Hi everyone,
I went down to Anna Friday evening and picked up my patterns Sherry said she’d give me!! Remember, the Here and Now Shop I told you about?
I was flabbergasted at the patterns she gave me! I have a box full and will share them as soon as I get them organized! There were SO many I didn’t have… some I had never seen before too! YAY!
Then they asked me if I could use a wedding gown… for the lace… if I wanted to cut it up? AND THEN they had a bolt of organza they gave me… I think I could make crinolines from it…
So stay tuned for that! Thank you again Sherry, if you are reading this! I saw where she subscribed to my blog. She does incredible machine embroidery work for a zillion different projects!
I was hoping to get this finished, but you’ll see where I am with it…
Marsha Trent, from Trentsation, on Etsy, was so very kind and sent me the patterns she had developed for the My Meadow Moppets dolls… and since I had a new Mae doll, she wanted to help me out by not having to draft all new patterns for her. Thank you, again, Marsha… that was SO SO nice of you.
Well, tonight, I was trying to decide who to sew for, and guess who came to my mind, again… yes, it was Mae. I remembered Marsha’s patterns and decided to jump right in and try the sweater on this pattern…
Here’s a close up of the pattern. I am a fan of 3/4 length sleeve sweaters… you can ask my sisters… that’s all I look for!
Well, it just so happened I picked up a very soft (we’re talking cashmere soft!) pink sweater shell at Goodwill.
As soon as I touched it, I knew I was getting it. I was hoping this would work for Marsha’s pattern.
I had these 2 fabrics in mind for a dress to go under it… but not certain.
I read the pattern directions and decided to give it a try. (I’ve made little sweaters for my dolls, but I’ve always used tulle to line them with and it makes the super lightweight.)
The directions said to use a heat erasable marker pen to draw around the pieces, cut them out and then use fray check on the edges. Well… I didn’t have a heat erasable marker, so I thought I would just pin the pieces on the bottom edge of the sweater, then I could carefully lift up the edges of the pattern and take my Fray Block and run a bead of it on the sweater. After it sort-of hardened, I could lay my pattern pieces back on there and cut them out. I had never used it before but got it at an Estate Sale and since it was June Tailor, I figured it would work.
Well… not exactly as I had hoped… you had to heat the tube up under hot water for 3 minutes, then squeeze onto whatever edges you needed sealed. (let me just say right here… there’s a reason for doing things the way they say to do them… I should have waited to get a heat erasable marker and used Fray Check!)
Things were going along okay, I guess, when all of a sudden a big blob of the Fray Block squirted out and got a lot more on the front than along just the edges.
Marsha mentioned something in the directions about spritzing the pieces with water if you needed them to lay down better… I was just hoping the “water spritzing” would take out that spot! I went ahead and put my sleeve pieces along the bottom edge and continued on.
I got SO engrossed in the spots, I forgot to take any pictures for a while…oops! I tried spraying it with water… soaking it with water but it wasn’t getting any lighter in color.
When my pieces were sewn together, it looked like this. It is VERY cute and fits Mae perfectly… except now what am I going to do with that spot on the left side of the front? I may try soaking the whole sweater in some laundry detergent tomorrow and see if the dark spot where the Fray Block spread will come out. So far nothing has worked…
It really does look like a sweater in person… and up close…
Well the plan was for me to show a finished sweater and then have you decide what fabric to use for a dress… and I’m still going to show the sweater with those fabrics, but it all is going to be determined if I can make this sweater work… I have a few ideas in mind… so we’ll see…
If nothing else, it was good practice… I do have more of the sweater I could try again, but I don’t have any more finished “bottom edges” of the sweater that makes the hem and sleeve edges so nice…maybe in my sleep I’ll get a creative idea!
I’ll see you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Hi all! Sorry I neglected to read and post last night. I’ve been busy with my grandson Isaac off and on this weekend, and in fact right now he’s sleeping on my couch. His plane leaves at 9 a.m. tomorrow (Tuesday–remember, I’m still awake, so it’s still Monday to me!) which means I have to have him at the light rail station (not far from us) in time for him to get on the 6 a.m. train for the airport. 🥱
Jeanne, congratulations–I see that Harvest Delight has gotten three bids already! Is this going to be one of those nail-biter finishes, do you think?
Susette, Frieda’s dress is just lovely and so well suited to her!!
Linda, thank you for the “tour”! I really appreciate beautiful gardens, because I myself am no gardener at all! That first picture, the basket with flowers and something long and sort of lacy-looking trailing down is lovely. I was also intrigued by the plant in the fourth picture; I’m wondering what all those tiny white things are that are trailing down and all over the larger leaves. At first I thought flowers, but I’m not sure.
Ahhh…..I thought those were Dale Chihuly globes in that pond!
