Hi everyone,
Busy, Busy, Busy… I think that’s my middle name lately. However, each day I wake up and carry on and get new things accomplished… so I guess things are okay. BUT… my hubby’s sister lost her hubby and we’re not entirely sure what will be happening next week so I hurried up and finished the “dress for the pink hat!” and actually got it listed on Ebay this evening. It fits the 13″ Little Darlings and is being modeled by Emmie…my Lana Dobbs girl. I waited 3 years and 3 months to get this sweet thing. I’m calling this set “Easter Charm” because I didn’t have any time to stew over a name… and that worked. It is a bare bones outfit… the dress, the decorated straw hat and a little pink bear… oh… and the candy!
I used a new pattern and wasn’t familiar with it, so I’d change a few things the next time I make it. The piping was too thick in the back of the neck, so I opted to leave the facing just open and sew my snaps where they were supposed to go. It looks a little funny when you first look at the insides, but when it’s snapped together, you’d never know it was like that. I had no idea my fabric would appear to disappear when I took my pictures. There ARE tiny pink flowers on the fabric, but they were hard to capture. Maybe you can see them in a few pictures.
The hat was easy to finish… just make it pretty with paper roses! *wink* *wink*
Emmie had me digging in several boxes where I have toys and this is what she wanted… a pink miniature bear she’s calling Petunia…
Here are a few pictures and then the link to Ebay…
You can click the picture at the right side bar or you can click HERE.
OKAY…now it’s Charlotte’s turn to show you her Easter dresses she made for her dolls. (I’m sorry to have cut into your dolly pictures, but I had to get my doll dress listed before the end of the week and then let everyone know it was up for sale.)
This is from Charlotte…
Dear Jeanne,
As promised, here are the pictures of my Little Darlings ready for Easter Sunday! I had challenged myself to use the same pattern for all seven dresses, but to embellish each one differently. Then I had the idea to crochet Easter baskets for them. As I recall, at the time I took these pictures, I didn’t have all of the baskets done yet, so the ones without baskets got big bunnies to hold!
The first picture shows all seven girls. Back row, L to R: Patty, Delaney, Cora, Heather. Front row, L to R: Maisie, Pearl, and Mariko.
The second picture shows Patty, Delaney, and Heather. Patty’s dress is trimmed with that fancy trim, and I formed a little rosette with a bit of it. The hat is one that came with her when I inherited her from my friend; I thought it looked nice with her dress. Delaney’s dress has ruffled pink lace at the yoke–you can see a bit of it in front of her arm–and a ribbon rose. Heather’s dress has narrow ribbon sewn around the skirt, and a bow of the ribbon at the yoke’s center front. (You might see the bow better if you look at the picture of all seven girls. She insisted on holding the bunny up so everyone could see it!!)
The third picture shows Maisie and Cora, who were my first two Little Darlings. Maisie has rickrack trim on her dress, while Cora’s dress sports daisy chain trim. I also cut apart a few of the daisies and randomly sewed them to the skirt of her dress.
The fourth picture shows Pearl and Mariko. Pearl’s dress was fun–I combined two different trims to come up with what I put down the front of the yoke and around the skirt. Those are tiny mother-of-pearl buttons down the bodice front. For Mariko’s dress, I used white eyelet which was about 3″ wide–used some as is for an apron effect over the skirt, and a narrow section along the bottom of the bodice. A blue bow set it off nicely.
I need to get them dressed up and displayed again; they’ve been pretty quiet lately!
Hope everyone enjoyed the pictures.
Thank you Charlotte,
I’m wondering if you finished each dress individually or did you do some “assembly line sewing” and sewed all the side seams and then all the hems… etc… I bet you used white thread on the whole lot? They are very colorful and sweet looking in that big group! I also noticed they had cute little socks and each girl had on her Sunday Best shoes I think! (Jeanne)
Charlotte
Well, that’s it for today…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, Jeanne, how pretty that new Easter outfit is, and that hat, just adorable! I really do love dresses without too many “frills”, and this certainly fits the bill! The hat is what really makes this outfit so irresistible! I do see the tiny rosebuds, and with the pink piping, it is truly a dress that can be worn for many spring and summer occasions!
