American Girl, Julie, gets a turn at modeling a new dress…

First up, something from Joy… she made Peek Inside Eggs… I’ve never heard them called that, but thought I’d let her tell us how she made them. I used to use the Legg’s containers from panty hose, to fill with candy, but these don’t look like the same kind of eggs…
Anyway, Joy said Chibbi Vienna “sort of” helped her make them… They are adorable…

My title might suggest I have the dress completed and Julie’s wearing it… Not so! It didn’t happen today and I’m sure it won’t happen tomorrow. We are still dealing with sewer problems and my hubby has finally been defeated with all he knows how to do (which is as much as most professional plumbers know) but in the morning he is going to rent an electric auger and see if he can get our pipes unclogged. We have located the problem to be just outside of our house… he’s wondering if maybe a tree root has gotten in the pipe, but that’s just a guess.
Anyway, at 8:00 in the morning, I’ll be a “sewer assistant” and that’s not a “sewer’s” (sowers) assistant, but a “sewers” (sue-ers) assistant. We can’t flush or wash or shower… I’m just hoping to get a shower by tomorrow night… :o)

Okay, now back to Juile… it’s Marilyn’s fault if you’re not happy with my choice… not really, but she did suggest Julie and then a few things came up with the mention of Julie… so I went for it! I’m happy as I was in high school in the 70’s and know that time pretty well.
There are so many things you can do with the styles then… peasant tops, caftan dresses, Gunne Sax dresses, maxi dresses, bell bottoms, bell sleeves, and lots more.

I looked at quite a few sites that had 70’s and boho style dresses and while many were cute, for some reason, these 2 caught my eye. The bright pink floral one is pretty, but of course, for a 10 year old, it wouldn’t be quite so sexy looking… not necessarily off the shoulder, and no slit in the front skirt. I only snapped a screen shot of this picture and never could find it again to show you any other views of it…

Then I saw this one and it caught my eye too… It’s very 70’s looking and could be made in a million different ways and colors. I would probably make it 3/4 length sleeves and a midi, not a maxi.

So I decided, this is the one I’d like to “sort of” copy and see how close I can match it.

Anyway, I put together some fabric combinations and thought I’d show you…

I already have my favorite picked out and some pattern ideas lined up to pull it together pretty easily.

Now, I’m just wanting to hear your opinions on the fabrics… I may be opening up a can of worms, but I hope not… We’ll see… :o)

Sunday is Easter and I wanted to wish all of you wonderful day! I hope you have a blessed day with your family if possible, and if not, please know that your Heavenly Father loves you very much!

See you Monday,
Blessings, Jeanne

21 thoughts on “American Girl, Julie, gets a turn at modeling a new dress…”

  1. Charlotte Trayer

    Joy, your eggs are wonderful! Now, are these pressed-sugar eggs, or did you get plastic forms somewhere to use? Just kind of curious, as I know they could be either one. And little Vienna is darling, and I’m sure she was very helpful!! 😂

    Jeanne, I’m sorry about your continued plumbing problems. Hopefully the electric “rooter” thingy will do the trick (and hopefully that’s all that’s needed, and not the replacing of a length of pipe!). If you are still having problems by late afternoon, maybe a friend will let you shower at their house? Or you could rent a motel room for the night, if push came to shove…..

    Well, in the 70s, I was working and (in ’74) getting married, but I do remember some of those styles! As to your fabric combos…I do love the pinks together–they look so fresh and springy! Not positive that the seersucker is the right one with the other two prints, however.

    The reds–meh. Not feeling it. Yellows–they are Really looking good together, although not necessarily what I would choose for a doll dress, but you have proved me wrong in the past. Blues–a good mix of prints, but I’m not really a “blue person”. Coral/black–I like the middle one with either of the others, but I think the three together are “fighting”. Purple–well, of course, I love purples so it’s my favorite combo! In addition, though, you had a small background type print, a medium (both size and tone) print, and a bigger/deeper one. A nice mix.

    Not sure if my comments helped or not, but there they are!!

    A happy and blessed Easter to all the sofa sisters!

  2. Linda in St. Louis

    Jeanne, so sorry to hear about your sewer problems, and especially at Easter time! Good thing your time with your sisters and Rebecca was when you had no problems!

