About a month or so ago my Joann Fabrics store announced they were trying to improve the store and were going to have their own drawing for a $25 gift card. Every time you bought something, they encouraged you to fill out the online survey from your receipt and submit it. The survey asked about why you liked to shop there…the main reason I shop there is silly…to “feel” the fabrics with my fingers…you can’t do that with online fabric stores. I did the survey questions 3 times and wondered how many others were doing it too…
Well, yesterday I got a call and they told me I had won the $25 gift card!!! It was so exciting and I could hardly believe it!! There were 79 entries and one of my 3 entries was picked!! I went there today to pick it up and looked through the store wondering what I might buy…I left without using it…but I’ll think of something I need…or want. :o)
I worked on getting my picture ready for the contest I told you about yesterday. It is from Miroslava, the artist behind the My Meadow dolls. The contest is on the My Meadows Facebook Fan Club forum and you were supposed to post a picture with dolls and water… there are some really fun photos.
I asked my hubby to help me with the sprinkler and I tried to show some rain in the background, but he didn’t want to get too close to my 2 dolls. I was snapping pictures so it was hard to tell how much the water was showing up… I had no idea how many pictures I had taken until I cropped and edited them…51 pictures! Good grief!!!
This is the picture I ended up picking. It was the best one showing the water in the background but not great. There were better pictures of my dolls, but Miroslava said to be sure and use water…oh well, I tried…
I liked the color in these pictures better, but my hubby wasn’t spraying the water so it showed in them, so I passed on them…
My girls asked it I could take a few pictures of them just in their raincoats… so I did…
I had to go help someone plan the food for a party this Saturday and that along with dinner took up my evening… so this will have to be it again…
See you tomororw,
Blessings, Jeanne
CONGRATULATIONS!!! Let the partying begin!! 🎆🎉✨ (Can’t think of anyone who deserves that gift card more than you do, Jeanne!!)
The pictures of your girls in their rain coats are darling. I think my favorite (even though it wouldn’t work for the contest) is where Bailey (am I remembering correctly?) is holding Navi in her lap!! It’s adorable!
Yesterday Barbara mentioned the “Country Cottage” thing, and I commented. Then I thought I would also add, it’s available thru jacquielawson.com and is free. I’m a regular subscriber, so I’m not sure if it’s free only to subscribers or free to everyone, but you might want to check it out. I enjoy sending her ecards to friends–many of them have lovely music backgrounds and delightful animation. Some even have a game or puzzle attached! Not affiliated in any way, just a company I like!
Jacquie Lawson is definitely the best for cards and a lot of fun things. I especially love their interactive Advent calendars and send them to friends and family for them to enjoy.
Thank you Charlotte,
I was so surprised… I was actually driving when the call came… and I almost didn’t get it, but it was a local number and I thought maybe I better… glad I did!
I wish I could do my pictures over, but I guess I’ll leave it as it is… I just wanted more water to be showing… but it was a little scary to be spraying water at your dolls…
I have done lots of those games and puzzles on the Jacquie Lawson card site, and they can be additive… just one more… just one more… etc! :o) She does make pretty cards!
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
Congratulations, Jeanne, on winning the contest! I also think that is one of the attractions of going to a fabric store, actually feeling the material. A good seamstress knows that is key to making a quality outfit, and who is a better seamstress than you are?
What a darling picture, but where are the raindrops? I cannot see any difference in the one with water and the ones without! Hopefully it’s just my computer, and seeing the sunny skies in the background makes it look like a passing shower that comes and goes quickly. Maybe if the water was sprayed in front of them, it would have shown up better than in the back. What a cute little group you have there!
Thanks Linda,
It was pretty fun being told I was the winner… I can’t remember the last time I won anything in a contest I entered…
The raindrops are there… you can see them through the umbrella fabric on the one I chose, and off to the sides in the background, but they aren’t what I’d call “really wet looking.” I was a bit disappointed, as I had it in my mind how I wanted it to look, but the wind was blowing about 15 miles an hour and I was at the mercy of my hubby holding the sprinkler… Oh well, I have to quit stewing about it… there’ll be another contest some time… Maybe Miroslava, who is the judge, will like it even thought it’s not super “watery!” :o)
It was fun just to pose them and make those little rain coats…
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
Congratulations on winning. Touching the fabric really is the most important thing. I was hoping you’d use the cute little bench you have for the pictures, but they are both so cute that they really don’t need props. Maybe we can hope after the dinner that things will finally get back to what passes for normal in your house, but I suspect this is normal for you based on experience. You certainly are the most generous person I’ve ever heard of with your talents and energy. Go, Jeanne!
HI Susette,
Yes, anyone who sews realizes how much feeling the fabric matters… thick, thin, smooth, nubby, etc… it all plays into what you are using it for… Navi sits on the bench well, but it’s too small for Bailey’s behind… plus I wanted Navi to be hugging the dog and he couldn’t fit on the bench either…
I’m sure hoping things slow down a bit after this party on Saturday… I haven’t even had “MY” dinner party yet for Kevin and Keith for doing my cabinets… and then I have to make that cake…
Thanks Susette,
Blessings, Jeanne
You’re definitely a winner Jeanne! Whether receiving a gift card or any of the other wonderful things you do for others. 🙂
Love the photos. Those raincoats are just adorable. I see “winner” on your photo. 🙂 Still no photo done here.
