Maybe it’s just a Spring dress OR “maybe” it’s the first dress for Easter… could it be???
Whatever you think, Molly is the recipient of it. I found a pretty gold and blue and white Windham brand fabric in my stash. I love their fabrics! It’s actually a 1930’s Feedsack reproduction print. I thought Molly was close enough to that era that maybe an older cousin could have passed this dress down to her…
I didn’t get too much done, but wanted to show you the start of it. The embroidered white Peter Pan collar is very pretty with this print.
One short puffed sleeve is partially in but not sewn under the arm. I will work on this over the weekend.
I plan to attach her gathered skirt to the bodice…
I’ll try to add some pretty parts to it…not that it’s not already pretty…
It’s a very vivid and clear print.
I hope you like it… so far…
See you Monday! I’m hoping to get caught up on things around here!!!
Blessings, Jeanne
Molly is looking very pleased with your choice of fabrics! Yes, it could be handed down from an older cousin, or perhaps mother had a full skirt of this fabric, and decided to make it into a dress for Molly. In the 1940s it was quite common to remake one garment into another. My grandpa’s trousers were cut down to make trousers for my little brother, for instance–Grandpa was a big man, and mom used the “good” parts of his trousers to make pants for Paul when he was little. Not only that, but her wedding suit became a coat for me when I was about 3 or 4. Mom took it apart and turned the fabric, and made a coat. (I think she wore that suit quite often–it was doubtless her only one at the time–and eventually the sleeves started to show wear.)
I had thought about possibly some embroidery on the collar, but on looking closer, it appears to have a jacquard design wove in, so no, no embroidery. You might want to doublecheck it, though, Jeanne, as, at least to Me, anyway, it looks like the left collar is just a trifle wider than the right.
Elizabeth, if you’re going to play that candy-stacking game at a Christmas party, it could be the peppermint candies (the hard ones, not the “puffs”) might work very well for stacking, and would lend a festive appearance.
I remember my mother telling me that during the Depression her Godmother had a beautiful gabardine dress from the days when women wore long dresses – she was an older lady. She gave it to my grandmother and my grandmother made coats for my mother and her younger sister. But even in modern times I’ve done it. I had two beautiful wool pleated skirts that were out of style. A-line skirts were in so I took the skirts apart, took the fabric to the dry cleaners and had it pressed, went home and made two new A-line skirts and then took it back to the dry cleaners to have it cleaned and pressed so all the evidence of pleats would be gone. I also had a blouse I loved but it had a pretty gathered elastic embellishment on the sleeve that had stretched out. I got some elastic thread and wove it through the previous elastic stitches and got a few more years out of it. Waste not, want not as they say. Maybe it’s my huge Scottish heritage.
So it’s Molly that gets to be your next model! That certainly does look like a material pattern from the 30’s and 40’s to me, Jeanne! Very cute, but I would prefer a smaller collar for the dress, and maybe a little placket of the white material with blue buttons on it down from the collar? Hope I described it correctly!
What will we be seeing for trims? Buttons, for sure! I can see this both as a church dress and school dress, depending on how you dress it up or down. Can’t wait to see what you do Monday!
Oh, lucky Molly. I too would love to see that white bib/placket in front with tiny blue buttons, and I would like blue trim around the collar edge, but too late for that I guess. I hope the dress is planned to be about knee length as that is what I’ve seen on dresses from the 30’s. I guess many were even shorter as children outgrew their dresses but still needed to wear something until their mother made another or a cousin passed on a dress. I especially like the feedsack fabric. I can see Molly so proud to wear a new dress to school. It may be the only new dress she remembers.
Lots of rain heading this way over the three day weekend. Today, it’s meet with our tax person. Will be glad when that is over. 🙂 Then next seek, we hope our high speed internet works after installation. Yay.
Have a nice weekend everyone.
Yay, Molly! What a sweet flowered print. Very feminine, regardless of who passed it down to her. I like the stories suggested above of where the material might have come from. Also, the white placket with blue buttons sounds nice.
Hope everyone has a great weekend. I’m going to start working on a big project. Sorting and cleaning out closets, drawers, cupboards and the pantry. Pulling my sleeves up!
Molly is one of my favorite AG dolls. I have her in a mini version as I don’t collect the 18″ dolls. I have two MA 18″ dolls but I’m always having trouble finding a good place for them so never collected anymore. My AG girls are Wellies and Minis. But since Molly is one of my favorites I always love when you sew for her and this dress so far is a real charmer. I can see its potential as an Easter dress. I love the fabric. It looks almost like a Tana Lawn fabric. By the way one of my favorite go-to places to buy fabric for doll sewing is French Fashions on eBay. They have a lot of small pieces of Tana Lawn which makes it more economical than having to buy a larger piece for doll clothes sewing. I love sewing with that fabric but in larger pieces it is very pricey.
It’s a drizzly day here but also warm and humid and I understand next week will be worse. Too soon for that. Sadly my heart belongs to Bethlehem, PA, but my body is here. They are having snow there and more expected. All I can do is live vicariously through the pictures I see on my online newspaper. They may be making up for the lack of snow earlier this season. But I would just settle for it remaining cool for a while longer here.
Love feedsack fabric and actually still have a few pieces of the real thing that my grandmother had. Would look equally sweet on Kit with her blonde hair.
Molly looks very pleased to have been chosen. Looking forward to what comes next.
It is going to be so sweet!
I like the collar the size it is😉 I would make the arm band out of the collar fabric if it was me, but it fits so well I wouldn’t change it.
She does have a happy look on her face☺️
Enjoy your weekend !
Laura is right — this would be cute on Kit too. It’s looking very nice on Molly — she may not want to share. The gold and blue colors are supposed to be good this spring too. A headband would be nice if Molly wore her hair loose. How do you feel about a vest?