I decided to see if I could make Stella smile, and I succeeded! You know what I did? I worked on her Christmas dress the longest and now she’s very happy! In fact, I think she was gloating just a little bit! :o)
Each girls dress got a little bit different look and I hope to get them finished pretty quickly! Of course, there are still hair accessories, and maybe slips and possibly shoes… who knows…
Anyway, I wanted to show you what I have finished so far…
Here is Sarah’s dress up close…
…and Rozen’s dress up close… I think one of her buttons is off… I’ll have to check it…
…and Stella’s dress up close…
Now take a look at that smile from her… no more being miffed at me…
Aren’t they sweet in this group picture?
You’ll want to come back tomorrow… I have some pictures from a few readers and they are so pretty!
See you then,
Blessings, Jeanne
Stella’s dress is really coming along nicely, Jeanne! I love the embellishment you added to the waist–understated and elegant!! But I think of the three, I may like Rozen’s dress the best (so far)!! But then, I do like red quite a lot (not as much as purple, but…)
Well, Dolly Fever seems to have hit once again!! I did think for a few days about it–okay, maybe it was only TWO days!!–but decided that I had missed out on two other special editions because I couldn’t decide, and I’d better make up my mind!! So….Scarlett is coming to live at our house! She’s a blonde RRFF with gorgeous GREEN eyes! I do love green eyes.
You can see her at the Ruby Red Toys website. https://rubyredtoys.com/special-edition/88-scarlett-limited-edition. I debated about getting Jennifer, but those green eyes got me! I also thought seriously about Alice, but, again, I liked the eyes and the facial coloring better on Scarlett. Not sure about the name yet; I may have to change it!! We’ll see.
Anyone else get dolly fever?
Yes, it is a fever, isn’t it, Charlotte? You are delirious and just can’t control yourself. š I got the fever, too, and succumbed to Jennifer. Loved the hair, the outfit, and the purple eyes. I recently sold a couple of items on ebay that I had gotten at an estate auction, and made a pretty decent profit on them, so decided I could treat myself to a Christmas present. Or maybe she will be a gift from my husband… I have given up saying, “No more dolls!”
Well, you know, Theresa, in the past there were two different special editions I’d been interested in (Perihelia and Rozen), but by the time I decided for sure, they were sold out, so I decided that was Not going to happen again!! LOL
Scarlett is absolutely beautiful. If I didn’t have two dolls on their way at some point, I’d be sorely tempted. She is hard to resist. Lucky you!
Christmas Jennifer his headed here. Both the Christmas girls are lovely. š
Scarlett is very cute, made a choice!
Stella’s dress is just perfect for her with her red hair! The fabric is so rich looking and I love the embellished bow on the side along with the eyelet lace trim around the waist! The lace around the sleeves is a sweet touch too, Jeanne! A pretty petticoat would finsish this to perfection!
No dolly fever around here! I am busy keeping up with what I have!
All three dresses are going to be wonderful, but the button on Stella’s dress is going to be hard to equal. It deserves it’s own closeup.
All 3 dresses will be beautiful for Christmas, but I think they’ll work for Thanksgiving too. Of course I’m hoping for a very Victorian Thanksgiving dress too, since it was Lincoln who made it an official holiday at the instigation of Sarah Josepha Hale, the hard-working, longtime editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, which was a huge influence on fashion.
It’s good to have you back in your sewing room, Jeanne.
Your eye for matching color and pattern to doll are always spot on. I am enjoying watching these Christmas dresses unfold. I don’t have a Stella but this green dress is tempting me to add her to my collection. I am supposed to be downsizing for the move and packing up the dolls. I told hubby they will have to be moved in our car, not in a moving van! So far no problem but we still have 7 weeks until the move – so much time remaining for temptation, RRFF Alice is backordered until November, so long to wait…
So happy that you are sewing and sharing again. I hope that the three of you (includes Reuben) and the newlyweds are doing well.
