Hi everyone and a Happy Belated Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! It was 11:00 Saturday evening as I was laying in bed, when it dawned on me, I should have made at least a simple post to wish all the Mother’s a very Happy Mother’s Day. Sorry! I hope your weekend was nice, even it you aren’t a mother! I wore my “fixed and patched” April Cornell dress and got quite a few compliments on it! Win Win for me! I did forget to get a picture of me in it, but I will the next time I wear it.
Sylvia, I hope the outing for your daughter’s birthday was a big hit… I hope your limo ride was a blast. You’ll have to tell us about it.
I’ve got to get to bed, but I wanted to show you something I’ve been working on.
I wanted to try making the Dianna Effner 13″ Little Darlings a swimsuit. I tried one of my Ruby Red Swimsuits on Lian and thought I could figure out how to adjust it in my head… maybe even just shorten the midsection and it might work. WRONG!!
After my first debacle of a swimsuit, I thought maybe I better make a mold of her body, so I used saran wrap and wrapped around the body of Lian. It stuck to itself, so I took some blue painters tape and covered the areas where the swimsuit would go. It looked like this.
I pressed it as flat as I could to get a pretty good replica of her body…making a few markings after I was done.
Then I cut up the back and under the arms…and pressed it flat.
It’s not a flat surface on the body because of her curves, but you just do the best you can… flattening it out.
Then I folded it in half and tried to make a copy of the swimsuit. The problem is, the Little Darlings aren’t symmetrical. They have one shoulder that slopes more than the other one and one hip is a little different too.
You can see from the pattern I cut out for Lian, just how different her body is from the VERY symmetrical Ruby Red Fashion friend dolls.
Lian’s pattern was curved to go over her sloping shoulders…
Here is the pattern cut out of a swimsuit I had…
Not a great look…I didn’t finish any edges on this one… just getting an idea if I was even in the ballpark at getting it right…
My answer was a resounding NO!
So I tweaked my pattern a little bit and tried again with Try #2
Still NO! So I tried tweaking my pattern again for Try #3
By now I was really noticing just how crooked (if you will), the Little Darlings bodies are.
Here is the 4th try…
It was better, but too long in the crotch which caused it to bunch up in the front… and the back shoulders were rippled…
So… I have decided to move on from this. Oh, NO! Jeanne’s a quitter! Summer will be over before I ever get one swimsuit to work for me. I did look up to see if there were any swimsuits for the Little Darlings and I saw one lady who had a pattern for them, but she did her back differently from mine. She had the straps go around the back of the neck and faster with Velcro…(it looked like to me). I know it’s the pattern that Barbara used when she made some swimsuits for her Little Darlings because right below the pattern was a nice review Barbara left for her.
I think I’m just going to keep making dresses for the Little Darlings, as I’m not fond of their body when it’s not covered up. It’s the same with the American Girl dolls… in a swimsuit, I think they look sort of strange, unless it’s a Victorian swimsuit where it’s more like a dress.
Sorry it you wanted me to make swimsuits for the Little Darlings… I just wasn’t enjoying myself as I was sewing them.
I will see you tomrrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Well, Jeanne, one certainly can’t accuse you of not trying! Four tries is about enough, I would say.
Part of the problem is, as you say, the asymmetry of the LD bodies. Part, too, I think, is that swimsuits are always made with what is called negative ease–that is, the swimsuit (unless made of some non-stretchy fabric) is always made smaller than the physical body it is going onto. Thus, it stretches to fit the body, including any lumps and bumps that might be there!
One thought I had, in thinking about all this, is to do th e swimsuit sort of like it was strapless, but then add either a halter strap or two thin straps to go over the shoulders. It might help eliminate some of the fitting issues with the asy mmetrical body. Just a thought.
Joy and Linda, I replied to your comments on Friday’s blog, if you want to go and look.
I hope everyone had a nice Mother’s day. I spent some time with my son on Saturday, and then took flowers to my mom’s grave. The office will be getting a call from me tomorrow because the flowers I put on Ron’s grave on Valentine’s Day were still there!! Very very dead, of course….😠😭
Today was my usual church activities. One of the ladies, Becky, has two youngish granddaughters (preteen), and they decided to make Mother’s Day cards for the ladies in our church! It’s a small congregation, so Becky suggested they make 12, and we ladies each got one plus there were a couple of extras to include with the bulletins we send to shut-ins. One of her granddaughters had come to church with her last Sunday, but we haven’t had a chance to meet the other one yet.
