I guess I wasn’t thinking, but this is my story…
When I made the last dress for Noel, I was determined to make a pair of decent boots. I had drafted about 5 patterns and was still struggling with making them look the way I wanted. This was the pair from the last auction…
…and actually they aren’t that bad…especially when you put them with an outfit…
I have truly come a long way… but I still wanted to improve… so right after that auction was finished, before I shipped off that outfit, I studied the boots on Noel and made some changes… they needed to be more curved into her foot, so it was easy to tell the right foot from the left foot. I tried another pair using my revised pattern…
I made these using my new doggy nail trimmer and it truly does help the edges of the soles of the boots… they are much smoother and it’s much safer than carving away at the leather boot with a razor sharp knife…
They still weren’t curved enough… so I tried again, with some red shiny leather…
These curved in a little better… and I had gotten the hang of the nail trimming tool… (It’s almost like a Dremel.) But this time the red inside of this leather was a different color than the outside of the leather, and it shows… but still, they were better…
I still wanted them to curve in a little more so I reshaped my pattern AGAIN… and tried AGAIN… this time with some olive green leather…
It’s kind of hard to take pictures of the boots without making them look like boats on the dolls feet. If you have the camera too close to them, it looks like when you see someone’s nose up close in a picture… not very flattering and they look wider than they really are. In person, they look much better…
So this brings me to what I did! I know Valentine’s Day is less than 2 weeks away, but Easter is 59 days away, so I made a dress, using a pair of the boots and YEP… Noel is getting them.
Let’s start with her slip and boots…
I picked the pink boots because I thought maybe if I worked fast enough I could get this totally finished to possibly be used for a Valentine’s Day dress…
I tried to find a pretty print that was new to you… I think this one is… It’s very dainty and I LOVE how the design is “outlined” on the fabric. It’s pretty pinks, roses and apple green.
It looks nice with Noel’s coloring and she was thrilled to be picked again… :o)
I added some vintage pink rick rack to the hem of the dress…
The slip holds the dress out “just right!”
She was tired after trying it on and off all day…
I’ll continue to work on it in my spare time… (she laughs!) :o)
I will see you Monday…
Blessings, Jeanne
What a fine cobbler you are getting to be, Jeanne!! It’s fun to see how you refine your shoe and boot patterns. Now, cobbling doesn’t appeal to me at all, but it’s sure fun to watch You do it!!
I love this print on Noel; it’s so delicate and feminine! Can’t wait to see what’s next!!
Barbara, I’m with you on dressing up for church. I Always wear a dress or skirt/blouse for church. Only once that I can recall have I ever worn slacks to church–but our temp was only about 20° that day, and I figured no one would mind!
Sorry to those having computer and/or debit card issues. Hope they all get resolved quickly and successfully!
My dinner dishes are done so I’m going to make some comments!
Thanks for the vote of confidence on the cobblering, Charlotte! I just love making little shoes… it’s therapeutic to me… I just get lost in what I’m doing and in no time, out comes shoes!
Delicate and feminine was exactly what I thought when I pulled it from my fabric stash. I’m glad you like it too.
I’m glad I’m not having computer or credit card issues! My two least favorite things to have going on.
Thanks Charlotte,
Blessings, Jeanne
Lots of boots there Jeanne. Maybe the red/green ones can be used with outfits for next Christmas or with a pair of shorts/pants for hiking later in the year with some cute knee socks? I do like the pink for spring and the print is cute on Noel. I would like to see a different pattern for the dress. One with short sleeves, a collar in a contrasting color, and maybe no jacket. The rick rack is perfect on the skirt. Such a nice added touch. Noel must be flipping over being chosen again. She’s such a cutie.
Charlotte, since my fix by McAfee, my computer has been back to its old self. Fingers crossed that it stays this way. 🙂
Have a wonderful weekend everyone.
HI Joy,
I do have lots of boots and shoes on hand now… and just received some new eyelets for lacing through today. All kinds of pretty colors. Someone was selling their collection and I hit the jackpot. For cheap! :o)
Well, I can’t add any sleeves or collar to the dress now as it’s all finished on the inside… but I’ll see what I can do to make it different looking. The fabric looks a bit washed out in my pictures…it’s really pretty in person.
Yes, Noel was in shock when she saw me place her on the table… “Again?” She asked… Again, I said! All because of some boots. :o)
You have a great weekend too, Joy!
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, Noel is such a cutie. We all love seeing her. I like the pink and green colors in the fabric.
Happy first weekend in February to everyone.
And, in case you were wondering, Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow so we will have an early Spring! Shouts of hallelujah are ringing out here in Pennsylvania!
Barbara, I bet you can hear them.
