WOW… there was so much chatting on the blog yesterday! (yes, it’s already after midnight here and I’m just now writing this…) It was interesting to hear all about English Paper Piecing and see who had tried it before. I’ve made maybe 6 or 7 quilts but nothing really fancy… just quilts.
Our day was super busy… my hubby had a dentist appointment so while he was gone, I started housecleaning. We were supposed to have company in the afternoon. I vacuumed, dusted, did dishes, shook the rugs, and lots more… but that’s enough of that. Then when he came home he had brought some jello for me to make for him. His colonoscopy is Thursday and he wanted to have jello on hand for Wednesday because he has to have all liquid foods. I got it made, and finished up on some other things… Then our company came… she brought George his favorite that she makes… beans and rice… Japanese style. She had never seen our house so we gave her the nickle tour and we got stuck in my sewing room. She knew I sewed for dolls, but when she saw the whole set up with the naked dolls and the leather shoes and what I was working on at the time, she had a million questions. It was fun for me and I “think” she enjoyed it too. She stayed I think about 3 hours. We visited and then she was off to “Sylvia’s” house, (my friend from Singapore) who is the fabulous cook I show things she’s made from time to time.
After Sayaka left, we grabbed a bite to eat (I had leftover salmon and my poor hubby had scrambled eggs and rice.) He’s eating light because of his colonoscopy. While we were still eating, we called Rebecca and Karn… They had called last night and the night before, but we were busy both nights and couldn’t talk. So we HAD to talk to her tonight. We did… for an hour… so it was almost 9:00 before my “day” actually was my own. I’ll show you what I’ve been up to, but first up… how about another “belated” St. Patrick’s Day doll dress from Susette. I told her it was okay… that we’d call this St. Patrick’s Week, and green doll dresses were always welcome! :o)
This is what Susette said…
Here’s Sassy Sage in a dress by Kukymoda with a slip by Jeanne underneath for St. Patrick’s Day for ladies who don’t follow on Facebook. She’s not as sad as she looks as she’s standing amidst the purple shamrocks 🍀🍀🍀!
Susette said these 2 dresses were made a while back… One on Molly and one on Samantha.
They are so cute and I remember when she made them! You get an A+ too on your sewing!
Okay, so I WANTED to have more done before I showed you these, but I have nothing else to share, so I’ll go ahead and show them. I have been on a kick for about 2 weeks (maybe) of using every spare moment I have to make…
… doll hats!
I think that little one I made for Bailey and then that BIG one I made for Mae and then the last natural colored one with the 2 different bands for the Ruby Reds got me in the mood for hats. So I surveyed my supplies and just jumped in with both feet. I recently found a new size of doll hat mold on Ebay and decided to go for it. It said it fit a 5 1/2″ to a 6″ doll head. I was hoping it would fit Mini Bailey and then also hoping it might fit Ten Ping. Well, it did and (I think) I showed those pictures to you already.
Anyway, I have made a few more and wanted to share them with you… Here are 8″ Ten Ping and 6″ Bailey modeling them in their panties… It was almost midnight when I took these pictures, so the color isn’t great. I’m going to have to work on that part… But they are SO “delicious looking”… almost like a decorated Petit Fours. :o)
This is a natural colored straw and a very light blue…
This is a peach and brown colored straw…
Here are 2 Easter bonnets I have started… a pale lavender and a very light aqua blue…
I only managed to get 3 of them decorated after the day settled down for me…
Here is Bailey in a very sweet mint green hat…
Here are Ten Ping and Bailey in the baby pink and a sort of cornflower blue hat…
Here are the 3 decorated hats from different angles…
…and a couple of closer shots…
…and here is a shot of them all…
I have gone back and forth about how I’m going to sell them…
~ sell them just by themselves
~ sell them with an 1/8th yard of a matching piece of fabric so the winner can make their own dress
~ sell them with another item… like a purse or a necklace or a slip
The problem is… the hats fit BOTH Ten Ping and Bailey and maybe some other dolls like the Ginny dolls, so I can’t make a simple dress out of a fabric, because if I made it for Ten Ping, someone might want the hat for their 6″ Twinkle doll and I would have used up the fabric for the wrong doll.
