Hi everyone, and happy Friday!
Thanks for all your kind comments today… One of these days and hopefully soon, this is going to be a DOLLY BLOG again… as soon as my thumb cooperates. It is slightly better…that is, until I hit the end of it on something or forget and try to pick up something that is too heavy… who would think a dinner plate would be too heavy? Maybe the weekend will be my friend and I’ll be back to normal Monday. Let’s hope so!!!
I’ve had some ladies send some pictures of Easter dresses and they sure are cute… so get ready for next week. Do you all have your dolls dressed? All my plans for Easter dresses got shelved… literally, I put the fabrics back that I was dreaming of making into sweet little dresses.
I saw your comment about the deviled egg boats, Joy, and saw those salami sails, (can’t find them now) but I also saw these last night too…
I LOVE this one…
Today I have some pictures from Charlotte, where she and her friend Tonya do their “twinsie” thing each year… Charlotte is the shorter one in the pictures… in case you didn’t know.
Hi, Jeanne.
I thought I’d send you some pictures of my friend Tonya and me, doing our twinsie thing at various past Sewing Expos. If you need to fill some space in your blog, you’ll have something to show while your hand heals.
Thanks,
Charlotte
******
1–The whole twinsie idea started when I wore a blouse I had made to our annual pre-expo dinner (an informal get-together than can range from about 25 to over 100, depending on the year) at a local restaurant. I was wearing a blouse I had made, and Tonya looked at me and said, “I have that fabric, and I made a blouse, too!” So the next Expo (2015) we brought our blouses and wore them the same day.
2–We really didn’t start doing a “twinsie challenge”, per se, for a few years, although in 2016 we modeled in the ASG (American Sewing Guild) fashion show, and, without consulting each other, we ended up both modeling navy blue items we had made–Tonya wore a jacket, and I wore a blouse (made from the same pattern as the previous one) and skirt!!
3–In 2018 we decided it would be fun to make matching tops On Purpose, so we went shopping for fabric and ended up with a French terry. No specific pattern, just “a top”. We actually ended up with fairly similar styles, as you can see in the photo! Tonya lives in Utah and I’m in the greater Seattle area, so the only time we see each other is at Expo. We do talk on the phone and email from time to time, but definitely no running over to her house for a few minutes!!
4–Because we both take classes at Sewing Expo in addition to shopping, we have to coordinate our schedules so we can shop together! In 2019, we decided it would be fun to make a bag or tote of some kind, and we found this wonderful cotton/linen blend which has a nice weight and body, quite suitable for a variety of bags. Again, no pattern was chosen–it was up to the individual. So here we are, in 2020, wearing our tops from 2019 and carrying our totes for 2020!! Sewing Expo has a “photo booth” set up with a special backdrop and even props you can borrow (big cardboard needle, scissors, etc.) if you wish.
Wearing our tops and carrying our bags, we went shopping again, for the next year’s challenge, and found some black “boiled wool blend” to make into jackets. Little did we know at that time that a week or so later, Everything would be shut down due to covid, and there would be no in-person Expo for Two. Long. Years.!! Our black fabric is still waiting to be made up; the last couple of years we’ve both had various challenges that interfered. However……
5–In 2021, Expo was virtual, which I don’t do, so instead I did some other little sewing things during Expo weekend. One of them was some online shopping from a company that had been at Expo previously, and was doing Expo sales specials. I spotted this lovely bamboo sweatshirt fleece (and dyed-to-match ribbing was available!), and I emailed Tonya and asked about maybe getting it for our next challenge. We could bring Both the black jackets and whatever we made this year to the next Expo, and have two twinsie days!! After some discussion, we settled on this pretty blue; I bought ribbing for mine, she didn’t.
But, as fate would have it, there was no in-person Expo in 2022, either!! Our projects would have to wait. In 2023, we had our first in-person expo since the pandemic, and one day we wore our twinsie outfits. Our garments are quite different in style this time!!
6–In the course of our shopping in 2023, we found some lovely cotton jersey knit from Indonesian Batik, and decided it was time for tops for our challenge project again. As always, the pattern was up to the individual. I used a KwikSew pattern that I’ve made up several times before (including once in another print jersey from the same company); it’s comfortable, it fits me well (I always have to adjust the shoulders) and has a nice neckline.
One of Tonya’s friends wants to do the challenge with us next year, so when Tonya and I did our shopping, she had to send Joyce pictures of the fabrics we were considering, and she gave the okay to the one we were most interested in. Stay tuned!
Thanks Charlotte, it was fun seeing you and Tonya together.
It must be fun having a friend like Tonya, who you can play “dress-up” with at least once a year. I bet you guys have the best time when you are together. I know there are doll clubs who get together and bring their dolls for a “play day.”
