HI everyone,
Reuben HAD to have a haircut today… he was SO hot when we had to take him outside! My hubby and I do it and we aren’t experts… it takes us about 2 hours every time he needs a haircut. My hubby does most of his body with the electric clippers, but he likes me to do the face and his feet. Anyway, we managed it and I’m sure we had enough hair on the floor to make a child’s wig! He looks and feels so much better. I forgot to take a picture of him…. maybe tomorrow I’ll remember.
I had two things on my agenda today: Make Mae a slip for her dress and finish the second shoe last out of my Sculpey clay.
So the slip… I discovered Mae has a very peculiar tummy… she actually has NO waistline… so when something is made to go around her waist it either has to go above or below her belly.
Here is the slip where it naturally slides to…above her belly…
…and this is what it looks like if you have it “sort of” at her waistline…
So I intentionally made her slip just a little bit loose with the elastic. That way it won’t pop up on you… but it will be easy to put on, and not fall off.
I discovered if I put her dress on with the slip underneath… the bodice of the dress sort of holds the slip down just a little bit… like this…
The slip really does make a difference and the dress looks very pretty standing out around it.
I also moved that turquoise ribbon at her waist over about 1/4″ and it’s better. It was getting lost and almost under her arm sometimes…
Next on my “To Do” list was make that second shoe last…
The first shoe last is always the easiest… the second one is more tedious because you have to make it exactly the same size as the first one. I made it sort of the same size as the first one… baked it for about 50 minutes and then starts the process of sanding off the excess clay. It does make a mess and I had pink shavings everywhere. I drew around the first last on a piece of paper, then drew around the second one. I had to hold the paper up the light, line them up and see where I needed to shave off the edges. It does take time, but once you have the last made you can use it over and over again and have the same fit each time.
Hobby Lobby was out of the same color of Sculpey as what I had for the first one, so they are 2 different shades of pink… it doesn’t matter to me.
I am going to put just a little bit of Sculpey in this shallow spot that appeared as I was sanding it. It’s just a sunken in spot and a little bit more narrow on that side of the last. It won’t be a hard fix.
They turned out pretty well. I used a pair of calipers to measure the distances of the lasts, the widths, the heights, etc.. the make sure they were as close to the same size as possible. I’m looking forward to making another pair using them.
I sanded the toe area (vamp) of the lasts a little more to make the shoes more rounded. I decided to wet the inside of the leather toe area with water and stretch them up a little bit higher when I put the shoe lasts inside the shoes. When they dried they looked much better. Then I painted them with some stiffner mixed in water… They will permanently stay like they should.
Here was the way the toe area looked yesterday…
…and here are the toes today… much more rounded and room for Mae’s crazy toes! :o)
So that was my Wednesday…
I will see you tomorrow!
Blessings, Jeanne
I see what you mean about the bown having been just a bit too far to the side, Jeanne. It’s one of those tiny details you notice, and that makes such a difference in your outfits!
Reshaping the toes of her shoes on the new lasts makes a difference, too–the look more like little girls’ shoes now, with the boxier toe!
This outfit is turning out so cute! Makes me wish I had a Mae, so I could bid on it!
Hi Charlotte,
I had a good day and was able to get the dress scheduled to go on Ebay this evening. We’ll see how the “newbie” seamstress for the Mae dolls is accepted.
We’ll see, I guess…
Blessings, Jeanne
Although Mae is not the kind of doll that I would buy, I must say she looks adorable! Her new outfit, including shoes, socks, and pantalettes are just the thing for a little girl, and her petticoat makes her look doubly adorable!I think Mae is absolutely thrilled to be a model for you, Jeanne, until the day she has to take it off!
So you also trim Rueben! My neighbor next door has three Pomeranians that she also does by herself, and what a chore that is! They look like little mops before she trims them, and afterward, you can see that they do have little legs!
And yes, those shoes you have now look like they belong to a little girl’s feet! So cute!
Hi Linda,
I guess we’ll see how Mae does when she has to take it off. The girls on the dolly shelf have been whispering things to Mae… so I’m sure they are filling her in on how things work around here.
Reuben looks SO much better today… I think he’s happy!
Blessings, Jeanne
Everything looks adorable, Wow.
You are a master shoe maker!
Happy Thursday, we are getting hurricane rain in northern Virginia
(35 miles west of the swamp 😂)
Daughter and grand girls all day!!!
Hi Rosemary,
Well, I don’t know if I’m a master shoemaker, but the more I make the better they seem to get and the more they are beginning to look like the ones I WOULD call master shoe cobblers!!!
