My hubby mowed our yard yesterday and I snapped a picture of it through the living room window. I think it’s really pretty and it’s nice how green everything looks. Here is a panoramic shot…
Ruby Red Fashion Friends doll, Freida, seems to be the only one in the house who is enjoying this outfit not being done more quickly. The other dolls on my Dolly Shelf are waiting to see who will be next, and hoping it will be them… my hubby can’t figure out why it’s taking so long on this one either… and me? I’m trying to figure that out too!
I just knew when I finished that white eyelet skirt last night, that I’d be revising it… I found a picture of a skirt I liked and this was my inspiration…
I know mine doesn’t really look anything like it, but I was going for the overall look… 3 tiers, eyelet, simple, no lace, each tier the same width, and just a few gathers.
Well, mine was TOO full and especially that first tier, so I concentrated on deconstructing (or in Sewer’s terms… “ripping out”) the waistband; removing it and then taking off the first tier. I cut about 6″ off the length of that tier and thought that would fit more like the one in the picture, but mine still is wider just at the belly area than in that picture… but I think it’s better.
Here is what the top tier looked like last night and then now…
I made it have a waistband and not elastic, and added a snap at the back…
It does hug her hips a little better and isn’t so bunchy.
I think I’ll leave well enough alone and move on… as there are such tiny white stitches in this, and I’m really not ready to pick them out for a second time…
So let’s turn to the cowgirl hat. I let it dry all day in the sunshine coming in the windows and it was dry, but very soft… so I removed it from the (cowgirl hat I already had, wrapped in foil) form I was using as my shaper. It needed to be coated with stiffner before it lost its shape… so I took a paintbrush and put a few coats in the upper top part of the hat… and let it dry between coats. I also used some basting stitches and stitched close to the edge to hold the hat edges in place.
When I get it shaped right and coated enough, I’ll trim off the “ruffled” looking part and and stitch around the hat.
I put that rubberband around the hat hoping it would pull it in there, and it works a little, but it’s still too soft and it slides down on her head when I take the rubberband off.
I’m hoping when I get it coated on the inside enough with stiffner and put a hatband or ribbon, or whatever I use, it pulls it in and hold it’s shape.
I don’t think I want to go into Cowgirl hat business, but every once in a while, it’s kind of fun. I was just thrilled to learn something new and have it turn out as much as it has. I have high hopes for this hat! :o)
I will see you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Your yard looks beautiful, Jeanne–so lush and green!!
Oh, yes, the smaller-circumference top tier is much better, and the waistband is preferable to the elastic waist (even though the latter is a little easier to do). Big improvement!! It looks more like a skirt, and less like a slip now, and it, too, will be perfect for square-dancing! (In fact, I made myself a white eyelet skirt for square-dancing, years ago. I don’t remember offhand now whether I made it tiered or not, however. I think yes, but it’s been so many years ago….who knows?!! LOL
I was going to suggest some kind of hatband on the inside to help snug in that hat. Or maybe even lining the crown would do the trick, although that would probably be a bit more work. Can’t wait to see it all done!
I am currently working on nightgowns for myself, so I haven’t done any dolly sewing for a couple of weeks. Some of them are getting a bit impatient!! (Well, after all, I just finished THREE doll dresses…they want a fulltime dressmaker, I think!)
Your yard looks so peaceful and relaxing, Jeanne! It’s so nice to sit out on a nice day and enjoy the beauty of nature all around us! This is the best time to do it without the heat and humidity of summer.
Oh, yes, now it looks more like a skirt, less like a slip! It looks much nicer this way, and I can see Freida twirling around at the barn dance so happily!
The hat is coming along, but does look a tad big on her, especially from the side. It gets better every day that you work on it, so I have no doubt it will turn out nicely. It is fun to try new things, but your “thing” is the outfits you make so beautifully, and you love sewing, so I can understand you not wanting to go into the cowgirl hat making business full time! It’s all those extras that make the outfit shine, and you are able to do that well!
A hatband! That sounds like an idea worth trying. The new version white skirt is lovely, and the “belt” ties the pieces together nicely. I really love the print skirt and definitely like the belt/necklace. I color of the felt is lovely on this doll and I think the hat is going to work. Photos in your beautiful green yard will be perfect and a lovely contrast.
Like the skirt ever so much better with the waistband. And shorter is better as well. 🙂 The hat is coming along and is at the red hat in the Toy Story stage I think. It also reminds me of the leather hats made of cowhide that were popular back in the 70’s. It might be cute with a different outfit like shorts and a top? Just a thought. I so love this flowered fabric, and I’m sure Freida is enjoying it too.
So much going on this weekend. Take care everyone.
Totally forgot to mention Jeanne and George’s paradise of a yard. Love the greens. Looking forward to seeing those tomato plants though. 🙂
Finally got all of the seeds in a bit ago, but night before last, something got in under the netting and dug several holes and disturbed things a lot. Not sure just what or if anything will ever come up. Sad.
The skirt look so much better. This hat is looking great too. What an unusual ensemble coming together. You can do so many things well. Multi talented comes to mind. 😉 Summer ideas are fun. George has a yard that looks like a park! Ours is good right now but rain has escaped us the whole month. I’m really worried about the crops… so many of our friends farm so it is concerning.
Hope everyone gets to have an enjoyable weekend!
Dear Jeanne, you will figure things out. You always do. The hat will be lovely in the end.
There are only 5 days left in May. I am already starting to miss it (smile).
I hope you and the Sofa Sisters have a lovely Memorial Day weekend.
Tomorrow I am meeting with members of my local doll club to plan for our doll club tea, at my favorite tearoom, on June 10, which is also World Doll Day. On Sunday, two doll clubs to which I am a member, have virtual meetings. Monday will just be a quiet day.
The changes you made to the white skirt were great. It really is perfect now and the necklace/belt really pulls it together between the flowered top and pretty white skirt. The hat is coming along nicely.
I love, love, love your backyard. We could never make ours look like this because we don’t really have a dedicated backyard as such. Our yard is exposed to two streets and what could be a backyard is taken up with our pasture and mobile home park. Eventually there will be houses where both are because it is the best way to get the most from our property since the land use regulations (we don’t have zoning) have changed since we bought the property and we can’t sell it to another for the business use for which we bought it. I’d love to actually make the whole area one big backyard but with the way they keep raising our taxes, we couldn’t afford to keep the property.