I used to be in a Smocking Guild held once a month and it was a lot of fun learning and sharing what we had made since the last time…
Well, that’s it for today,
I’ll see you Monday,
Blessings, Jeanne
I’m glad to hear your hand is starting to show a Little improvement, anyway. Do keep an eye on it though!
Looking forward to those Easter pictures!! Come to think of it, I have one or two I could send you, also. Will try to do that this weekend.
Those deviled egg sailboats are so cute, and certainly easy enough to do! The little owls are darling also.
I’m glad you were able to use my pictures, Jeanne. I will try to check in a couple of times during the day to respond to messages and answer any questions. It really is fun to have a friend to do this with. As it happens, Tonya and I actually Met at Expo in 2008, when we had a class together!
My best friend, June, also sews (taught home ec, as a matter of fact) but we don’t usually do a twinsie thing. Once in a great while, but not often. Of course, I don’t see her as often as I see Tonya. Last time I saw June was in 2017. She and I have been best friends since first grade.
Dear Charlotte, I loved seeing your photos. You are so talented. How wonderful to have a special friend with whom to create.
I told Charlotte Noelle, your name sake, about your twinsie outfits and she reminded me that she is a twin. As you know, she thinks that she is the twin sister of Karin’s (from the old ning site) twin dolls named Charlotte and Noelle. When that girl makes up her mind, there is no changing it (laugh).
Thank you so much Dorothy! We really do have fun with our twinsie challenge!
Yes, I do remember that Charlotte Noelle thinks she is a twin! Of course, if she really were twins with Both Charlotte and Noelle, they wouldn’t be twins, they would be triplets! But maybe that is too much logic for Charlotte Noelle just yet! (Laugh)
Jeanne, those sailboat deviled eggs are just the thing for Easter, and beyond! Who can settle for plain deviled eggs after seeing these? I might even try doing some, which seem easier to do than yesterday’s eggs. If only I can figure out which ones to try!
Charlotte, I’ll say one thing, you never seem to age! You look exactly the same in the older pictures as you do in the more recent ones! What fun it must be to meet up with Tonya and compare what you each have made, and find them so similar! Unfortunately, I don’t have any friends that like to sew, which is sad to think about. Having friends who do love sewing certainly does give you the incentive to look forward to it! May you have many more years or sewing fun with your “twinsie”!
Thank you so much, Linda. I assure you, I DO look older in the more recent pictures! I see all the wrinkles in my face when I look in the mirror! (I’m also a little heavier than I was back in 2015!)
One picture I forgot to send Jeanne is from last year, when we discovered we had made the exact same purse pattern, just different fabrics! Tonya is young enough to be my daughter, but we’re more like cousins or sisters (with a big age gap!).
It really is fun to have someone to share sewing with. What started as a chance encounter (we shared a table at a class) turned into a lifelong friendship. I am blessed.
I love these photos of Charlotte and Tonya! Fantastic and beautiful models and cheerful faces
I am glad to hear your thumb is taking a turn toward improvement. Just mark your calendar, SIX weeks minimum. gentle activity is okay, do not over stress. You could delay the healing process. Start using the heat pad more but ice at the end of the day. (I am so bossy hahahaha)
I love the egg photos.
Thank you, Rosemary. We always enjoy spending time together, and have become very good friends.
Glad to hear that some progress is being made on the thumb healing project. As long as it keeps getting better, in a week you should be good to go. 🙂 Just be sure that bed topper is secured as you don’t want a repeat performance.
Thanks so much for the egg boat pics. That chip sail is perfect and displayed on an ocean blue napkin, she’s ready for a sail. And the bird/chicks would be fun for the grands too. Although, we’d have to skip what I think is pepper and use carrot for the beak instead. 🙂 They won’t touch peppers.
How fun for Charlotte and Tonya to do twins in their own styles. A couple of great seamstresses. Love the tote bags. Fun times in the northwest. 🙂
Need to head out for a walk soon as the rain is headed in around noon. Have a fun weekend everyone.
Thank you so much, Joy! The tote bags were really fun. Tonya said she used every scrap of the fabric she bought, as her bag had many pieces to it (as well as inside and outside pockets). If you compare the 2020 and 2024 pictures, you will see both sides of her bag, which are different.
My bag, the Fiji Tote by Pink Sand Beach Designs, has inside pockets, but I used another fabric for them and the lining. I even added a short, buttoned strap to go thru the handle of my water bottle carrier, so as to keep it upright in my bag.
These are great bag tips. Thanks so much Charlote. 🙂
You’re welcome, Joy!
Who ever thought you could do so much with eggs. I know my grandkids would love the sailboat idea and that looks pretty easy. Love the owls.
