I hope everyone had a nice day yesterday… my day was busy but my hubby took me out to lunch and that was a nice diversion to the busyness! Thanks for all your kind comments to each other on yesterday’s post too… It’s fun to see you all chatting with each other…
You won’t think I was busy at all, but it was “sewing on snaps day!” (Joy’s favorite!) :o) Snaps take a while…then I was searching for some buttons…thinking maybe I’d just use them. I do have my vintage glass buttons in one container, but it was finding 6 that were the same, that took a while… and then even after I found them I was still “playing around” with all the different ideas I thought might work for embellishing the front of the dress.
Kirsten was thrilled when I took off her navy dirndl and started working on it again… I was going to make a lace up front, but it seemed so busy when I laid a ribbon across the bodice and pinned a ribbon crisscrossing back and forth. So I opted for some vintage buttons… I happened to find 6 of these glass buttons that were simple but what I was thinking of. It’s simple but still noticeable…
The snaps are all sewn down the back and the handwork is finished.
I was looking for a piece of vintage trim to use as a waistband for her apron and found this piece… it matches perfectly and will be sewn to the gathered hankie. It’s not stitched on yet, but just laying on top. (I almost always lay my sheer fabrics on a piece of paper, pinning the width where I want the apron to end and then carefully gathering up the fabric. Using a few pins to hold it in place, I gently stitch across the top edge to hold the gathers right where I want them.) when you have the waistband stitched to the hankie’s gathers, very gently tear the perforated paper off the back side…
I didn’t get it stitched on yet, but that’s coming up next..
I still have a few things I want to make, but for now, this was what I got finished.
Thanks everyone,
Blessings, Jeanne
Kirsten’s outfit is coming along nicely, Jeanne. I like those buttons–the color and size are just right for that print, and they add just a hint of “sparkle” (or maybe I should say “sheen”) without being over the top.
Thanks for showing us how you do the apron, to get the gathers just right. I’m thinking Kirsten’s Grandma Larson must have crocheted the lace on the edges of it, as my own Grandma Larson crocheted lace on pillowcases, so many years ago. (Larson is my maiden name, and I am 100% Swedish!) I still have and use some of her pillowcases that she had given to my folks at Christmas over the years. (By the time Ron and I got engaged, Grandma Larson had been gone a few years, but mom took a pair of never-used pillowcases that Grandma had made, and wrapped them up with some new sheets, and gave them to me for a shower gift. On the card she wrote “love, mom and Grandma”. I cried.)
Oh, how I enjoyed the comments about the U.P.! Barbara, I’m so glad you got to see the Soo Locks, and Mackinac Island is just the best, isn’t it?! I hope you get to go back and explore more of the U.P. in the future. Not to be missed: Tahquamenon Falls–both upper and lower–and Kitchiti Kipi (Big Springs), a freshwater spring that never freezes! You can “pole” across it in a special raft, and look down into the depths to see the fish, rocks, fallen trees, etc.
In the lower half, Frankenmuth is wonderful (River Place is a lovely shopping area!) and Bronner’s, the Christmas shop, is not to be missed!
Dorothy, please tell my namesake that, no, I didn’t get a box of chocolates for Valentine’s day, but I still have some of my Christmas and birthday chocolates left, so I’m good! Easter is the next candy day; maybe I’ll get a box of chocolates then! 😉
Charlotte, your description of the gift from your mom and grandma brought tears to my eyes. What a sweet thing to do. Thanks for the “things to do” list for the UP. I seriously do hope to get back to that neck of the woods. My husband has a childhood friend that just moved to Ohio and going from there to Michigan is doable. Since my hubby has his new knees I hope we get to travel more, since we travel by car and he drives. I no longer can fly my claustrophobia has morphed into true anxiety these days if I get in some place I feel I can’t get out of. Never had a problem till after I had my children and it’s gotten worse over time..
Barbara, you’re not the only one who doesn’t or won’t fly. It’s very claustrophobic to me as well. Not like a bus where you can get off. I’ll walk, drive or go on a train – anything but fly. I have flown several times much to my dismay and when my children were very little and we flew to Florida, looking out the window, really frightened me to know that I put my little ones in danger. However, and fortunately, they weren’t aware of my fear and they were never afraid of flying.
I’m not afraid of much else- just flying,
Dear Charlotte, Charlotte Noelle said that she is sure that the Easter Bunny will deliver chocolate eggs to your house and to hers. I reminded her that she had better behave because the Easter Bunny has a “nice” and “naughty” list too (chuckle).
Kirsten’s dirndl is coming along beautifully, Jeanne! The buttons are a perfect touch, just enough to give the bodice interest. Those snaps……ugh! I cannot sew snaps very well and have the hardest time if I do! I can never find the right holes to come up through, if you know what I mean. I’m sure you have sewn buttonholes on “people clothes”, but have you done it on doll clothes?
Sometimes the creative part, of trying to figure out what you are going to do takes more time than actually doing it, so I understand when you have to go through that process, and really have nothing to show for it! It’s all a part of creating something! That apron is beautiful! It’s too bad that those kinds of things have grown out of favor, like crocheted pillowcases, tablecloths and such. I have a drawer full of crocheted edged scarves that I use for certain displays, not necessarily doll displays, but things in my house. The remind me of who made them, which makes them precious!