And another lady in our church gave me a plant, which was nice. It’s a few snapdragons in a pot, and I’m hoping I can plant them outside. It’s been ages since I’ve planted snapdragons, and I don’t remember how much of a blooming season they have! (I am a Really Bad gardener….)
What an incredibly sweet, lovely gesture of these two preteen girls. I am so breath taken by this! Absolutely wonderful!
Agree on the suit. What a tricky project.
Snap dragons like water and sun.
You can also put them in a larger pot and set them in a place outside that you visit often so you can have a watering can full and ready to water. I know you are not a gardener. The gesture was very sweet. I hope one of your neighbors can help you keep them thriving.
Thanks, Rosemary. I think I’ll put them on my front stoop; it faces west, and I go out there most days to check the mail!!
As to snapdragons, I had one for years in a pot. It bloomed all summer and then would come back again the next year. I wish that I had been able to keep it alive as I’ve never found another in that color or orangish.
I’m glad to hear that, about your snapdragons coming back for many years. Here’s hoping mine will cooperate, too!! I think I’ll move it outside tomorrow, and later will transplant it to a bigger pot.
Jeanne, maybe swimming suits just aren’t the “thing” for Little Darlings. I think of them as turn of the century girls, always dressed so beautifully in dresses and outfits that a modern girl would not be wearing. If she was wearing a swimsuit, it would be like one that they wore in the early 1900’s, which actually was more of a dress than what you see now. It’s like putting a swim suit on a Felicity doll……just isn’t the right thing to do! Of course, a person can put anything on any doll, but half the fun of dressing dolls, to me at least, is keeping them in their proper timelines.
At first, I thought maybe a two piece swim suit would make it easier to fit, but then you still have those shoulders, that look to be quite uneven. Maybe having a ruffle at the top with elastic would work? The. The bottom part would be skirted? Well, you said you will continue to make dresses for the Little Darlings, and I am on board with that!
I had a quiet Mother’s Day yesterday, but we will be celebrating next Sunday, due to scheduling conflicts here! My daughter will be taking me out for brunch after church, so that will work out perfectly for me. I remember when working, how hard it was to find time for both my mother and mother-in-law, and me too!
I was thinking of Anne this morning because my computer was showing me Lake Tekapo, with what may be lupins in the foreground. Someone who has the same screen but is a better gardener can correct me.
I had never noticed how non symmetrical The LD’s are. It’s been a while since I’ve seen mine, which one of my sisters has because my stiff hands can’t manage the details. Thank heavens for American Girls.
Your pattern-making is amazing, Jeanne. I love seeing how you work out problems.Patience and persistence. Lessons for us all.
Marilyn, Tekapo is famous for the lupins. The original seeds were scattered many years ago and they keep coming back but the problem is they are not native plants and are also invasive and can affect river beds so the dept of Conservation were planning to get rid of them. I think the outcry was too great and they are still there.
Thanks Marilyn,
Patience and Persistence? But what about giving up? Do I still amaze you? I was hoping to maybe get home in time to cut out a dress for the Little Darlings and show just how pretty their little bodies can be when they are covered up, but that’s not going to happen tonight… I’m heading to bed.
Love you, Jeanne
Happy Monday dear Jeanne and all of my best friends here. I hope all of you had a very nice Mother’s Day!
I baked sugar cookies and we ate a lot of them. I did a lot of gardening with not much to show for it. I took apart three old shirts to use the fabric.
I got a really nice card from my estranged daughter. She even called me on Friday morning to thank me for the Mother’s day card and told me her four kiddos loved the Gooses!
Well, if you are still determined…. I would go with a version like underwear bottoms and perhaps just a ruffled top with ties. Now, the clothes that she comes with, or items sold by the manufacturer, are they constructed with these measurements in mind? I wonder why the dolls are not symmetrical. Yes, ok honestly none of us humans are, I understand that.
