I spent most of the day thinking in my head about what I should do to fix Samantha’s dress. I did get some other things accomplished, but I did spend a lot of time trying to think of a good solution… you might notice, I changed up the sleeves and made them a bit less droopy. I opted for a shorter sleeve with a more narrow cuff…
I also opted to make box pleats in the skirt instead of the knife pleats the pattern called for…
Those of you who guessed the sash was going to be too close, or even cover up the last bow on the front were right..it was all my fault… I just had it in my mind… 3 pretty bows in the front, and a sash around the hips and a big bow tied on the side… but this is what it looked like when I tried to tie it around her hips…
It really covered up too much of that last bow… so I had another idea…
How about just the same lace trim as what I used down the 2 sides of the white insert…
That “could” have worked but it kind of got lost in my distance pictures… I really wanted that lavender sash…
I took a little time and tried drawing out a couple of options I thought might work… but since the dress only has purples and white in it, the colors would be pretty simple, which may have been okay, but I wasn’t sure about adding green leaves to it…and removing those bows wasn’t going to be easy… they were sewn onto the white fabric and then sandwiched between the lavender floral print and the white lining…
So I cut out a piece of white fabric the same size as the white insert already on there…and laid it just below the top lavender bow. Then I cut out 2 bows in paper and sort of colored them purplish and pinned them in place but put them closer together… you can sort of see what I did here…
Nope…that’s too many bows… 3 bows on the front, one at the side, and possibly one in her hair…
So I just took my ribbon and scrunched it up a little bit so it was a bit more narrow… and tried to see if that might work…
That might work, but it wasn’t how I envisioned the dress… so I just worked on other things like finishing off the inside of the dress and getting the snaps sewn on the back…
My hubby got called out to a water leak in one of the buildings at the church and while he was gone, I played around a little bit and think I may have a solution… but it’s too late to take pictures of that… I’ll show you tomorrow…
I spent time googling images of girls dresses in the 1900’s and scrutinizing the pictures for embroidery on the front or lace or ribbons or bows and saw LOTS of pretty dresses, but nothing like what I have going on…but one thing I DO KNOW… the ribbon is LAVENDER… it says so on the roll! :o)
Quite a few years ago Sally bought a dress from me for her Samantha doll. It is the same pattern as the one I’m using for the one I’m working on right now… I found the pictures of it as well as the purse I sent along with it. I think the purse may have been an after thought, because I have no pictures of it with the dress… only separately…
This Samantha doll is the one who has the super wide shoulders and looks like a football player…
…and here is another one from this pattern with Nellie modeling…
Well, that’s it for today… I hope you enjoyed it and hope you’ll come back tomorrow to see what happens with Samantha’s dress…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Aha! I thought so!!
I enjoy watching you go thru your thought processes when you are solving a problem like this, because you Show us what you are thinking! I quite agree, the lace does get lost from a distance, and I think that dress really Does need the purple around the dropped waist; otherwise the three “bows” look like they are just kind of floating there. If only you had that same ribbon but in half the width! You could still use it for the sash, but it wouldn’t take up so much room at the waist. (Maybe you’re going to take the wire out and sew the ribbon in half lengthwise for just the band part? And then make the bow with the full width?)
I guess we’ll have to wait and see what you come up with!
It was fun to see those other two dresses from the same pattern. I love Beth’s patterns (Primrose Lane) and have M*A*N*Y of them!! Many. Many. Did I say MANY?! (roughly two dozen or so, I think) No Samantha ones, though, as I never had Samantha. I do have a lot of the contemporary styles, as well as some for Kirsten and a few for Bitty Baby.
I finally finished (sort of) that smocked batiste dress for Bella, but have decided it needs a sash to help pull the waist in a tad. I will have to add the sash at the sides, as this style is smocked in front, so a sash doesn’t belong there. And I’ll have to make it out of ribbon, as I used all but the smallest scraps of the fabric! So, pictures will have to wait another day or two, I’m afraid. I will also adjust the pattern so the next time I make it, it will fit the RRFF better.
HI Charlotte,
I DID come up with a solution but will save it for tomorrow… I’m glad you like reading me “think out loud” as sometimes that’s the only way I can figure things out…
Sounds like I’m not the ONLY one with “sash” problems… :o) Hope you got yours figured out…
Blessings, Jeanne
Well, let’s see here Jeanne, you gave us so much to look through, and I am trying to figure out what to say! I see your dilemna, what looks best and what works best and what YOU want it to look like! That’s a lot to get together in one solution, but after looking at the pictures, what I really do like it best is the third picture, with the lace around the hips and a big bow in her hair. I just think the ribbon around the lowered waist is too much. And you wanted that sash around her waist!! I think it is too much of a distraction, but that’s just me. We will see what others have to say.
I will say that having a big bow in her hair is quite the touch for a dress of that era. I have pictures of relatives with that very thing, a big, huge. blooming bow in their hair! My mother wore them when she was little, and my father, who ived across the street told his mother, my grandmother, that the “Jello Girl” moved across the street when he saw her! You know, that little girl in Jello ads that had that huge bow in her hair!
