Hi everyone,
A couple of things first… Karen left a comment that she thought she was in labor… so I’ll keep you posted…even it means a Saturday or Sunday post! Please keep her in your prayers as she welcomes her little boy into her family of 5 girls!
The second bit of news is… WE FINISHED PUTTING THE HANDLES ON MY KITCHEN CABINET DRAWERS! It’s been a couple months since we took out the broken dishwasher and I bought a new set of drawers to go with my others. I painted them a while back and said they were “curing.” I’m sure they had PLENTY of time to cure. We just got around to putting the handles on today. My hubby was joking about how slow we are at getting things finished, so this was his scenario… He was just talking out loud about how we could NEVER do work for anyone else or it would go something like this… “Oh… sorry ma’am…but YOU picked the SLOW carpenters to add handles to your cabinet drawers… It took us 3 hours to get them put on, so that will be $400!” We both laughed… We are slow but we get the jobs done eventually! Anyway, I love them and will get them filled up I’m sure! We’re going to cut a new piece of trim for the toe kick so it’s one long piece.
Ok, now I’m almost afraid to show you what I did… first I’ll show you what I DIDN’T use…
I drug out every blue button and ribbon I could find. I did find a smaller Cameo button but it was smaller than the one I was already planning to use.
I found another blue ribbon, tried a gold sheer ribbon, an orchid colored rayon ribbon, a piece of tiny blue woven fabric,
I decided the blue ribbon that someone said looked like a jabot was just too wide to use… and then when Joy mentioned she thought the button should be ON the ribbon, I started fooling around with that. I cut strips of the ribbons and folded then around in two loops and put the button in the middle… I tried picking up another color of the fabric, using the orchid ribbon, the green ribbon, and the blue grosgrain ribbon…
Finally I decided I had been spending TOO MUCH TIME trying to decide, so I just decided…
On the narrow blue ribbon, and made it like this…
Here is a full length view of the dress now… This blue actually goes better with the dress fabric than the one I had made yesterday.
I hope you’re liking it because I’m calling it a done deal…
I also made her a petticoat to wear under the dress.. now it’s not authentic Civil War… but it’s a fun slip with flower petals inside the poof of the skirt… They just sort of float around in there.
The back has all the snaps down the back, so the dress is easy to put on and take off.
…and one more look at that brooch and bow! :o)
Thanks everyone,
I hope you have a wonderful weekend…
Again, I’ll keep you posted if I hear anything from Karen!
Blessings, Jeanne
I did see Karen’s comment about being in labor, just a bit ago when I went back to read yesterday’s comments. She was in my prayers this morning, too, as I know she was getting close to due.
Yeah, I guess those drawers have had time to “cure” now!! Haha….Anyway, the new handles look very nice, and your kitchen is one step closer to being really “finished”!! We’ve watched the process with interest over the last several years! Some time maybe you should post “before” and “after pictures for those who haven’t been following your blog as long as the rest of us have!
Wow, you certainly tried a lot of different trims for the brooch! (And in this picture of the fabric with ribbons and buttons laid out I am now seeing the leaves do look olive green–before I was seeing them as more of a goldish tan. Monitors can be weird.) The ribbon you chose is just the perfect color, and the button is so much better than the one I had previously chosen as my favorite (that darker blue one).
Thank you everyone for all your caring, concern, prayers, and affection. They are so much appreciated. Today Ron got his new hospice equipment–the bed has a better mattress, he has an over-bed tray table, and best of all, his new oxygen concentrator is less than half the size of the old one, and MUCH quieter! He was worn out today, though, as changing out the bed meant putting him in a wheelchair out in the other room for a while.
I started a pieced table runner a while back, and this has been my “respite” after visiting him; it’s fiddly enough that it forces me to really concentrate on what I’m doing, and that gives my brain a rest from the sorrow, etc. I also had dinner out with friends tonight.
Thank you all.
So glad that Ron has a better mattress, tray table, etc. Hospice is so good about ordering things that are needed. Keep up your strength.
I would love to see your pieced table runner. Maybe take some pictures as you go along and when complete as well. 🙂
Dear Charlotte, I am so happy that you were able to spend time with your friends. We are all sending you hugs from the sofa but, of course, it’s not the same thing as being able to hold your hand. Please take good care of yourself as you take care of your husband.
Thank you, Dorothy. The pieced top is almost done, but I will take a picture of before it’s quilted and bound, and after. (I always photograph everything I make. If I should mail something to someone, and it got lost, I would have proof.)
So many things to comment on today, so I will start with the first thing you mentioned, Jeanne,….Karen! I too, didn’t see the last few comments until this morning. Oh, Karen, how wonderful that your labor has started on the feast of the Assumption! What a wonderful story you will have for your son! Hopefully, we will hear more today. My prayers are with you!
How nice your drawers look now, Jeanne! Such pretty handles too, and I must say, so nice and straight! Of course, knowing that George put them on, they were done expertly. I want to have all my kitchen handles done over, and am hoping that gets done sooner than later, but you know how that goes! Probably later!
