A ruffled blouse was just what Kirsten needed…

Sorry for no comments today… I haven’t even read them all yet…

It was tax day. Not the day we took our stuff to the tax guy… the day we gathered it all up and got our “business” information in order. Not my favorite day… I’d much rather be sewing!

However, my hubby knew I wanted to be sewing, so he said he’d fix his own dinner…and he did! And I sewed!

We had an appointment in town this morning so I ran to Joann’s looking for “something” in the right color to go with this navy and cream colored dirndl. I was very fortunate to have found this one bolt that had exactly one yard on it… and it went perfectly! It’s hard to tell because my lights were too bright when I took my pictures, but it’s a pretty cream and there are teeny tiny white designs in it… I think you’ll be able to see them in a few of my pictures…

I made Kirsten’s blouse using just a basic pattern I had.

It had slightly gathered sleeve caps, and I sewed 5 tiny glass beads close to the sleeve ruffles.

The blouse is fully lined in a very sheer and lightweight fabric… and I even managed to get the snaps sewn on! YAY!

This is what the back looks like… the dirndl isn’t finished in the back yet… but it will be soon.

The neckline is slightly scooped and the ruffle fits nicely underneath her dirndl.

Here are a few more pictures just so you can see it a few different ways…

I finished off the edges of the arm holes (armscye) with a very narrow bias trim in the same fabric.. I think you can see it if you look hard… It’s not very noticeable for as long as it took me to put it on there, but I wanted the dirndl to come right to where the gathers in the blouse started…

One more…

Okay, that’s it for me today…

But tomorrow and Saturday, I’ll be showing some Valentine pictures from readers… and a few more “just because!”

See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne

22 thoughts on “A ruffled blouse was just what Kirsten needed…”

  1. Charlotte Trayer

    That off-white/cream fabric is just perfect to go with the print, Jeanne! I hope you bought the whole yard that was left, as I’m sure it’s something you’ll be able to use with other fabrics, as well! (I could see the print just fine in your close-ups.)

    Yay for George, fixing his own dinner so you could sew! (I hope you got some food in you, too!)

    1. Thanks Charlotte,
      I’m glad you like the fabric… and YES, I bought the whole yard…it’s a nice neutral color that goes with most things that are like the color of muslin…
      Thanks again,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  2. Linda in St. Louis

    Very pretty, Jeanne! I do see the tiny white pattern too. It adds to the interest of the blouse, and those tiny ruffles are the perfect touch without overdoing. I’m ready to see the apron and how you will attach it so that the faux piping will show, or will it? Is she getting something underneath to hold out her pretty dress? A pretty necklace? A head covering? We are nosy, aren’t we? 🙂

    Tax day! We have already turned ours in and are waiting for our refunds!!

    By the way, a new “addition” is coming to our house soon! Stay tuned!

    1. Joy in northern CA

      The new addition sounds exciting. Doll, cat, dog?? Unless you are adding onto the house. 🙂

      1. Linda in St. Louis

        Oh, funny Joy! No addition to the house, although I think we need it with all the doll stuff I have!

    2. HI Linda,
      Yes, the little white crosshatches add just a little bit of interest to the fabric… It’s much prettier in person than my pictures show… I think I’ll just put a narrow band on the apron… and see if I can get it narrow enough to still let part of the piping show…
      I haven’t thought ahead enough to know what’s coming up next for the set… but we’ll see.
      A new addition? Hmmmm… wonder what it could be? A new grandbaby, a dog, a kitty, a new doll? Don’t make us wait too long!
      Blessings, Jeanne

  3. Karen from Kentucky

    I like the blouse and its flowers and how you put the little beads on it and the dirndl. They look nice 🙂

    I have to bring in the papers for the tax people to work on them today. I am glad they are doing them and not me. I hate doing taxes.

    1. HI Karen,
      Thanks for your comments on the blouse.
      Taxes.. nobody likes doing them, except the tax guys!
      Blessings, Jeanne

  4. Taxes are our least favorite time… for two years in a row the refund was delayed and no one could figure out why….finally had to go to our Representative and bless his heart he got it released….they couldn’t tell him why either😳😵‍💫
    You nailed it with that fabric…it is just the right shade of off white and that little figure in it is great. Kirstin looks happy as a clam in her dirndl . Will be fun to see what appears out of “Jeanne’s Accessory Warehouse”🤗

    1. HI Kathie,
      Oh how horrible… glad it got straightened out…
      The fabric was the ONLY thing in Joanns’ that actually worked… I was SO glad I found it and yet, I bought the whole yard. It was worth it and now when I need that color again, I’ll have it.
      Yes, I’m close enough to being finished, that I need to think about what is next for this set… I better get my thinking cap on.
      Blessings, Jeanne

  5. Joy in northern CA

    The blouse is a perfect match with the lovely navy/off white print. I like how the ruffles add interest and fit under the jumper so well. A couple of navy satin ribbons on her braids and Kirsten will be ready for whatever spring brings.
    The taxes here are about ready for our tax guy although, we won’t receive some things needed until the 18th. Nothing we can do about that. Envious of Linda who has hers already in the system.
    I missed out on some tiny doll outfits for the 6″ers on Etsy yesterday that sold out in seconds. I wonder if Jeanne has ever sewed for the little ones? Their clothes are very popular. 🙂

