Reminder:
I have an auction ending on Ebay this evening…It’s the one that’s taking viewers by storm! Sorry, I’ve never said that before and it just popped into my head, so I wrote it. There are 510 views on this set and 37 watchers… if anyone besides me is wondering…
If you want to see it, you can click on the picture at the right side bar or you can click HERE.
Next:
We did get the sewer fixed but it wasn’t without lots of hours of hard work, renting an electric auger, plus we had to take the kitchen door off the hinges to be able to use the machine, and we even had to cut a hole in our hallway to get to the machine’s metal coils down into the basement pipes… yes, it was a mess and it took forever to clean everything up…
Here are a few pictures of the happenings… NOT the actual sewer area… :o)
The machine came with ten 10 foot long metal rods that we had to connect together to make it as long as we wanted. They were heavy and hard to bend…that’s why we had to cut the hole in the stairs area (we saved the plug and will put it back and caulk and paint it) to get the rods to go into the pipes and rout the pipes from the inside out… then we had to rout from the baffle plate at the sewer going INTO the house…
Next… we had a church picnic today after church and the weather wasn’t good, so we had it inside and this was the only picture I took… I was in charge of getting the food organized and some helpers helped me get it on the table… I should have taken a picture at the beginning, but I was too busy… We had a nice time… and there was LOTS of good eats! :o)
Now, it’s time for Rozen to move over and give the cutting table to Julie, because she is the star now!
If you were in the camp of the coral and brown prints, you were right. I almost went with the pink! That paisley fabric is a soft crinkly knit and I’ve always wanted to make Julie a dress from it, but I just didn’t have any trim to use with it and decided to pass this time.
So after I decided to use the coral and brown prints, I sketched up a REALLY quick picture to make sure I got the fabrics where I wanted them…
…and then looked in my super duper 1974 original pattern book for some sleeve designs… In my original picture, it’s kind of hard to visualize the sleeves because they are kind of droopy…
I think this picture of the sleeves will show you better…
Okay, so this is what I have gotten done so far…
The back doesn’t have snaps yet, but here’s a peek…
Tomorrow I’m planning to go to Hobby Lobby and see if I can find a nice 70’s charm that will pick up the colors of the dress…
I couldn’t resist pinning the skirt fabric to the bodice so you could see it together…
This picture is a little washed out, but it’s closer so you can see the print better.
Now, I’m going to be vulnerable and tell you something I noticed as I’ve seen my pictures on here. Looking back at my “original” dress picture, I noticed it’s all in the same color family… darkish browns, whereas my dress for Julie, has “coordinating colors” of fabrics, but not all the same shade… Just something I observed…
I’ll see what I can come up with for tomorrow!
See you then,
Blessings, Jeanne
Wow, 510 views on that Springtime Sweetness set–that’s a Lot!! I’m wondering if we’re going to end up seeing a bidding war on this one.
I’m so glad to hear you finally got the plumbing problem fixed. What a lot of work for both of you! I’m assuming you both enjoyed nice hot showers when you were done?!
We had a planned potluck brunch this morning at our church. LOTS of food. I made a triple batch of pineapple muffins, and cooked three pounds of bacon (I did it in the oven Sat. night, half a pound at a time, so all I had to do was take it out of the fridge, pop the 9×12 pan of precooked bacon in the oven and heat it up this morning). I was sure pooped by the time I had everything finished last night!
Ron wasn’t feeling up to going to church this morning, but our grandson Isaac made it, as did a friend of ours, so I was really happy to see them both there. After church was over, I brought Isaac home with me so he could see Grandpa. We had a nice long visit, and then the two guys went out for an early supper and more visiting and some grandpa/grandson time, while this tired lady took a NAP!
I see what you mean, about the inspiration dress being done in all fabrics with the same background color. Although I’m not a brown person, I do think it looks really good. When I see Julie’s new bodice, with the brown fabric next to it….I’m just not feeling it. Not the same vibe at all, despite the fact that the three fabrics do look good together. I can see that combo in something more like a quilt or a purse or a tote bag. That said, I’m keeping an open mind, as you’ve surprised me in the past in similar situations, and I don’t think you’ve ever had a “dud”!! Not even close…
I can’t believe you two went to all that trouble to get the sewer clog fixed, but you certainly did, and it doesn’t surprise me that you DID fix it! I don’t think the average person would not be able to do anything remotely like that!
Yes, the weather did not cooperate for anything in outdoors in the afternoon, but the morning was bright and sunshiny when we came out of church! It lasted until about noon here. Your spread of food looked so good! I can’t believe you were going through the plumbing problem while also coordinating the picnic dinner!
Now, Julie’s dress. I noticed a few readers mentioning Julie’s blue eyes yesterday, but Julie has brown eyes, and I think they are mixed up with Elizabeth, who DOES have blue eyes! The top part of the dress, and sleeves, are really beautiful, but the brown skirt I am not 100% with, for some reason. I thought a lighter color would go better, but maybe if you have several rows of white lace at the bottom, it would take away that big color difference. Like Charlotte said, you have yet to make a dud! The colors do go, but it just seems so jarring to me. But, that’s just me, and I am sure others will think differently. I do like the colors you have picked out though, and for sure, I do not have the last word!
Well, hm. I love the brown skirt and the way the flowers coordinate with the coral in the top. The sleeves are super, and I hope the skirt stays long. Do you have coral leather for soft boots? Unnecessary, but I can see Julie loving them.
I like Linda’s lace idea, but it has to be soft enough so that the fabric drapes and doesn’t stand out like a ball gown. There is one photo that made me wonder if the buttons were too large, but when I looked at the other pictures, I decided I was mistaken.