Now for the button and ribbon, yay! I knew the blue would be best, and am happy you did what you did. And yes, seeing the whole dress with the ribbon mades a difference and it looks wonderful! At first look, just the closeup, I thought it looked too skimpy, but after seeing the whole dress, it looks just fine! The slip is so pretty too, and I don’t think I have ever seen you make a slip like that Now maybe a simple blue bow for her hair? What a beautiful outfit!
Charlotte, I have been thinking of you, and praying for both you and Ron. Having that table runner to work on is so nice to give you something else to concentrate on. Aren’t you glad you have sewing as a hobby? It gives you peace of mind, and at the end, you have made something beautiful!
Yes, Linda, I’m glad sewing is my hobby. I’ve been sewing since I started 4H in 1956, and although I’ve taken a few months “off” from sewing a couple of times, I don’t think I could ever completely give it up. I just enjoy it too much!
L’été dernier, j’ai peint, les poignées de mes tiroirs de cuisine ,mais j’ai manqué de peinture . Depuis ils attendent …Je ne trouve plus la même peinture ! Mon mari est patient …! Je trouve que la robe est très jolie et le ruban et le bouton ,sont bien assortis.
Last summer, I painted the handles of my kitchen drawers, but I ran out of paint. Since then they have been waiting… I can’t find the same paint anymore! My husband is patient…! I think the dress is very pretty and the ribbon and button are well matched.
Perhaps, for the paint, you might take a finished handle to the paint store and have them match it. They have paint matching equipment that can get a perfect match to old paint. 🙂
Good morning dear Friends,
Great news for Karen.
Are you able to translate Georgina’s comment above? If not, just pop it into google translate. It is a sweet message. I can read French, my speaking is really horrid but I went to primary school in France, long ago
The dress, and the brooch trim are “parfait” – perfect
Today I have a lot of chores to do.
I also joined a sew along with a woman from Townsville, Queensland Australia, Her name is Ange. So…. It is a churn dash block. I have done all of the cutting for 9 blocks, now I need to sew like mad, add some sashing, square it up, batting backing quilting and bind. I need to focus, so I hope nothing gets in my way haha
Enjoy your Friday and the week-end. More hot weather here, thank you God for Air conditioning.
I’d love to see your quilt blocks in progress. 🙂
Hi Rosemary,
I was ready to comment to you and then had to do something else first and never returned to the blog yesterday. What lovely memories you have of your parents and I’m sure the tulips were spectacular. What a beautiful tribute!
Exciting news about Karen! We will be happy to hear the news when baby boy is born. I bet his sisters are very excited too!
Jeanne, no doubt George is a perfectionist with his work, as are you! It has been fun and interesting to see all the changes you both have done over the years in your lovely home and with other projects.
I agree with Linda, at first I thought is was too thin of a ribbon but with the overall picture of the dress, it looks very nice. I love the slip/ that could be a skirt as far as I’m concerned, it’s so pretty! 😊
Back to too many must do’s – we just had a good rain … now it’s groceries… a load to storage.. preparing for company coming this weekend ..
Can’t wait to hear about Karen!
Well, lookie, lookie, the handles are on and perfectly aligned. Good job Jeanne and George.
Love the blue ribbon on the dress. Perfect match. Although, I probably would have thrown in a second set of loops with it. Couldn’t control myself. The slip is so cute. Love the floating flowers. Wow. Hope Jeanne can get this one posted on Ebay soon.
Sure hope that Karen and baby are doing well. Maybe, we will hear something today.
Looks like another 90’s day, but we have a cold front coming in tomorrow that hopefully, will blow any smoke from fires away from us.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone.
So happy to hear about Karen. I can’t wait to hear about her baby boy. Hope everything went smoothly. I’ll bet the girls are vying for who gets to hold him first.
Your kitchen looks great and I’m sure you’re happy to have the handles attached.
Yes! The blue ribbon is perfect! It matches and gives an elegant look to the dress. The floating flowers in the slip are a sweet touch.
We had a sprinkle this morning. I sure hope we get some more rain as we are very dry.
I love what you’ve done with the ribbon and the button. It’s perfect. Have you decided who all is going to model this lovely creation for the auction? I’m not that familiar with which AG dolls are Civil War but this should look great on any that are. I love the idea for the slip. I have a dress pattern for my Ann Estelle Sophie that does the skirt like that. I made the dress once but couldn’t do the floating flowers because I didn’t have the right length of tulle. Since then I’ve bought what I need in several colors so I really need to make it again as the pattern shows.
Prayers for Karen for a safe, and quick, delivery. I remember when I was young, we had a family in our neighborhood that had nine boys and finally a girl. Their clothesline on wash day was hilarious. All these boys’ pants and blue jeans and then these tiny little dresses. I always wished I had a picture.
Congrats on getting the draw pulls on. I have drawer pulls on my bathroom vanity but did not put them on the kitchen. I actually like the look without them and the drawers open easily so we don’t need them. But one of the reasons is that we have tons of lovely knobs and drawer pulls David won at an auction one time and we decided when we sell the house we will let the buyer pick what they like and put them on for them. Would need them for sure if we still had kids at home.