I’m also loving that pretty solf blue dress that Nellie is wearing, along with the red one Samantha wore. I do prefer high button shoes with these dropped waist dresses too. I;m not sure if anything I said helped, but at least I have started something and am anxious to see what others say.
HI Linda,
When I saw those high button shoes on Nellie, I decided I would use them again… I’m pretty sure it will work for this dress…
You’ll have to wait and see what I did… there were lots of ways to go and I picked the one that I thought was best for salvaging what I had already done on the dress… :o) I guess we’ll see if I did!
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
I love watching you work through a problem until you solve it. This is what sets your doll creations apart from the others. I would give up at the first obstacle which is probably why I don’t sew anymore. The dresses on Samantha and Nellie are just lovely. You nailed what I don’t like about my PC Samantha, she looks like a football player in a fancy dress! Which brings me to a question: Are the dresses you are creating for the 35th Anniversary dolls specific to the size of the new dolls or will they fit the older Mattel dolls? I noticed that the 35th Anniversary dolls seem to be smaller than even the most recent AG girls like Maryellen and Courtney.
HI Debbie,
It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who didn’t care for the wide shouldered dolls… some were just WAY TOO WIDE in the shoulders… and no matter what you did, it didn’t help…
I have the Pleasant Company dolls for most of the Anniversary dolls, so being a bit larger will probably be better than being too small… I try to make my dresses “fit” just about any doll but not be baggy or skin tight…
I’ll have to see if I can find some information about the sizing of the new 35th Anniversary AG dolls… I do have some dolls on the skinnier side so I have something to go by if they are similar in size…
Thanks Debbie,
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Jeanne,
Good to know that these dresses will fit most dolls . I have to agree, better a bit big than too small. I love the fabric and pattern of Samantha’s dress and am looking forward to your solution on the placement of that sash.
I might have to trade up to a newer model of Samantha that actually looks good in clothes!
Debbie
HI Debbie,
I’m generally all about getting the Pleasant Company dolls, but I saw this Beforever Samantha and thought she was beautiful… it’s only been since I got her, that I really thought Samantha’s dresses were really pretty on her… I looked on Ebay a long time before I found her, but once I did, I couldn’t quit looking at her and so glad she was able to come live with me… She didn’t come with “football shoulders” either! :o)
Thanks Debbie,
Blessings, Jeanne
I like the sleeves a lot more. I’m afraid I would have to deconstruct and move the bottom two bows up a little. But as we like to say, “That’s just me.” Gotta keep the purple sash. I’d gather it at both side seams and sew it in the seam. I’ve made several that way.
About mosquitoes, the city fortunately did spray after I reported the problem last year. I also sent for a strange little 9” tall tube-shaped thing from China that has a round 3” tunnel through it that houses a purple light source. A child’s science fair experiment found that flying creatures are attracted to that band width of light and fly into it and are pulled down by a small fan in the bottom and are dehydrated! Believe it or not, it works! It’s advertised on Facebook occasionally. Or maybe look up fly trap light on Search. It’s only caught a few as it’s not much of a problem here, but every one counts. I don’t know the brand as everything on the tag on the bottom is in Chinese! I’d love to know if someone orders one to hear how it works for them. I’m sending a picture of it to Jeanne.
On second thought, I’d go with the last picture. Done!
HI Susette,
Well, I’ve made a decision and will share it tomorrow… I really should have taken a picture of it before I “put the nails in the coffin” so to speak, because it’s easier to tell if you got something right when you can see it in a picture… let’s hope I got it right… :o)
I did get your mosquito gadget and will share it tomorrow… that is quite interesting… I need it back in the sitting room… for some reason, mosquitoes get in back here when I’m sitting at the computer… I see them flying in front of the screen but hardly ever can catch them… They must come in somehow through the window casings… that’s the only thing I can figure…
Thanks Susette,
Blessings, Jeanne
Okay, here goes. I’m not a fan of wired ribbon. If the wire was removed, and the ribbon gathered across the front and anchored at each side, like in the scrunched photo without a big bow, it would make the ribbon narrower and fit the space. Moving the bows would be unnecessary. Then, as the ribbon went around to the back, a bow could be tied there. Adding a big hairbow would look great as there would no longer be a big bow at the waist. 🙂
I would love to see Charlotte’s dress for Bella when it is finished. And Susette’s mosquito trap sounds promising. Years ago, we had an electric bug zapper, but after finding that it killed good bugs, moths, etc. we ditched it.
Thought I had my dress finished for the Sew Along, but like Jeanne, changed my mind on how it looked. Took off the front trim, and now I’m going to try sewing on rick rack. We’ll see if that works and if it doesn’t, it will remain plain. Now, I’m planning the next dress, but that will take another trip to Joann’s for more eyelet lace the right size. 🙂
HI Joy,
Well, as I told the others above you, I made a decision and you’ll see what I did tomorrow…it’s too late to go back now… so I hope it works for everyone…
Oh yay… another trip to Joann’s! I was just there yesterday and got a call from them today about some fabric I had been looking for… can’t stay away from that place… If you lived closer to me, I’m SURE I have something you could use! :o)
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Loving the purple ribbon. It must be a focal point. On Nellie’s dress the same fabric drop waistband gives the illusion of a sash and the big bow is spectacular. I don’t think then having a big bow in her hair would look like too much and so appropriate. I have found sleeves can be so tricky, it’s easy to go too large reminiscent of mutton sleeves era, or too round and high puffy 1950’s style. I really liked seeing that blue material again that you also used for the beige vs blue dress debate. Can’t wait for more.