Charlotte, what a darling lineup you have created! I especially like Patty and Pearl’s dresses. Both look so sweet, but all the dresses are cute! Each one has a special touch to make it stand out. The baskets are really cute too, and that reminds me that I have one that a friend made for me, that I should use this Easter!
Thank you for sending the pictures to Jeanne, and to Jeanne for showing them!
Jeanne, I completely forgot to say how sorry I am to hear of George’s family member passing away. My deepest sympathy to the family, and prayers for all of you.
Thank you so much, Linda! I really like those trims, too. It was funny, I just had a little bit of that blue trim (Patty’s) left and I started playing with it on the ironing board, and discovered I could make a little rosette of it, and just hand stitch it in place, so that’s what I did! Pearl’s dress’s trim came as a result of playing with different trims and seeing what looked well together.
I’m sorry I didn’t reply to you earlier today; I somehow missed your comment when I was looking thru the blog this morning. I guess I wasn’t really awake yet! 😊
Well, I did my usual Sunday night thing last night and forgot to look at the Monday blog before I went to bed, but I’ve looked now, and did post some comments as well as replied to something Barbara said, if you wish to to go and see what I said. Everything was just lovely!
Jeanne, Emmie’s dress is really pretty. I love that fabric, and it actually show up very well in some of the picture.
Thank you for sharing my pictures. I will try to get to my computer
during the day, and answer any questions, too.
First of all, Jeanne, no, I did each dress individually, as I didn’t know in what ideas I might get for the trims as I went along. Also, yes, I love the ruffled socks! Got those from Deb’s Adorables sometime ago, except for the pair that Pearl has on, which were original to her outfit (by Magalie), so I just kept them.
Thank you Charlotte! I figured you did your usual Sunday night “thing”!
Yes, Ruthie’s dress is a beautiful brocade, and the picture I sent doesn’t do it justice, since the bodice is trimmed with pearls and sequins on a lace overly that really doesn’t show up . Actually, that outfit belongs to my granddaughter, and I gave it to her when she made her First Communion. I am keeping it here for her. (More for me, I think!). She is 22 now and has no need for it, but Grandma does!
Thank you, Linda. Yes, I think some details really need to be seen in person to be fully appreciated! I can see why you’re the willing custodian of that dress–it’s lovely!!
I love using the same pattern with different embellishments. It’s amazing how different one pattern can look. If you hadn’t mentioned it was the same pattern I’m not sure I would have noticed. All the dresses are lovely. Where did you get Heather’s bunny? He’s adorable. You did a beautiful job on the baskets. I have a pattern for small baskets that I haven’t used yet. You’ve given me incentive to get the pattern out and make some Easter baskets. It would be a good way to use up some of my yarn scraps.
Thank you, Barbara. It was a really fun challenge for me, and I wasn’t trying to rush (unlike sometimes when I sew!), so I could just relax and enjoy it.
Heather’s bunny came with an Easter swap in which I participated a 10 years ago. The dress was a print of blues, yellow and green, so the bunny went quite well with that.
If you were wondering, my baskets are made of Knit-Cro-Sheen crochet thread, which, sadly, is not being made any more. I have a LOT of colors because for a while I was using it to crochet handles on kitchen terry towels, and needed to match the colors in the prints! My late mother-in-law made them by the bushel full, and taught me how to make them, too.
Charlotte what weight is the yarn you used? I need to look through my stash and see if I have any of the Cro-Sheen. It sounds so familiar. I used to crochet a lot but have not so much recently so I don’t know what yarns I do have but I know there’s a lot.
Barbara, it’s not yarn, it’s crochet thread. Knit-Cro-Sheen was made for years and years and years, a little too coarse to be fine doily but not so coarse as to be bulky.
