I had a full day working on getting things finished up for Frieda’s Easter dress. Trying a few new ideas on her hair took a little bit of time. I wanted her hair to show against the violet print of the dress, so I opted not to pull it back in a braid or away from the sides of her face… after a few attempts and not liking them, I decided to make it “appear” like her hair was shorter than it actually was. (I DIDN’T CUT IT!) I just added an elastic band at the bottom of it, and rolled it under and then pinned it in place… so it only looks like it’s shorter, but it hasn’t been cut. I think it looks much neater this way. Her hair kind of has a mind of its own and is a bit scraggly to me…
A bonnet would maybe have been pretty, but Frieda said she wanted a hair bow… she was too grown up for a bonnet! So you can see what won out… I made another one with a snap on the top for easy putting on and taking off… It looks very pretty in her dark, almost black hair.
I worked on and finished her white half slip… Made from a white tulle and very full, it’s perfect for wearing under her prettiest dresses. I added a tiny violet flower to complete the set.
I also finished sewing the rest of the tiny white pearls to the front of Frieda’s pintucked dress.
This is one of my favorite dresses I’ve made in a long time… I love how it turned out and I hope the winner will too…
Thanks everyone,
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
I love everything about this outfit, Jeanne. (And Freida is right, a bonnet would have been too “young” for her.) But the shoes and matching purse are the icing on the cake!!
Barbara, I saw that Pattern Cutting Guide on the Clover email, too, and thought it would work well. You’ll have to let us know how you like it. (I remember years ago there was a tracing guide–just a little metal disc about 1/8″ thick, with a hole in the middle; you put your pencil point into the hole, and roll the edge of the disc around the edges of your cardboard templates to trace a cutting line. Of course, this was way before the rotary cutters made cardboard templates practically obsolete!
I’m hoping this tool works as well as I think it will. I’ve been disappointed in the past at times. I laughed when I got to thinking about using a rotary cutter on a cardboard template. Thankfully we have cutting mats these days to go with our rotary cutters.
How pretty Freida looks in her violet dress with pearls and lace, Jeanne! I like the way you fixed her hair too, it looks more “tame” and thicker, much like she went to the beautfy parlor the other day! She could be a model for the Easter Parade in town!
Everything is so pretty together, the hairbow, slip, thigh-highs, and shoes along with the gorgeous dress, that will make this a winner!
I just read that last comment from yesterday, and am still laughing about it!! 🙂
Beautiful doll and outstanding outfit. Frieda is my favorite from my collection of RRFF dolls. She reminds me so much of Elizabeth Taylor, the actress, as a young girl. If only her eyes were violet like Elizabeth. Loved 12-year old Elizabeth portraying Velvet Brown in the 1944 movie “National Velvet.”
I’ve done the same thing on my custom Nellie doll who wears #33’s wig to make her look like she has shorter 1930’s style hair when I have her in that era.
Freida does remind me of Elizabeth Taylor with a tan and the wrong eye color. If Ruby Red ever makes an Elizabeth Taylor like alike doll she will definitely be coming here.
Love her in National Velvet and so many more, before and after.
The violet dress is beautiful. The hairbow is a sweet touch and the purse and shoes pull it all together.
The thigh high tutorial was really neat yesterday. I’ve filed it in my email for future reference.
Such a beautiful outfit and Freida looks stunning in it. It just came together perfectly. I love the bow. Freida is right. She is too old for a bonnet but a straw hat with flowers would be pretty too. It’s always fun when things just seem to evolve naturally. Struggling to put something together doesn’t feel quite as fulfilling.
I think that’s one reason why I walked away from sewing for a while. I felt I was forcing things just to get something done and a couple of the patterns I bought did not really fit the dolls they were designed for very well. Sometimes I think they try to design a pattern to fit too many dolls hoping you’ll make the adjustments necessary for the doll you are trying to fit. And sometimes the instructions for making them are a lot more complicated than I think is necessary. In many cases I was using other methods to arrive at the same conclusion making me wonder why I bought the pattern in the first place. Problem is now I can’t figure out how to get back into sewing mode. It feels a little like writer’s block.
I still have my Christmas tree and village up. I’m actually still enjoying it all and it’s not in the way. But the rowing machine is now in place and the box is out of the garage and no longer in the way of my Christmas storage area so I guess I will have to come to grips with the fact that the season is over and I really need to put things away for at least a few months.
Right now it’s cold here again. Next week we are supposed to have spring temps again. Since my sofa sisters north of me are experiencing more cold temps maybe we will have more cold heading this way soon. But it is still winter and with a long, hot summer to look forward to, I guess I should just relax and enjoy the cold when it comes.
Everything about this dress is so sweet…and you know purple is not my fav…but her coloring and that print are stunning.
We just had the first BIG snow of the winter. 8” which is a good amount! Hoping there are lots of snowmen around because the kids were out of school for two days.
Have a good weekend Sofa Sisters
This outfit is a real winner! I will go out on a limb and say I think this is going to bring a big return. Not only that it is violet but the shoes and handbag is so cute!
Love the smaller elastic on the slip waist and the sweet violet flower decoration. Very cute. This outfit looks to be very popular. You’ve got a winner here. 🙂