Hi, Debbie!
7 weeks now? Did your house sell and now you donāt have to vacate the premises for showings? Sure hope that is the case. And your hubby sounds like a pretty cool guy if he is OK with loading up the car with your precious cargo!
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Hi Sally, We have an interested buyer but a few inspection issues. I was just thinking about how I would move the dolls in just one trip. I just don’t think my cargo area is big enough for all those girls in their original boxes. Hubby is very cool with it because it keeps me busy and happy – smart man!
Dear Debbie,
I think I would call him BRILLIANT!! šš
Good luck with those inspection issues. You have my prayers and best wishes.
Also, thank you for all you wrote below about eBay. I will take you up on your offer, but will wait until your move. You have plenty and then some on your plate.
Did you say you were moving to OH? Iām sorry that I canāt recall.
Youāve been a dearā¦.all the āsistersā have been, once again. What a sofa team!
ā¤ļø
Your dresses always have such lovely waists that lay flat even with the lace trim added in. I like how the sleeves were topstitched too. Everyone looks pretty spiffy, well a couple might need some undies. š Lots of stitching going on at your place. The dresses look great and will be perfect for either Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Good morning!
VERY exciting dresses coming up for my new favorite girls. Such pretty fabrics and the near āsignatureā JM lace at the waist. I noticed all three waist laces are different which is really nice. Tell me, Jeanne. These fabrics look like they are really rather heavy and maybe on the stiff side? Metallic-finished fabrics often are. Stella sure does look a little āsuperior ā in the photo. She might need a word from you to the effect that āgratitude is the attitudeā? It will be such fun to see what you do for these sets. SO good to have you back in your fun room!
Did you manage to get the front step fixed?
OK. I need help, so I am looking for advice from you āsistersā. For years, I was so enraptured with the AG dolls, and I bought a LOT of them and all sorts of beautiful clothes from Etsy and eBay seamstresses. Now I look at the dolls and wonder what was the matter with me? Yes, I am still fond of a few, but 10-12 would be more than enough to keep and dress. I still have a serious number of these dolls even after giving many away before moving to CO. (I am about at the same point with the LD kids, but they and their clothing take up a lot less space Oh, well.) Iāll have to figure something out sooner than later to dispose of a lot of dolls and bins and bureaus of outfits. Iām open to any ideas, but I donāt see myself doing Ebay, Etsy, or Instagram. I have even donated some for charity auctions, but Salida is a really small town and my āaudience ā is very, very limited. Thoughts? Thank you!
Charlotte, good for you and some dolly fever! There is only one way to bring your temperature down, right? Scarlett is really eye catching and has earrings. I would love to be able to put little posts on some of my RRs. Chicken. Thatās me. You will enjoy her and it will be fun to hear what name she gets. No doubt you will love her, so congrats on succumbing! Hope you feel LOTS better now.
Have a great day, sisters. Happy sewing to you who will be sewing.
Hi Sally, My sister uses Mercari.com. You make a listing for the price you want. Someone can click to make an offer, but they don’t have to, and you don’t have to accept it. If they just want to buy it at your price, they click to buy it, and Mercari holds onto the money until you ship it to them within a certain time frame. When they get the item, the buyer leaves a rating, and then the seller gets paid. I think if they neglect to leave a rating, that after a few days, Mercari automatically leaves “Great” for a rating and completes the transaction by paying the seller. Hope that helps! Mercari is fun to look at and is quite addicting.
Sally, if you have any American Girl dolls that are kinda cheap, I might be interested. Maybe Jeanne could give you my email?
Absolutely!
Did you see my reply to your flying bird question last week, Karen?
Thank you, Sally! Yes, I did, Thank you very much! I commented to you on the Sunday’s post and on the Walmart pictures’ post š
Hi, Karen.
Very interesting and thank you!