February is half over, can Spring be that far away?? And now, another snowstorm coming this week! What next??
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I think the simple button touch goes nicely with the print and doesn’t overpower the outfit. It seems like if someone wanted to add a criss cross ribbon down the front around the buttons and tie at the bottom they easily could, but I like it as it is. The trim matches the waistband of the lovely apron perfectly. Kirsten has a very nice mom to sew on all of those snaps. 🙂 Very interesting how you sew the trim to the apron. Old school here would try to sew and turn it it up, but with a finished trim, just top stitching works perfectly. I’m definitely going to try that. 🙂
Thanks to those commenting on the anniversary yesterday. Other person and I didn’t do much except take the taxes to our preparer in preparation for a phone meeting today. I did get a Hershey bar though. 🙂
We can see large patches of ground here, but don’t worry — more snow tomorrow will cover it again. Then we’ll send the snow east to — St. Louis and Linda, who has the Mississippi and doesn’t need our snow while the Colorado River does.
Late yesterday afternoon, my Corinne doll, Madeline, arrived, and she looks just like her pictures. A warning to customizers — because her eyes are almond shaped instead of rounded, the usual replacement eyes won’t fit. Since I wanted her with very dark eyes, that suits me, but it might matter to someone else. Her eyes don’t look larger, so she’ll fit in with the rest of your collection. She’s a GOTY but I’m hearing rumors that she’ll move to the World by Us collection later, along with an upcoming Southeast Asian doll.
Jeanne, I think that apron is one of your prettiest. I agree with Linda that it’s too bad to see pretty things go out of fashion. I have a collection of embroidered and/or lace-trimmed pillowslips — and I’ll bet I’m not the only one here who has some and thinks they are well-worth ironing.
This is going to be the loveliest outfit for Kirsten! How did you find all the accessories and trims in just the right shade? The buttons are in the perfect place and I really like that look. Once the apron is on it will look awesome😍
Dear Jeanne, the dress is so cute. I think the apron will give it a special touch.
I am wondering what toy or accessory you will pair with it.
Jeanne, this is such a lovely outfit. The navy print and cream blouse are striking together. I love the apron and ruffle too. Of course your sewing techniques are always perfect. Kirsten, with her blond hair, looks beautiful in the navy and cream. Excellent choice of design print and color.
I have a few aprons from my mother and aunt. The pretty half aprons my mother wore were used when she had ladies groups over for coffee and desserts. My grandmother wore an apron usually over her clothes daily. I always picture her in my mind wearing her aprons.
Beautiful outfit for Kirsten. The buttons add a sweet touch and the apron is oh so pretty. really neat to see how you sewed the waistband on it.
Sad to hear that crocheted and embroidered linens are out of favor as they certainly aren’t out of favor here. I cherish the crocheted dresser scarves and doilies my grandmother made as well as her quilts. i’m grateful she past the skills on to me.
Kirsten’s dirndl is very simple but so pretty. The fabric really makes the dress and I love the sleeves on the blouse. The buttons are perfect. The apron is going to look lovely. I remember the day when my grandmother always wore aprons and had a drawer full of them for all occasions. There are so many patterns out there these days for aprons, but who really wears them?
We found out this week that our daughter was moving from Colorado to Maine in about two years. Their offer on a piece of property was accepted this week. I love Maine so I’m glad we’ll have family to visit there. This also takes some pressure off us since we’ve pretty much decided instead of moving to Colorado we’re thinking about eastern Tennessee now. David has a friend in Ohio and my one sister lives in West Virginia and my other sister lives in Delaware half of the year, so travel time from there to visit everyone would be easier than from Colorado. Not to mention that I’ve been wanting to move east rather than west. I’m an Appalachian girl. I was raised in the Appalachians and really wanted to get back. Since David insists on living in the mountains whatever they’re called, he’s willing to give up the Rockies for the Appalachians. His friend formerly lived in North Carolina and they’ve recently reconnected and I think that was a lot of the reason for his change of heart. They were like brothers for years and they’re both ecstatic with the reconnection. They talk for hours on the phone and never run out of things to say. I’m so happy for him. He was adopted as a child and never got to really know his brothers until recently and now they are both gone. This has been a blessing. His friend’s moving to Ohio had him pulling out a map. He decided Tennessee was close enough to Ohio that our moving to Tennessee was still a doable deal.
The man who is going to do the marble for our bathroom vanity top came today. The vanity has been finished for months but the project got backburnered during David’s knee surgeries. Glad it’s back on the front burner. The sample the man brought was not exactly what we wanted so he is going to make up another one for our approval. Once that’s done he can make the top. He has the template and any instructions and that, along with the company’s expertise, should get us a nice top very soon. Then Sean and David will remove the old vanity and the toilet, Sean will redo the flooring and they will move everything in place and I will pretty much have a new bathroom. I can’t wait. Well actually I have since this was promised to me about 25 years ago.
Dear Barbara, when you travel to Maine, you can stop off in Pennsylvania.
Okay, it’s not exactly “on the way.” But if you turn the map upside down, squint with one eye closed, and spin around three times, wah-la! it looks pretty close (chuckle).