HI everyone,
I appreciate all your kind words and will let you know when I’m coherent that things went well! How’s that for planning ahead?
I received something in the mail and wanted to show you. It’s something I’ve been searching for for quite a while… It has to do with my doll shoes… something for the leather. It’s called a steel rule die and I found one in a 15mm sized flower. I can use them on my shoes. The die comes razor sharp and you put in down on top of your leather and hit it with a mallet and it punches these sweet little flowers out. It’s kind of like a razor sharp cookie cutter. There is no way you can cut these out free hand… and this just takes seconds. I save all my leather scraps and I used up a few trying out my new toy! (I mean “tool!”) :o) I always put Tokonole (leather finisher) on the edges of my cut sides, so there are no little frayed hairs sticking up. I will do that with these flowers when I use them.
I should have put down a dime… these flowers are about that size… maybe a little smaller.
Today it’s SISSY to the rescue!!! She sent me a few pictures of a sweet Valentine’s Day dress she was commissioned to make for someone. The pink dress is made from a Tana Lawn fabric from Liberty of London. These fabrics are wonderful… woven super tight and the thinnest fabric you can probably sew on. Then on top of that already pretty-by-itself, Sissy made one of her “hankie” apron/pinafores. Her Little Darling looks so pretty in this! I’m sure the buyer will be equally delighted!
Thanks so much Sissy! Very nicely sewn!
Well, I’ll see you Monday or let you know as soon as I’m able how my leg procedure went!
Time for bed!
Blessings to all of you, Jeanne
OH, what fun, Jeanne! I can see those flowers decorating purses, satchels, maybe even a backpack! Or shoes for some of the bigger dolls, such as Mae. Just a bead or tiny button for the center would be all you’d need.
Sissy, as always, your dress and pinafore are just darling. I have never been brave enough to cut into a hankie and use it for doll clothes; I collect printed hankies (have maybe 80-85, possibly more) and I actually do use them. They are great for cleaning glasses, or drying tears. Don’t worry, I use tissue for my nose, but hankies for other purposes!
Barbara, your comment about your husband and how things have happened that could have been So much more serious, and I think he was cut from the same mold Ron was. There were several times in his life that he could have died, but was protected. On the ship, on the way home from Korea, it was hot and a lot of the Marines were sleeping out on the deck. Apparently the ship hit a rogue wave, and Ron woke up to find himself wrapped around the post for the railing! If he had been a little to the left or right, he could have gone overboard. And when he was still working as a natural gas customer service person, a fire inspector (I think it was) and he were outside a house and suddenly they noticed the grass flattening, so they raced up the embankment–and avoided being hit by a natural gas fire/explosion! And of course in 2008, following back surgery, he ended up back in the hospital with FIVE blood clots in his lungs! I had noticed his legs were swollen and we swung by his GP’s office, and they said, go to the ER, they’ll advise you. I hate to think what would have happened if we had waited….
Jeanne, you know you’ll be in my prayers tomorrow, too, as you go thru your procedure.
Thank you for the kind words about my doll’s outfit, Charlotte. I love making things with hankies. I even made a valance out of them for our bed room curtains. I had several that were monogrammed that belonged to my mom and grandmother that started the idea. I put theirs in the center and added many more with flowers, some said “mother” on them. They hang together with the points hanging down.
that is a beautiful idea Sissy, and a lovely way to remember for your mom.
Charlotte, your stories about Ron are very shocking. Wow. Frightening memories – carried in the hands of God.
Those stories about Ron’s near misses were scary. No question he had guardian angels. There was actually another time on a job where David went down an embankment on his bulldozer. He told all his guys not to tell me what happened but Jason accidentally let it slip. It was several months after so it was apparent he was fine, but it made me wonder what else I didn’t know about. Another time when we were moving to a new house and David was remodeling the closets in the kid’s rooms., I got a call at work from our new neighbor saying David was painting closets and was acting funny. I left work and found him painting in a closet without a mask. He knew better but thought he’d “only be a minute”. It was long enough for him to get really spacey and when our neighbor (who was a nurse) tried to get him to put on a mask he wouldn’t. That’s when she called me. I at least got him out of the closet and outside but she didn’t want to do anything physically. My work was close or she would have called 911. I don’t remember why she even came over but thankfully she did. His guardian angels at work again. These days our two boys work with him so I don’t worry as much as I used to when he worked alone. But I still pray for his safety – a lot.
Bonjour. J’espère que votre opération c’est bien passée;maintenant,prenez le temps de vous reposer.Ce qui est bien avec les poupées,c’est qu’elles peuvent attendre quelques jours ,sans manger et sans pleurer !!! Belle journée pour vous toutes.
Had to laugh Georgina. You are so right about the dolls not eating or crying. 🙂
David always says he’s thankful his dolly daughters don’t eat. He says it costs enough to keep them in clothes and shoes. It they ate we couldn’t afford so many of them. As for crying, well I’ve heard a lot of that when it takes me too long to finish an outfit they just must have.
