I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter holiday… It was a beautiful day here and just the kids and my hubby and I had a really nice dinner and visited for a long time. (Kristoffer was doing laundry!) :o)
I didn’t do much on Isabelle’s dress until Sunday evening… but I managed to get the snaps all sewn on the back and now it’s hemmed by hand! I made it a length to show off her sweet little legs… I don’t have any socks on her yet or a slip if I make one… but I’m getting there.
…and then I got to thinking… what could I do to really make this special? And I kept thinking about something Sylvia said… “one of your straw hats would be nice….” so I looked at my hat straw and didn’t have any white white, so I used a natural straw and even had some flowers that matched. This is what I came up with instead of just a hair bow…
With all that’s going on with this dress, the edge stitching on the jacket, the embroidery, the buttons, the print in the dress, and now the flowery hat, I decided to leave the lace off the waist. After finishing the hat, when I put the lace up to it, it just seemed too busy and too much!
Yep, I haven’t figured out to make it look mint green like it is, but here it is again, in all of its “Aqua glory!”
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Ooh a pretty hat!! How nice, and the flowers are just perfect!
You know, it’s funny, tonight on my monitor the dress looks more mint, the jacket looks more aqua! I know you said they match perfectly, but….I guess computer monitors are not real reliable when it comes to showing color!!
I agree; although I did like the lace at the waistline, I think with the hat, it really would have been too much; you will have to save that added touch for some other dress down the line.
We had a nice Easter. My breakfast casserole came out well, and all but 1-1/2 squares went!! It was enough for Ron’s lunch. (He came to church, but didn’t come to the brunch. His reasoning being that there are no restrooms in the basement, where we eat, and he’s on diuretics, and can’t get up the stairs very fast any more…). One of the ladies shared some of her wonderful fruit tray with me, too, so I added some of that to Ron’s lunch today. I was still too full from brunch!
The rest of my day was pretty easy–reading, napping, etc.–and our son called this afternoon and we had a nice chat. The sun even came out late this afternoon!
I hope everyone had a pleasant day, whatever you did.
HI Charlotte,
I’m about ready to concede on the color of the dress set… as I sat down at my computer, I saw my camera and just had a thought… I might give IT a try and see if it captures something my phone can’t… I haven’t used it in a long time… I guess I’ll try it…
I’m glad you had a nice day and even got in a nap… that’s good! I’d take one whenever I could, but I’m not much of a day sleeper… no matter how tired I am… I just have to wait and go to bed a little earlier…
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
1–the camera might just do the trick! Can’t wait to see what happens.
2–wait until you are older! You may become a day-sleeper after all! LOL I never used to take naps, either, but I sure do now! (I’m 75.) And my husband drops off at the drop of a hat, even sitting up! But, he’s 88 and has a lot of health issues, too, so it’s not too surprising.
The new hat is the perfect touch to the dress and jacket, Jeanne! I even like the length with more of her legs showing. I think some pretty white thigh highs would look good with the white of the shoes!
I too, agree on the absence of the lace, it wooud be fine on it’s own, but with the added hat, maybe too much. This way looks more modern and fresh!
On my monitor , like Charlotte’s, the dress does look faintly mint, when paired with the jacket, which looks aqua. I’ll take your word for it that it matches!
We too, had a nice day, and the weather was beautiful! It was so nice to go to mass and see people, but of course, with the masks and social distancing, not quite the same. Our church grounds are full of blooming magnolias, tulips and daffodils, so just being there was a treat in itself!
I had to make a comment on your comment about washing dolly clothes. My sister and I used to attach our clotheslines to doorknobs thus making it difficult for my parents to get the doors open. We got in more trouble for that than for the mess we made washing the clothes.
Thanks Linda,
I’m glad you like Isabelle’s hat… She likes it too! I got the thigh highs made and a slip too! Yay for me!
It does match and I just told Charlotte, I am going to give my camera a try and see what it can do that my phone doesn’t! It might work! :o)
I’m glad your day was nice too… the weather here was wonderful too!
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
That is perfect! So much better than just a bow! Love it! Those flowers are just right, you must have a large assortment of flowers to pick from.
We had a wonderful Easter with 13 here. I know going over the limit. We were out doors a lot
As it was bright and sunny and almost 60. When our whole family is together there are 27, we have had them all here at the farm in the past. Not in 2020 One thing we do for Easter is everyone brings a different melon, berry, etc for a huge fruit bowl and then they get to take home a container of mixed fruit. Have a good Monday!
Your Easter sounds like it was lovely. I read an article the other day that said the virus dies in sunlight even faster than previously thought so I’m sure you were good to go. Hopefully by next Easter you can have all 27. I love the mixed fruit idea.
Thanks for the suggestion of the hat, Sylvia! I’m glad you like it! :o)
I DO have a lot of paper flowers to pick from but even I was surprised I had the colors I needed for this dress.
