bad timing on my part. If I don’t have a pattern I usually get it but I didn’t get the “Get the Look” pattern because I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. I think Anne did amazing with it. I didn’t get the gardening apron freebie either. None of the girls are into gardening. I think they got that from me. I love the “Pixie Perks”. I often put the more expensive patterns in my wish list and wait till I have enough perks for a $15.00 discount. More bang for the buck this way.
That’s a good idea, Barbara; I will have to remember that, about the “Pixie Perks”. Now that I have two RRFF dolls, I will need more patterns for them! 😂🤣😂
What a job you’ve had on your hands. Sounds like some of the projects around here but thankfully David has the two boys to help out. At least one of them is usually available if not both. A few years ago David and Jason remodeled my 1945 kitchen – finally. We used the proceeds from my high speed, rollover accident in 2014 to get it done. I was not speeding the speed limit was 75, but the guy who forced me off the road was speeding. I wouldn’t recommend acquiring money that way to do a remodeling project but I’m glad I got something out of it in the end.
Our water heater was in a closet in the kitchen and David wanted to use that closet for an oven and microwave cabinet so it involved moving the water heater to the garage. Everything was done by David and Jason except taping and floating the drywall. David hates doing that and one of the men in our mobile home park does it for a living, so we hired him, especially since the ceiling also needed to be done. At the time they also re-insulated the attic. That was Jason’s job wearing a Tyvek suit. They moved the water heater to what used to be a closet in the garage they opened up. It was the plan all along but there were new rules for gas hot water heaters and the water heater was bigger than the old one so it worked well. They vented it up through the roof of the garage. The next project is the double vanity for my bathroom. I’m not sure I’m supposed to know that but Sean dropped the hint yesterday. That plan has been on the drawing board since somewhere about 1990. I’m nothing if not patient. But David doesn’t like working alone but now that Sean is older, and they make a great team, things are getting done. David supplies the expertise and Sean provides the motivation. He’s like me. He likes to see projects finished.
Wow! You are getting really good at this boot making thing. I love the ribbon laces in the previous boots. I have everything I need to make some shoes but I think boots are still down the road for me.
Jeanne, the boots are fabulous you are so clever. I haven’t been able to find any of the you tube videos on doll boot making, not sure why. How did you manage to make boots and improve the lasts in between all those other things you were doing? I feel tired just reading your blog lol!
Lsura, I got the ‘Get the Look’ from pixie faire when it was a freebie. I wasn’t sure I would like it but as it was free thought I would get it and see if it looked ok made up. As it happens I am not keen but I might see if I can make a second one and improve ‘the look’.
I was informed by one of my ‘foster’ granddaughters (daughter of my foster daughter) that it was her birthday on Wednesday, I had forgotten, I thought it was next week! Anyway, I bought her an Our Generation doll last year so I gave her the ‘Get the Look dress, and the shoes, I added a white t shirt that I decorated with some sparkly iron on decals and then made a pair of jeans to so with it. I don’t know if my doll is bigger than AG, the fabric was too thick or if I made the seems a bit too big but after spending a long time making pockets for the front, a tiny coin pocket and two back pockets (all top stitched with a triple stitch) I found that they were no where near big enough! I wasn’t going to start from scratch and toss the whole thing out so I made an insert for the side seam and triple stitched down the centre to make it look a bit less like an add on. Unfortunately I put one of the inserts on the wrong seam so when I stitched them together there were two on one seam and none on the other!! I can’t tell you how many times I unpicked those jeans. It probably would have been quicker to start from scratch. By this time the denim was fraying really badly so I watered down some pva glue and painted it on the seams to help hold it. Anyway, I finished them and I think (hope) Nistassia will look at the ‘great’ pockets and not notice. She’s only 9 so I think she will be OK. I was determined the pattern wasn’t going to defeat me so made another pair yesterday afternoon but added a quarter inch to the side seams and another quarter inch to the top of the yokes. I also used a top stitching thread instead of the triple stitch which was much easier. It took about a third of the time it took to do the first ones and I think they look great so I decided to knit a winter sweater to go with them. However, if you have a cat, do put your knitting away out of reach before you go to bed!!!!! lol
I checked the shoe pattern I used and it is a Pixie Faire pattern. ‘Liberty Jane No Sew Janes’
Thanks for the info on the shoe pattern, Anne!
Dear Jeanne, and one more “convener of the Sofa Sisters.”
You are definitely moving towards being a master cobbler. Soon you will be able to offer a full set of clothing with your outfits, which includes shoes. I love full sets because everything matches and I don’t have to shop for another item.
You recently produced outfits with chickens. Joy’s right — the boots with a nice chicken feeding outfit would be cute. Apron – hat — feedbag, all to go with — what? A dress that could be worn by itself with a pretty pre-tied sash? Ruffles in there somewhere.
I was going to suggest that that would be something to think about as you work, but maybe I need to hope that you keep your mind on the job — no accidents for any of you.
When do the roofers arrive? think of your too hot attic and laugh as I look out at the snow-covered roofs here. If it’s that hot now for you, I’m really glad you didn’t wait a few weeks.
Time to call out for Chinese food tonight. I made a cake the other day — not the best — a mix with add-ins — but the house smelled wonderful — it would have been worth it for that.
The water heater will never be taken for granted again. Now we are just used to a a twist of the wrist and presto…hot water. Can’t wait till your new one is installed.
The boots are so freaky cute! The stitching is so even and looks like a machine did it.!
Great job!
I couldnt get here via the links provided. I tried a couple times. I finally put the blog name in my search bar and that got me here. It doesn’t look like anyone else had that problem.