Let’s start with something this blog is all for…doll clothes…and especially when they are made by my readers. I love that I’m not the only one loves to sew for dolls.
Let’s see what Joy, in California has made for her girls…she’s been participating in a Sew Along with Wren Feathers and each week they make something new… Look what she made Hannah, a Ruby Red Fashion Friends doll and Daisy, the same doll, only in a different sculpt.
If you click on any pictures they will enlarge.
Now weren’t they adorable… good work Joy!
All the way in Poland, Alina has been sewing for her American Girl dolls…here are 2 dresses she made…with drop waist dresses, just like My Samantha’s dress.
I wasn’t able to get Josefina’s dress to upload, Alina… it said it was a security issue… I hope Samantha and Kirsten will be thrilled to be in the spotlight today and they certainly look lovely!! Thanks Alina!
The plan was to get Samantha’s lacy thigh highs and her purse finished after the roofers left today…but they were here until about 3:15 and my hubby and I were kind of in a fog for a while…
Before the roofers started the whole roofing process, the project manager suggested we take things off our walls and breakable things off of shelves because there would be a lot of shaking going on and things might easily break. We had never “lived through” a roofing, so we did what they said and took mirrors down, took pictures off the walls. I took most of my dolls off the dolly shelf and laid them down on a bookshelf, away from the edge. I had sheets draped over my sewing table covering my machines…. and on and on and on…
So…we had lots to put back up, put away and uncover… and everything was covered with a layer of dust…I guess it came through the cracks everywhere in my house. I’m still not finished with everything…
We discovered our house is pretty much built like a tank… nothing budged and hardly anything shook… I guess those 3″ thick oak rafters held everything steady. I’m sure I could have left up half of my things and they would have been okay, but I guess, better safe than sorry.
My sewing room got it the worst…well, not the entire room…the wall behind my sewing table had that wall and corner and ceiling area mess we repaired. Well, the crack up along the ceiling was the area we were repairing outside upon the roof, Sunday… and I guess all those asphalt shingles scraps fell down in the crack and were just waiting to fall through the ceiling and break into a million pieces on my sewing table and the floor.
I’ve vacuumed it up 3 times and it just keeps falling out. It’s like its raining shingle slivers. I guess all the pounding and jarring on the roof made it all fall down… my hubby pounded on the walls and lots fell down, but he said he needs to caulk the crack and it will be okay…
We still have 2 or 3 areas of the siding that has to be fixed (we’re doing it first thing in the morning before it gets too hot) and some nails have to be sawed off… but I wanted to show you a few pictures of the new roof… we are very pleased and it looks so new and fresh and up to date… that’s a bit strange to say about an 1892 house! ;o)
They still have some materials in the front yard that someone is coming to pick up tomorrow, so it’s not a Better Homes and Garden picture this time… and those big red tarps left on the yard overnight caused our grass to die in some big patches… but my hubby thinks it will green up the next rain we have… It’s nice to think we can relax in the rain and not have to worry about listening for drip, drip, drip! :o)
Well, I better get to bed or I’ll be too groggy to work on siding in the morning…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Yay, a dolly post!
Joy, I’ve printed off those patterns, too, but haven’t started them yet. Last week was Very long, and so far this week has been challenging, with insomnia. Some day….Anyway I loved seeing what your made with your patterns. (Maya has already picked out the fabric for her first dress!)
Alina, your dolls look so happy in their pretty new dresses! Thank you for sharing your pictures.
Oh, dear, Jeanne, it’s a good thing you covered your machines while the roofing was going on. You wouldn’t want those bits of old shingles getting into their works!! I hope the caulking does the trick, to keep more stuff from falling out!
Your new roof looks so nice!! Really a lovely job. Don’t worry about the patches on your lawn; they weren’t covered long enough to really die. It’s just that, when no sun gets to plants, they can’t make chlorophyll, so they turn brownish, but after they’ve been uncovered for a couple of days, those spots should just green right back up. Seems like I learned that in junior high science, which was MANY years ago!!
I think Maya would love an outfit from this pattern. Definitely check the sizing for the RRFF girls as a few adjustments are needed. Not that you wouldn’t anyway as you are such a wonderful seamstress. š While you’re awake at night, you can plan the outfit. I often do that. š
Yes, Jeanne, your house DOES look almost brand new with the new shingles! The color is perfect, not too dark or too light. Considering that the roof covers a large portion of the house when you look at it, a new roof really does make a difference. What I can’t quite understand about your house is, where is the front and where is the back, and whre are the sides? Where do people come in when they visit? I guess when you are there and there is a road somewhere, you can tell better. Just wondering in case I drop by! Just kidding, I would never” just drop by” on anyone!
Joy, your doll clothes are just darling! That first one reminds me of the shorts and top sets that my mother made for me when I was little. Both outfits look so cool and summery!