HI Dorothy,
It’s funny that you should mention that blue vs. beige dress! I ALMOST picked that dress to make again and after all this trouble with the bows and the sash, I probably would have been finished with the cross over dress by now… oh well, we learn from our mistakes… :o)
I’ll be showing what I did to the dress tomorrow… I hope you’ll like it!
Blessings, Jeanne
Now I’m completely overwhelmed and it’s not even my project. I’m trying to think of what I would do if I were making the dress, but I’m useless because I would have embroidered a design on the white insert and that would have simplified matters. I did that on my H4H Lauryce’s Easter dress she wore to the tea party. I’m like Joy in not being a fan of wired ribbon. But some of it is so pretty I buy it and take out the wires. Then I save the wire and use it for other things. The dresses on Samantha and Nellie are really lovely and I like the purse.
Can’t wait to see Charlotte’s dress for Bella and Susette’s mosquito trap sounds interesting. Another storm yesterday. And these aren’t showers they are deluges. There’s not enough time between storms for things to dry out. David and the boys are installing an A/C unit today. Right now it’s cloudy but not raining. I sure hope the weather holds for them.
HI Barbara,
I “almost” wished I had embroidered the front of the dress too… that’s something I know how to do and it would have been done by now. But NO… I had to do things the hard way and fuss and fume at what I had created… but I think I have come to terms with it and have solved it… at least I think it will be acceptable… let’s hope so…
I like “this” wired ribbon as it has a vintage look to it and you can shape your bows however you like and they stay! :o)
We have missed another week of there being too much rain for them to do our roof… so we look to next week and hope there are a few days of dry weather so they can get going on it.
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne
-I’m with Barbara, completely overwhelmed of what to say.
I really like the dress you made for Sally. That’s very pretty. I’m going to also say that I’m not a fan of wired ribbon on doll clothes. On wreaths, yes, and other craft projects. I think I would opt to take the wire out of the waist bow. I do like the sleeves. If it were my project, I would have a soft waist bow (so iconic to the era) and some tonal silk ribbon embroidery on the white insert instead of the bows.
LOL I just realized I’m saying basically what Barbara did, but I didn’t read her comment first.
Can’t wait to see Charlotte’s dress either.
HI Laura,
Now that I’ve read a few comments, I might be afraid to show what I did tomorrow… let’s hope I don’t lose any readers over it… I think it will work… all I need is ONE person to like it enough to bid on it… and then I can move on to the next dress…
I did like the idea of embroidering something on the front… but I had spent so much time getting those bows on there, I just hated to cut them off… but you’ll see tomorrow…
Blessings, Jeanne
I’m with Barbara and Laura, I am not a fan of wired ribbon, not sure it would have been around in the era either. I am a cake decorator as well and wired ribbon doesn’t work well on cakes! I always take the wire out and I use it a lot for other things.
I loved seeing the photos of the other dresses you have made from the pattern. And look forward to your solution to your dilemma. I am sure the outfit will be perfect when you have finished.
HI Anne,
The wired ribbon I use is a very very soft wire and I only like and use it because it lets you shape the ribbon the way you want.. bigger loops, flatter, fingered tails, etc…
You’ll see what I did tomorrow…
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Anne!
Blessings, Jeanne
Boy, it’s fun reading your comments and fun to look at your process, Jeanne. Also love the comments from you ladies who sew. I, too, am looking forward to seeing these dresses everyone is making.
Like Linda from St. Louis, I also like the dress with the lace at the waist that others say gets lost. That and the big hair bow are just the right amount of decoration. However, if you are determined to have that ribbon about the waist, yes, scrunched and tied in the back. Tying it in the front or front/side makes the front “bow busy “ IMHO. And still, add a big hair bow, vs a beret.
Oh, I, too, love wired ribbon. You have it on several outfits you made that are in my collection and I love the oomph and ability to give the bow and streamers shape. Then again, I am an oomph kinda gal. Usually.
And yes, Jeanne, we added the purse and necklace as after thoughts. I am sure Donna was egging me on. We were great enablers for quite a few years. 😁
Good luck with mosquitoes all of you who are plagued. You have all my sympathy. Happy problem solving, Jeanne.
Thanks Sally,
Well, you’re in the wired ribbon fan club… so you’ll be happy when you see tomorrow’s dress. Maybe not “totally” happy, but I hope somewhat happy! I had to just make a decision and what you’ll see is what I decided…
I thought that purse was an after thought… it was one of my favorite purses I ever made. I thought it was so pretty… I still have the paper pattern for it… :o)
Thanks Sally… got your $ today for the slip.
Blessings, Jeanne