Violets and furry Valentines!

HI everyone,
I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I did! I HAD to get some cleaning done and concentrated in my sewing room… I still had Christmas wrapping paper in there! Yep, our Christmas tree is still up; as are the nutcrackers and we are anxiously awaiting Rebecca and Karn’s visit… sometime after March 20th! Yippee! Christmas in March…anyone else ever done that? :o)

I wanted to get Frieda’s skirt sewn to the bodice of her dress and I managed to do so… the lace was sewn near the hem and the skirt was hand hemmed… the handwork is done on the inside around the waist, but the snaps are yet to be sewn on the back. However… Frieda insisted on showing you how she looks in it so far…

I didn’t get the pearls sewn on near the waist, but that’s happening next…

The dress is about tea length… and such a pretty color on Frieda!

Frieda was standing there all prim and proper, when all of a sudden she flung wide her arms and said, “I LOVE THIS DRESS!” :o)

Well, that was the Violet part… now for the furry Valentine part… Laura sent me pictures of her kitties and some comments about them.

Hi Jeanne,
Time to share my little sweethearts Valentine photos. Would anyone love to have a Truffle? Sorry, you will have to get your own as this sweetheart is ALL mine.❤😸❤ I’ll take my furry one over the chocolate variety any day.

Enlarge this one and you can see her pretty white “pearl” on two black velvet cords around her neck. I love her beautiful markings.

My dear Doyle loves them as well.

Solo eyes the chocolate covered catnip strawberry as Dancer relaxes in the “love shack”. I hope everyone enjoys seeing my living dolls. Thank you for letting me share. HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!! 💘❤💕💌 Laura

Well, that’s it for Violets and Valentines… BUT… tomorrow I will share some great pictures from Linda of her dolls in their Valentine outfits… Don’t miss them!

See you then,
Blessings, Jeanne

Oh yeah… and way to go Chiefs!!! :o)

24 thoughts on “Violets and furry Valentines!”

  1. Charlotte Trayer

    Freida’s dress is coming along very nicely! I have a hunch that another Freida (in this house) would love it, too….AND those shoes!! (Years ago there were stationery products available with vintage advertising pictures used with various expressions; I had a tablet with a picture of a woman’s face, with her hands held up to her cheeks, and an eager expression, and the words were: “Those Shoes!! I MUST have those shoes!” The story of my life, but I think Freida might be saying that now! Haha…)

    Thank you, Laura, for sharing the pictures of your furry Valentines. I’ve never had cats myself (when we were growing up, my brother was severely allergic to them), always dogs, but I have known some sweet, lovely cats belonging to others–even a Maine Coon cat, who was Big!!

    We had our Valentine potluck after church today. Plenty of wonderful food, as always! (I brought ham.) And this afternoon I actually spent over an hour in my sewing room. Sorry, fans, no football in this house! I wasn’t even sure who was playing!

    1. Thank you so much, Charlotte! I never had cats until 2010, always dogs before. They are just as sweet/affectionate as dogs, but in different ways. I truly love both.

    2. HI Charlotte,
      It looks like several Frieda’s will be perched on the computers to keep an eye out for this upcoming dress set… :o)
      Kristoffer came over this evening to work on my computer some more and when I showed him Frieda’s shoes, he said, “Wow mom, you’ve come a long way from that first pair you showed me!” :o)
      We had leftovers from our Super Bowl menu last night.
      Thanks Charlotte,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  2. Linda in St. Louis

    Freida looks SO happy in her new dress, Jeanne! I hate to think of what is going to happen with that! Yes,the colors of the dress make her dazzle and she looks every inch the diva she is! Did you already make her a petticoat, since her dress is standing out so well? Now she needs a hairbow, so she will look perfect from the top of her tresses down to those pretty violet shoes!

    Laura, thanks for sending in those darling pictures of your kitties! You sure do have the luck with getting them to pose so nicely for you! The “love shack” is so cute and I am sure, a popular thing with them. Happy Valentine’s Day to the the kitties and you!

    Don’t feel bad about having a tree still up, Jeanne. I have a “winter tree” up in the bay window in our bedroom, and have it decorated with birds, berries, and hearts. It will come down at the end of the month, but I wonder what people think when they see the lights twinkling in our window!

    Oh, that game last night had me sitting on the edge of my seat! So happy the Chiefs won!