I did a little research and it’s size 10 or “bedspread weight”. Apparently it’s still being made, but I don’t see it in stores around here. The internet has lots of places to buy it, though! Just search for “Knit-Cro-Sheen”. As I recall, I used about a size 2 hook for crocheting the baskets. Not super fine, but not real chunky, either. Hope that helps.
Dear Charlotte, oh my goodness, your girls are adorable in their dresses. I remember seeing some of them previously. They look like they are ready for an Easter egg hunt!
Little Miss Charlotte Noelle, your namesake, is here waving at her cousins. I told her that this is not on the Zoom screen and they can’t see her, but she said, “Mama they can see me because I can see them.” Honestly, that girl (smile).
Thank you, Dorothy. Yes, I think you may have seen them before, either on this blog or on our previous Little Darlings group. We did have fun with swaps and such at that time!
Tell Charlotte Noelle that the girls are waving back at her, too!!
Dear Jeanne, first, I am sorry for the loss in your family. I am sure that you are all feeling very sad.
The Easter surprise dress is so pretty. I bet some Little Darling is wishing for a special outfit for Easter and will be happy to receive this pretty ensemble.
Your Easter dress is wonderful., Jeanne! Love the piping! The changes you made in the pattern are so creative. Sorry to hear about George’s brother-in-law.
Charlotte, your dolls are dressed so beautifully. You are certainly one of the most accomplished seamstresses among the Sofa Sisters. One wouldn’t think they were all made using the same pattern because the details and trims give them such individuality. Beautifully done. Thanks for sharing them.
Thank you so much, Susette. Every now and then I do like to challenge myself! “Usually” it turns out pretty well! And I have been sewing for over 65 years now, and really enjoy it; the two combined help me to hone my skills.
Sorry to hear of a death in the family. Don’t worry about us if you can’t do a post. We’ll be here awaiting your return.
Love the latest Easter outfit. So beautifully sewn. I like the sleeves. Looks like two pieces? Anyway, it’s a definite winner and some LD will be thrilled. 🙂
Charlotte’s troop of girls are adorable in their Easter finery. What a great idea to use the same pattern but in different ways. I can’t even pick a favorite as each has it’s own merits. The special animals and baskets are a perfect addition. So sweet. Thanks Charlotte and Jeanne for sharing.
Been trying to get out and fill a can a day with weeds. Pretty muddy still, but a tiny glimmer of accomplishment. That quarter acre keeps getting bigger and bigger. Ugh
Thank you, Joy; I’m glad you liked my dresses. I’ve used that pattern for many different dresses thru the last 15 years or so; it’s one that comes with some variations, such as sleeves, plus it’s a pretty basic style, so it kind of sets the old creative juices flowing!
Oh my, I am so sad and sorry for your sister in law. Crushing news. She will need a lot of support. I will keep her in my prayers, Jeanne.
Your pink Easter dress is adorable. do you make your own piping? bc that is some pretty tiny piping! I love the dress and the ebay pictures are fantastic. What an adorable sweet outfit
Charlotte, all of your dresses are incredibly cute. I love this style with the empire waist.
Your dollies look so happy and completely thrilled to be together showing off their baskets and stuffies. I do love each dress and the care you made to each with different laces and the trims. I am gushing, they are so cute!
Thank you Jeanne for sharing Charlotte’s girls, and thank you Charlotte.
Packing and moving chores are so annoying. Yesterday I did some caulking all over the house in various places. then painted over, mostly the interior windows.
I greatly dislike packing and can’t really cope with the mess now. So that is making me a bit crabby. We do have sun shine today, so that might lift my spirits.
Miles, my 15 year old red mackerel tabby cornish rex kitty boy is doing poorly, he is eating a little. He has a good heart and kidneys but he is anemic from some intestinal thing. Anyway, we take it day by day.
I’ve never been fond of moving and thankfully haven’t had to do it for 35 years now. I’m told I will have one more move. I’m not looking forward to that at all even though it would be to a climate I would enjoy more. It’s all about the packing.
