DON’T FORGET: Felicity’s “Springtime Promise” dress set ends this evening (Wednesday). I hope you will take a peek and see if your doll might need this pretty ensemble! :o) You can click on the picture at the right side bar to see it, or you can click HERE.
We started getting big, wet snowflakes around 10:00 tonight and it’s supposed to continue all night… maybe it will be another great day for sewing! :o)
There may be another name for it, but I’ve always called it assembly line sewing… say you are making 5 pair of pajama pants… assembly line sewing would go something like this… sew all the side seams together… connecting them one after the other by butting each piece after the first one you just sewed… then you might do all the elastic waistbands, and then the crotches and hems…
It’s a way of sewing more than one thing together at a time…in my case I cut out 2 different doll outfits that can be sewn together using the same color of thread.
After you have all your pieces cut out, figure out which ones can be sewn with just a straight stitch and butt those fabrics together… (ie) lay your skirt pieces end to end, and start sewing your basting stitches at the top for when you’ll gather your skirts. Sew across the one skirt section, then butt the second skirt up next to it and sew across it…cut the thread, but leave a bit of a tail… Then go back to the beginning of the first piece and sew your second row of basting stitches about 1/8″ below the first row, sew to the end of that piece and continue sewing across the gap but onto your second piece of fabric… then you might change your machine stitch from a basting stitch to a regular stitch, then grab your pantalettes and put them right sides together and sew the crotch seams on the first one, then butt the second pair of pieces for the other pantalettes and sew the crotch for them…just find pieces you can sew together, just butting one piece behind the other and stitching from one to the next without lifting up your sewing machine foot, or stopping your needle. You end up with a long trail of pieces all sewn together, sort of looking like a clothesline. Then you cut the pieces apart… It’s a very quick way of sewing and you honestly can make 2 outfits in about the same time as one…
It was kind of hard for me to show it in a picture… it needed to be draped somewhere for you to see it better…
It all started when I was trying to decide if I wanted to make a doll dress for the New Chinese Year of the Rabbit or make a dress for Spring or Valentine’s Day! I opted for Year of the Rabbit and Spring, and my two models are 8″ Ten Ping for The Year of the Rabbit and 10″ Noel, my Boneka sweetie will receive the Spring dress.
I had ONE pinkish Lavender bunny/rabbit fabric in my stash and it was a very good size for Ten Ping… (This could also be your dolls Easter dress!) :o) Noel got the floral print that is one of my favorites!!
I had a pair of blue leather boots I had made several months ago, that went wonderfully with this fabric, so Noel already has her shoes picked out…
Ten Ping is going to get a bunny/rabbit purse I think…
I have the bodices put together, but not sewn on the sides…
The pantalettes have their front seam sewn and the elastic at the top…
The skirts have their gathering rows of stitches already sewn, and I have a wool felt jacket cut out for each of them…
I was wanting a pair of “scalloped” scissors to use for my leather doll shoes and found out they work great for wool felt…
It takes a little bit of practice to get the corners to match and to line up the scallops so it looks like one long pair of scissors cut them out… but it didn’t take long to get the hang of it… I really like them…
Well, that’s a quick course on how to do assembly line sewing… sorry I didn’t have many pictures showing it… maybe I’ll show the technique some other time…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
I do assembly-line sewing quite often,Jeanne–and probably did it long before I knew it was a “thing”! I first heard the term probably when I was doing some quilting–quilters often sew many pieces together this way. But I also remember in the 70s and 80s, doing that with t-shirts–cut two or three out that can all use the same color thread, then sew all the shoulder seams, press them all, add all the neckbands, press, etc. And with many things, I don’t always follow the directions as to order of construction; I will, for example, do ALL the gathering stitches (skirt, sleeves, etc.) at one time, even if I’m not to the point of setting the sleeves yet.
Well, now, we have some little girls around here that are pretty excited about your current projects. My little Gigi is, of course, excited that “pink” is in the offing for her size (and reminds me that she really REALLY loves bunnies!!), and my three Boneka girls are already wondering which of them should wear that dress first, if mom should happen to decide they need it!! 😊
What a great investment your scalloping scissors is! Adds a nice touch to the leather as well as the felt. I have a pair but they are just for paper crafting; still, I’ve seen that, if you have a long piece to cut, you do have to be careful to match the last cut so it looks like a continuous cut.