It is rather the same with AG dolls and their stuffed torsos shoulders and hips. I understand the frustration, and you really went above and beyond, I do that sometimes too. – Determination.
My sewing has been off and on this past week. Upstairs in this new house gets warm (insufficient A/C), I have been working on random things, patching knees on pants, finding ticks!!!! attempting to make tiny bags and not on fire for that. I cleaned up the garage a little, worked outside in my tiny yard, and cleaned up my back screened in porch (lots of pollen, and leaves).
Yesterday we had video chat with my grand girls living in Richmond, Sarah is 10 and Lauren is going to be 8 next week, and actually Sarah is going to be 11 next month! They grow so fast!
What are your plans for this week? Any big ones?
Maybe I will tidy my sewing space upstairs, I feel like buying a bunch of bags of dirt and nourishing our lumpy lawn. No rush really.
I have to be at the old house on Thursday to meet the Blue Ridge Charity truck for the large items. Then at some point, we need a junk pick up for the last items not fit for human ownership.
We were really fortunate to have such a beautiful week-end weather wise. Hubbs and I just relaxed for most of it. OH this week we need to bring daddy’s trust spreadsheets and paper work to the accountant. Making that spread sheet made my brains explode. It is like doing something you really hate😣
Enjoy the days now before the big hot arrives.
Oh, Rosemary, I’m so glad you heard from Elizabeth–both a card and a phone call!! That is wonderful news. Prayers continue.
When I saw the first pic, it immediately reminded me of a wetsuit. So, I thought maybe Lian, was going swimming with the sharks. I’ve never really noticed the differences on the LD’s. Looks like a lot. Regardless, I think I would prefer a different style of swimsuit for the LD’s, as others have mentioned. I would like to see a two piece. Bottom with ruffles in the back and a cute bandeau top that buttons in the back and has simple straps that maybe tie around the neck. Definitely, made of cotton and not the stretchy stuff. Something in that line would be adorable on an LD, in my opinion. 🙂
Lots of traffic on our drive yesterday, but it was great seeing everyone and lunch was delicious. I had my favorite chicken chimichanga with guacamole and sour cream. Then, delicious cake for dessert back at daughter’s home. Son in laws mother had a fun dessert idea and brought along some thin cookies that she spread with creamed cheese and topped with lemon curd. It was like eating a lemon meringue pie in miniature form. Absolutely delicious and she brought a jar of the lemon and package of cookies for us to take home and try. Fun. I only had little packages with tiny pots and pollinator wildflower seeds to grow at home for them. We did have fun. And I finally picked up my Ginny doll wardrobes that are currently parked in the living room until I can find a place elsewhere for them. It is good to have them home once again after their four year visit with the grands.
Seeing the problems with the fit of the swimsuits made me wonder why the same problems don’t show up for dress fittings? As Charlotte referred to strapless that made me think about a ruching tube kinda top to a swimsuit panty and and whatever strap or ties or button loops. Sorta an elongated tube top on a panty? Just curios thinking going wild. Lol
Jeanne, you really tried and I guess that is why were don’t see swim suites being sold for LD dolls. The ones you see are more like little cotton beach suites that look like just playing in the sand. I would stick to the sweet dresses!
I had a lovely Mother’s Day with my son. He took us out to eat in a great place I selected on the water. It was crowded in side, as I figured it would be, so we sat out side. It less noise there and the breeze was just right. The food was fabulous, fresh fried shrimp from local waters, and more. He will be here helping around the house and also doing his work on the computer until he leaves on Saturday. We will see him again with my younger son and a family reunion in Florida.
Yay, I just found out that Jeanne’s Mae Day outfit is in the mail box! I can’t wait to put it on her. I will send a photo when i can.
Oh, so glad that you were the winner. Looking forward to pics. 🙂
Good afternoon, Sofa Sisters. Hope everyone had a lovely Mother’s Day weekend. More on mine in a minute.