I’m ashamed to say I totally forgot about ole Phil so I was wondering what was with all the hallelujahs that I heard from afar. Glad to hear there will be an early spring. With Easter being March 31 the weather here for Easter can be all over the map. One year we had an early Easter and a very cold front came through. Everyone had their coats on over their Easter attire and some actually opted for back in winter clothes. Andrea got married on March 5, 2005, and Sean on March 26, 2011 and both had absolutely beautiful weather but we did keep our fingers crossed.
Hi Barbara,
I’m not complaining about an early Spring, but I just wish I had more time for Easter dresses. I’m going to have to crack the whip and get on it.
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi Dorothy,
Yes, Noel is really a sweet little doll. I was wondering if I washed her wig, would it tame it down a bit? I kind of like it a little wild, but wouldn’t mind it being a little bit more tamed down.
I think I heard the Hallelujah’s coming from the east… guess it was you! :o)
Thanks Dorothy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne, you are excellent! – and persistent too.
I love the boots
The dress and boots together look adorable.
Thank you Rosemary!
I’m glad you like the boots! I really do enjoy making them… and then finding something to go with them is the best! I’m hoping to work on the set this weekend… my hubby is doing electrical work for a friend, so I just might sew to heart’s content!
Blessings, Jeanne
I must confess after watching the stages of your cobbler journey that I plan on keeping Deb’s Adorables in business for the foreseeable future. I might try some of the shoes, especially the cloth ones, that I have patterns for but for the most part I think I’ll keep on sewing clothes and leave the cobblering to you and others. Just for grins I did a spell check for cobblering and the word that it was assumed to be was clobbering. That would probably be a pretty accurate description of my attempt at cobblering.
That said, I love those little pink boots and the accompanying dress is very sweet. The fabric is so cute. My Boneka’s, Charlotte and Mary-Ellen, are chomping at the bit to see what comes next for this outfit.
HI Barbara,
You made me laugh with the “clobbering” sentence! That’s what mine looked like in the beginning. Or maybe clodhoppers (A Clem Kadiddlehopper word!)
Glad you like the pink boots… One of these days I hope to say, “I made some and they are JUST RIGHT!”
I think I might have the house to myself tomorrow, since George is doing electrical work for someone… maybe I can figure out where to do with this set…
Tell Charlotte and Mary-Ellen to keep watching! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
Noel is the lucky one to be picked again. That dress fabric is very sweet. Looking forward to seeing what is next. Glad your doggy nail trimmer does the job. I still have the doggy nail dremel we used on our Collie Mix.
Buckeye Chuck didn’t see his shadow either so an early spring is coming.
Happy Candlemas Day/ Happy Groundhog Day to all my Sofa Sisters!
HI Laura,
I think Noel thought she had died and gone to heaven… she was so surprised… almost as much as ME! :o)
I’m loving this doggie nail trimmer. Best $4.50 I’ve spent in a long time!
I’m glad NO shadows were seen today! I am READY for Spring… just not Easter yet…
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
The boots are amazing in any iteration. I have never attempted footwear of any kind. Pretty fabric for the dress also.
Thanks so much Nancy,
I’m glad you are liking the boots and the dress so far. I hope I can make it into a winner of an outfit! Thanks for the compliments!
Blessings, Jeanne
So this is Saturday morning, late morning at that! I just plumb forgot to comment yesterday because I was so busy with getting ready to go shopping and making my grocery list! Then forgot to do it later and then got hung up on fixing my dolls for Valentine’s Day!
Well, you certainly are the shoe cobbler! I don’t think I am as persistant as you are when trying something new. If I don’t get it right the first couple of times, it’s over!
I do love the material for the dress, so lacey and feminine looking! The rick rack is perfect too, and like Joy, I wished it had pretty puffed sleeves. Oh well, another dress will come with puffed sleeves.
I am wondering if you would ever make a smocked dress? Did you smock in the past? If not, it would be something new for you, but it seems like you mentioned you did do a dress or two with a smocked bodice. If you can make shoes, hats, and purses, surely you can smock!
I’m so glad we will be having an early spring, but still and all, I like winter to be winter without any severe weather. It’s a nice rest from watering plants and cutting grass!
Well isn’t Noel beaming to be picked again. The boots were a good start and that fabric is awesome! So will it be a Valentine theme or Easter? Or you could make it both . Maybe an Easter bonnet?
Linda isn’t the only one who didn’t see the post yesterday. I went to my basement that is having a Radon mitigation next week and before I knew it several hours went by. Since my sister is here now and her room and bath are downstairs the Radon issue needed to be fixed. It has been tested several times and was always right on the edge but since she is there several hours every day we are doing it.
Hope Phil is right about Spring….but on the news last night they said his prediction is only right 30-40 % of the time. Darn🤔