Alina, I can see where you got your inspiration! Love that first one especially. You did a wonderful job! Also it was intersting seeing a glimpse of your kitchen in Poland in the background of the first picture!
I second what Charlotte said about your patches on the lawn, Jeanne. It will come back. I think all of us have had a patch or two like that, in fact we have one now! This weather isn’t helping and it needs to rain!
I sew best in the kitchen. Maybe in the future I will have a sewing and doll room. š
Alina, I understand, because I too, sew in the kitchen on the table!
Wow! Jeanne the roof looks great! I love the color! It looks like a photo in a magazine! So glad this is all behind you.
Dear Jeanne, I am glad that the job is finished. I think that you worked as hard inside to prepare for the roof repair (as clean up after) as the workers did outside doing it.
Thanks for sharing the photos of Joy’s and Alina’s dolls. Their outfits are darling.
And here I thought the only mess was outside. So sorry. At least you were warned about the possibility though and could cover things. The same thing happened at my parents in laws home when they had their huge tar/gravel roof replaced. All of the old black stuff managed to sift down somehow between the exposed beams of the ceiling and cover all of their lovely furnishings. Took quite a while to sweep off the beams and gather up all of the debris. The black dust even managed to get inside closed cabinets.
The new roof color looks great with the white. It’s going to be so nice not having to run around and catch leaks in a bucket any more. I’m so happy for you both. Hope the finishing up goes well and that you can get back to chickens/German Owls and sewing. I still wish the mowers were in the garage so that you might be able to use that sweet porch as it was intended. Lemonade and tarts. š
I did have fun making Hanna and Daisy their outfits. Things don’t always go as planned though so it took forever to finish them. I can never leave well enough alone so started with the idea of a romper and not a dress as the pattern was intended. The romper, which didn’t work so well, finally morphed into a crop top, shorts, and skirt. By that time, I had used up all but a few scraps of the two fat quarters with which I started. Phew, just enough fabric to match the checks. I’m working on Week 3 now and late to finish again.
Loved seeing Alina’s AG’s and their wonderful new dresses. The girls look very pleased. What a great white kitchen too. š
Hope you and George can catch a little break soon. Time for some thrift shopping or a trip to Harbor Freight. š
Your new roof looks great and I really like the color of the shingles. I still can’t get over how many “roofs” you have. I never thought of you having to do so much prep work inside. And what a mess in your sewing area.
Somehow it seems so personal when the mess is in ones sewing room. It’s like our space has been invaded. I feel that way about the leak in my sewing room. But I’m sure it is controlled by Divine Intervention. Not the leak but the location. It occurs between my sewing tables and my work table so the floor is what gets wet and I’ve learned to prepare for that. If it were less localized I don’t know what I’d do because there is not a whole lot of place to go with things in there. The problem is a sun pipe that we installed years ago to add light to the room. It has begun to break down and the seals are messed up now. Although we have sprayed liberally with Flex Seal there must be some pooling that’s causing the leak because it only happens in heavy rains. Someone would have to get up there during the rain to see the problem but the rain is usually accompanied by lightening so that’s a no-go. The re-roofing project keeps getting put off and there is no problem elsewhere so I’ve had to figure out what to do to minimize the problem until the time for the big project arrives. But when I saw what you and George did with your chimney problem I suggested to my hubby that they take out the sun pipe and prepare the area for the new roof. That would fix the problem totally and the sun pipe would be gone. But I probably won’t have any takers until it gets cooler. I just pray we don’t have a hurricane – but then maybe if we do I can get the roof fixed on insurance. Not too long after my son bought his house they started having leaks. They hired a roofer that went back to the last storm and got insurance to pay for most of it.
I love the pictures of Hanna and Daisy in their cute summery outfits. I would love to do one of these sew-alongs but at the moment I had a lot on my to-do list. Maybe next time.
Great job Joy! And Alina’s girls in their pretty little dresses look so sweet. Great job Alina! Thanks to you both for sharing.
Until all my kids moved out I never had a sewing room. Any room that wasn’t the kitchen, dining, bath or living room was a bedroom. I took over one of the bedrooms for my study. That used to be Sean’s room and my computer desk was in the dining room. Then I took over another bedroom for my sewing room so I just have a master bedroom and a guest room now. I used to sew in the kitchen. I’m glad to have a specific room now because it was a pain having to clear things up for meals all the time and there was not a lot of respect for my sewing space so I was always afraid something would get on my fabric or my scissors would be used for other than fabric. Way less stressful now, but then there’s really no one to mess with anything these days.