I had a lot of trouble finding a swimsuit pattern for my LDs that I could actually make without tearing my hair out. Then I found the pattern Jeanne mentioned with the halter-like top. I can’t wear that kind of swimsuit myself because it stresses my neck but I figured the LD girls were young enough that didn’t matter. But if anyone decided to look closely at those swimsuits they would not find perfection. And the tushy ruffles were done by hand after much frustration trying to sew them on by machine. I found the swimsuits I made for my L’il Dreamers using a Magalie pattern for a bodysuit and decorative elastic on the edges were far easier to do and they are all pretty perfect. Plus the girls look sooooo cute in them. I know because they are still wearing them as it was right after I made them that things started happening around here and my creative muse went on a much too long hiatus.
But speaking of difficult things I have to say that yesterday was a wonderful day. It was a year ago on Mother’s Day my daughter-in-law had her meltdown and it lasted most of the past year. But she has been going to trauma therapy for things that happened in her childhood and yesterday she looked at my son with adoring eyes once again rather than the scathing glare she has been for a while. It was answered prayer for sure but I’m still praying this continues. They are so good together and getting short shrift most of her life mainly from family she needs someone like my son who didn’t surprise me that he would stick things out as he has but I’m so glad things are pretty much back to normal for him. They are talking about renewing their marriage vows at some point. Also she is back to sitting with him in church. She opted for taking over a children’s class several months ago so she wouldn’t’ have to sit with her family during church but it was starting to wear on her. She didn’t want to quit leaving the church without someone but her friend who manages those things saw what was happening and suggested she step down. It was good for many reasons.
I was disappointed in myself yesterday. We went to a wonderful seafood restaurant. I love, love, love seafood but just didn’t seem to have much of an appetite. But other than that it was a great day. Jason and Stephanie gave me cards. Jason’s was one of those huge cards and it was so cute. Stephanie’s card was really pretty. They also gave me a bouquet of pretty flowers and she baked me some red velvet cupcakes. Sean, Dionne and the grandkids gave me several sewing-related items. One was the Ten Commandments of my sewing room which were funny but right on. Everyone knows they do not touch my sewing scissors ever. Another was a cute tea towel that said “I sew because sticking pins in people is frowned upon” and then they gave me a box of straight pins. Does my family know me or what. I actually needed the pins because I’ve noticed mine are getting pretty dull since I haven’t bought any new ones in years.
The guys are back out of town again this week. They might be able to come home permanently again one day if it would stop raining on the job. Grrr!
Wow, sounds like a wonderful Mother’s Day for you. Nice gifts too! 🙂
Oh, Barbara, I’m so glad your daughter-in-law is doing so very much better. Prayers are being answered, for sure!! That made it all the better a day for you, I know.
4 tries are about 2 more than I would have had the patience for, Jeanne. The body shape of the Little Darlings seems very odd, my cynical self wonders if it was deliberate so you would have to buy clothes from them and not make them yourself!
Mother’s Day for me was sort of hit and miss. Sam made me a card months ago and had a present then forgot it was Mother’s Day. I got the gift Sunday night and the card yesterday morning! Darren came around in the morning with a nice card and a bottle of wine forgetting that I would be at church and I think Russell was hung over, he did send a text and then came around after work yesterday with a present. He bought two strawberry pots. I had one of those before, it didn’t work for me so if anyone has any tips I would be very interested. (I didn’t tell him of course!).
I have a Dr’s appointment this morning at 9.15. The pain in my leg is really bad, it is much worse at night and wakes me up a lot. I am due my flu shot and a Covid shot so might see if I can get them at the same time. The shots are free for over 65 here. Coffee this morning and I also have a foot clinic this afternoon so a busy day today.
Have a lovely day everyone
As to the strawberry pot, the one I had wasn’t much of a success either, until I planted some cactus in it which did very well. I think pansies would look lovely in it too.
As to the Little Darlings, years ago when Diana Effner was still alive, there were wait lists of years to get a doll in some cases. They mostly came with just underwear and a wig I think. I don’t remember them including an outfit unless it was a convention doll maybe. The big sale was a beautiful LD painted by Effner or one of her special artists. Now, Magalie has been sewing lovely outfits for the dolls she paints. And lots of others also make outfits. I don’t know if they change patterns to accommodate the disproportions or not? The LD’s were not marketed like the RReds are now. I’m wondering if the L’il Dreamers, have symmetry? I’ll have to look at one of mine. Now, they do come with an outfit in most cases. 🙂