Before I start, Marilyn’s comment about Reuben got me to thinking… and I had taken a picture of him a few days ago… He was sitting there in the living room and all of a sudden he stopped and looked at the door like he thought he’d heard Rebecca’s car… He waited for a good 30 seconds just like I captured in this picture… of course it wasn’t her, but I really think he thought she was home…
Let’s get the Home decorating part out of the way first. We have some feedsacks that were used when my hubby’s family owned a feedmill in Springfield, Illinois. They started the feedmill in 1881 and his dad and grandpa ran it. We’ve had one of the feedsacks hanging on a dowel rod for several years and when I saw Cindy had used a poster frame for something, the wheels got to turning in my head and I decided why couldn’t I frame our feedsack and make it look a little more presentable? So I found a simple frame at our thrift shop in town and today I decided it was time to see if I could do it.
The feedsack was much larger than the frame, 24″ x 40″ but it was mostly just the muslin so I decided to fold it around some foam core and make it a more reasonable size… 19″ x 26″. I had to try and get the middle design straight and think it looks pretty good now…
I just used some shipping tape to hold it in place and worked from the bottom to the top pulling and stretching as I moved up.
Here it is! In the hallway next to where we just finished painting the trim… There is some reflection in the picture… sorry about that!
My hubby liked it so much, now he wants me to try and find a frame and do the same with this feedsack…
Now for Part 1 of the Dolly talk… I did sit down this evening and see if I could get one of the tiny doll shoes finished… Not quite done but here are a few pictures of it… THEY ARE TEENY TINY!
I did have to take a pin and poke out the holes a little more than what they were… I couldn’t get my needle through. They were a little bit tedious… I wasn’t able to use my waxed thread either… so I used 2 strands of Floche embroidery thread. Once they are glued and trimmed off and the back heel section is glued to the front section just a little bit, they will be pretty sturdy.
I’m hopeful that they’ll fit tiny 6 1/2″ Navi, but I brushed some water on the toe of the leather shoes and stuffed them with a wadded up piece of paper towel, in hopes that they will stretch enough for Navi. I should know in the morning… then I can finish it… and then I have to make another one…
Here is Part 2 of the Dolly talk… Kathie sent me some pictures of her latest find a the Dollar Tree…and said this:
“This cutie came from the Dollar Tree. She has moveable arm, legs, and her head turns. She seemed a bit pale so took some colored pencils and added color…sprayed with matte finish clear spray so the color should stay 🤗
She would be a cute baby for an American Girl doll.”
What a difference, huh? Kathie, you did a wonderful job on her… thanks for sharing!
Here is part 3 of the Dolly post. I was looking at some emails and saw one I had missed…13 days ago! Susette sent a picture of sweet Hannah in a darling dress from China. Hannah is a 14″ Ruby Red Fashion Friends doll and she is adorable Susette! Sorry I missed your picture!
Well, that’s it for today… 1 part Home Decor… 3 parts Dolly stuff…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Poor Reuben! Still missing Rebecca! I take it the kids did Not get back this past weekend to pickup their boxes and things?
Good job, framing that feedsack! It’s really quite a nice one, pretty striped fabric with a nice design. The Redbird one, though, is really long, so it might be a little more difficult to find the right sized frame! If anyone can, though, you are the one who will do it, Jeanne!
The little shoe is just darling!! Really tiny!! I’m sure Navi is going to try her best to squeeze her foot into it!
Kathie’s new little dolly is sure cute! I’m sure it’ll look darling in the arms of an AG doll!
Susette, your Hanna looks wonderful in her new dress. Is that a Ruby Red Galleria dress, or did you get it elsewhere? Inquiring minds and all, you know!! It certainly fits her beautifully!
Update on my swap outfit: Today I had a couple of good chunks of time to sew (over an hour before supper, and close to an hour later in the evening) and I got a Lot done! The tunic top is almost done–I still have to do some topstitching along the ruffle, and then fold and stitch the center backs down for the opening, and sew snaps in place. I even got a good start on the leggings–hems and center front seam sewn, and the waistline casing pressed and pinned in place! I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! I promise to take pictures of both outfits (I did a test of the pattern first) as well as the complete swap before I send it off, and once the recipient has it and has posted her pictures, I will send Jeanne some pictures to share. I know some of you are curious!
Poor little Reuben! I can’t imagine how thrilled he will be when Rebecca DOES come back home for a visit! You will have to show that one, Jeanne!
