Hi everyone,
Thank you again, Linda and Joy for your pictures of your May poles with your dolls dancing around them. I looked earlier and there were 6 comments and was going to answer them and the next time I looked there were 33!!!
I did thank Dorothy for her poem, which was just perfect… only 364 more days till May, Dorothy!!
I wanted to tell Laura how sorry I am about her kitty passing away too. Pets become so much a part of our lives and it just hurts so much when they aren’t there anymore. May the Lord wrap his comforting arms around you Laura.
It has been a long time coming and I’m sure you have been eagerly awaiting this day. Me TOO! If you didn’t know, six weeks ago I tore a ligament in my thumb and it has been dreadfully and painfully slow to heal. It still isn’t healed, but it is better. Using scissors is still one of my biggest hurdles but I can manage if I go slow when using them. I still can’t squeeze the mustard bottle or push the microwave button with my thumb, and many other things, but it is better than it was a month ago. I guess it is just a slow healing process.
I decided since the Ruby Red Fashion Friends dolls just had a couple of 1920’s girl released, I would try my hand at a dress style from that era. I had shown you a dress I found at the Goodwill and decided it would make a great 20’s dress. I don’t have a lot done on it but the bodice is constructed and a few other things decided… (I think!)
This was the dress from Goodwill…it’s a dark teal blue/green and it is pleated at the top and as the dress gets down to the bottom the pleats are relaxed and it has a nice border print. It’s very sheer, and truly is about like the chiffon headscarves women used to wear in the 50’s and 60’s.
I picked Violette because her eyes matched the fabric and I think her hair will be cute in this style.
The fabric looks a little gray and washed out in my pictures, but it’s a deep dark greenish color and very pretty.
I cut a piece of the pleated section and put some strips of stabilizer on it, thinking the pleats might iron out, but they don’t. They are super set in and I don’t think I could flatten it with an iron if I tried.
I plan to use pieces of the pleats on the bodice on both side of the fussy cut piece in the middle.
Sort of like this…
I will try to figure out how to add the skirt as it’s so sheer. It will need something behind it, but I don’t want to make it bulky.
I was looking in my rayon and silk ribbons to see what I have to use for embellishing.
Well, that was as much as I could get done… stay tuned for more.
I’ll see you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, Jeanne, doesn’t it feel GOOD to be back in your sewing room??? I remember how I felt when I hurt my back a few years ago, and could barely stand much less lift an iron or bend over the cutting board. I think it was over a month before I could do anything more than just go in there and look around a little. If it hadn’t been for a hand embroidery project, I’d have gone stir-crazy and/or suffered from fiber withdrawal, I’m sure!
I do believe those pleats were chemically set somehow; it seems I’ve read about that being the way used to permanently pleat a fabric back in the day. So, no, you won’t be able to press the pleats out. However, if you can work with them, as it looks like you’re doing, you can use them to your advantage. I was thinking the pleats would be fun in the skirt, too, but I’m not sure how you’d be able to hem it, so perhaps using the lower section is better. You might look for some cotton voile or lawn or very thin batiste under the skirt fabric. Even silk organza might work. I would take a little piece of your skirt fabric to the store and try it over different solid colors, to see which looks best. Not that you’d actually find that thin, fine fabric at JoAnn’s, but you could at least get an idea of what color to look for, and maybe an alternate choice or two. And then you could either do it as a standard lining, or as an underdress or slip, depending on the look you want.
Some comments on yesterday’s comments:
Barbara, we DID get married in May so we could have lilacs on the altar (plus glads and roses)! When we had gone to talk to the florist about lilacs, he said the only way he could guarantee he’d have them was if we got married within about a 2-3 week window of time. So, we were married May 18, 1974. (Yes, our 50th is right around the corner!) Lilacs, however, do not hold up well in bridal bouquets, so I had lavender (actually Sterling Silver–the only kind there was at the time) and white roses in my bouquet; my attendants had tiny vanda orchids and white carnations, and my maid of honor also had 3 roses in her bouquet. The attendants also had sprays of vanda orchids for their hair. Three guesses what color gowns….😂
Laura, I’m so sorry about the loss of your dear kitty; our animals do become part of the family, don’t they? and we grieve for their loss as we do sometimes for the loss of a person.
