Hi everyone,
We had a tornado warning this evening specifically for Carbondale. The sirens in town were going off and we were told to get to get to our “safe spot!” That’s kind of tricky… our house is an 1892 and the basement is stones stacked on top of each other…with cement between them! It’s NOT REALLY my ideal place to go for ANYTHING… let alone a tornado! My hubby went outside, surveyed the skies and came back in and decided to finish a project he was working on. Thankfully, our Tornado Warning was lifted shortly after that.
Kristoffer was better today… he passed the kidney stones last night. I think it was Joy who mentioned you could take your kidney stones and have them analyzed and see what might be causing them. He did the last time he had them and they told him his problem was caffeine. He tried half-heartedly, but I think now he just might find something new to drink… and it’ll be caffeine free! :o)
A few ladies sent pictures of some of their 1920’s purses and I’ll show them this week…
I made it to Hobby Lobby this afternoon and wanted to show you what I came up with. First the purse… I was looking for a tiny purse handle/frame that you could attach some kind of fabric or beads to. I couldn’t find what I was looking for, so I had to “think outside the box” and try to come up with something that might make a purse. So I started looking at earrings… they had to be gold and a fairly nice size, preferably round or rectangular. It would be nice if they were filigree and had some weight to them.
Look what I found…
As soon as I saw these earrings, I saw potential for a purse, so I bought them. This is what they look like now… (I’m sorry, I forgot to take any pictures along the way.)
I stitched glass beads through the different holes first and made a nice design. I had some tiny tatted lace I hand stitched to the outer edge of the purse. Then I stitched 2 circles of Silk Dupioni together(leaving a small opening) then turned it and glued the piece of Silk Dupioni to the back.
I curved up the one end of the earrings pin so the “purse wouldn’t slip off easily.” It slides sideways onto the dolls hand.
Now to her headband. Using another earring….this is what happened…
I turned back the ends of the trim and stitched the ends so it wouldn’t fray. I was able to thread the rose colored ribbon through some spaces and tie it in the back. If someone buys this and has a doll with “less” hair, they can just rethread the rose ribbon through a couple of spaces in the trim and cinch it up.
My hubby really likes this doll and he loves her headpiece. I found this earring set and thought it just might work. I just started… and this is how it turned out. I took the feathery part and stitched it on the pink and tan trim. Then I added the cream pearls and the extra beads. The only other feathers Hobby Lobby had, were this kind…
They do NOT go at all! (I think you are supposed to pick out your flower plume first and them make your dress around it, not the other way around.) Hobby Lobby had long boa feather strands but they were too bubble gum pink and they had no cream, so I was determined to make these earrings work.
I was playing around with the earring and decided I liked the feathers straight up. they are sort of wispy and just the slightest air on them, makes them move. It looks really neat when they move back and forth.
Just a little bit of handwork and some extra beads and I decided to call it quits.
Now, here is what it all looks like together…
Thanks for taking a peek… It’s been a fun dress to create. Marilyn hinted at shoes… I SURE DO WISH I could, but I don’t think the tugging and pulling of the leather needle would help my thumb any.
I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oooh! Ahhhh!! I knew you could pull it off, and you sure did! What a clever idea, to use one of those earrings as a base for her little purse!! That came out just right!! And her headband–so clever to make it adjustable like that!! Was the feather accent from an earring, too? It sounds like it, but I’m not sure. And the little beaded section…is that from the same earring?
Anyway, they outfit is certainly a winner in my book!! Everything “sings” together!
Oh Jeannel, how beautiful the whole outfit is together! What fun for a RRFF doll to be able to wear something like this, and it is completely original!
I kept reading, trying to find out where you found the feather that you used, but all you showed was what you didn’t get! It is perfect, and with her swingy skirt and the motion of the feathers, she certainly looks like she is dancing!
The earring purse is genius, and you take the credit! What doll wouldn’t want it?
It stands out like a little jewel!
I’m glad you made it through the tornado warning with no tornado, like we did, but it is becoming almost a daily occurance to have these strong storms come through. I hope it ends soon! Not even 20 miles away from me, they had baseball sized hail, which can’t be fun!
Perfect! All the little touches that make it possible to identify the seamstress who created this ensemble are here: The design of the dress itself, the color combinations, the creativity and imagination that go into the accessories and the attention to detail. Love the headband with the single feather! The handle of the purse has the same finish as the beads. The length of the dress is perfect as well as adjustable. Yes, it’s a Jeanne Marie!
Hi Jeanne, I totally love this whole outfit. You are so good at seeing potential in items that are unusual for sewing but work wonderfully in the end. The earring purse solution is awesome, love all of it. The headpiece is another winner as well.
Can’t believe you accomplished this with a bum thumb, kudos!!
Glad your son passed his stones, have that problem in my family too. Terrible pain and certainly not good until they are passed.
Doreen from Arkansas
She looks so cute!! Great job!
I like the feather choice and color when seen with the headband. Looks very authentic. And the purse is cute too. Who would have thought to use earrings to make both. So creative. The whole outfit has come together and will be very popular on Ebay, I think.
I would love to see a stop motion video of Violette doing the Charleston while standing on a spinning mirrored doll stand. 🙂
Hope George, decides to take cover should another warning show up. Those pics we see on the news of flattened homes is so scary.
Glad to hear Kristoffer is on the road to recovery.
Has anyone heard from Karen? Isn’t her baby due?
Around here, high, drying offshore winds along with high temps. They say that we should be okay because of the recent rains but you never know. Back to fire watch. Going to be 88 today and 90 tomorrow.
Looks like another winner for your Jeanne. The use of the earrings for the purse and headband was really thinking outside the box. Both are amazing. So glad to hear Kristoffer is feeling better. There is a lot of caffeine-free things to drink out there, so I hope he finds something that appeals to him. Caffeine-free coffee tastes terrible in my opinion so maybe he should switch to drinking tea.
I have a few 20’s-30’s purses that belonged to my great-aunt and grandmother. They are tucked deep into the cedar chest and too difficult to access easily.
Violette’s outfit is just Downton Abbey perfect. The earring purse is wonderful as is the headband.
Good to hear that Kristoffer is feeling better.
Glad that Kristoffer is doing better. Having mom and dad around is some of the best medicine.
The outfit is so sweet, wonderful choices. The only thing I’m not crazy about are the cream pearls. I don’t think they’re needed or else should be the same as her necklace. The dangle and feather were such a good choice. Can’t wait to see the auction.