Will have to check on your auction tomorrow afternoon–it could get interesting!
Hi Charlotte,
Yes, quilting is a great example of assembly line cutting… there is no way you would ever get ahead if you made a single block by itself and then did the next one, and the next…
I do assembly line pressing too, even when I’m not putting together more than one outfit… I sew as many pieces together as I can, then I take them all to the ironing board and press all my seams… then I do a little more, and repeat…
I’m glad you and Gigi will be watching as I put together the dresses. I love an audience! :o)
I do like these scissors… they are heavy duty and do a great job of staying perfectly straight on the fabric… I didn’t want a skimpy pair…
Ten Ping will wave to Gigi if she sees her along the sidelines of the auction finish line tonight…
Blessings, Jeanne
It would be amazing if I were to do assembly line sewing, possibly because it would be amazing if I sewed one item at a time, nowadays! I seem to have lost the “sewing bug” when I saw all the beautiful things others have created, plus not having to clean up afterwards like I have to do when I sew!
What perfect prints for Ten Ping and Noel! Perfect for spring and Easter coming up! It looks like you already know where you are going with each outfit, and it will be no time at all before you have them both made!
I do scrapbooking, so have various sicssors for different edges, and know that cutting with them is so easy and fun. Yes, it is tricky sometimes, but overall, they make thngs more interesting, and your scissors look like a very good pair.
The snow is coming down now as huge, wet flakes, so pretty, but we have a doctor appointment this morning, of all things! No staying home for us!
HI Linda,
Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever stop sewing? I’ve been doing it so long, it seems like I’ll do it forever… I guess we’ll see…
Since we are pretty much snowed in, I’ll just keep sewing… and see what I can accomplish today! :o)
Hope you made it to your dr. appt…
We got about 4-5″… is that about what you got?
Thanks Linda,
Blessings, Jeanne
Yes, we got about that much snow, but it was really wet and heavy AND slushy! We made it to the doctor, but no one was there so we had to reschedule!
Hope we get to see some snow photos of your yard! Always so beautiful. 🙂
Love your new scalloped scissors. I’d love a pair. Where did you find them? Guess they go right along with Charlotte’s Scalloped Potatoes. 🙂
The two new outfits will be perfect for the girls. I’m sure Ten loves the bunnies. 🙂
Here, it’s sunny again. Drat! Just kidding. Really enjoying the dry weather. 🙂
And I have two deliveries that are baffling me. One from Sweden coming USPS, that isn’t showing updates and no date for delivery. Then, another from China, that is taking an extraordinary amount of time lounging around in LA. The last being shipped with an unknown carrier, so final delivery date and tracking is impossible. Maybe something new will show up today. 🙂
HI Joy,
The snow was wet and heavy and it’s been awful for our Thuja bushes.. (the big green ones that look like Christmas trees.) They were bent over and 2 were even uprooted out of the ground and laying over, covered with more snow… My hubby has had a busy morning brushing the snow off and tying some of them up, hoping the limbs aren’t too sprung… We got about 4-5 inches so I’m not going anywhere, except my sewing room! :o)
I hope you like what I come up with in the end for the girls…
The scalloped scissors came from a seller on Ebay… Here is the link to the listing I bought… they came in 3mm, 5mm and 7mm… I bought the 5mm. They were very reasonable and got here in just a few days…
Scalloped scissors
Our mailman came today… but I didn’t have any dolly packages to worry about… Hope your girls make it home safely and SOON! AND at a time when you are alone! :o)
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
You lost me after it started snowing but I made a cup of coffee and tried again. Now I think I get it – assembly line sewing! I was a needs based sewer not a creative one but I really appreciate the talent you and the other sisters have in this area. Gigi and Noel are going to have some pretty spring dresses to wear!
Charlotte, good to hear that Ron was not injured and that you were able to help him after his fall. I hope that you will be careful on your birthday this Saturday to not take a tumble. : )
Laura, thank you for sharing your photos of Lark Meadow. I think the brown dress is beautiful with her coloring. Good choice!