    I am a bit pressed for time, so will make my comments about the fabrics short and sweet. Although I do like the pink colors, I am not fond of the stripes and polka dots together. I am thinking the purples are the best together, and especially will look nice on Julie with her blonde hair. Adding lace and/or braid to it will finish it off. Ok, that’s my opinion, for what it is worth!

    May all of the sofa sisters, and you, dear Jeanne, have a blessed and happy Easter!

  3. Oh, where did my comments about the eggs go? Joy, I love those sugar eggs! My grandmother always got those for us, and when I was little, I used to chew off the sugared flowers! No wonder I had terrible teeth! I have never made any, just loved them and the little scenes they had inside! Thanks for the memories!

    1. Dorothy near Pgh

      Joy your display is so sweet, and happy looking. Those “marshmallow” bunnies are adorable. The blend of fabrics in Vienna’s outfit is perfect and so fun.
      Jeanne i like the coral fabrics for this style best but I’m a sucker for a black background. Speaking of sucker, I have never liked seersucker so that’s a no in the pinks for me. Blue would look great with Julie’s eyes. The yellows seem too gold, I also like the reds for this style. Oh dear no help at all am I? Can’t wait to see the progress.
      Happy Easter all!

    2. Joy in northern CA

      Kind of gross, but I remember licking the eggs as a kid. I think we kept them for the next year as well. Ick! But, I did love those scenes inside. Thanks. 🙂

  4. Joy in northern CA

    Oh fabric, my favorite. If you’re going with the second 70’s style, I’d choose the black/pink set. Now, an authentic 70’s dress that we all wore when I was in college in the early 70’s, was the simple long dress. High waist gathered under the bust with gathered neck and short gathered sleeves. Everyone had one. I made several. The fabric could be dizzying as well. 🙂 Another popular style was again high waist, v neck with puffed sleeves in a solid color with black trim. 🙂
    I called my eggs peek inside, but panoramic is another name. 🙂 The originals were made from sugar on some kind of a mold. The much smaller eggs I used come in a carton at Walmart for 99 cents and can actually be dyed like regular eggs, but without boiling eggs. I wanted smaller eggs for the dolls. Chibbi Vienna is about 8″. The eggs are a softer type plastic with a matt finish for the dye. Since they are flexible, it was fairly easy to cut them open in the shapes I wanted with a box cutter/exacto knife. Vienna and I painted the interior with pale blue acrylic and then glittered the outside. That was Vienna’s favorite part. 🙂 Me, I found some glitter on my eyelid the next day. 🙁 Anyway, I propped them up on pencils in a jar while the glitter dried. Then, I added some simple white trim from Joann’s around the cut edges, holding it in place with my tiny clothes pins. I use those a lot. Also from Joann’s. I should start looking now for tiny things to put inside the eggs, but since I was behind, I found some little bunnies at Michael’s and also used a button glued to a piece of cardstock so it would stand up. I put some pretty stickers on the interior back wall and cut up some tissue for green grass. I really wanted tiny chicks, but couldn’t find any. Since the eggs are reusable, maybe next year. I also used some old pill bottle caps for the egg stands. I should decorate them as well. Anyway, should anyone want to make some eggs for your kids for next year, I’m sure the eggs are on sale now at Walmart. 🙂
    Have a fun Easter everyone, we’ll be watching a soccer game. 🙂

    1. Dorothy in PA and the World

      Dear Joy, what a cute Easter egg display. I am sure that everyone had big fun.

    2. Charlotte Trayer

      Thanks for the detailed explanation of how you made those eggs, Joy! Those of us who enjoy crafting will doubtless be looking to see if we can still find some of the eggs at our local WM!

  5. Marilyn in Colorado

    I’m pretty much on Dorothy’s page, liking the reds and corals, but it’s spring, so I’m going with the corals. I see the dark background as brown, for the earth, and I too like the dark background.

    I seldom get out because it’s risky for immune-system compromised people, but a friend offered me a trip to the bank and a Mediterranean grocery/mini-restaurant. Signs in the store listed foods from Bosnia, Greece, and Turkey. It was wonderful. I got rose water, maamoul (I read about those in Gourmet years ago), freeka, couscous, and orzo, and our falaful sandwiches came sprinkled with something rust colored that I recognized immediately (from my reading) as sumac. They had none for sale, but the cook cheerfully packaged up some of the restaurant’s supply from a huge container. And the groceries available — capers in quart jars, olives and artichokes both came in gallon sized containers. Other things that must have been staples came in cans too big and heavy for me to pick up, as well as in portable sizes.