Thank you so much, Rosemary. I’m glad you enjoyed the pictures.
I don’t envy you the packing. I have lived in this house for over 50 years now, and looking down an increasingly shorter tunnel to when I might want to get somewhere smaller and more convenient for me. I’m not the most organized person in the world (WAY down the list!), so it will be a challenge to go thru everything, but I’m trying to get a little start anyway.
I’m sorry your kitty isn’t doing well. It’s hard to watch our beloved pets decline, no matter how old they are.
Sorry to hear that your kitty isn’t well. Thinking of you. It’s so hard.
A wonderful group of photos again day! Isn’t it fun to see photos for the sofa as well as those from Jeanne.
Jeanne, your lovely pink outfit is really, “In the Pink”. I know you feel like you left too much behind because of time, but it is perfect for Easter and LD’s. I love the piping and the hat as well. I love that you showed the back, I always thought you had snaps all the way down the open backs you made, now that I see only one snap on the skirt, I will try it. I am so sorry for George’s sister’s loss. Whatever happens for you and George, don’t worry about us on the blog.
Charlotte, I love everything about your sweet outfits and baskets. All the different trims and the dress colors. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much, Sissy; I’m glad you liked the dresses and things!
I’m so sorry to hear about George’s brother-in-law. I will keep the family in my prayers. And don’t worry about us. We’ll hang out on the sofa. It’s a comfy sofa so no problem.
The LD Easter dress and hat are perfection. I have no problem with simple and basic.
The fabric is lovely and the hat is so perfect with the dress. I’m pretty sure I have this pattern so I will keep in mind what you said about the piping. Someone asked whether you did your own piping. I have done my own piping at times but my quilting/smocking shop has mini piping for children’s (and doll) clothes. I think I’ve bought it in every color. I love piping.
I discovered something this morning. They must have “stealth” concrete trucks. I say this because since concrete pours are nearly always done early in the morning, I was prepared by hubby yesterday to have my sleep interrupted this morning when they came to pour the slab for our new storage building since it would be right outside my bedroom window. Well they came and went and I hadn’t a clue. I actually thought they’d cancelled the pour until I looked out the window and it was finished. I am so looking forward to having this building completed so we can get the boxes out of the garage and be able to put the car back in.
The Chorale had our Spring concert Sunday afternoon. The day before the concert a front arrived, and my voice departed. I could not even speak Saturday evening. Not good news. But I went to choir practice before church Sunday morning and my voice was coming back. I did well during church but by the time for the concert to begin at 4 p.m. I and my voice were exhausted. Aside from the voice problem, I realized I am no longer the spring chicken I was when I started doing this back around 1998. In order to continue doing this I’m going to have to make some changes. We have two concerts a year and, unless it’s a dinner concert, all are on Sunday afternoon. I’ve come to the conclusion I’m going to have to attend church online those days because physically being at church early for choir practice and then attending church afterward was draining my energy, especially since church is about 45 minutes away and by the time I eat lunch after, I don’t have much turnaround time when I get home. I also realized I’m going to have to take a nap in the afternoon on the days I have rehearsal that evening. I’m determined to do this as long as I can whatever it takes because I love it and so does our community.
Ah, yes, Barbara, the energy thing. It does change as we get older, and we can no longer do what seemed so easy for so long. I’m glad you have figured out a solution; I hope it works out well for you.
As to voice, I can hardly sing at all any more. For the last 3-4 years at least, I’ve been having trouble with my voice. I’ve never had what I would call a solo-quality voice, but I read music and I can carry a tune. My parents were both singers (as were several aunts and uncles), but once you get “old”, that doesn’t mean anything! Some days I can sing a little; other days I open my mouth and, quite literally, nothing comes out! I seem to do better singing in the car than I do at church! So I guess it’s a good thing I’m playing the piano for church, because then I don’t really Have to sing (and, with some of those hymns, it’s enough to just be able to Play them!!) but I can still be part of the music.