I loved your idea of how you make your fruit salad… what a neat tradition to do! I might have to try that sometime…
Blessings, Jeanne
I can’t believe you just pulled even the tiny rosebud 🌹 out of your Magic Stash ! And the perfect aqua flowers. Sorry. I think the colors do show up differently depending on the device they appear on, just like the sound is different depending on whether it’s coming from a car radio, fine sound system or the TV. Even the little rosebuds 🌹 on the bodice are in exactly the right place. I like the length of the skirt too. Everything about this outfit is perfect. Thanks for sharing your design process with us.
HI Susette,
I can’t believe I had the right colors for this dress, but I did… and they look wonderful in person. I am going to try my “camera” after I finish the comments and just see if maybe it might pick up the colors better. I haven’t used it a while… I hope I remember how! ;o)
Thank YOU for your sweet compliments on this dress set. It was easy to make to HARD to photograph… I’ll get it… maybe later this week! ;o)
Blessings, Jeanne
I love the hat and it is strange but the colors on the hat seem to match the jacket but the jacket appears more aqua. On three different monitors the jacket appears to be aqua and the dress mint. Have you tried photographing just the jacket and just the dress maybe on a plain white background.
We have a wonderful Easter. Peace and easy. Seven of use at my daughters house for Chinese and three yummy Easter dessert. She had to work so that was the plan and it was wonderful to not have to stand and cook for hours and clean it all up. The only thing she needed to do was wash the glasses and mugs. It was cloudy in the morning but turned out to be a beautiful day. Nice to be with family for a change.
HI Sandra,
Believe me, I’ve tried everything… I did manage to get 3 freak shots today but only those 3 three… no more, no matter what I tried… the sun must have been shining or not shining at the exact right moment I took them…
I’m glad you had a wonderful visit with family… We usually have “someone” over but not this year… maybe 2022 will be a whole lot better! ;o)
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeannemarie, Simply sweet…love the outfit, embroidery and straw hat. What a lovely presentation!
Thank you Nanette,
I’m glad you like Isabelle’s dress set and thank you for your sweet compliments!
Blessings, Jeanne
I was thinking what Sylvia said — you must have a large assortment of flowers to chose from. I agree with Susette that the outfit is perfect and with Linda that the lace is now unnecessary. My computer agrees with Sandra that the jacket and flowers look aqua while the dress, in some pictures, looks mint — however, they blend beautifully. I’m not worried about how they show up on Ebay — the outfit will sell and the buyer will be thrilled when she gets it because it’s perfect and beautiful. A white hat would not have been as interesting as the natural one — no worries — you’ve done it again, AND painted cabinets AND worked on figuring out the roof AND made Easter dinner. Amazing, really.
HI Marilyn,
I’ll have to show my box of paper flowers and leaves and stems and things one day… I do have quite an assortment… all bought on sale or on clearance… It’s always good to have more on hand, so you don’t have to run to the store every time you need a little flower… ;o)
You make me sound like Wonder Woman, and I’m far from her… I need to get back to finishing up the section of cabinets I was working on so faithfully… before I got that sinus crud…
Thank you very much for your kind words… I like the tan hat better too, than I think I would have a white one…
Thanks Marilyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
Glad you had a nice Easter. We did too. Had a delicious brunch outside under a beautiful garden arbor covered with in bloom purple wisteria. The grands and their cousins enjoyed flying planes and using a leaf blower to get them off of the roof or out of the trees when they were stuck. A couple of times, it rained wisteria blossoms (due to a stuck plane) over the beautifully arranged table as the adults sat enjoying themselves. It really was beautiful. 🙂
I love Isabelle’s dress length and agree that a pair of thigh highs would be nice. The hat is a wonderful presentation as well. I like the dress without the lace, but would still like the red dotted belt without the jacket as a cute summer outfit. 🙂 The dress/jacket colors remain the same on my monitor as in the beginning. The dress more minty and the jacket more aqua. Two slightly different colors that blend nicely. I love the third from the last close up photo head shot. No shadows and the colors are vibrant. I think Isabelle would enjoy a trip to the botanical garden and a picnic lunch in the park afterwards wearing her special spring ensemble of course. 🙂
HI Joy,
Oh, your Easter brunch sounds wonderful AND beautiful too! In fact it sound like something out of a magazine…
The thigh highs are made and so is the slip… She’s in for a treat this week from a pro photo guy… I hope! ;o)
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh yeah! I love the beautiful hat. You are really getting good at making those hats quickly. I’ve still yet to try it. Mostly because I don’t seem to have your ability to look at a kitchen bowl and see a hat. I agree about the lace. The dress is perfect without it. Someone mentioned you must have a huge stash of flowers. I agree. That is one thing I do not have a “stash” of myself. Must be the only thing. The length of the dress is perfect. Truly an adorable outfit.
During all the COVID stuff this past year I have never not been with my family. Until yesterday. Sean and family were visiting another church and then went to her grandfathers for lunch, so we were on our own. Lobsterfest at Red Lobster. I indulged but actually had enough shrimp and lobster linguine to bring home and add shrimp to for our dinner tonight. They gave us extra biscuits too.