    1. HI Joy,
      It really is a nice match to the color in the dirndl… I was so glad it wasn’t just a solid fabric… I even went to the Goodwill looking for something unusual and couldn’t find anything I liked.
      Yes, I’ve sewn for 6″ Navi… are the 6’ers something else? I don’t know what 6’ers are if it’s not the Twinkles… Let me know if you can…
      Thanks Joy,
      Blessings, Jeanne

      1. Joy in northern CA

        That is six inchers. 🙂 They are much slimmer than Navi and go by the name of Wrascals, I believe. They are dolls by Rose BBFlockling. She’s on FB. 🙂 I think she has more of a build like tiny Betsy McCall. Most have to do their outfits by hand as they are very petite. 🙂 However, there are a lot of different sizes as well. I have made one outfit, and it wasn’t easy for me. Fingers too big. 🙂

        1. Joy in northern CA

          I’ve got a couple of twins coming hopefully soon. They are Hettie and Hatley. The foot size is 2cm/.9cm. Supposedly, they can wear Middie Blythe shoes. Guess I’ll find out. 🙂

  6. Marilyn in Colorado

    I’m still waiting for tax documents but a friend has her refund already, only 12 days after filing. It sounds like filing early is a good idea.
    That navy is such a pretty fabric. A ruffled petticoat might be nice — and you probably have something in mind to add color — a flower crown? We’ll soon know.

    1. Hi Marilyn,
      In most pictures online of dirndl’s, the dresses aren’t full and fluffy, but kind of flat, if you ask me. I’m not loving those looks… so I’ll most likely add a slip to hold it out just a bit…
      I need to think about what to make next…
      Blessings, Jeanne

  7. Barbara in SE Texas

    What a sweet little blouse. And I do love the fabric. Looking forward to what comes next for the ensemble.

    Tax time, ugh!!! I’m the “tax guy” around here. Since we have several income streams I’d rather do them myself. They aren’t complicated just varied and because I deal with everything, especially the farm income and expenses, I have all the logistics in my head and explaining it to someone else not personally involved is not something I’m big on doing. I use Turbo Tax. The first year I did them after I took over the farm management, a bank used to do it but they didn’t always operate in our favor, it was a bit overwhelming, but once I got everything in the system the program just walks me through what I did last year, I put in the figures and delete what no longer applies or add anything new (i.e. 1099s). I could never be an accountant because it does not appeal to my creative instincts, but I’m very organized and that is mainly what I need to do this. Since the bulk of our income comes in the last quarter of the year and it varies, we always owe something so putting them off to the last minute works for me. I will begin in March to do the background work I need to prepare them such as my Mobile Home Park spreadsheet, then I just buy and download the program and I can usually finish in a couple hours.

    The dolly girls are all lined up and waiting for their turn in the Winter Fun photo shoot. My plans for using my “terrain” from my Christmas village did not work out as I hoped because it was too large and overwhelmed my backdrop, so I’m sill messing with how best to pull that off. I definitely need a sledding/snowboarding hill. Blythe wants to do an ice-skating routine so I need a pond. My village is down for the year but my tree is still up. I had to clear the table to undecorate the tree. But since I diverted my attention to the winter photo shoot, my tree will have to wait. I’m getting to the point now that I’m ready to return my dining room to normalcy.

    1. Joy in northern CA

      Looking forward to your Winter Fun photo. Good for you on getting the village down. That is a full time job. 🙂

    2. Hi Barbara,
      We used to do our own taxes, but when my mom needed help with her papers and taxes and all that stuff, we started taking hers and our tax stuff a guy we like very much! This will be the first year in 5 years that we should have a pretty normal tax sheet, but we are still going to Brian… He’s just too good and catches things we might miss.
      George and I both have small businesses, and he helps keep us up to snuff on all kinds of new things that come up.
      Good for you for doing your own…

      Poor little dollies at your house waiting for pictures… My girls feel the same way!
      I hope you get it all dismantled and can find time to make your girls happy! :o)
      Thanks Barbara,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  8. Susette from Southern California

    The blouse design is perfect with the gathers on the sleeves. The outfits you design and sew for Kirsten are my favorites. Thanks for sharing the process with us.

    I did the taxes this morning. No excuse not to as I do have a degree in Business Finance. Always glad to have it out of the way. I always have to mail it in due to a little complication with income sources.

    It’s believe it or not time with the weather. It’s 86 right now at 3:30. Due to go up to 83 for the Super Bowl which is at SoFi Stadium, 30 miles away. A far cry from some of the Ice Bowls. The orchids on the patio are blooming.

    Looking forward to seeing lots of shared pictures of other followers’ dolls.

    1. Joy in northern CA

      Can’t believe you are 86. I thought we were hot at 76. Enjoying the nice weather, but not looking forward to the water rationing. We have a few daffodils and the lemon bush is also blooming. Crazy weather for February. 🙂

    2. HI Susette,
      Good for you on getting yours done in a day! I wish! Every year I say I’m going to keep up with my receipts but every year, I forget I said that! :o) So I end up sorting all my receipts in a day, then logging everything in, and then all the rest I have to do adding things up… all while trying to sew sometime in each day…

      86? My goodness, that’s like the middle of summer! I could go for something a little warmer than what we’ve got right now… 36 degrees with a windhill of 32! BRRR!
      Thanks Susette,
      Blessings, Jeanne

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