Those two feedsacks look brand new! Were they ever used? It looks like George’s family was into farming and such for a long time! I notice the name “Bemis” at the bottom of the first one, which is a well known bag company here in St. Louis. I love thw way the completed bag in a frame looks! So fun when it’s YOUR family!
Those shoes, gosh, I could never do things that tiny! I was wondering what is all that furry material on the inside? Something you added?
I see those little generic baby dolls all the time, and think how they could be made cuter. Kathie did a wonderful job on hers! What a difference coloring makes, and yes, that would be a cute little doll for the AG dolls!!
Susette’s Hannah looks wonderful in her new dress! I do believe that is a RRFF dress. I’ll let Susette answer that one, but yes, it certainly does fit well and looks adorable! Thank you for sending that in, Susette!
I’m looking forward to seeing your swap outfits, Charlotte!
Excellent job with the feedsack picture. The Red Bird one may be a little harder because it has writing almost from top to bottom. Not a whole lot of “excess” to work with.
What a wonderful job Kathie did on the little baby doll. It went from quite plain to looking so sweet.
Susette’s Hanna’s dress is beautiful.
The little shoe is really cute. I’m not sure I could work with something that small. I hope they fit Navi but if they don’t you can always add a Blythe to your doll collection.
We finally got some much needed rain last night, in the form of Nicholas. I slept through most of it but the low spots tell the tale. I don’t know what the rest of the day holds. We are on the edge of the cone so probably won’t have much impact for us but I saw this morning that 450,000 people were without power but not sure exactly where. Unfortunately all my local channels are out on my cable which is just great when you need to know what’s going on. My weather app does not give the detail the TV would. I’m sure the local channels have been reporting on the event all day as they usually do. We had some wind gusts but not too much of that either and it’s not raining now, but when I managed to find something on Fox News (one of the few channels I have right now) they said Houston was still bracing for impact. Nicholas is a tropical storm right now but so was Allison a few years ago when it sat over Houston for days just dumping rain. The amount of damage was astronomical. Out here we didn’t get a drop and we could have used some.
Can’t wait to see Charlotte’s swap outfit.
Good morning,
Heading to Denver for the Van Gogh exhibit and spending a night there. A little fun with the hubby. Yay!
First, Jeanne, how perfect that you are getting those sacks framed and on the walls. Nothing like family history and how lucky you have those to start with. How I wish I had a milk or cream bottle from my family’s dairy farm back in VT. Lost to fire and never found one. So these are going to be family treasures, Jeanne. And what adorable, teeny shoes! Sure hope you can make them fit.
Cute baby doll now that Kathie doctored her up so well. What a skill!
And Susette, thank you for sharing your Hannah in that RRFF doll of the orient outfit. She looks great. (If anyone is interested in that outfit, it is available through Ruby Red.)
My Hung Hung & Lok Lok arrived yesterday! They are just amazing. Ruby Red did a fantastic job.
Hubby says it’s time to roll out. Everyone have a good day.
Hugs,
Sally
I’m feeling so sorry for Reuben. Poor little guy. I still think a companion pup would be so nice for him. I’m sure there is a little shelter dog who would love to move in at your place. BTW, we were talking to our friend with three doxies yesterday and there is a possibility that a sweet pup will come available. They belong to one of their friends. They are only a couple of weeks old now, so it would be down the line. Just saying as it may not happen. Others in the wait line.
The framing of the feed sacks is genius. I know that Michael’s and probably HL have frames in parts so that you can buy them to fit unusual sizes. Rather than try to find one that might fit, I think I would just pick up the pieces and have glass cut to fit. It might be cheaper to get the glass at Lowes. We’ve done that too. Because of the vintage look, I’d like to see the frame in black or maybe even in gray. We have a few old gunny sacks here that I’ve often thought about framing. However, they do not look nearly as nice as your feed sacks. Just what I need. Another project. 🙂
I have no idea how you can make something so tiny as those adorable shoes. Love how the one is coming together. I do think I would like the stitching to be white or gray though instead of blue. Then the shoes could be worn with more than something with blue in it. But, a dress with blue for Navi would be so cute. I can’t believe that only two strands of floss were used. On the collar on the dress I’m making, I used the whole strand and it does not look that wide at all. Just emphasizes how tiny those sweet shoes really are.
