Hi everyone,
Well today is the big day for the Eclipse. I helped with a dinner Sunday night at our church for around 80 people visiting here and as I driving through town, you could definitely tell there are MORE people than normal… people walking around, a fair in the middle of town, and lots more traffic. NASA is set up in the middle of the University’s football stadium!
Hopefully I’ll have more to share tomorrow about how dark it got, and a few other things…
The weather is predicted to be Mostly Clear! Let’s hope so!!
Okay, well my title talks about Ellowyne… so let’s see what I have today.
Sissy sent me some pictures and had this to share…
Hi, Jeanne,
Over the years of attending MDCC (Modern Doll Collectors Convention) I have dressed a lot of dolls for their charity auction. These two are the only ones I made using Ellowyne.
#1. The theme was “Lets Party”. I was so fond of the outfit that Mia Farrow wore to the party I had to try to copy it. She wore a cloche hat covered in
“diamonds”, a long silver cape trimmed in white fluffy feathers and a silky silvery dress with long pearls. I had fun with it.
#2 The Theme was “Kaleidoscope”. I made a dress with many colored ruffles with beads hanging from the ruffles to show the many colors of a kaleidoscope. The black cape was to replace the cover of the kaleidoscope tube. Also, since Ellowyne is such a reclusive doll, the cape is a way of her hiding the swirling colors of the kaleidoscope.
Hugs, Sissy
Thank you, Sissy! I was so surprised to see such a colorful dress under the black cape. It made me smile! Thank you for sharing your two Ellowyne outfits. I’m suddenly getting in a mood to make something for Ellowyne again… hmmm…. should I?
Thanks everyone,
Keep an eye on the sky today!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
What a treat to see your lovely outfits for Ellowyne today, Sissy!!
“Let’s Party” is so elegant, and has a definitely 1920s vibe to it. I think my favorite part is that hat! Was it difficult to make?
“Kaleidoscope” is a real treat–and such a surprise, too!! First that luscious cape (velvet, I’m guessing?) and then the fluffy frilly multi-colored, ruffled dress underneath!!
If you’re going to keep your eyes on the sky, everyone, be sure your eyes are protected with proper eclipse-viewing glasses. (No, stacking sunglasses won’t be enough.) Exposure to the rays during an eclipse can cause solar retinopathy (Permanent vision loss!!) because they can burn the retina. The damage might not show up right away, and if you get “burned”, it won’t hurt because the retina doesn’t have pain receptors, but it will happen, just the same. (Info from something going around on FB, and I do remember reading some of this stuff in newspapers in years past, too. No sense taking a chance; you only get two eyes in your lifetime, so stay safe!!)
Thank you, Charlotte. I forgot to mention that the Party outfit was copied from the Great Gatsby movie, the one with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. I found it on youtube. The hat was made from a piece of rhinestones that were sewn together like a small belt, then I added more around the edges.
I goofed, it was a piece of sequins like a belt, and added the rhinestones.
Thanks for the information, Charlotte! We will be pretty close to totality, but since I had a really good look at it in 2017, and we don’t have the current glasses, we will just look outside ,but not at the moon and sun itself. It will go quickly and all the local tv stations here will be showing it in locales south of us, Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Ste. Genevieve, etc. I’m not going to compromise my eyesight for a two or three minute occurrence!
Well, Sissy, who knew you were such a fabulous seamstress? What fun to see your beautiful creations! And since Ellowyne is so small, how beautifully you did those outfits! I really liked that first “flapper” outfit! That headpiece is really fancy! The second dress is quite a surprise after the black coat comes off! Wow!
Thank you so much for sending!
Thank you, Linda. I had fun looking at the Great Gatsby movie on youtube to copy the out fit. I had loved her look at that party and it was fun to try to make it.
What wonderful dresses, Sissy! I would have worn the first one in a heartbeat! The cap is amazing! This may get me to sew one more dress. I do have a feather boa that I wore with a short turquoise dress with rhinestone straps and earrings in my late 20s. Found the boa in a department store in Honolulu, of all places. I’ll dress the AG dolls in their flapper costumes again and send a picture, my favorite era. The rainbow dress is amazing as well. You have a great design and execution ability, Sissy. You must be a Star at the conventions.
The little fingerless gloves that I won finally arrived. The first pair got lost in the mail. Jeanne kindly sent another pair. I hope that was a first and last experience with that happening. Picture to follow.
Enjoy the eclipse. My grandchildren will be watching it at school in Cypress, near Houston. I hope all the children are safe and kept from looking at it too long. Scary! I can’t believe how excited people are. It’s just Mother Nature doing her normal thing!
Thank you so much for the kind words about my outfits, Susette. I really love to sew, especially something different. I have a lot more photos of the MDCC Charity Auction outfits I can send if Jeanne needs them.