How nice that you have that wonderful tool to make decorating shoes, and other leather accessories easier to do, Jeanne! I can see many fanciful show cutouts now in your creations!
Oh Sissy, what a completely adorable little outfit you have created! I LOVE aprons, and doubly so when they are vintage hankies! You did a wonderful job and those sweet puffed sleeves are perfect! Did you also make a petticoat to go underneath, because the dress stands out so well! Seeing your doll and dress is a wonderful way to end the week!
Jeanne, thinking and praying for you today!💕🙏🏻
Thank you so much, Linda. I had just finished the dress last week and am almost finished with another. I thought Jeanne might need something for the blog today. The vintage Swiss embroidered hankies are hard to find and more expensive now, my stash is getting very small. There is no petticoat underneath. I finish the bottom of the skirt with the lace that comes on those cards you can buy in notions, and then hand sew the hem. That helps the skirts flare out, but not as well as Jeanne’s lovely petticoats.
Yesterday, up here in the mountains on our vacation, we had a fun day. After I made eggs Benedict for breakfast, ( my hubs favorite) we went to the indoor pool for our aerobics workout. The pool is heated and makes the room warm enough but the area of the bath rooms is FREEZING! We brought our bathroom heater from home and but in one of the rooms to warm it up when we are ready to get dressed.
Later in the day we went to Dahlonega, a town about 30 miles away, for dinner. The town was a gold rush town way back in 1828, before the one in CA. It is very quaint and has fun shops, etc. After dinner we had to hit the Chocolate Shop and bring home a small box full. This morning we will have breakfast at the German restaurant. I am sure we will bring some of the wonderful things from their bakery! I will have to diet when we get home. If any of you are every in the north GA area you must go to the little town of Helen where we stay. It was rebuilt as an Alpine village years ago. It has even been in one of the Hallmark movies. You can look it up.
Jeanne, you just keep on with your great ideas about your shoe making . Soon you will need some little mice to help you like the Cobbler in the old story! I can’t wait to see how you add the flowers. You have been and are in my prayers today.
Never thought of using my mice as workers like in Cinderella. Every time it gets cold we go on mouse alert and sure enough we found evidence in my pantry. One year they got ahead of us and they are very destructive as well as messy. They got in one of my drawers where I keep patterns and tore up a lot of my pattern envelopes. They also got in a beautiful afghan that someone made for David years ago and destroyed it. It is impossible to repair.
I add two hours to the time here to think where Jeanne must be in the process today. Of course waiting is a big part of the day too. I’m sure she’ll be back to using the great new flower die to make the darling shoes, boots and purses soon. What a great skill to master!
Sissy, your dresses with the pinafores and puffy sleeves are beautifully designed and seen. Thanks for sharing them with us.
Thank you for your kind words, Susette. This was the first time I tried making those sleeves like that. I had bands on them and they just looked so flat. As you know you have to allow enough room for the doll’s hands to get through and then the sleeve band are too loose for the arms and they just hang down. I took off the most of each band, zigzaged the edge and made a small track for a 1/8″ elastic. I am sure I will continue to do this, the client loved it.
Jeanne, you have my prayers for a swift comfortable recovery.
Your new die is exceptional. All of these leather flowers are so cute!
Sissy, thank you for sharing your vacation with us. Now I do want to go to that spa!!
I will put it on my list. Your dress is absolutely beautiful. I love the fabrics, I love liberty fabrics, they are so light and easy to sew with excellent results. This dress is adorable especially with the hanky apron. Do you make shoes too? or do you have an outsourced shoe provider 🙂 Either case, the dress and the sweet dolly poses are precious!
Happy Friday everyone. I hope all of you have a lovely week-end – and Jeanne, full rest and recovery for you
Thank you so much, Rosemary, for loving my outfit. I did make shoes at one time. I made them out of real Ultrasuede in many colors, but after awhile there were so many people from other countries who were having them made or making them from real leather I just had to quit making mine. It was fun while it lasted. I don’t sell the shoes I buy with the dresses, those are easy to find on ebay, Deb’s Adorables.
Love Deb’s Adorables. I was checking out the site just yesterday and was delighted to see her stock has greatly improved. For years I could find any shoe in any color for any doll at Deb’s but recently there have been few choices. It looks like things are getting back to normal for her.
I’ll be waiting to hear any news from Jeanne. Can’t wait to hear the good news. 🙂 Hope she gets some rest and has some food coming from her friends. That is always so helpful.
That punch makes such cute little flowers. I would like to see one by a dime as she mentioned. And how they look on a purse or the front of a little shoe.
Sissy’s latest is adorable. Those amazing handkerchiefs add so much to an outfit. I’d love to see the valance she made too. Such a great idea. All the restaurants and food mentioned she and husband are enjoying sound incredibly delicious. Yum
My latest RRFF Ady, is in HK awaiting a flight, so won’t arrive here until Monday. I was hoping that she might arrive today, but Monday, is fine. 🙂
Have a great weekend everyone and keep warm.