Jeanne, that sweater is beautiful fabric, for sure. I’m so sorry about the “oopsy”! Have you tried reading the tube and see if there’s anything on it about how to remove it? Or check the website; they might be able to help you. (This is why I usually start on a paper towel or piece of scrap fabric, until I get the feel for how the stuff comes out of the tube or bottle….experience can be a cruel teacher sometimes!) It’s really a cute sweater, though, and if you can at least get Some of the stain out, you might be able to cover up the rest with a few embroidered flowers or something (with more scattered around, to make it look like a design choice!). As to the fabric to go with it, at first I was going to say the pink, as the colors do all blend so beautifully together, but I do really like the aqua background, too. Might have to see each fabric under the sweater to get a better idea.
Good to hear from you Charlotte 🥰
Oh Jeanne, how nice that you received so many patterns you actually can use, and that you never had before! You always hit the jackpot!
That sweater outfit is just darling but the spot, well, I don’t know. One the one picture in the pattern, they do show a collar that might hide the spot, but it looks like maybe it is a tad small to hide it completely. I was thinking of maybe a lace piece sewn over it without being too fancy?
As far as the material for the dress goes, my monitor is giving me two different colors here. The blue background looks beautiful in the first showing, but later on at the bottom, the blue is a dull gray, and I do not care for that. I do like the pretty aqua blue color if that is what it is. While the pink is darling, it looks too much like a spring/summer material. Whatever you do, will work, because they both are cute!
Charlotte, thank you for the compliments! I was wondering where you were yesterday, since I usually wait for your comments first. Yes, those are tiny white flowers in that fourth picture. I just loved that grouping of plants too!
Bonjour. Je ne connais pas cette colle, mais normalement le tissu jersey n’a besoin de rien; il ne s’effiloche pas . Pour les ourlets ,vous pouvez piquer avec une aiguille double; le résultat rend bien . Les deux tissus sont jolis, mais le rose fait plus été ,comme dit Linda .Quelle chance d’avoir reçu ,tous ces beaux patrons, j’espère que vous nous les ferez voir. La semaine dernière , je suis partie en Italie, avec mon mari .Nous sommes allés à Bologne, c’est la région du jambon de Parme, du parmesan ,des bonnes pâtes…Nous avons visité et fait quelques bon repas !
We’ve never been to Italy, but other person here has always wanted to visit as his grandparents were both born in Italy, in a little village called Bucita, in southern Italy. So, do you also know Italian? or is French an accepted language there as well?
Oui ,je parle italien ;mon mari est né en Sicile ,à Syracuse. ( Italie )Nous allions tous les ans ,en Sicile et nous retournons en Italie, aussi souvent que possible. C’est un beau pays .
Hi, All, Sorry I too did not write yesterday. I was just beat from the weekend. Peyton’s son, his wife, and grandson eat a LOT more and more often than we do! I was cooking all weekend and did a lot of laundry yesterday. We did go out to eat once, which for Peyton and me would have been our meal of the day, but not for them! Still, it meant so much to him to have family here. He sees a lot more of my family than his.
Linda, I LOVE seeing the garden and hope you show it every time you go. We have been to gardens in Atlanta and also Butchart gardens in Vancouver, both many years ago.
Jeanne, the sweater is so sweet and soft, perfect on Mae. I hope you can get the spot out. I have used Fray Block for years. I know it does squirt out some until you get used to using it, but never saw it squirt like that! Was that an old tube of it? When I was using it on a silk fabric once I squirted it into a small container and used a small paint brush on the edges. I like it better than Fray Check because it dries softer. I think either fabric will be darling with the sweater.
Hi Jeanne, Happy Tuesday
You made a good “haul” yesterday! these sweater patterns are adorable. See, this is why I hesitate giving sweaters and stuff to charity. I am always thinking of the value of cutting it up for some project, even a refashion for myself.
the Fray prevent stuff, does it make the fabric stiff? is is washable? If it washes out that is good.
Anyway, the sweater is really cute. I like it.
Now I want to make tiny sweaters…. but I do not have a pattern. When I first looked at yours, I thought you were going to knit them hahah😅
I can’t knit or crochet. I have tried many times, I just do not like it and i am inconsistent with my stitches.
I love both fabric ideas for the dress
I wish everyone a happy productive day
I can crochet very well but I’ve tried knitting time and time again and just can’t seem to get the knack for it. I wish I could because there are so many lovely patterns to knit for dolls and so many are very good at it but charge a lot if you buy the clothes already made.