Charlotte, you did an amazing job with your “twinsie” presentation. It was a lot of fun to go through and see all the imagination that went into sewing everything. I have no friends who sew or are interested in dolls so I’m used to playing by myself but it would be fun if there was someone else.
I will be doing an Easter photo shoot but it will be in early April. There’s a lot occupying my time at the moment, including making a couple more Easter dresses. Right now my dolls are still wearing holiday/winter attire and I really need to get started on dressing them for Easter because it takes me days to do it.
Last night just as I was climbing into bed to do some reading we had a pretty scary storm go through. So far we have been lucky to not get the really bad stuff but Bellville just north of us got the brunt of one last Saturday. They had a lot of hail and wind damage and there was a possible tornado. Haven’t heard for sure on that one and sometimes we get straight-line winds that do a lot of damage. Our car is usually in the garage but David’s pick-up is outside because the other garage is used for storage since we have no attic or basement. We’re looking into doing a carport. One time when we knew there might be hail we covered his previous pick-up and Sean and Dionne’s vehicles with cardboard and something else (can’t remember what). When they heard the storm they ran to the door to check on their cars and couldn’t figure out what was all over them. They hadn’t seen the weather report and we had covered their cars while they were sleeping.
Right now it appears the storms have passed and we are in for a lovely day.
Thank you so much, Barbara! This year I really debated which top pattern to use, but this fabric doesn’t have a lot of stretch, so, since time was running short (surprise surprise!! 😂) I stuck with a pattern I’d made before and knew pretty well. Tonya doesn’t do dolls, but she does kind of look forward to seeing which of my dolls got to come with me each year!
I’ll be looking forward to seeing your Easter display, whenever you have time to do it Porr Molly and AbbyRose are still in their Christmas dresses at my house!!
I’m glad to hear the storm bypassed you this time!
Barbara, I saw your comment about four o’clocks. We plant those every year since the early 1990’s because the bees love them and they smell so sweet. Our Collie Mix adored them and would stick her nose in them every morning. Actually, the past few days have been planning what will go in the garden as far as annuals, fruits, and veggies. I always request a perennial for Mother’s Day. Much nicer than a bouquet. I also love asparagus with or without a sauce as well as loving to cook and bake!
The sailboat eggs are cute. I’ve actually done that before with red and green peppers in, you guessed it, an issue of TeaTime.
Fun to see you, Charlotte and Tonya. It looks like you have a marvelous time with your twinsie ideas and the projects are lovely.
Thank you so much, Laura. We do have fun with our twinsie challenge!! There are other regular expo attendees who do things–one group of ladies wear matching fascinators, another group have vests with the years they’ve come embroidered on the backs, and so on.
It’s really nice to see Charlotte and Tonya’s fun pictures in their “Twinsies” outfits. I really like the totes. Great colors. I’m a tote lover. Thank you for the pictures, Charlotte! It’s always nice to see you!
Jeanne, hang in there- hopefully your thumb will get stronger.
Everyone, have a great weekend!
Thank you so much, Paula! I like totes, too. I recently said something to my husband about making a tote, and he asked “Another one? How many do you have now?!” He knows me too well!!
Hi Charlotte,
I am like you in that I have many many totes! I can’t resist them. I like them more than purses. My husband teases me about how I can’t resist them. Some advertise places I’ve been to or want to go to. My favorite are the heavy canvas ones. I even have a small selection of backpacks.
Glad to know I’m not sling with my passion for totes!
I have all different sizes of totes, Paula, although most are sort of medium/largish. We recently had a “brown bag” 1-yard fabric swap at sewing guild, and I am thinking of yet another tote! This one may be a gift, though.
Dear Jeanne, have a restful weekend. Can you believe Easter is almost here?
It is nice to see you having fun with your good friend, Charlotte. I am sorry I got distracted earlier from commenting.
Today my father in law Paul died from Kansas. If anyone would like to pray for him, I would appreciate it. He was wearing the Brown Scapular and today is the feast of Our Lady’s Seven Sorrows. He had a strong devotion to her. There are special graces/promises attached to devotion to her. Anyways, thank you.
Dear Karen, I am so sorry for you loss. I will add Mr. Paul to my prayer list. Sending blessings to you and your family.
Thank you so much Dear Dorothy in PA and the World! <3
Karen,
I’m sorry you lost your Father in Law today… Im sorry he won’t be able to hold your new baby…
May the Lord hold your whole family in His comforting arms.
Blessings, Jeanne
Thank you so much, Dear Jeanne! <3
Thank you, Karen.
I am sorry to hear of your loss. I will keep your/his family in prayer as you go thru this time of bereavement.
Thank you so much, Charlotte!
Karen, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I will definitely be praying for him and for your family.
Thank you very much, Barbara! Your prayers are appreciated!