You’re welcome! š
Dear Sally, I have a suggestion for the dolls you want to donate. Sometimes clubs that belong to the United Federation of Doll Clubs (UFDC) accept dolls that they then use as door prizes and helpers (aka raffles) at their events. I can put you in touch with the UFDC Regional Director for Colorado if you like.
Dear Dorothy, Queen of tea parties,
I appreciate this idea and will keep it in mind. Thank you very much.
ā¤ļøš
Not sure how Facebook Marketplace works or how much it costs a seller, but there appears to be a wide audience. I’ve purchased locally from ads placed there. š
Hi Sally, This is something my friend Jan and I deal with all the time. Her doll collection goes back 35 years or more, mine started back then but took a 30 year hiatus but I have done a lot of damage in the last 2 years. Jan decided to start thinning her collection recently. She donated to a charity, gave dolls to neighbor’s children, even went so far as to get a booth at a doll show. After all of this and much buying online, we came to the conclusion that eBay is the best solution for collectors to sell some of their collection.
I became a “believer” in 2004 when I decided to sell my childhood Lionel train. Hubby and I drove to a neighboring town for a train show. We found a dealer with a nice collection and asked where I could sell my Lady Lionel. He took one look and said “eBay”. Fortunately my son had some experience and he set up an account, took lousy pictures and put it up for auction. One week later it sold for $4,000! Three years ago I sold Ken, Tammy and all of her outfits. Next I tackled my 1990’s Madame Alexanders for pennies on a dollar. Getting rich is not my goal but clearing out what I don’t enjoy is invigorating. The hardest part is getting started but once you do it becomes part of the hobby. Buying is still way more fun than selling. If I lived nearby I would help you but I am pretty sure you could master the listings. Ask Jeanne for my email and I will be happy to answer any questions and offer tips and encouragement.
Warmly,
Debbie
Breathtaking! That’s what I would call Stella’s dress because when I scrolled down to it I actually gasp. It was so striking! All of the dresses will be lovely so I’ll probably gasp a couple more times when the others are finished.
I must share the amazing experience I had Saturday. It was something I never expected but I’m doing my best to encourage. Our church Fall Festival was Saturday. I usually have a booth but this year with David’s knee surgery always in the offing I decided not to commit to it and to just go as a shopper. I was surprised when I got a text from my daughter-in-law saying they would be there and what time were we going. They weren’t doing a booth this year either.
That’s not the amazing experience but it would be a fun day hanging out with them. Well, when I got there my granddaughter grabbed hold of me and literally dragged me to the booth with the doll clothes. I mentioned she recently got a “My Life As” doll – still don’t know which one. She had picked out a pretty dressy dress and was wondering if I would buy it for her doll. Hallelujah!!!! Yes of course I would. The lady who makes the doll clothes does them all by hand. She says she can no longer sit at her machine to sew. She uses a hand quilting needle and her stitches are so perfect that you can’t tell they’re hand sewn easily. I’ve bought from her before. She does such beautiful work I want to support her. Well of course I couldn’t just buy one outfit and my two 18″ dolls have more clothes than they will ever wear so I told her to pick out another outfit. She chose the cutest play outfit with several pieces. She was happy with her two choices and I was over the moon. Made my day. I’d totally lost hope of ever having a family member to share my dolly love with.
I’ve had to control my dolly fever lately. Dolly fever is only assuaged once one has the dolly in hand so I’m in a precarious place right now. Maya should be here sometime within the next month and my new LD Amelia Dawn is about a year from joining the family. I cannot buy another doll until after they arrive.
I’m looking forward to starting Christmas dresses around here, but I need to finish up a few more outfits before I start on that. I have several ideas I’m anxious to try and some beautiful fabrics I’m anxious to make up.