    1. Glad the Chiefs won too!! It was an exciting game. Hope Mahomes can let his foot heal so next season, he’s ready to go!! Yay Chiefs!! Our favorite team!

    2. Thank you so much, Linda! Happy Valentine’s Day to you. I’m looking forward to seeing your dolls dressed up tomorrow.

    3. HI Linda,
      We better not tell Frieda what’s going to happen in a week or so… I’ll just keep quiet until I have to tell her!
      I didn’t make a slip yet, but probably will… and a few other things…
      Wasn’t that the best game ever? It was certainly one for the books!
      Thanks again for the pictures too… my computer didn’t finish cloning the information to the new drive, until after 11:00 and I didn’t know what time it would be, so I did my post on my phone…
      Thanks Linda,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  3. Joy in northern CA

    Well, purple is certainly Freida’s color. She so reminds me of Elizabeth Taylor, but without the violet eyes. Pretty.
    Laura’s kitties look so sweet with the Valentine goodies. Fun. I’m so glad that we get to enjoy the cat that belongs next door. She visits almost every day. Miss not having one around here.
    Wow, that game was great, and I only watched some as I was making quiche, but I received updates from other person. So close.

    1. HI Joy,
      I think this violet color is certainly one of Frieda’s best so far! I hope to get some outside pictures, so you can really see how pretty she is in it.
      Thanks Joy,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  4. Sally from Colorado

    Jeanne. Well, this dress is finally working for me. Love the color, love the print, but the cross-stitching made my eyes go buggy which happens sometimes. Add the skirt? My problem is entirely eliminated. Go figure. So, dear Jeanne, this set is really working for me. Gorgeous. Hope there will be some thigh highs and maybe a headband with your snap system. And a pretty slip. And a purse with flowers like the shoes. And now I will shut my mouth!! 😁
    Linda and Jeanne, we still have our tree up. Coming down Ash Wednesday. The latest we had our tree up was LONG ago until Saint Patrick’s day. The boys loved it.
    Laura, your pretty kitties live the Life of Riley. So fun to see sofa sisters having fun with interests other than sewing and dolls. Thanks for sharing.
    Charlotte, glad you had your Valentine’s pot luck and got on some sewing.
    Today I am doing a “Joy”; expecting 3 to 4 dolls and unlike most Mondays, hubby is home. Uffda. Just a tiny bit tense…😬

    1. Thank you so much, Sally! Yes, my kitties have “the” life. How fun to enjoy your tree so long. Good luck getting the new dolls in. Maybe you should decide to make a new recipe requiring an exotic ingredient and send your hubby out to get it realizing you need it after you begin the recipe which means you can’t leave. Just a thought. 🙂

    2. HI Sally,
      I’m glad the dress has come full circle to make you pleased with it. So you think some thigh highs, a headband, a slip and a purse need to be added? I better get busy!
      I hope you have a good story to tell us about how the 3-4 dolls made it into your house… hopefully without being noticed! YIKES!
      Thanks Sally,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  5. How pretty Frieda’s dress is. Looks like it’s coming along well. It’s always fun to see what accessories you will add. Maybe some thigh highs? It looks great on Frieda.
    I have a Frieda and I named her Elizabeth because she does indeed remind me of Elizabeth Taylor as a young girl in National Velvet.
    Laura, it’s always a treat to see your kitties. And it looks like they are enjoying their Valentine toys. The Love Shack is really cute! I don’t recall Solo?? I don’t know why because I thought I knew them all. What a beautiful kitty. How long have you had him? He looks like a baby. So pretty. They are all so special!

    Charlotte, glad you enjoyed some time in your sewing room. And Sally, hope you can get the 4 in somehow!
    Looking forward to seeing Linda’s Valentine girls.

    1. Thank you so much, Paula! I’m glad you enjoyed seeing my kitties. You do know Solo as I’ve shared her before. Solo was the first and the only bought one back in 2010 as a kitten. Everyone else is a rescue. She’s a Siberian Forest cat and as Pollyanna would say “Oh.You’re A GIRL”. My daughter named her after the male character on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. I know, don’t ask.

      I sent another one to Jeanne for today with Solo lying down, but it must have been lost in cyberspace. I’ll see if I can link it later.