How wonderful you got married in May and had lilacs. I assumed they would not be good for bouquets but I wanted vases of them around the church. The smell would have been awesome. My mother had a beautiful peacock vase she would use for lilacs. The vase had the peacock tail fanned out and so the lilacs would be in a spray in the vase. She put them on the dining room buffet. It was so beautiful and the smell was great. That’s what I always think about when I think of spring in PA.
Your mom’s vase sounds just perfect for lilacs!! And although the florist did the altar bouquets, people in our church brought in enormous quantities of lilacs from their yards, and we had bouquets of them all over!! A Huge basket of them in the fireplace area, one on the foyer table, even a bouquet in the ladies’ room!! The members of our church went all out for us!!
Thank you, Charlotte for you kind words.
Charlotte, we were married May 20, 1972. My best friend and bridesmaid, went out and cut lots of lilacs the morning of the wedding, which were used for our reception tables.
May is a nice month to get married. Not to hot or to cold.
Another “Lilac” wedding!! Congratulations, Paula!! You’re ahead of us by a couple of years!
Welcome back! There nothing more frustrating than not being able to do what you want to do! And going 6 weeks is terrible! Your May Day Kirsten dress was the first one I ever saw on eBay and I was very taken with your talent. It is fun to start my day seeing what Jeanne is up to! That is a beautiful outfit. Well happy sewing! Have a good day!
Thank you SO much, Sylvia! What a nice way to start MY day!
blessings, Jeanne
Six weeks? I had no idea it was that long, but I’m sure to you, Jeanne, it felt more like six months! Like the others, I am so glad to see that you are back doing what you love to do, and doing it so well!
I love what you are doing with that material, and I too was thinking the pleated part would be cute for the skirt of the dress, but yes, as Charlotte mentioned, doing the hem, might be quite a challenge. I’m sure what you have planned will be perfect! I love the colors, so 20’s, and Violette is the perfect model!
Well, the ribbons. Humm. In my opinion, none of them are a good match except for the green, which seems kind of dull. I guess I’d like to see something in the gorgeous blues of the fabric used or maybe a much paler peach as in the fabric, but the one shown seems way too bold. Can’t wait to see how this turns out as the fabric is so fabulous. I’m sure you have something in mind, but I’d like to see a ribbon across the forehead and around the head with some sort of special adornment on the side. I’m thinking the fabric is rayon?
A big congrats on the thumb improvement. But, take care and don’t overdo, please.
I think the wind around here may die down a bit today because we need to blow off the roof and gutters which have accumulated so much of what I call Sycamore Snow. That would be the seeds blowing all over the neighborhood from the round seed pods that have opened on our three huge trees. Once off the roof, I can blow off the porch, brick patio, steps, driveway, cars, etc. and hope the wind doesn’t start blowing it all back again. Hoping to get it done before some expected rain on the weekend. That will help the weeds start growing again. 🙁
Dear Jeanne, the dress is going to be lovely. I love the model. She has such a pretty face.
Thanks for liking my poem and thanks to the Sofa Sisters for their kind words.
My WiFi went off for a while yesterday. Right now I only have WiFi on my laptop so I am typing this quickly.
I am going to do my best to savor every May day moment!
I’m going to do my best to savor every May day moment myself. It’s the last month I can enjoy here before I hibernate for the summer not to emerge again until at least October.
Dear Barbara, I am just the opposite. I don’t get really warm until May or June. I am happy until the cold weather sets in and then I want to hibernate. We will have to meet somewhere in mid-October and celebrate (laugh).
I’m with you on that, Dorothy–I get cold easily, so anything over 70 is good with me!
Such an interesting fabric. Can’t wait to see how it all comes together. I’m so glad you chose Violette. She is so lovely. Glad your thumb is allowing you to get back to doing what you love.
Thank you for your kind words, Jeanne.
Violette makes a perfect 20’s girl. Looking forward to seeing this dress.
Jeanne, glad your thumb is doing better. Whenever we’ve injured our extremities, mainly thumbs, fingers and toes, it’s always very painful and takes awhile to recover.
At least you’re back in the sewing room and have a start on what looks like a very pretty dress. Violette is the perfect girl to model it.