Hi everyone,
My dolls are all bummed out, knowing that Christmas dresses for them will probably be just a dream. I just ran out of time this year. I try so hard each year to start and things always come up that makes it impossible to do what I had planned. So… I guess I’ll do other things instead of sewing Christmas dresses… maybe sell some things!
We went to the Thrift Store here in town. I’ve been going to it since before Kristoffer was even born. (36 years ago) I worked at the Cinema and Photography department at the University as a secretary, and I would run there on my lunch hour. I would come back and show what I had gotten and people started giving me money to look for a ____ and a _____ ! It was a mess back then and you really had to dig to find things… it was just all spread out on tables and under the tables. I guess I didn’t mind digging because I went there a lot!
They have moved to a bigger store with a basement and they just bought the building next to them and are working hard to get it opened. They want to join the store they have now with the one next door and carry larger things like furniture. They said they are about 3 months away from having it all remodeled… yippee!
We went there today and found a few things. I got books and activity kits for Bithar’s kids for Christmas. I’m just putting it all in a big box and they can decide who gets what!
I did find these tiny little books for fifty cents and love them. I have a few left from some I had bought at an antique shop going out of business, but I LOVE these! They are better than the counting and ABC and color shapes books I have left.
Look at them… they are about 1 1/4″ x 1″ and in perfect condition.
The insides are so adorable…
They even came in the little plastic case to keep them from getting bent.
Perfect for Easter dresses, I think! Navi and Mini Bailey and even Ten Ping and Noel would love them.
We went to an Estate Sale and I “rescued” these 3 little vintage dresses for a dollar each. They were made in 1910, 1911, and 1912. All hand stitched and so sweet. I can’t imagine how proud the mama must have been to see her sweet baby in them…
I wonder how long it took to make one of these?
Oh, and here is the bonnet too…
I got a picture of Rebecca’s new furry pillow… She said it’s very nice!
Joy asked to see the purse strap fix up… The old strap on the purse was too short to wear crossbody, and needed about another foot of leather. I had bought this 64″ belt strap down at Springfield Leather when I visited Deb. Rebecca forgot to bring her purse last time…
So we got it together this time and now she has a new longer purse strap. She loves it too!
I didn’t have any rivets long enough to go through this thicker leather, so I just punched some holes and stitched the new strap on after running it through the brass ring.
Tomorrow is sadly their last day here, so we are going to see what we want to do when we wake up… I think she wants to visit and talk about ideas for making things…which is right up my alley!
I will see you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Thank you, everyone, for your concern and kind comments regarding Ron. Today he was overall pretty “mellow”, content to just snuggle and talk and rest. I am going to keep him where he is for the moment, and the caregivers are looking for some adult day care type programs that maybe he could go to now and then for a change of scenery. Today was much better than Monday, for sure, and not only that, I got to spend some quality time in my sewing room tonight, and finally made some progress on my new blouse again!
Oh, Jeanne, I am so jealous of those books!! I adore tiny books, and particularly love anything Beatrix Potter!! What a fantastic find!! (TenPing is reminding me it’s been a LONG time since she’s had a new Auntie Jeanne dress, and if it’s PINK, and came with those books, she would be in heaven!! 😂)
And those baby dresses and cap–so precious, and with the little notes attached, too. I hope the notes can be preserved in some way if you are going to try to remove the stains in the clothing. At least you have taken pictures of them.
Rebecca’s pillow looks so soft and comfy!! And a nice save on the strap for her purse!!
Oops, I meant to say GIGI would love to have a new dress and those books, not TenPing! Sorry….(it was late…)
Those little books are just darling, Jeanne, and perfect for the dolls! Yes, they would be good to add with spring dresses!
Although Christmas clothes are over for you to make, how about some pretty, frilly, old fashioned skating dresses for Addy, Kirsten, Felicity and dolls like that? Also, it would be nice to see the smaller dolls have clothes from another era besides the current one. You hardly ever see RRFF dolls in period clothes.
Enjoy your last day with Rebecca and Karn!
Jeanne, I have been too busy trying to get ready for Christmas and also finishing up some orders. I just mailed 2 outfits to a customer, and the other lady has added some things to her order and we have agreed that I can finish her wishes after Christmas. Whew!
I love reading about your times with your family, and would fight you for the little books, they are so cute! I love Beatrice Potter!
If you need any Christmas outfit photos I do have 3 that I got finished I can share through you since I don’t know how to put them on here.
Going to start making cookies today, YAY!
The one thing that always goes on a purse for me is the strap. Great idea to replace the one on Rebecca’s, with a longer strap. You’re so good with leather. My machine would never sew it. Do you use a special needle? Your regular machine?
I love tiny books too. Those BP editions are so sweet. I always look for little books at the library book sale and have had some success. 🙂
The vintage christening dresses or at least I think that is what they look like, are so special. Will you try to freshen them? I know they make some product to whiten and remove stains, but not damage the fabric. Can’t remember the name. I love doll dresses made from them too. The stitching and details are perfect for dolly size. Excited to see what Jeanne has in mind.
We brought the tree down from the other house yesterday and put it up. The lights are great. No ornaments yet. We may or may not add them.
Sun is just peeking up over the mountains. A pretty clear day ahead. 🙂
Dear Jeanne, I love the baby dresses.
Is Christmas really only 10 days away? I hope Santa has his gifts ready because I don’t have mine yet (laugh).
The Beatrix Potter books are great. The little white dresses are so sweet. My mom still has the ones she wore as a baby and they also have the pintucks and tonal embroidery of the last one. Being war years she doubts they were new when she wore them, probably belonged to her mother (born 1903) or aunts.
Well too bad the AG girls will be forgotten this Christmas, but maybe a winter dress is in store.
What wonderful little books. I actually bought some small books for doll picture props and was amazed at how detailed they were. You say you won’t have time to sew any dolly Christmas dresses. I’ve had two on the drawing board I have not been able to get made. Plus I’ve been wanting to put my dolly girls Christmas wearing attire on all that have outfits and can’t seem to get to that either. How great it would be if all the routine things we do every month would just go away for the month of December so we could concentrate solely on preparing for Christmas. Being year-end there are actually more than normal things to take care of. But it could be worse. We could live in NZ like Anne and have all the year-end school things too. Guess I need to count my blessings. My “to do” list could be worse.
Love the pillow. It looks so soft and comfy. Hope you can clean up the sweet little dresses. What a pretty little bonnet.