Love the makeover on Kathie’s little doll. I’m sure she could sell them on the Bay or Etsy as an accessory item. Wow, so much talent. 🙂
Love Hanna’s dress. Susette, it is so perfect for her. Lucky girl. 🙂
We now have one of those cute AG kitty purses here to use as an accessory. Now the fight begins to see who will be the first to hold it for a photo. Thanks Linda. 🙂
We have a kitty purse at our house, too, Joy!! I’m sure there will be a royal battle for it! However, Molly says the camera is hers, as it’s 1941, and she’s 1944. Can’t argue with that! LOL
First I have to congratulate Anne on the amazing purple dress that was featured yesterday. The addition of the striped fabric was a very authentic choice. The fabric choices for the smocked dress are very nice too. You are a truly accomplished seamstress.
The feed sack looks wonderful and the fact that it’s truly an heirloom makes it so special. My daughter-in-law was making her own frames for her paintings until it got to be too much for her wrists. I’m sure George could check on YouTube for instructions for making frames. It would be very difficult to find one for the great bag with the rose 🌹.
Kathie is truly an artist to cheer up that tiny baby doll! Thanks again, Kathie, for reattaching the limbs on my Mary Hoyer doll several years ago.
That mesh in the impossibility tiny shoes might help to keep them on? The buckles alone are worth the price. Check out how limited the supply is on eBay and Etsy.
I have a suggestion for the Reuben situation. Maybe Rebecca is the one who should get the new dog and they could visit on Facebook! You’ll never know unless you try it.
I tried to find where I bought the dress but couldn’t find it again Maybe I don’t know how to search on RRFF but sure glad I found it a while back. I have no idea how they do such perfect tiny piping.
Hi.
This outfit is at Happily Ever After and search Ruby Red Galleria Girls of the Orient outfits. Very pretty!
Oh, Happily Ever After! Thanks.
Earlier this morning there wasn’t a place to “Share your thoughts” but now it there again😉
The teeny shoes are adorable.. I sure hope they fit…the pic of the shoe on your finger made me do a double take…..wow Very small!
Susette that dress is so cute…love the detail. Hannah looks very pleased with it☺️
Jean…The framed sacks are a great idea …I wonder if you starched them the wrinkles would smooth out? Whoever said to buy the frames parts the size for the long narrow sack was so smart…and getting glass cut at someplace besides a frame shop. Much more reasonable.
Thanks for the kind words on the $1.00 baby. It really is easy…the hair is molded in…you can’t see it on the first pic but the pencil rubbed over it makes it show up. If you use the side of pencil lead it goes on softly and you can rub it to blur the pencil strokes( like the cheek blush) She was sure a dollars worth of fun☺️
I love how the feed sack looks. you did a great job and it is so special to have something like that with your name on it.
Love the dress, Susette it is so pretty. I saw an exhibition of Chinese embroidery a few years ago and the artist was there and gave a talk on how it was done. The silk strands were split so many times that it was almost impossible to see it with the naked eye and then she sewed with it! Unfortunately it took it’s toll and although (to someone of my advanced years) she was relatively young she had virtually lost her eyesight through it. The embroidery was stunning.
The rain has gone but the frost is back. Still at least Louis will get his walk today. I didn’t realise there was a storm (hurricane?) heading your way Barbara. Makes our heavy rain pale by comparison! Kia kaha. (Stay Strong. It is Maori language week here so we are being encouraged to use Maori phrases wherever possible.)
The couple who tried to go on holiday from Auckland have been named and have apologised for what they did! Fortunately they had to have regular testing because of their essential worker status and they aren’t considered a risk. His parents are both Judges and are very embarrassed by his actions. They haven’t been charged yet though. If they aren’t charged then there will be an outcry I think because people without money and status have been charged for lesser breaches of the restrictions.
I haven’t quite finished the girls smocked dress yet, still have to put in the sleeves. I showed as far as I had got my friends yesterday and they thought it was great but I am not so sure about the smocking. It is quick and easy compared to the embroidered smocking but not as pretty to me. Maybe it is the stitches I used. Anyway I will send a photo when it is finished and I would welcome some honest feedback.
Better go Louis is really ready for his walk
Po Marie, (pronounced “por mariay) (Good night)
Love the Maori Many thanks for that. Kia kaha — we all need that.
Hanna’s dress is wonderful and so becoming. I’m glad she has it.
That second feedsack is going to be harder to frame. I’m wondering about matting it, maybe in soft red, and I liked the idea of a narrow black frame, though I won’t be surprised if you come up with a better idea. The first feedsack is beautifully displayed. Where will you hang it?
Now we’ll all wait in suspense to see if Navi’s shoes fit. And then for the outfit you make to go with them.
Kia kaha, everyone.