I won’t have time to make dresses for all the hats, so I was just going to sell them by themselves… I talked to Kristoffer AND Rebecca tonight and they both said to just sell the hats as an accessory to go with a dress the winner will already have.
I’ll use your comments in my final decision too…so go ahead and tell me your thoughts. I have been wanting to do this for 3 years and have a fun way of displaying them and even wrote a jingle to go with them when I do list them.
So, that’s what I’ve been up to in my “very few” spare minutes I’ve had lately.
I’ll see you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jolis chapeaux . Domage qu’ils ne puissent pas venir en France ,mes poupées aimeraient sûrement..! Amitiés pour vous toutes. Georgina.
Wow, you Did have a busy day, Jeanne! Hope all goes well with George’s colonoscopy.
Susette, your dolls are lovely. I remember seeing Sage on FB, and thought what an interesting dress she has on. Crocheted? Looks like lovely yarns in it. I think it really suits her.
I don’t remember seeing the picture of Molly and Samantha in their dresses, though. Very nice! And Molly’s shoes look like the shoes worn by Irish dancers, so I think she might be getting ready to perform for us!
The hats are such fun, Jeanne! I really love that lavender bonnet, but of course Gigi thinks she would rather have PINK!! That girl!! 😂
Rosemary mentioned having “a few other machines :::cough cough::: ” I hear you, Rosemary, and so do I! My primary machine is a 1999 Viking #1+, and I absolutely love it. But I do have a back-up….or two….or three….
I’m taking a short break from English Paper Piecing, as the end of my middle finger on my right hand has a small split in the skin again. It’s my “thimble finger”, and of course I’m right-handed. I had that happen a month ago and it healed up pretty fast, but I think I overdid the pushing with it, and then with my hands in water numerous times today (dishes, bathroom cleaning, hand-washing a wool sweater), it just broke open. I will bandage it with some antibiotic ointment before I go to bed (which will be in a few minutes), so it can have several hours to hopefully heal!
Oh Jeanne, what perfectly adorable hats!I love them all! I wonder how big they actually are, since I have neither of those dolls. Can any other dolls wear them? You gave dime signs, but I am not sure what that means. I am sure they are not for 18 in dolls!
Susette, your dolls look perfectly charming in their Irish dresses! What a great seamstress you are! That Kukymoda dress looks wonderful with that Jeanne Marie slip underneath! What beautiful shades of green it has , and Sage looks lovely with the lavender flowers in the background! Thank you for sending those to Jeanne!
Aren’t we sofa sisters and our families keeping the doctors and dentists busy? I too, have a dentist appointment today! What would they do without us?😊
And here is your post. Strange how things work.
I too would love to know the interior diameter of the hats. They may fit a lot of other dolls.
Hope your dentist visit went well.
Linda, I had my wellness check last Thursday and my dental cleaning is at 2 today! Yes, we are keeping the medical offices busy!!
Those hats are the best I have ever seen in the handmade category. Sadly I don’t own any dolls in that size. LD, RRFF, AG, that is my size but they will make some collectors very happy.
I would love to have just one sewing machine again. And storage for all the necessities.
The knit dress suits Sassy Sage. I do love Molly and Samantha in their green.
The last leg of our trip is today. We got an early start so hopefully we will beat the snowbirds, half backs, and spring breakers on I 95.
A very long trip. Glad you are able to keep up with the group.
Drive safe.
Thank you!
I have a really peppy Singer 237, some bobbins and the inset nice oak table. Come and get it Debbie.
I know you will be happy to get home, Debbie. I will be sending you an email soon.
If you go to a Joan’s store they are have good sales, many you could get a Machine at a low price!!
Oh, Jeanne, Easter is here in your house! Those darling hats are the sweetest! They should sell like hot cakes, as they say. Maybe you could save a couple for dresses you make though. I love them all but the two lavender and pale aqua with the different shapes are my favorites. I love how they shape the face of the dolls. What fun you have had with your hats! I can’t wait to see what you do with them.
Wishes for a successful Colonoscopy for George.
I am sending you another photo, this time showing my attempt of making a small quilt.
