The start of a new Effner, Little Darling doll dress…

I don’t have much to show you, but I did get started… I took Emmie off the Dolly shelf and picked a wig for her bald head. I may use this one or pick something different… it depends on how the dress turns out.

(My sister Cindy, and her hubby are coming in about 10 days and I’m trying to get some things done around here. They are picking me up and we are going down to see my sister Deb, in Springfield, Missouri.)

Here is Emmie in her new blue bodice… well sort of bodice… it won’t take long to get this to look like a “real” bodice.

I bought these little lace-up appliques and think they are so sweet…

Here is one more shot of the start to this very sweet dress… I bought this fabric at the Goodwill the other day, when I found Freida’s paisley print. I saw on the selvage of this blue fabric… it’s a vintage Daisy Kingdom fabric called “Primrose!”

I will see you tomorrow!
Blessings, Jeanne

12 thoughts on “The start of a new Effner, Little Darling doll dress…”

  1. Charlotte Trayer

    I see that Freida’s outfit already has one bid–yay!!

    That is lovely fabric, and I’m not one bit surprised to find out it was from Daisy Kingdom. DK was a store in Portland, OR, years ago (and I have been there Several times!!), but they also had a line of patterns as well as licensed print fabrics. Some of the fabrics were panels with things like collars (sometimes both a lady’s size and a child’s size, so you could do a mother-daughter thing) or even sew-and-stuff animals, if I recall correctly.

    But that store….two floors of wonderfulness!! A fabulous ribbon and trims area, a large button department, quilting cottons, garment fabrics, you name it, they had it! Upstairs in the back was their clearance room and you could find treasures there, too. I remember getting DK licensed panels for baby quilts at one time (I wonder what happened to them…), for instance, and such good prices! Sadly, they closed a number of years ago, and I believe the licensed products are no longer, either.

    Oh, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an applique like that! What a cute way to add a detail that might not be manageable if you were to try to do a lace-up front “for real” in that scale! It will be fun to see how you finish and accessorize this one!!

    1. Charlotte Trayer

      Almost forgot, Daisy Kingdom also made panels with 18″ doll clothes ready to cut and sew–and they had a couple of vinyl dolls you could buy, one named Daisy and the other was Rose, I think–which of course fit perfectly into those dresses! And they also had a line of ready-to-wear doll clothes, in both 15 and 18″ sizes; I have a few of them, I think!!

      1. Sandra Daugherty

        Daisy and Pansy were the doll names of the 18″ dolls; maybe Rose was the 15″ doll with the permanent hat on her head. There was a Sarah Jane cloth body doll and a porcelain head – doll too. I own around 10 or more of the dolls. I also have made clothes from the dress panels and have a few more to sew. My sister lived in Oregon at the time and got me started with the collection. She bought me one doll and a number of the dress panels. I have the dolls displayed in my sewing room. I need to get back and finish sewing the rest of their dresses. I wish I could have personally visited the store.

        1. Charlotte Trayer

          That’s right, Sandra–Pansy was the other doll. I had forgotten. Thank you for reminding me!! They also had a tiny little doll made like Daisy, I think–about 3″ tall. I think I have one of those somewhere.

      2. Barbara in SE Texas

        I never realized there had been a Daisy Kingdom store. So sorry I missed out on that. I sewed a lot with Daisy Kingdom fabriics and patterns when my daughter was growing up. I really need to try to take a picture of the Daisy Kingdom Christmas dresses and vests I made for the four of us one year. It was the days before digital sadly. I still have a lot of the fabric and all of the patterns I bought. I planned on using them for my granddaughter but she didn’t dress up. Maybe that’s what happened to Daisy Kingdom. It’s rare to see even a little girl dressed up these days let alone her bigger sister. But I was surprised this year at Easter. It was the first time in years that I saw women and girls actually wearing Easter frocks.

      3. Just reading about all the items in that Daisy Kingdom store made me nostalgic for those pretty things! They were beautiful☺️

  2. Linda in St. Louis

    I love the beginnings of this dress, Jeanne! It just sings “Spring” to me! The beautiful blue flowers and crisp, white lace go together perfectly! I’m not sure about the wig, but I know you will find the perfect one when the outfit is finished. It does give a sunny glow to Emmie’s face, and also shows the off her beautiful blue eyes!

  3. Joy in northern CA

    I kind of like Emmy as a blond. Cute tails too. Love the DK vintage print fabric which often sells for a good price now. Not so sure about the bright white detail though. I might like something simpler. This would be a sweet little summer dress perfect for a picnic by the lake. 🙂

  4. Emmie actually looks cute as a blonde. Beautiful start to what I’m sure is going to be a lovely dress. I had no idea you could buy appliques liked that. Was it something you stumbled upon or is there a place that sells these? I’ve done the eyelet and lace-up bit and it was often dicey to get the eyelets just right because do-overs were not an option. So usually I stay away from patterns that involve them or use the eyelet buttonhole stitch on my embroidery machine. I always loved the Daisy Kingdom fabrics and still have several in my stash, including some large pieces. And I have several of the patterns.

  5. This one will be just perfect for any Little Darling. The fabric of course is such a good scale…. What a find!
    It does make her eyes pop.
    Going shopping for some plants today😉👍

  6. Love the blue fabric. I certainly remember Daisy Kingdom fabric. My daughter and I had matching jumper and blouses from a DK pattern, not fabric when she was two or three. I loved to get Storybook Heirlooms and The Wooden Soldier things on sale for the following year. The lace on the sleeve cuffs is lovely.

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