I about threw week 4 of the sew along in the trash yesterday. I thought I had it ready to sew which included matching at least 10 different points on the ruffle to the bodice and drawing up the ruffle to fit when I discovered that if I sewed it down, the ruffle would be backwards. Woe is me. 🙁 Removed all of the pins and markings. Neither the pattern nor directions mention anything about matching wrong side to right side or which part of the sleeve should face the neck. I couldn’t tell from the small difficult to see photos either. So, exasperating to say the least. Patterns usually are a breeze, but this one not. I woke up in the middle of the night trying to figure it out and think I may have had the sleeve tops upside down, but that still doesn’t account for how one is supposed to sew to a point and then flip the ruffle to the other side and then back as you round the sleeve bottom and on two sleeves to boot. I’ll regather the ruffle and mark everything again and see if it is possible to move the ruffle around. If not, it is going away never to be seen again.
Thank you Joy,
It would be fun to win one of Miroslava’s contests… this is the first one I’ve done… I need to pay attention to them more often… So the way I see it, there will be 6 prizes… 3 from Miroslava’s choices and 3 people’s choices awards… so I guess I can say I have 6 chances of winning… just dreaming… :o) If I had known what the prizes were I would have maybe tried harder… if it had been for a Chibbi Fabbi, I might have told my hubby to just spray those dolls to pieces! :o) If Miro wants water, I’ll give her water! :o)
I looked at the picture on Wren Feather’s and saw the blue dress with the sheer like chiffon used for the ruffle. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t tell anything about how it was constructed just by looking at her picture. Is the ruffle sewn in between the fabric and the facing? I just can’t tell… but I can sure tell you are frustrated… sometimes people make the process too complicated when there are easier ways to do things…
If you have the directions, I’d be happy to read them and see what I think…
Sorry Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Congratulations on winning the JoAnn’s gift card. I usually forget to do the surveys but when I do I never win anything. Probably why I forget to do them. I’ve got some gift cards to JoAnn’s I still need to use but I don’t need anything at the moment.
I love the pictures of Bailey and Navi in their cute little raincoats and I was trying to figure out how to show the water better. It looks like a sun shower but I was wondering if there was a way to show the water dripping off the umbrella better.
I can totally relate to Joy’s pattern dilemma. I’ve had a few of those myself. I noticed on some of the patterns I buy that some designers use more complicated construction methods. If I know another easier way, I usually do that. Many of the designers overseas actually construct doll clothes as if they were haute couture. Often a lot of work for such small items, especially with older fingers.
HI Barbara,
I usually don’t do the survey’s very often either, but my store was stressing the drawing was going to be just at our store, so I knew my chances were better than if it was nationwide or state wide… I still can’t believe I won!
It was sunny yesterday and very bright… I knew I had to be partly in the shade or my girls who are fair skinned already would be washed out. The pictures of the girls where the colors are brighter were my favorite, but my hubby wasn’t spraying them as much then so you can’t see any water behind them… When I moved my girls facing the other way, the umbrella was more sheer and the colors were more muted… Out of the 51 pictures I took, the one I picked was just the best… I don’t know if I could change my picture or if once I submitted it, it has to stay… so I just decided to leave it as it… I have gotten 12 likes on it, but some pictures have 30+ likes… Oh well, I’ve already won once this week… BUT Miroslava gives GREAT prizes… :o)
The way the umbrella was sitting the water wouldn’t drip off the edges… I tried… It just ran down the back of the umbrella…
I just asked Joy to send me the directions if she wanted… I dislike pattern instructions very much that are complicated… I had one for Ten Ping once (come to think of it, I think it may have been an Wren Feather’s pattern) that was so complicated, I still have that little set… UNFINISHED!
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne
So Jeanne, was that the Ten Ping outfit with the border around the bottom? That one was a bear. I redid the pattern and widened the border when I did mine. 🙂
HI Joy,
YES… it was… that was the craziest pattern I’d ever tried to make… it’s still not finished…
Blessings, Jeanne
Your
Pictures for the Meadow contest are darling. The way your Navi is holding the doggy head is just priceless!. I’ve seen some other pictures on the Meadow site and they are clever but not as sweet as yours. My Giggi seems awfully hard to pose…not that it won’t move but doesn’t stay put…do you have that issue? Love, love them anyway😍
I know what you mean about “feeling “ the fabric. Our Doll Club has an auction every meeting to fund our club and yesterday I won an auction for some antique doll clothes that I bought just for the fabric…so fine, so soft. One is a white with a red scattered print and the others will be lovely after a soak in Biz or Oxy. Congratulations on winning….so nice when a good customer is the winner!
HI Kathie,
I was happy, too, when I saw that Navi’s arms could go all the way around the puppy’s head and when I bent her head down on him, I liked that very much! :o) It was the water issue that had me puzzled… I had figured out how I was going to pose them, but I just thought the water sprayed behind them would show up better… rats!
I know what you mean about your dolls not staying the way you pose them… I think that’s called “kicky” when you pose them and they have a mind of their own and pose another way… sometimes if you just keep tweaking their arms or legs, it will stay put…it’s just finding that sweet spot in their stringing…
Congrats on your winning yesterday… antique dolls clothes made from vintage fabrics… how fun!!!
Thanks Kathie,
Blessings, Jeanne
I have that problem with my Lolla. I see other people pose their Meadow dolls in so many cute ways showing personality but mine seems to be a little more stubborn or maybe I just need to be more patient with her. Or just put her down and see what she wants to do. Probably not.
Winner winner chicken dinner!
Your little girl dolls are adorable!
I sent Jeanne some pics of my she shed. My email put them in jumbled up order so I numbered the caption under each. Info that I should have put in the email but I hit send too quickly.
HI Julia,
Thanks for the congrats! My hubby says that all the time!
I did get your she shed pictures… Oh my goodness, Julia… I won’t say anything here, but my goodness!!! I loved the chicken coop too!
Blessings, Jeanne