Hi Barbara! That is very exciting that your granddaughter shares your love for dolls! My daughters also love dolls, and I am very grateful. Last summer we found a Wellie Wisher (Camille) at a garage sale. She was missing a leg, and I asked her how much she wanted for her, and she gave her to us for free! Rose inherited her, and today for her 7th birthday she got an Our Generation wheel chair I found at a thrift store recently. That was exciting š Hopefully Maya will be here for you soon!
How sweet that you adopted Camille in spite of her missing a leg. I’m glad you found a reasonably priced wheelchair for her. Now she can be out and about with all the others. I haven’t received the final invoice on Maya but I figure any day now.
Just a thought Karen, but have you contacted AG? They have a hospital that does repairs/replacements for dolls. Perhaps they also have replacement body parts too? Although the wheelchair is a great idea.
Thanks, Joy. She is happy with her, so I’m not too worried. Also, the wheelchair might help teach compassion.
How fun to buy special outfits for your grands dolls. And so nice to support someone that sews doll clothes too. Did you get any pictures?
I told Sean to have Jaiden dress her doll in both outfits and make sure to say one at a time or Jaiden’s sense of humor will take over and the doll will be wearing both outfits simultaneously while she’s rolling on the floor laughing. Then Dionne needs to take pictures and send them to me. I want to see the doll in the clothes too.
Hi, Barbara,
Iāll say that WAS one amazing experience you had with your granddaughter. Yahoo! Made my heart sing!
Yes, our wait for our By-The-Sea kids is nearly over, and also exciting that your LD wait is coming to an end. Sounds like more fun coming to your house!
Is surgery scheduled yet for David?
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The first surgery is November 2 and the second is early December (six weeks later). We have to be at the hospital at 10 a.m. for noon surgery. Way better than having to be there at 5 a.m. like we did for his heart surgery.
Your Fall trio is really striking. Love all three and that button is awesome. I am always amazed at how perfectly your necklines fit to the perfect spot and lay so nicely. Maybe that lace should be your signature one. It does always look so nice on most any size doll dress. Back to sewing is good!
Charlotteā¦congrats on your new Dolly purchase! Iāll have to look her up.
So happy your granddaughter is loving dolls Barbara. Out of my 7 Granddaughters one was really a doll lover and her Mother encouraged it too. She took her AG dolls with all their accessories with me 2 or 3 times for doll presentations. Iād bring vintage and antique and she would have her AG and display her favorite thingā¦.the Ice Cream Shop. Then she would tell the ladies that Target had just as nice accessories and were not so priceyā¦.cracked me upšShe is 16 now and into golf and vehicles. She and her dad restore vintage Broncos.
eBay isnāt that hard to do Sally and doll clothes are easy to shipā¦.wish I was closer I would help you.
Have a great week!
The biggest problem I can see with selling on Etsy and eBay is having to worry about the sales tax. I have an Etsy shop but when I read the information on collecting and turning in the sales tax with states having different kinds of systems it was discouraging. My husband ran into the same problem selling Kettle Korn at festivals. He had to collect sales tax and turn it in by county. It got so involved and the man who was his “handler” was so annoying he just gave up doing it except for our church festival. Some states don’t even make you collect sales tax on popcorn sales but Texas sure does, with a vengeance.
Barbara – I sell on ebay, and they take care of collecting the sales tax and paying it to the state. I don’t have to mess with it. I usually put a note in my description that ebay will add sales tax to the purchase price, so the buyer won’t be surprised when they see it added to their invoice.
Theresa, this is helpful info. Years ago I bought āEBay for Dummiesā and reading it made me feel extremely dumb. I am thinking of making a really attractive offer to my awesome DIL here in town to see if she will help me OR do it for me.
Thanks, Theresa that sounds great. I may go the eBay way. I know some people have left Etsy in favor of eBay. Maybe that’s why.
Dear Jeanne, your girls are definitely smiling! I think you will have these outfits completed in no time at all.
I saw Ed (Happily Ever After) on a dolly Zoom gathering yesterday. I am passing along his “hello” to the Sofa Sisters.