I think we’ve changed our future moving plans – again (for about the sixth time). We were looking at eastern Tennessee this time but so much of the best property has been bought up by developers and the prices are high. My sister lives in West Virginia and is moving from the western side almost to Ohio to the far eastern side almost to PA. I’ve been looking at property in that area. I get tingly at the thought of maybe being close enough to Bethlehem to visit every now and then, especially during the Christmas season. When I mentioned my thoughts to David, I got the rolling of the eyes even though the usual changes have been his doing. But West Virginia is beautiful, the property prices are amazing and there is property available that developers don’t own so he’s been taking a look himself. And yes I would be close to Dorothy in PA and the World so we could take tea every now and then. Hopefully we will go this route since his main criteria is it has to be in the mountains and, since I am an Appalachian girl, this would definitely work for me. The sooner the better but we have to develop our property here first and all the prep work has been slow moving and none of it our doing.
Dear Barbara. this is good news indeed! Do you know that there is a town in West Virginia called Keystone? It was a coal mining town developed by a man in Pennsylvania. No surprise there because as you know, PA is the “keystone state.”
The town has since fallen on hard times as has happened with many old mining towns. It has a rich history, though. The last I read about it, there were a few people who still lived there but most folks left years ago. It’s sad to think of people having to walk away from their beloved town.
I need to do a little research on Keystone, WV. Walking away from a place one calls home is always difficult. My first few years were spent in the coal regions of PA in Pottsville where my dad’s family settled and my mother went to high school. We moved to Bethlehem for the job opportunities at Bethlehem Steel since mining suffered greatly during the Depression and wasn’t picking up. My dad was not a miner but was in construction and when the economy of a place is down construction goes with it. Funny thing is that my maternal grandparents left the area where their families had settled for better opportunities in Pottsville. It was the area around Bloomsburg and other places in Columbia and Montour counties. A few years ago when PA had an anniversary (can’t remember which), there was a brochure put out announcing the events in that area. There were twin covered bridges on the front. They are the only twin covered bridges in the state of PA. The bridges connected two farms of members of my maternal grandmother’s family. The upkeep got pricey and no one was using them as bridges so the family sold them to the state of PA and they are part of a park in Columbia County.
Dear Barbara, you definitely have deep roots in PA! Did you get my email address? I have a nice story to share about Pottsville.
Hi all, Thanks so much for your thoughts and prayers! The baby came quickly last night on the feast of the Assumption! I sent Jeanne a long email with pictures, so she might share it with you soon. <3
That’s wonderful, Karen! Congratulations on your little one. I’m sure your husband is over the moon and your daughters will give you all the help you can possibly need. I hope Jeanne shares photos tomorrow.
Well, a big congratulations to you and family. Glad your latest was a fast delivery. I’m sure the girls are over the moon with their little bro.
Get some rest, please.
Oh Karen, a BIG congratulations to you, your husband and wonderful daughter! A new little brother is so white I always wished for, ut never did get. I am the oldest of 4 girls, so know how thrilled you all are. So happy to hear that your labor went quickly, and you and your little son are doing well. He certainly will have Our Blessed Mother looking over him since he was born on her special day!
That is supposed to read daughterS!
Hi Karen,
I will give you a Saturday post all to yourself with your sweet pictures! So everyone watch for it tomorrow…and a BIG congratulations to Karen and family!
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Karen, thanks for sharing your blessed news with us! I am sure you must hear us cheering from the sofa! We are so happy for you and the new little guy in your life.
Congratulations Karen and family! I can’t wait to see the pictures and hear all about it. So glad everything went well and now you will have two events to celebrate on the Feast of the Assumption.
Thank you so much, Everybody!!! 🤗🥰💗💖
Karen, I hope everything goes well for you.
Jeanne, I love the outfit your attention to detail is legendary. The whole outfit sings.
Charlotte, I am keeping you in my ‘thoughts and prayers’ (a grossly overused phrase but I mean it). I too would love to see your pieced table runner when it is finished. I am currently working on a wedding quilt for my ‘grandaughter’. The wedding was a few months ago, actually her real wedding was in South Africa where her husband came from originally then they had a ‘wedding’ in the North Island a few months ago. I want to make it for our exhibition in October but not sure I will get it finished. You are right though, when I am sewing my mind is very engaged on what I am doing so it has a rest from other things that might otherwise overwhelm me.
Today we are taking Seb to the Hot Pools at Hanmer Springs about 90 mins from here. It isn’t much fun if it is raining but if it is a fine day in winter it is wonderful lying in the hot water looking at the snow on the mountains.
Take care everyone
I guess it would be kind of like being in a hot tub on the deck of a mountain cabin in winter here. Any pics you can share?
Dear Jeanne, I love how you have made the dress open all the way down. That makes it so much easier to get a dress on and off of a doll. Well this little miss is off to school in style for sure.