Are you experiencing the end-of-project letdown yet? I always experience that type of thing once a Chorale concert season is over. Rehearsals are once a week but a lot of time is spent working on the music on our own. For awhile you’re in a fog trying to figure out what to do next. I heard from my Chorale director the other day that we will be starting back soon. That’s a large part of my life recovered. She is holding what she calls voice renewal sessions in July and then back for rehearsals in August. So many have not sung for over a year now and I have not sung without a mask so I’m really looking forward to the renewal sessions. The mask really affected my breathing technique. Thankfully life is beginning to feel normal again. Hallelujah!
I love Barbaraās questionā¦āare you experiencing the end-of-the project -let -down?ā
That really is an actual thing..just have never given it a name. In a way it is nice to not have a big project in progress so just let yourself relax for a bitš
This heat is keeping us watering a lotā¦.everything got a dose of Miracle grow yesterday. Iām taking pictures in case all this heat damages what looks so nice now.
Who has patterns for the Meadow Giggi? He/she looks really cute as a boy right now in some bibbies but something tells me a girly outfit needs to appear soon.
Hi!
Back for a few days in our former NH home, now owned by our oldest son and family, but since they took it over, no internet or cell service, so I am typing this at the coffee house 2 miles down the road.
So, since I last wrote, the SS fridge looks fantastic as does the roof. Hot diggitydog for the Wiedlochers! As always, amazing work but hope the fallout behind your sewing machine gets caulked soon. House looks GREAT!
Also, LAURA wrote about her loss of her beloved kitty. My most sincere condolences to her. We are still missing our Chester and when I walked out behind our old home up here this morning, I went in the woods to look for lady slippers and saw I left our pooper scooper we used for Chester when we lived here, hanging from the tree. As I said to Laura, but it was a couple days after the post, I still feel my buddy is very much with me. I hope she feels the same about Treacle. Itās still a big pit in the gut, though.
Jeanne, thanks for doing Alineās and Joyās pics today. JOY, ALINE, love the outfits you made for your girls. And was it LINDA who shared her Josefina in a communion dress that was so lovely? You are all so talented;it must be gratifying and satisfying to make your own doll clothes. Thank you all for sharing.
Jeanne, I also greatly enjoyed the post about Josefina eyebrows. I was surprised until I thought about it. Whenever possible, I made a point of going to an AG store to choose my own dollsā¦wig placement, wonky eyes or side curls, etc. At any rate, you got yourself a beauty. And I also was intrigued with the hair processing you did to smooth out the doll hair. I would never dare. Just plain chicken!
OKā¦thanks for more great posts, hope everyone is doing well and staying cool and dry. Take care! (Iām looking forward to seeing some packages I have ordered. Lots of fun will be awaiting. Goody!)
Oh, Sally, I didnāt make Josefinaās First Communion dress! It was from The Doll Clothes Store! I donāt deserve the praise for making that, but thank you for commenting on it.
Jeanne, I love your house and it looks lovely with its new roof. Mine is pretty boring long iron. It probably was leaking before I had it re roofed but if so the water was absorbed by the insulation in the roof space.
It was lovely to see the dolly photos from Joy and Alina. I haven’t had a lot of time for making any outfits for mine, I do the Block of the Month for our Patchwork and Quilting Guild meetings. I have to choose the blocks, make a sample, write up the instructions, arrange for them to be copied and buy and cut out any fabric supplied! Fortunately there is someone on the committee who is helping me so I send the instructions to her and she makes a block and changes anything in the instructions that she feels to be clarified. She also gets a good deal on photocopying at her husbands work so I don’t have to do that part. It is amazing how quickly the month goes for me. It didn’t seem that way when I was just a member and looked forward to the next block lol!
Winter is well and truly entrenched here. We haven’t had any snow and hopefully we won’t, but lots of damp, grey miserable days. At least if we have a frost we get a lovely day afterwards but they have been in very short supply lately. Roll on spring!
The new roof is beautiful and will be a joy for years, and all concerned enjoyed the experience, so you’ll feel good whenever you see it.
The inside cleanup looks un-fun, but you are probably nearly done, and you did have masks to stay safer. There used to be a lot of asbestos used in building, but that may have come in after your house was built.
The dresses by Joy and Alina were inspiring. Samantha’s dress even had a petticoat showing at the hem. I liked the red shoes too. Joy’s girls looked very California.
It’s 96 here, but the cloud cover helps. I’m trying to keep the lawn from burning up. No forest fires so far – that’s something.
A New Roof, A New Refrigerator and A New Doll, what more could a person ask for!
Itās all great! Glad for you that you all got through another chapter of life!
Was your favorite Josefina the one in the aqua and black outfit? She is beautiful!
Hi Sylvia,
Yes, that Josefina was my favorite…isn’t she just the prettiest?
Thank you,
Blessings, Jeanne
Joy I love what you have done with those patterns especially the contrasting edge! So cute!