Thank you, Joy. I will send a photo of the valances when I get home. I hope your other person will be out of sight when you new doll comes!
I’d love to see the valance too. Such a wonderful idea.
Busy morning here so I’m running late. Hopefully your surgery is long over, Jeanne, and you are home recovering.
That little flower die is so cute and will be great to embellish many things.
Oh, Sissy, that little dress and pinafore is just darling. Vintage hankies are so pretty and this is a perfect way to enjoy them even more. I’m sure your buyer will be thrilled.
Hi everyone!
Well, I made it! We are on the way home!
I’ll tell more later… just wanted to thank everyone for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers!
Love you, Jeanne
Wonderful, Jeanne! Now yu get some rest and let George take care of you, for once! 😊
You, not yu!
So glad you are home, Jeanne. Praying for a quick heal, and hope it wasn’t too bad. I will send more photos in case you need them on Monday.
Thanks so much for keeping us informed on your progress, Jeanne. Very glad the surgery is over and hoping that you are resting and watching a good old movie. 🙂
That’s wonderful, Jeanne. I’m with Joy, that you should watch a good old movie.
Great news! Please rest comfortably. We will be hanging out on the sofa waiting to hear more but take your time. It’s a comfy sofa.
Such good news, Jeanne! Thanks for letting us know.
Prayers continue for complete healing!
Super news, and nothing heals like being home.
Prayers here for a great outcome for Jeanne’s surgery. I love the flower die and know the flowers will adorn many shoes in the future. Hopefully I will manage to acquire at least a pair of them.
Sissy the outfits you make are always adorable. I have sewn with Tana Lawn fabric and it is wonderful to use. I’ve only made clothes for my dolls using it but have also bought some pieces for me. I haven’t made them up yet because I want whatever I make to be the perfect use for this wonderful fabric and I haven’t decided what that is just yet. Maybe something for Easter this year.
Oh, yes, Barbara, do make something for yourself out of that tana lawn. It’s not only a dream to sew with, but very comfortable to wear. Last year I made a blouse out of tana lawn, and entered it in the fair. It not only got a blue ribbon, but also class AND division winner rosettes!!! I was thrilled.
So glad you’re home. Take it easy Love ❤️🥰
Good to hear your surgery is behind you and hope they gave your some nice comforting drug to make you relax and get some sleep! Best way to heal! Hope you had a good night!
Jeanne….Love the little flowers from using your new die! I wouldn’t want to cut those by hand from thin leather…next to impossible! Although I will say that my daughter has started the hobby of assembling those tiny room kits from Hobby Lobby and Temu. I have made the Chocolatier Shop Kit from Hobby Lobby and it is incredible how small everything is and the kit has you making EVERYTHING using well-cut wood pieces and little bags of assorted supplies, with step-by-step photo instructions and templates. There was a piece of gold foil paper that you cut into little squares and rolled each into little balls for foil-wrapped chocolates that you glue inside of a 1 inch heart shaped candy box, which you also construct! My daughter just finished a Bookstore shop kit she received for Christmas and is working on her 8th “room house” which looks like a modern open apt. floor plan. On a previously made kit which was a Japanese style, 2-story open house, she was required to make a cherry-blossom tree for the courtyard…..using wire and brown air-dry clay to create the tree and then add the leaves individually. The cherry blossoms were assembled INDIVIDUALLY, petal by petal and added to the tree! The entire tree is maybe 3 1/2 inches tall…and it looks so realistic in the corner of the courtyard! Daughter and I work at opposite ends of the dining room table when assembling these tiny kits….I am working on my 2nd kit, a Christmas gift, and will need to recruit my daughter for some of it! It is a 2-story coffee shop decorated for the Holiday and you make everything from the coffee cups, plants, coffee machines, tables & chairs, stairs, the piano, and of course these kits come with wiring for the tiny lights. My problem with this one (a Temu gift) is the instructions are printed only in Chinese and tons of photos in the instruction booklet. My daughter can visualize the assembly of parts from the photos better than I can and she is a whiz at understanding how to wire for lights, using the photo instructions. I will say….she and I have had a lot of laughs when working on these assemblies at the same table. And heaven help you find the piece you might drop on the floor while working! (I like to work on the miniature kit when I need a break from sewing on doll outfits and accessories…which don’t seem so small at all anymore!)
Sissy….your doll dress with pinafore is adorable! Those puffy sleeves are wonderful and what a great use of the hankie for the pinafore. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see little girls dressed up like this even if only for a holiday? I remember a small children’s clothing shop from years ago, back in Indiana, called “Buttons and Bows” and they carried some very sweet dresses for little girls. (makes me want to make a small shop like that in miniature now!) I am disappointed nowadays when walking thru children’s departments in stores like Kohl’s, Target, Walmart, etc. and see the simplistic designs with minimal trims, and nothing extraordinary about them. Macy’s has some fancier designs, but for the most part, girls today just don’t dress up as they did years ago.