Barbara, I am going to follow your advice and order a pair of Easy Spirit Romy. My annual holiday bout of plantar fasciitis is starting to heal but not due to the costly arch support shoes recommended by the orthopedist. I am thinking about what your son said and remembering the low heel black boots my grandmother wore everyday.
Joy, waiting patiently for Talia – I hope you finally got to see your Rose – out of the box – and that you love her!
Jeanne, here’s wishing you a good finish on Felicity’s auction tonight!
Thank you so much, Debbie! I’m very happy I was able to get her.
HI Debbie,
The weather was knocking out my satellite connection last night, so I started doing my post on my phone… after a few paragraphs, I tried again and was able to get my pictures loaded… it went much faster then…
I hope to work some more on the girls dresses today… I can’t go anywhere… my hubby worked hard brushing and knocking the snow off the bushes and tying up some limbs that looked like they were sprung… He came in and fell asleep… so I’m going to sew!
Thanks for all your kind comments to everyone! I saw some pictures of Talia on Facebook and she is SO beautiful… Too bad we can’t have ALL the dolls we want! But I’m grateful for the ones I was able to get!
Thanks Debbie,
Blessings, Jeanne
Now I see, it is Ten Ping that will wear the rabbit print, not Gigi who is a good bit taller.
Debbie, there is also a small Gigi–the original Ruby Red Kindergarten Friends are the small ones like Jeanne’s Ten Ping. I have the small Gigi. She has several “Jeanne Marie specials”! (yes, she is spoiled!! 😂) And then there are Gigi and Ten Ping in the Ruby Red Siblies size–I have them, too!
First, Happy Burn’s Night to fellow Scottish lassies.
I pray that Barbara is okay from yesterday’s tornado. Pretty scary for January.
A great day for staying in here as well. We had three inches on the ground yesterday and were told that yesterday was THE day to do errands, store etc. So a store run was in order and that was wise as was received three more overnight.
And on to Easter!! That bunny print fabric is cute as is the flowered.
The scalloping scissors are really neat. I have a couple of the Fiskars ones for paper, but for fabric would be nice.
Regarding the tornado, I got an e-mail from the county after I got the text. There was upper level rotation but thankfully nothing reached the ground. But there was severe damage in the Pasadena/Deer Park area and that is where I used to live when I first moved to Texas and Sean lived while he was going to junior college in Pasadena.
Thanks for the Happy Burn’s Night wish. David and I used to belong to the Houston Heather and Thistle Society and went to the Burn’s Supper for years. For a while David was an officer and we sat at the head table for several years. The year he was Chieftain I was First Lassie. It was an amazing experience. Sadly both the Society and the Supper are gone now. So many who kept it going have become Flowers of the Forest and the ones who took it over turned it into a clique of sorts and members dropped out. Finally the ones who formed the clique got tired of it and ended it all. It’s hard to imagine Houston without a Burn’s Supper.
I’m glad you are safe, Barbara. My great aunt lived in Pasadena. My other great aunt was in Kerrville and my great uncle in Rosenburg. My grandmother was born in Welcome and their cotton farm was in Beasley. I have Texas in my blood.
So sad about the Burn’s Supper being gone. How wonderful to be First Lassie! We never had a heritage group here, but we did have a Victorian Society for many years and the Christmas “Victorian Stroll” was always fun to attend as period attire was encouraged. We still have nice Christmas downtown festivities just without the period influence.
HI Laura,
Thanks for keeping us informed of other holidays we may have missed! It looks like we all might be staying put today… the roads look like they may have been snow plowed and driveable… but my driveway is pretty deep and I have nothing I need to go out for…
I’m glad you like my little bunny print fabric. I’ve had that for a really long time and don’t get to use it very often…
The scissors are wonderful… I’ll have to make something out of leather to show what I wanted them for…
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
Can’t wait to see these two adorable dresses reach fruition. Love the fabrics. I have dolls that will qualify for both sizes so I’ll have to give this upcoming auction some thought.