Aw heck, what a mess. I would have been too frustrated to go any further. I really don’t care for any of those fray types of chemicals. I think I’ve only used Fray Check once when I made a cover for our lawn swing from Sunbrella and treated all of the edges. What a job and that cured me of trying it again. I remember several years back when many of us were buying those little crazy sweater ornaments that were all over the place at Christmas. Then, we removed the hanger and cut them open down the back for a sweater for a small doll. Those sweaters were made using a very lightweight iron on lining that did not ravel even when cut. I wonder if that would work better? I wonder what it is called?
I somehow must have missed this pattern from Trentsations. It is so cute. Love the sweater. As to the fabric, I think the blue would be nicer for fall, but maybe someone would like the pink for next spring? Maybe Mae needs a dress from one color and romper from the other? 🙂
As to the wedding gown fabric, lucky Jeanne, I think I would consider tea dying some and make a dress for the Ruby Reds or the Connie Lowe girls. Something kind of vintage looking maybe.
Didn’t have to wait long at all for our Covid/Flu shots yesterday. We chose to have both in one arm, so we could side sleep on the other, but really didn’t matter as our arms aren’t very sore at all today.
We’re into cool fall weather. Going to be time soon to switch out short sleeves for long, I think.
I bought one of those sweater ornaments a few years ago for my tree but realized now that I collect dolls that those might fit my smaller dolls also. So I bought several of them and turned them into Christmas sweaters for my dolly girls last year. I assigned all the ones I had so I guess I’ll have to get some more this year. I already hear the clamoring.
I love the knit sweater ornaments as doll sweaters, especially since I can’t knit. I’m glad you have some for your girls, even though there may be a fight over them. I’ve seen a few larger ones for wine bottle decoration. Now, they might fit the Ruby Reds or Betsy McCall I think. Just because I’m looking, they probably won’t have them this year. 🙁
Jeanne I wanted to give you something because you do so much for others. I have learned a lot from your blog. You are always so kind to share. I really hope you enjoy the patterns. The sweater is adorable! Sorry about the spot. Maybe you could cover it up with an applique decoration or something. I have made the sweater without using fray check all around it. Depends on the fabric. I put the fray check on after I cut out the pieces so I can try to control the amount coming out. Looking forward to seeing what else you make.
God Bless
I just read the other comments. Some hand embroidered flowers on the spot would be so pretty! Perfect place to put them.
What a potentially pretty little sweater. I love the color and I like the pink flowered fabric best. So sorry to see the oopsie on your pretty little sweater. I use fray check products often and usually find they dry clear even if I mess up a little. Evidently not this one or at least not on this fabric. But I will tell you what I do when I use it. I get a piece of wax paper and lay it on my table and put my fabric pieces on that. Then I squeeze the tube onto a corner of the paper and use a small paint brush to spread the fray check on the edges of the fabric pieces since you don’t need much. The pieces are easy to remove from the wax paper after the fray check dries. Then I wad up the paper and throw it away as well as the brush since you can’t clean it and it will harden. I just buy a bundle of cheap brushes to use for this. Usually this keeps the fray check within the boundary of the seamline. Easily hidden if things don’t go well.
I just started a dress for my Ann Estelle Sophie. The pattern is from Dollspart.com but is designed by Jo Flitton. It is the most unusual design of a pattern I’ve ever seen and I’m anxious to try it out. There is a long sleeve and short sleeve version and both are done as part of the bodice as opposed to a “set in” sleeve. For the puff of the sleeve you gather a section of the one piece and then sew it to the rest of the bodice and when you match the “front” to the “back” portion and do the seam it makes the top of the dress. The pattern also includes an attached slip like Jo used to do on all the dresses for the dolls she sewed for. If I’m correct in my assumption and my eyes have not deceived me this should be an easy dress to make and I would love if more patterns were like this since I’m the worst for managing to catch something in the seam of the cap of my sleeve and have to pull out the stitches and start over, especially when sewing for smaller dolls.
It looks like we sent our current storm on to Louisiana and I’m hoping it fizzles quickly and does not cause them a lot of problems. It was about this time when Katrina hit in 2005. But that was a Cat. 4 that actually did little damage until the horrible flooding. I remember someone reporting on the storm standing in the middle of the street in New Orleans amazed at how little damage the storm did and then looking down at his feet and asking, “Where is all this water coming from?” We were soon to find out. Praying for the safety of all in Francine’s path.
Thanks for the pattern info. It’s a cute pattern. 🙂
So sorry for the oops with the fray block. Hope it didn’t harm the pattern piece. The sweater is very cute. I vote for the aqua background, the other just seems like too much pink right now.
I’ve seen pictures of a Mae with brown eyes and hair, also very sweet. Can you change your Mae’s eyes too?
Dear Jeanne, I love the color of the top! I love the fabric with which you will pair it. I think the outfit will be lovely.
You really did get a ton of items. I am sure that the lady was happy to pass along the items to someone who would appreciate them and use them.
I sent you a message about some upcoming events.