I am looking forward to seeing your small quilt.
Attempts are always good
ugh, dentist and then colonoscopy in one week. Well, I like to get the medical adventures accomplished in chunks too. Good luck to George – I mostly mean the suffering involved, but, yes, the result as well.
Sewing rooms can be an eye full. Did I tell you the last time my sister was here (January I think) to sign and process papers for my dad’s estate, she slowly went through my sewing room and asked me very sharply (I think) “Are you a hoarder?”
Of course I said yes. haha
Susette, Sage does not look sad to me, but she does look very serious. I love that knit dress, wow, excellent knitting, and quite ruffly and pretty with the different knitting and colors., I adore her shoes and purse too!
Molly and Samantha look festive as always, I love those traditional dresses, you made them? wow, just perfect. (nice stairs and carpet too) I love Sam’s socks and necklace and hat too. Molly’s tights are perfect looking and that sweet crown on her head. That is really cute.
Jeanne, I love these hats! goodness, you could have been a hat maker and shoe cobbler in the days of olden. I love the bonnets. All of them are sweet.
Your ideas are good ones! offering fabric with each hat is okay, or how about over summer just put together (each hat for inspiration) a simple outfit with shoes, and try your hand at different purse ideas. You can put one up every week.
I think, Each hat is begging for a story.
Good luck with this day everyone. I was grumpy all day yesterday and did not pack much.
As I said yesterday, I will pack two… or one box today. I just remembered, I have Lupus pick up next Monday, and the living room is full of boxes for that. so I could focus on that project too. hmmm, at present I am sitting indian style on my bench at the table with a tiny kitty Princess on my lap. My left foot is numb….
I hope all of you have sunshine and happiness today.
I did write earlier this morning, and when I I entered it, they said my comment is waiting moderation, whatever that means. Hopefully it will snow up sooner or later, hopefully sooner!
Linda, I’ve had that happen too. When that happens, it is usually because I have already pushed the send button or whatever it is called. The wait time is sometimes very long for me. So, I push the button again and get that awaiting moderation. If possible, I would highlight copy what you have written before sending. Then, if it doesn’t go through after you have gone to another page/mail etc. come back to Jeanne’s page and try again with pasting your prior comment again. Sometimes, after leaving the page, when I come back, my comment has printed. Have no idea why this happens. But, sometimes not so if I haven’t saved my comment, it’s start over time.
Charlotte, I know it must be so frustrating when you have a sour finger, especially when you want to sew. It has happened to me to many times. I slice my fingers either when using a knife in the kitchen or my sewing scissors! I hope it heals quickly!
Thank you, Sissy. Earlier today it was really throbbing, then for a while it didn’t bother me at all, and now it seems to be wanting to throb again (although not like earlier), so maybe it’s healing! But I’ve learned to give it time, and not push it, or it will just take forever.
I get these splits every now and then, usually in the winter when my skin is drier anyway, and almost always in the same exact spot!
Susette, your little St. Pat’s girls are just adorable, each one so different and perfect for the occasion. My favorite is Molly’s coat, so lovely.
Thank you for sharing.
Loved seeing Susette’s Sassy Sage in Kukymoda. Her knits are so special. Molly and Samantha look perfectly attired as well. Thanks Jeanne and Susette for sharing. I so like to see any and all dolly outfits. 🙂
Jumping right into the fray, all I can say is “Wow!” Jeanne’s Boutique is back in business. The hats are lovely. They remind me of little specially designed spring cupcakes. So yummy. The photos are so fun. I would buy one in a flash in the style of the two in lavender and aqua if, they were in a size for the Ruby Reds. Probably, would like a neutral color like the natural straw. Maybe Jeanne will be making some of those? Looking again, I do like the special hat bows made with what netting? Really gives them a designer look. I think Jeanne needs some tiny hat stands to show off the great designs. These are definitely works of art and remind me so much of the horsehair little hats from my 50’s Ginny doll days. 🙂 As to sales, I would like to see some sold individually, but others with a simple little spring dress to match. It would be a finished outfit for someone to purchase as a set. 🙂
Now, I’m heading back to see what everyone else thinks. Thanks Jeanne for sharing your latest creations. So fun.