I hope you didn’t get too much rain and winds today…
Stay safe,
Blessings, Jeanne
Loving the outfit and shoes for Mae, Jeanne. So fun to see your beautiful work on her.
As for the blog, I get it on my email, but no photos. When I go to my browser I have photos. On the email it does say
” I Dream of Jeanne Marie
Dreamy clothes and accessories for your dolls”
but none of the color part that is on the browser.
Strange things going on there for several of us.
Interesting about your blog receiving. I also receive mine by email. But mine now only says Jeanne. Not like before when it always said I Dream of Jeanne Marie. When opened, I have to click a second time to get the full blog.
Hi Sissy,
I received another email from someone who said they were getting the blog posts but there were no pictures with it.
I told her when she got the blog, to click on the blog title in the blue letters and it should bring up the blog website. She tried it and it worked… maybe you could try that…
Thank you for your kind compliments for Mae’s outfit…
Thanks Sissy,
Blessings, Jeanne
So, it looks like Mae’s outfit is ready for Ebay. It’s so cute. Mae too.
Too bad about the clay colors. Can you paint the lasts the same color? I’d be forever trying to find the right ones with all of those lasts around. But, if different colors for each size, I’d be set. So visual here. 🙂
Very cool and comfortable here as we have fog. Sure hope no one on the blog is getting that heavy rain in the east. Not fun.
Hi Joy,
I worked hard today to get it ready for Ebay…and it is scheduled for tonight.
I did get the Sculpey clay added to the sunken in part on the one shoe last, but haven’t sanding it down yet.
I suppose I could paint them… I was just going to write her name on the top of the calf area…
Rosemary was getting hit in West Virginia.
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Dear Jeanne, the shoes do look lovely. I see what you mean about giving Mae more room in the toe box. We all need that (laugh).
HI Dorothy,
Thank you for the compliments on Mae’s shoes. I’m right there with you on the “more room in the toe box!” I don’t care IF pointed shoes are in, they aren’t for me. I like to wiggle my toes if I can. *wink* *wink*
Thanks Dorothy,
Blessings, Jeanne
Did you see my email about the Steiff mini reproduction bears selling for over $40 on eBay? Mae might settle for a less expensive bear for her pictures since she’s going to loose the dress anyway. It’s darling and has really been a challenge with all the size complications. Well done!
There is still no field in which to sign up to continue receiving the blog as was available on the old iteration. Maybe that’s a problem for some followers.
Susette, it is right there underneath the pictures of the clothes that Jeanne has sold on the top right hand side of the page.
I also get the “I Dream of JeanneMarie”. No different than what it used to be. The only difference is where we comment and put in our names.
HI Susette, I did see it when I was cooking dinner, but hadn’t responded it your email… so I will here.
As far as the little bears go… I was trying to find out when I bought them and traced them back as far as 2015, but Ebay doesn’t list purchases that far back, so I used my blog to track down dolls who had them as their “accessory” and 2015 was when I used one, but I may have used some earlier before I was writing my blog.
I said they were antique reproduction mohair bears, and I do remember paying around $35 for a dozen of them… but they might not be Steiff bears… and it’s late to worry about it anyway. I think I only have one more left… it’s okay, they’ve been good little things for my girls to hold all these past years. I did look on Ebay and the prices were really unbelievable… but that’s okay.. I have made my $35 back and then some… but thanks for looking out for me! I totally appreciate it!
I just listed Mae’s dress on Ebay, so we’ll see if I’m accepted in the “Moppet/Mae Community!”
I’m sorry you are having trouble getting on the blog. I’ve had a few ladies who get the blog through their email… just click on the blue lettered Title when the post appears. When they click on the blue letters it brings them right to the day’s post.
If you are talking about resubscribing, the box is below the pictures I have on Ebay, over on the right side bar of my post. You fill in your name there and it will subscribe you…
Let me know if you are still having trouble.
Blessings, Jeanne
I know Mae’s outfit is going to provide for a great auction. The mothers of moppets now have a chance to have I Dream of Jeanne Marie originals for their dolls. The difference in the shoes from yesterday to today is amazing. They really do look like little girls’ shoes. Or in my case little old ladies’ shoes because these days the size of the toe box is very important. No tapered or pointed toe shoes for me anymore, especially as pointed as some of them are.
Hi Barbara,
Well, we shall see how things go.. I just listed it on Ebay!
I just mentioned in a comment above, no pointed toe shoes for me. Sorry, if I’m outdated… I just like the space for my feet better than looking fashionable.
Thanks for your sweet comments about Mae’s shoes. it means a lot to me. I hope the next pair will look even better!
Thanks Barbara,
Blessings, Jeanne