    The cook/clerk seemed to like us — amazing how people often like having their products admired and approved of. We ate there — probably a mistake — but we were early and there weren’t too many people and the latest COVID wave hasn’t hit Colorado yet.

    The best thing about the day was that I decided to abandon my walker and just use a walking stick and it worked out fine. Progress is lovely.

    1. Charlotte Trayer

      Woohoo, Marilyn!! Good for you, having that lovely outing, and even managing without your walker!! That is great news!

  6. Jeanne.. ugh, sewer problems:( Chances are it’s roots grown around the pipes.. happen with older houses. We had that same problem with my hubby’s parents 50 year old house.. a camera showed the tree roots completely wrapped around the lines:( it might be a problem for the professionals.

    I made many clothes for my older daughter..born 1960.. her Middle School graduation dress was a Gunny Sax pattern..she chose peach squaw cloth with cream Cluny lace.. so pretty.
    I would choose the purple or blue combos for Julie. With her blond hair and blue eyes, it would be lovely! The brown/cinnamons are more Autumny…I know whatever you choose will be beautiful, especially with your “Jeanne Designer” details.
    Happy Easter… hope your pipes are running smoothly again very soon!

  7. Kathie from Omaha

    HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!🌷✝️🐣
    Joy your Easter scene is so cheerful and Springy! The eggs are just adorable and I just may need a trip to Walmart Monday to see if there are any of them still available. The tiny pieces will be on my list of things to look for during the upcoming G-Sale Season. Thank you for sharing the details on making them☺️
    This next dress is going to be sooooo cute! Always loved that style of dress and each fabric combo would be nice but considering Julie is blonde and blue eyed my favorites are the darker pink combo #2…or the blues #4. Never have been a purple fan. That gold was popular then but looks too fallish.
    Good luck with the Rooter-rooter. Hope it will do the trick.

    1. Joy in northern CA

      Thanks. Hope you can make some eggs. I’m sure yours will be much more professional looking. Maybe I’ll try again next year. 🙂

  8. Barbara in SE Texas

    So sorry to hear you are still having sewer (sue-er) problems. Love your examples of pronunciation. We were having a bad problem a few years ago and the line had to be dug up. We found the pipe had split and the only solution was to replace the length of pipe. Having an older home keeps one on their toes. We’ve been pretty lucky but every now and then we get a surprise. Like the water line that broke underneath the house a few years ago. Since he was still the slenderest, Sean got drafted to be the one to put on the waders and slither under the house to fix it. David and Jason were on the outside cheering him on and handing him tools. They changed a few things so that if it should happen again it won’t be so hard to fix.

    Marilyn’s food comments made me think to share a fun thing we did at church for Maundy Thursday. We have not been able to do too much the past couple years but this year things have opened up fully and our priest decided to do an Agape meal before the service. He’s been involved with several but the people of our church had never heard of one so it was a challenge putting it on. The food was centered around what might have been served at a meal back in Biblical times. They put out a list and those who wanted to volunteered to bring items and the church provided anything that was lacking. We had hummus, pita and flat bread, artichoke dip, pita chips, vegetable platters, olive oil, olives of all kinds, fruit, dates and a few other things I can’t remember. It was delicious and a lot of fun. We had a great turn out for it being the first time. It will probably grow for next year as word gets around because everyone enjoyed it.

    Joy, your eggs are absolutely perfect. And what a cute little helper you have and such a sweet outfit she’s wearing. She’s all ready for the Easter bunny. Did you make her outfit? Your display is very festive.