Thanks to everyone for your kind and thoughtful comments on my doll dresses I love seeing your pictures too. The green dress was my birthday present to me! Kukymoda included a darling little blouse as a birthday gift!
I found an interesting post while researching the names of the RRFF dolls. I entered “RRFF doll names” in Search and a Jeanne Marie post from November 30, 2021 popped up! It includes information about Sally’s collection and I thought maybe followers who’ve joined since then might want to look it up. I hadn’t remembered seeing it but obviously had because my Comment is right there. It appeared before I started collecting RRFF dolls. You can find it in the Search box on this website. She shared sources for RRFF dolls, wigs and accessories. Thanks again, Sally and Jeanne and Sofa Sisters! 🥰
How could I forget to mention how WONDERFUL the hats are? They really do look like little cupcakes all decorated for Easter 🐣! And the plain ones for the beach. I’ll be checking my dolls’ wardrobes for matchups. Go, Jeanne! 🥰💐
Beautiful hats, Jeanne! Just beautiful! Do you mind me asking – where do you get the straw? I would really like to try my hand at millinery 🙂
HI Inna,
You can get the paglina straw at PNB doll company. There are some place in the UK and Switzerland that sell the straw but they don’t sell the hat molds. PNB also sells the hat molds for the various doll sizes… they also sell kits where you buy the hat mold, the straw and the glue…
Hope that helps…
Blessings, Jeanne
Love the St. Patrick’s Day outfits on Susette’s dolls. I really love the dress on Molly but all of them are special. My Sassy Sage is still in the outfit that came with her. I love the skirt and jacket so much I thought she could wear it for Easter. But I’ll ask her if that’s okay. She might want something other than boots on her feet though.
I have four mini RRFF dolls that would love those hats. Jamie and Jodie would love the bonnet type but I’d probably have to buy two different colors. So I’m thinking that selling the hats by themselves or maybe with a purse or even a little slip would be fine since that would work for all the dolls you mentioned. I’m okay with making a dress to with them. It might be a good jumping off point for me.
Well I’m off to the chiropractor. Haven’t been for awhile. It’s quite a drive and really eats into my day but I think I’ve put it off too long. I got my tax information to my tax guy so I’m trying to catch up on other things like a haircut, eye exam and maybe a massage. I also promised my granddaughter to take her to Hot Topic at the mall. I’m hoping for next Friday – with lunch at The Cheesecake Factory.
Still working on my sewing room. I like the way it’s coming along. It’s amazing what a difference the new, smaller table makes. It’s the same width as the former table but 6 inches less deep. Even though everything else is still in there as before the room just feels bigger.
It sounds like you are getting close to photo time of your new and improved sewing space. I’d love to see it. 🙂
When you mentioned the mini RRFF dolls, I’m wondering if they would have the same head size as the little Effner little ones. Is it Lil Dreamer? or maybe they would be too small? If I could find my measuring tape, I might try to size all of the different doll’s heads that might fit the cute little hats. Now I’m wondering about the interior circumference of the hats. More to ponder.
Joy the L’il Dreamer’s are 11″ so I think the hats would be too small for them but the hats will fit the RRFF mini dolls because they are Ten Ping with a different head. I think I will take some pictures of my room when I’m finished. Maybe Jeanne can post them sometime between sewing projects.
Joy, if you can’t find your measuring tape, use a strip of paper or a piece of ribbon (non-stretch) and wrap it around the doll’s head; mark where it overlaps, then lay it out flat against a ruler.
I can’t image not being able to find a measuring tape–I have them all over my house!! Including one in my coat pocket or purse at all times!!
Running very late. Stressful vet appointment this morning after a week of waiting for an ultrasound appointment opening , but praise God all is well and I can finally relax.
How pretty your dolls look, Susette. I love seeing Kukymoda’s dresses on FB. The dress on Molly is gorgeous and Samantha looks so sweet.
Love the hats, Jeanne, especially the bonnets. No dolls in that size here either, just PC/AG and RRFF girls. Two doll sizes are more than enough for me.
So glad that the ultrasound turned out well. Very stressful I’m sure.