Beautiful outfits, really lovely Sissy.
We experienced the eclipse with my 93 year old daddy in 2017. We had the glasses and it was fun. This time I will have the NASA channel on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MJY_ptQW1o
I will probably look at it from my tv while I am sewing or cleaning.
I am in Northern Virginia and I think we will have around 88% totality.
Ellowyne is a beautiful doll to dress up
I think I may have missed something last week. Did Jeanne ever get back her x-ray results? Seems like they should have had them the next day. Sure hope she is healing so she can put on those safety glasses for the eclipse today.
Loved seeing Sissy’s wonderful creations. Fabulous sewing involved. That recreation of Mia Farrow’s dress is quite the number. Loved that movie too. Funny, but I was looking at 20’s swimsuits yesterday. Certainly not as elegant as that Mia Farrow dress though.
Got some weeds pulled yesterday. Only about a 10ft square, but it’s a start. But, I also retied the concord grape I planted some forty years ago to the fence. It’s just starting to bud, but I think it will be okay.
We’re not going to see much of the eclipse out here, but will definitely do the pinhole in a piece of paper to view the image on another piece held below. Hope I don’t see any one with retina problems after the viewing though as I have my monthly appointment with my retina specialist tomorrow.
Thank you, Joy, for liking my sewing. And that was some outfit in the Great Gatsby movie, yes! I couldn’t resist trying to copy it.
I love that you know about the pinhole in the paper trick. Back when I was still teaching there was a solar eclipse and we taught the kids how to make those. I was thinking of making one for our eclipse here, even though it will be just 74%.
You’re right, Joy, Jeanne never said anything about x-rays, etc. Hm…
What lovely creations, Sissy. You are truly a master of creativity and sewing. I really love both outfits and they are so different.
I have never had an Ellowyne but at 16″ I don’t think of her as small. I’ve tried sewing for Barbie at 11.5″ and that was small. I’ve made Ellowyne patterns for my 16″ rescue doll so I’ve had experience with the patterns and they turned out well. Mostly my problem in sewing for Ellowyne when she arrives will be that I’ve never been much of a fashionista and my creative mind does not work in that direction so my Ellowyne will probably lack for eloquence.
I have had a doozy of an experience with a pattern lately. I bought a pattern for Paola Reina awhile back and decided to make her an Easter dress using the pattern. It is the simplest dress. I printed the pattern and the square to check that it is printed correctly was right on, but when I made the bodice it didn’t come close to fitting my Paola Reina. I finished the dress but it went to my 9″ Ruby Bridges doll. Then I looked up the pattern again and saw that I was supposed to add a 1/4″ seam to the pattern. I did that, made the pattern again and still no fit. I finished the dress and it went to my Siblie Callie. She looks adorable in the dress but it didn’t come close to fitting my Paola Reina doll. There is very little in the way of instructions with the pattern but it did say to print using the A4 format using 8-1/2 x 11 paper. I did that but “actual size” did not fit on the paper and “fit to page” makes it too small. I started trying different percentages and came up with something that might work. The skirt is cut out using measurements and even that isn’t right since the 2-3/4″ length they suggest is way too short and the dress does not have any added embellishments that would make it longer. Finally I tried to look up the shop where I bought it and low and behold it’s gone. No surprise there.
I’m in a good place to view the eclipse but I won’t. Mostly I’ll just experience the darkness since our area is supposed to be around 94%. But I do feel sorry for all the people that came to Texas to view the eclipse because it was sunny when I got up, but right now it’s overcast and I don’t look for it to go away in time.
Hope the clouds parted for the eclipse.
That was one not so great pattern experience. Maybe lost in the translation? Just kidding, but hope you are able to resize it so it works.
Seriously, Joy, I’m not sure why I’m messing with the pattern other than it baffles me as to what’s up with it. It’s not that I lack for Paola patterns so I have to use this one, but I’ve sure never run into this before and I’m curious. I doubt the puzzle will be solved so I may give it one more try and then move on. But Ruby and Callie have been delighted with the outcome of the problem since both got new dresses not on the drawing board.
We’re in the path of totality for the Eclipse, so everyone is getting ready setting up chairs and tables. A block party with certain neighbors we’ve known for decades. Sunny, in the high 60’s, and clear. Perfect!
We’ve had the Eclipse glasses for weeks now so at set.
Beautiful creations, Sissy! Love the bright colors of “Kaleidoscope” and “Let’s Party” is very elegant.
What fun, Laura, ours will only be 74%, so no parties here. Thank you for loving my outfits.
Dear Jeanne, wow, you will have a ring-side-seat on your TV to watch the eclipse unless you have the special glasses and can go and see it live.
Thank you for sharing Sissy’s photos. Her outfits are lovely.
Can you believe we have already finished one week in April? You know what the means…there are only 23 days left before we can dance around the Maypole!