Church at Easter, while not entirely back to normal, was sure better than last year. Last year there were only ten allowed in the church. David and I were there because we were part of the volunteer choir, but it was weird having an empty church on Easter. This year the pews were as full as permitted. We have to make reservations to attend and when I made ours there was only fifteen spaces left out of a possible 100. David is sitting in the pews right now. Because of his bad knees he’s having trouble getting up the stairs to the choir loft. Hopefully he can begin knee surgery in about a month. But I am in the choir so I’m not counted in the number of people allowed in the congregation but I still have to “register”. We also have an 8 a.m. service and it was full also. They had Facebook Live set up in the parish hall in case of an overflow and I don’t know if it was used. We didn’t have flowers last year either and this year the altar looked lovely with all the Easter Lilies.
Can’t say much about the weather here right now. I feel I’ve moved to the Pacific Northwest. My one stepdaughter lives in Portland, OR, and they came to visit once and I found her lying in the sun on a rather cool day. She said she was soaking up the sun as much as she could because they probably would not be seeing it for months. Every day here has been gloomy. The temps are mild but I’ve still had to put some heat on in the house. But I shouldn’t complain. In another month it will probably be sunny and very hot.
Thank you for your sweet comments about my hat, Barbara… I love making them as I’m sitting listening to music or watching an old TV show… and for your compliments on the dress. It is such a pretty set… I hope the pictures issue can be solved this week. :o)
Oh ! Those Red Lobster cheesy biscuits are the bomb! I could seriously go there and just eat the biscuits and be totally happy!
It sounds like you had a very nice day (except for the weather…) but as you mentioned… in a month or so, it’s going to be so hot, you’ll be sweating like crazy!
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne
I’m glad you had a nice Easter and it seems everyone else did as well. It was nice and warm here and sunny, just beautiful.
I love the hat. I think having it in natural straw is even prettier than white. Wow, you must have an incredible stash of flowers, Jeanne, to be able to find just the right colors.
I, too, am seeing the dress as a mint green and the jacket and flowers on the hat as aqua.
Maybe the fact the skirt is lower and cast in more shadow.I agree about leaving the lace off. You could include the red dotted belt. Without the jacket and hat the red dotted belt would turn the dress into a sweet sundress for summer.
HI Laura,
I’m glad everyone likes the hat, (since I didn’t ask any opinions on it!) but I was pretty sure it would be okay… I did have some pink straw but it just seemed a bit overpowering…
I’m determined to get the color problem solved before I list it on Ebay… I really don’t want someone bidding on a dress they think is Aqua, only to open the box and see Mint Green!
I might go ahead and include the red sash for the winner… it is cute when the dress is by itself…
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
The very first line of Charlottes comments said just what I thought….somehow the dress looks more like mint….and everyone else noticed it too! How strange 😉
The hat is the best accessory you could have added…love the way the brim comes down and frames her sweet little face. No lace is fine too…those teeny even gathers always take my eye.
Glad you had a good Easter. ALL of us were at my sons in the country and that is amazing because it is getting harder to have all of us together. 10 adults, 10 grands, 3 boy/girl friends, grands from 13 to 25
Could not have been nicer. The table was beyond beautiful…she even had long narrow metal trays that had real wheat grass growing with crosses made from palms standing in them. So meaningful.
Awww… thank you Kathie… I’m so glad you like Isabelle’s set… and I hope to get the color problem solved. I sure hope I can! :o)
How wonderful that EVERYONE got to be there… that’s a lot of people to make it to one event!
Did you take any pictures? I’d love to see your table decorations… you are always bragging about how talented your daughter in law is…
Thanks Kathie,
Blessings, Jeanne
I am constantly amazed at how you always seem to have the right colour flowers for whatever outfit you have made. Do you buy the flowers to match every time you buy new fabric lol? It sure seems like it. Love the whole outfit and the colour is great whether mint green or aqua.
Made another dress yesterday from the ‘Get the Look’ pattern from Pixie Faire. Not totally sure I like it, It is designed to be worn with a T shirt but the one I made is too thick and makes the bodice of the dress a bit rumpled. I’ll probably use the T with jeans and make something else to go under the dress. This one is for Ashley’s doll who is OG Alice and was named Abby by Sam but Ashley decided to call her Anastasia. Not quite ready for photos yet but maybe tomorrow.
HI Anne,
When I decided to make the hat, I was amazed too… that I had the right color flowers, but I did! I just pick up the paper flowers when they are on clearance or go half price at Hobby Lobby. I have them all in a box and it’s pretty easy to find what I’m looking for…
Good for you doing some sewing… Is the Get the Look Pattern the one from Friday? I passed on it, as I didn’t think I’d use it.. .and I sure didn’t need another pattern…
Thanks Anne,
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, I love the hat. It brings out her pretty eyes.
Happy Easter (belated) to you and the Sofa Sisters. I hope the Easter Bunny showered everyone with jelly beans!
No jelly beans at our house, Dorothy–we prefer M&M Peanuts! And Peeps. Lots of Peeps!!