    Now for the fabrics. Well, I’m somewhat of a pink person I’m finding out so I really like the pinks. I also love mixing patterns and textures so I’m good with the choices. I like the yellow-gold combination but not for spring. They would make a lovely fall dress as would the second from the bottom combination. I also like the purples, which I knew would be one of Charlotte’s favorites. I like the blue idea but not the fabrics so much. Yes, I do believe you opened a can of worms. LOL

    I’ve been over the moon that Sean and family have returned to church. The Bishop is coming on 4/24 and Azure will be Christened that Sunday. David is still not up to climbing the stairs to the choir loft so we are sitting downstairs in the sanctuary for awhile longer so we get to sit with them. I promised myself this year that I would not even mention Easter wearing attire thus avoiding any confrontation with my daughter-in-law. But yesterday Sean said that Jaiden had bought an Easter dress for her doll. I’m hoping that was maybe triggered by her mother buying one for her. Guess I’ll find out tomorrow. Either way I’ll just keep my mouth shut and be glad she’s there.

    1. Joy in northern CA

      thanks for the nice comment on the eggs. I did make Vienna’s little rompers. She’s pretty tiny. 🙂

  9. I couldn’t remember what we called those eggs yesterday when I wrote, but it came to later. We always called them “panoramic eggs” although you certainly do peek inside to see the sweet scenes.
    Joy, your scene is just the sweetest and Vienna looks so cute in that romper. I’m sure she can’t wait to get some of the candy. I love you little cart filled with carrots The Peeps bunnies look a lot like the kitty toys I have here. The pink one is nearly identical except theirs’ has flowers embroidered between the ears. Then they have a yellow and green one like your blue.
    i hope you’re able to resolve your sewer issues soon, Jeanne.
    I definitely loved the Gunne Sax look as it hung around for part of the 1980’s as well and had the Victorian/Edwardian aesthetic.
    .As far as fabric for Julie the pink is probably a natural choice given the paisley that was so popular as well as seersucker and polka dots. I think the seersucker needs to have a slightly cotton candy pink though. I think I’d be more wild about that combo if it were blue. I’m very particular when it comes to liking something pink as it really depends on the shade.. I like the reds a lot and the corals.Being a brown-eyed girl you can get away with using a lot of different colors with Julie while for most dolls with a distinct eye color you want to try to match it

    I hope that you, Jeanne and all my sofa sisters have a Happy and Blessed Easter!

  10. Anne Coldron in Christchurch NZ

    Jeanne, I am so sorry about your sewer problems. When you mentioned having to use a porta-potty it reminded me of 2010/11 when we had our earthquakes. Most people in the East of Chch lost water, sewerage and power at least for some time. There was a lot of humour around and I saw someone with a T-shirt that said ‘The only thing worse than a port-a-loo is no port-a-loo!’. We apparently bought up the world’s supply of chemical toilets and port-a-loos. the Chinese were frantically trying to make more. We even had a book published “You know you’re from Christchurch when…….”. Sometimes you have to laugh so you don’t turn into a blubbering mess! Anyway I really hope you can get it sorted soon.

    Now for the fabrics, doesn’t Julie have blonde hair and blue eyes? I think the blue or lilac might work best with her hair, but I like the pink fabrics for the style of dress. I’m not sure we have been a lot of help though, we all have different ideas and they are probably different again to yours!

    Happy Easter everyone. ‘He is Risen’.

  11. Joy in northern CA

    I completely forgot to mention your sewer problem. We had a situation at our cabin some years ago, and my father found that a tree root had grown into the intake pipe to the septic tank. His solution, was to dig out around the intake pipe and cut the root because it was probably from a cedar. A big root. Then, he poured concrete into the hole cementing the intake pipe and preventing any further roots from invading. It worked, and no further problems have occurred. Around here, we have problems occasionally. Always roots. At one point we even bought a sewer cleaning machine like you were going to rent. George’s favorite store has them fairly cheap. However, using the beast was another story. The motor whips the metal auger line around at a dizzying speed. I was fearful that it might whip back and one could lose a hand. So, since then, we call our favorite sewer person who always comes right out and gets the roots quickly. Sure, it may cost a hundred or so, but it is so worth it and it is done in less than an hour. Works for us. 🙂

  12. Dorothy in PA and the World

    Dear Jeanne, I will defer to the sewers (sow-ers) for fabric choices.

    I am so sorry to hear about your sewer (sue-er) problem. You will indeed be able to add sewer’s assistant to your growing resume.

    I wish you and all of the Sofa Sisters who observe Easter or Passover a happy celebration.

  13. Alina from Krakow, Poland

    I like purple colors for Julie the most.
    Happy Hallelujah to all sisters from the sofa.

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