I love floppy hats, but a flower crown would be just as pretty. A soft purse would be nice — or one like Rozen’s in a natural leather. Do you have lace that looks like macrame? Macrame chokers were in, and an astrological symbol would work as a pendant if you can’t find what you have in mind.
Altogether I think you are on a good track and the outfit will be as cute and pretty as you planned.
Far out! I think what’s throwing it off for me is the unfinished skirt length. When it is at it’s final length, Julie should emit peace and love in the dolly world. The bottom part of the sleeves seem too long and too puffy. If they were slimmer, I’d like it better although they mimic the pattern exactly. 🙂
So glad to see your sewer photos. I have to presume that you don’t have an outside cleanout or this might not have been an issue. I’ve seen the root people reach every pipe in the house coming down through a roof vent. Very clever way to get that sewer “wand” into the basement. I’m sure the clean up was in all imagination not fun. However, glad you got it fixed in time to get a shower before the church indoor picnic. 🙂 Hope the plumbing catch is fixed for good. Do you plan to replace the outdoor pipe where there is a root hang up? If so, you could add a clean out then. Ah, a project for another day I’m sure. 🙂
We had a fun Easter watching middle grands soccer game and egg hunt with the team afterwards. Son in law put on the bunny costume and hopped his way across the field. The kids loved it. 🙂
I keep looking at Julie’s outfit, and I think she needs to have a black ribbon choker which would tie in the skirt. We wore them all the time. Just simple. Or, a black silk ribbon with a peace sign would be appropriate. 🙂 I wonder how black buttons would look? 🙂
So glad the clog is done. I’ve rented one of those auger (smaller than you used) and they can be wicked to work with.so glad everything is running smoothly now!
I’ve never been an American Girl doll lover but have loved the clothes and their inspiration so I’ve never really paid that much attention to eye color etc. so I guess I just assumed blue eyed blonde and you know what they say about assume. Lol. I’m so glad you didn’t shorten the sleeves and I still love those fabrics but . . I’m not loving the dark brown skirt. I would have liked to see it as the bodice front nearer to those brown eyes. I feel the dark skirt might be overpowering for spring. I’d rather see a smaller button so a charm necklace wouldn’t fight with them. But the one thing I love about your blog is hearing all the suggestions and thought processes seamstresses have. Is a large floppy hat likely?
Have a great day all.
After Joy mentioned the sleeves, I kind of feel the same way, but if you turned the elastic part up, the sleeves would be a tad shorter, and I think the “balloon “ effect would be pretty.
Thanks for all your work on the picnic (you and George, and other helpers). All the food was wonderful! Guests seemed to be having a nice time chatting while they ate! So sorry about the plumbing issues! If there’s any construction or fix it issues your husband can’t figure it probably can’t be done🤗
Looks Like Sara/Rozen’s dress auction should be very successful. Can’t wait to see the outcome.
So glad you got your sewer clog fixed. I was wondering too about outside clean outs. We have several for our house so any clog can be fixed from outside. Mostly David put them in. Before he did the plumber would have to bring his machine into the kitchen which I wasn’t keen on. Our mobile home park was built before we owned the property and there were no clean-outs, so David put them in there too. Sometimes to clear a clog in the park he has to go in from different ends and having several clean-outs makes that easier.
Regarding Julie’s dress. When I first saw the bodice I was in love with it. But I have to admit I would make the skirt with the light brown floral to match the top. I love mixing fabrics but for this dress I like fewer. I do like the sleeves.
I haven’t sent any Easter pictures yet for two reasons, 1) I was working on my taxes (seems sacrilegious to me to have Easter and tax time coincide), and 2) I’m hoping to be able to make Greer Adele’s hat his week and the outfit is not really complete without it. I did not have the right color raffia so had to order it. It’s here now so I should be able to make it this week. But the way I remember it from my childhood is that my parents took pictures on Easter but it was a couple weeks before they returned from being developed. So I’m living in the good old days at the moment.
We had a lovely Easter. So many at church and it was great. We ran out of scheduled songs to sing during Communion and the choir director kept adding on others instead of doing the last one over and over. Father Mark was over the moon. We had 69 at the early service and 175 at the later service. Lots of voices raised in prayer and song. It was glorious.
Sounds like many of my sofa sisters had a great day too. And all the food being served sounds wonderful. Charlotte, I’m so sorry Ron couldn’t make it to church but I’m sure he had a wonderful visit with his grandson. Jeanne, I’m sorry about your weather. It was a lovely, warm, sunny day here but I checked out the weather in Bethlehem, PA, and the high was 51. We always had spring coats for Easter but if Easter was in mid-April as it was this year we didn’t need them. Sounds more like they needed winter coats this year.
Glad you were able to fix the plumbing. Nothing fun about that. Makes me even more thankful for a son in the construction and plumbing business ☺️
The church gathering had to be a nice event after all your hard work! Yummy looking dishes.
Good luck on the current auction…over 500 views? Holy Moly! Exciting.
The 70s dress is going to be so CUTE! Your fabrics are awesome together.
We had the traditional Easter menu but because the g-kids are all 14+ my daughter did a hunt with them in mind. She got a 6 pack holder for each one and the dads hid all kinds of drinks from juice and water, pop, wine coolers, fizzy water, beer. They had a blast!
Happy Monday Sofa Sisters
Groovy, OMG, I just love the way you came up with this idea for Julie’s dress. It is like a Gunne Sax dress from the 1970’s or 80’s. I miss this kind of dress so much. I wish it would come back. I have longer hair as well and love the long style dresses with boots and coats etc. I think the skirt looks great. I love your color scheme with the browns and corals. My favorite combo. Hope you all had a wonderful Easter.