When I was about 65 (I’m 78 now) I noticed I was having trouble singing so I hired a voice coach. I told her I used to be a first soprano but didn’t think I was any longer but whatever I was I wanted to do it well. After she worked with me a couple weeks she told me I was still a first but had developed note intimidation because my body was not working the way it used to. She taught me some techniques that helped me out and for several years I was doing well. Now it’s more an energy thing and singing does require energy, especially when we do so many pieces that require a lot of discipline. It’s easier to sing loud than it is to sing soft and we do a lot of music that requires soft. I would love to work some more with my former teacher but that ship has sailed due to the cost so I’m on my own now. But I do notice a decided difference in my ability when I’m rested. You are truly blessed to be able to play music so you can express your love of music that way. I have a piano but I think waited too long to learn how to play. I wanted lessons when I was growing up but we never had the money for lessons let alone a piano. The piano we have now was my mother-in-law’s and her mother’s before her but we’ve had it for years. I never thought to learn to play and Andrea played for a while and then went toward speech and drama. Sean was never interested in learning to play. I love music so I started singing whenever and wherever I could but whenever I can no longer do that it will be difficult for me.
I’m only a year older than you are, Barbara.
It seems that having a voice coach was helpful. I would love to hear about some of those techniques! You can FB message me if you wish to share.
I’ve had speech therapy, trying to work on my voice, but I didn’t think it helped any at all, and of course now I’m older, it’s worse!
I tried searching for “note intimidation” and couldn’t find anything about it! It’s rare to find absolutely nothing of what you are searching!
I’m so very sorry to hear of George’s sister’s hubby passing. Prayers for your family.
How lovely your Little Darlings look, Charlotte. I love Heather with her sweet smile and also Maisie. The dresses and baskets are all so pretty.
Emmie looks very sweet, Jeanne. I see the dress has tulip sleeves. Those are a beautiful style.
Thank you so much Laura. Both those girls hold special places in my heart–Maisie because she was the first one I ordered, and Heather because she is in memory of a dear little baby I once knew, back in the 70s. She’d been born with three heart defects (her parents were members of our church) and had her first surgery when she was about a day old. She was the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen–curly auburn hair, big blue eyes, skin like porcelain, and very tiny (born about a month early, I think). She lived to be almost 3 years old, which was I think longer than they anticipated, and died at home, in her parents’ loving arms. For years and years I held off naming a doll Heather, but when I saw this face mold, I thought maybe I’d found my Heather–what she might have looked like as an 8-year-old. I gave my Heather a different middle name (Melissa–the baby Heather was Heather Marie), though.
I am so late but I have to comment on Linda’s girls in white first. Felicity’s gown is just stunning. I love the use of your lace head covering (mantilla?) to cover Felicity’s head. Did you make that beautiful gown and the dresses worn by the other AG girls? The other almost white dresses also fit the theme. I love to match the outfits to fit a theme. I have dressed Kit in Samantha’s summer nautical dress for spring.
Charlotte you know I have a fancy for Little Darling dresses so your photos today were a treat. Very clever to have a base pattern and change up the look. I love each and every one but the last two, your dark hair beauties are my favorites.
Jeanne, I am happy to see a Little Darling outfit from you this week. That is a very sweet Easter dress in one of my favorite colors. When it comes to LD dresses, every color is my favorite.
Going for a walk to enjoy this beautiful spring day. Our flowering trees and shrubs did not lose many blossoms in the rain.
Thank you, Debbie for the compliments! No, I did not make any of those dresses, however, I did add trim to Molly’s dress, which really can’t be seen very well in this picture, but all the others had quite enough on them be worn as they were.
Thank you so much, Debbie! I did have fun making those dresses.
Those last two girls are kind of special. Pearl was the last one I ordered, and she is the only one with a “beauty mark” or mole. I especially requested one.
And Mariko was painted by Dianna Effner herself (as was Maisie)!! I got Mariko on the secondary market. She probably could use a new wig, but if I softly brush her hair, it doesn’t look too bad, I don’t think.