      Here’s the post when Solo is wearing her prairie bonnet from October.

      https://idreamofjeannemarie.com/2022/10/a-few-costumes-to-bring-a-smile-to-your-face/

    2. HI Paula,
      I was going to rename my Frieda but so far never have… maybe I still should… She does have similarities to Elizabeth Taylor… I’m trying to think of a pretty way to do her hair… I’ve been looking at videos in my spare time… like when a train has traffic stopped, or when I’m waiting in line at the Post Office… I’ve seen a few I’d like to try.
      I better start on some accessories tomorrow!
      Thanks Paula,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  6. Freida’s dress is so sweet and spring-like. So nice that she loves it, but I think she’s forgotten she won’t get to keep it. The lace on the sleeves, by the hem, and the pearls on the bodice make it so dressy. Now she just needs an Easter bonnet.

    1. HI Laura,
      Yes, I think Frieda has forgotten about how it works around here… I’m not going to tell her about it until I absolutely have to!
      Thanks for liking it!
      I’m still debating about her hair accessory… I’m playing with some hair ideas…
      Thanks Laura,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  7. Barbara in SE Texas

    I can see I’m in big trouble. Naomi Ruth (formerly Freida) just saw this beautiful dress and has taken up residence on my computer desk awaiting the posting for the auction. I told her patience is a virtue. I’m signing onto Sally’s “wish list” for the remaining pieces of this ensemble. I agree with Joy that Freida does resemble Elizabeth Taylor when she was young. I especially loved her in “National Velvet”. She was beautiful.

    Laura I always love seeing your kitty scenes and these are particularly darling. Sometimes it’s hard to believe they’re real, they are so good at posing. My hubby has a shop cat named Amigo. He is hilarious. And there are several pasture kitties that took up residence around his shop. He’s had them all fixed and keeps them fed and watered. One is more like a dog and comes up to the house to greet him in the morning and walks down with him. It may have something to do with him knowing it’s feeding time. And they do help to keep the field mice out of my house since the shop is in the middle of a three-acre pasture.

    Charlotte mentioned a Maine Coon cat. I have a friend who had one and I really wanted one so David found one for me. She was beautiful. But she left home and went to live at the neighbors. My neighbor always fed her Nilla Wafers and she decided she liked living there more.

    We used to be a fanatical football family but not these days. But we do usually try to catch the Super Bowl. We noticed few people were at church yesterday and no one stayed for coffee after. I guess they were either preparing for the party or rushing off to go wherever the party was going to be. I, being from PA, was rooting for the Eagles and David for the Chiefs. It was a nailbiter.

    Good luck to Sally in welcoming her new family members since she won’t be doing it alone.

    1. Thank you so much, Barbara! I’m glad you enjoy seeing my kitty photos as well. I didn’t want anyone to get tired of them, but I already was planning my spring/Easter ones. The rest of you seem to have the dolls covered and as I don’t have much time for dressing mine or setting up scenes I will cover the animal photos. 🙂

      Amigo sounds so sweet. I’m sure he really is a very good friend. Happy to hear that David takes such good care of all of them The porch kitties we care for as well are waiting promptly each morning for breakfast.
      Maine Coons are lovely. I’m sorry yours wouldn’t stay.

    2. HI Barbara,
      I just had the cutest image in my head of all these Frieda’s sitting close to the computers so they can take a sneak peek at the dress when “someone’s” not paying attention.
      Too bad your kitty took up residence with the neighbor… silly kitty…all because of Vanilla Wafers.. who would have thought?

      Thanks Barbara… I guess we were all sitting on separate sofa’s for the game this time… :o) It was a great game…

      Blessings, Jeanne

  8. Hi Jeanne,
    Freida’s outfit is so pretty, love the pearls. The white background was my favorite but think this fabric is really lovely too. Your shoes look fantastic and those alone will sell your outfit. You have perfected the shoe making process, you should be so proud!
    You made me smile when you said the tree was still up. I’ll bet you can’t wait to see your baby girl. Each day that tree reminds you Rebecca will be on her way soon.
    Laura… those sweet kitties are so spoiled and so lucky to have you as their mom! Thank you for sharing with us. Happy Valentine day to you as well

    Hugs to all the sofa sisters
    Ingrid

    1. HI Ingrid,
      I spent the longest time trying to figure out who Justin Grid B was… and then I saw your name at the bottom! Just had to write and say hi! So glad to hear from you… Thanks for the compliments on the dress…
      Blessings, Jeanne

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