As for assembly line sewing, I have done some of this but as a rule I’m not fond of making things more than once. One year for our church Spring Fling I made market bags. I think I made about six of them but was really tired of the pattern after two or three. Even though the bags were different fabrics, it still felt very repetitious.
I seem to be having a great deal of trouble releasing myself from obligations at the moment, especially with tax time upon us, so I must confess I purchased Easter dresses for several of my girls. Welllies Camille and Kendall got lovely outfits from my favorite Wellie shop Handmadey’all on Etsy. Then I actually found two cute dresses for my Lissy’s (Lissy and Landry) at a shop called Rosiekatt on Etsy. I still plan to make a few myself, but it seems in the words of Robert Burns “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft agley”. Strange wordage but you get the point. I’ll know by the middle of April how successful I’ve been.
Still sitting here waiting for the fridge repair man. He was supposed to be here between 12:00 and 2:00 p.m. It is now 1:29 pm. At the moment I’m in a holding pattern.
Hi Barbara,
I’m hoping to get lots done of them today… since I’m snowed in… The roads have been cleared out in front of our house, but I have everything I need right here at home! :o)
I’m not a huge fan of making the same thing over and over and over, but with 2 different dresses, you can be doing the same thing a couple of times, but it feels different because they are turning out to be one of a kind dresses, not two of a kind! :o)
I know what you mean about… “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry!” It happens to me ALL THE TIME!
Waiting for a repair man isn’t fun… fortunately, I’m pretty much married to one… It’s a rare thing when he has to call someone… but I do find myself waiting for other things… pictures to upload, lines at the post office, and the hardest… dolls to come in the mail… ( hope Joy’s come today!)
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne
I like it better when my resident handyman can do the job but this time it was under warranty so he deferred. The process turned out to be rather painless in retrospect. I anticipated a lot more hassle or I would have done it sooner. But I have to say that once I contacted them, Samsung was pretty quick about fixing the problem.
Good luck tonight on that auction; that set is a treat for the eyes.
Charlotte, happy birthday to you and Ron. I truly hope you are BOTH are all right, and they are called Scalloped Potatoes in New England, too. Yum.
Laura, your dolls are just lovely; you have a beautiful pair. I also got the brown…and green, too. No regrets. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful time with them. I think I read earlier that dolls have always been your best friends. Pretty much the same for me, though I will definitely include dogs. Dogs and dolls!
Susette, was that back surgery recent? Did it go well, I hope?
Barb, you just didn’t need to have that new refrigerator problem. I have my fingers crossed that every appliance in this house lasts until we head back to NH. What a major production it is. My fingers are crossed for you, too. After all this long awaited remodeling. Holy cow.
This morning it was 3 again, and our lucky day to have 8 warranty replacement windows put in. Nicest young man, but working outside half the time without gloves and thin pants. Kept trying to warm him up. But. He did a super job and I wish him all the BEST.
Hi to everyone, and a special reach out to Anne and Alina.
HI Sally,
I too, was thinking about Anne and Alina and Dorothy from PA and the world and Ingrid! I hope they are okay…
How wonderful to have 8 new windows put in… we have 4 left to do and I wish we could get them in sooner than later. We have put in all the others over the last 18 years. I hope your guy didn’t freeze out there… it was very cold here with the wind blowing. My hubby was brushing and tying up tree branches and bushes and he kept coming in to get a warm pair of gloves from the dryer… he’d bring in a wet pair and I’d give him a new dry pair…
Thanks for checking in Sally,
Blessings, Jeanne
Thank you, Sally! Actually, I always considered my pets my best friends. Actually, growing up I only had a couple of dolls, but I did have Little People, and I loved to draw dolls on paper and cut them out and make up elaborate stories.
My Yorkie took the place of dolls in the sense that she was very tolerant of being put in doll clothes and ribbons. Much more fun than a vinyl doll!!
The refrigerator repairman has come and gone and seemed to know exactly what he was doing. Something I seldom see. He replaced the unit where the filter is located. It had been what was leaking and causing the ice buildup. He ran a lot of water through it and could see no leaks. Told me to call if we saw any. Now I have to go put everything back. Hopefully it will be permanent this time.