Hi everyone,
Thanks for all your kind comments about Emmie in her overalls and hat! I was hoping since I listed it on Ebay before getting “final approval” from all of you, that you’d all like it! Thank goodness you did.
Today I found the perfect “sweet treat” to go with it… It was about the only thing in the candy aisle that was sort of rust colored. I wanted to find blue and rust, but didn’t see anything like that. I think these will do fine!
So, THIS is what the winner will be getting… I wish I could change my picture in the listing in include it, but I might mess it up if I tried.
Linda asked today if the 14″ Betsy McCall dolls or the Wellie Wishers might fit into this set as well…. well, Linda, because you asked,
and Joy sent me this picture today…of several of the dolls nude and side by side, I decided to give it a try and see…
(just for your information, the dolls are L-R…Wellie Wisher, Paola Reina las Amigas, Mini Maru Tanya, Little Darling,14″ Betsy McCall)
Betsy tried it on first and YAY… it fit her…
My Betsy’s wig is SUPER THICK, so the hat had to be squished down a bit, but it still fit… and the overalls snapped together perfectly in the back. Betsy is a little taller than the Little Darlings, but it still looks nice on her.
Now for the Wellie Wisher… nope… it didn’t work for her. Her body is quite chunky and I could have maybe forced it to go on, but I didn’t want to tear anything. The hat was a total flop on Ashlyn.
I took the blouse off Ashlyn and just tried on the overalls… they actually did fit, but seemed a bit tight in the crotch. I don’t think she’d be able to sit down…
Ok… now for my sewing dilemma.
When I downloaded that pattern for the rust/pumpkin overalls I made for Ten Ping last week, I used a Blythe pattern and modified it a little bit to make it fit a little better. I was thrilled that I could enlarge it and make a few modifications and use it for Emmie’s blue denim overalls too.
There are some really sweet things for Blythe on Etsy and I found another pattern I wanted to give a try. It was a jacket this time and I just loved the cut of it… Here are 3 pictures of it… because it’s not clear. I think it was taken from a magazine and it’s a bit grainy. Anyway, this is what I wanted to make… The pattern was only $1.50, so it wasn’t expensive to take a chance.
Now the pattern instructions are in Japanese with just a few words in English telling you about the cutting on the fold, darts, etc
I didn’t think would be a problem because I have a Japanese friend who I hoped could translate it for me if I needed help.
The only directions, were numbers correlating to what needed to be done…it looked like this…I’m pretty good at looking at a picture and seeing how it’s put together… (well, I THOUGHT I was…)
So I jumped right in, picked a scrap of fabric and got this far… I just put one sleeve in to see how it was going to fit.
When it got to the part about the collar, I was stumped… there were only 2 pieces… and I racked my brain out turning the pieces every which way I could…
Did they go this way?
or this way?
or maybe this way?
I KNEW this piece had to go like this…
I finally gave in and copied the directions to take a copy to Sayaka and see what she came up with. Maybe the directions in English could help me out…
This is what it looked like in Japanese…
…and this is how Sayaka translated it for me.
It basically just says sew the collar on and attach the lining in the back of the neck area…
It does say to fold one piece… It had to be this one…
I tried everything, so I took a chance and messaged the girl in Japan, through Etsy. She got back with me the next morning and said, to translate the directions… I told her I already had… she said to follow the directions for the collar… I asked her how the pieces went together…which pieces got sewn together? Then she told me she actually hadn’t sewn this jacket before, and was sorry she couldn’t help, and would I like a free pattern to compensate for not being able to finish the jacket. UGH! Not what I was wanting to hear…
So I’m back with those tiny little pieces, looking at the diagrams and trying to figure out how they go together….and have decided I’ll ask everyone on here, and if no one can figure it out either, I’m just going to draft a couple of collar pieces the way I’d put that collar together. There has to be a way to get it to work. Anyone up to the challenge? :o)
So for now, Ten Ping has a one sleeved jacket with no collar and no signs of it being completed any time soon.
Oh well… in this case, the old saying is true… “You get what you pay for”
Thanks for listening to my rant…
I’ll see you Monday,
Blessings, Jeanne
Oh, I like that sweet treat! I’ve only seen the round Ferrero Roche’ candies, and they are delicious. These would be easier to eat, though; I will have to look out for them
That is quite a little jacket there, and Quite a challenge to figure. out how the collar goes on. Worth it, though! You might try cutting the pieces out of paper towel, and try different ways to put them together and find one that works. You might take pictures along the way, too–it helps to see what is happening, and to record it so you can use the photographs to jot down the step-by-step instructions for next time. If you do figure it out, I hope you’ll share!
That picture of the various dolls really gives me an excellent look at their differences, Jeanne! I have both Betsy, and a Wellie, plus a similar sized Ruby Red doll, which is not in the picture, and yes, while they are all about the same height, their bodies are different in their limb sizes. Betsy and my Ruby Red are slimmer than my Wellie, especially in the shoulder area, so some things cannot be worn by both. You just have to try them on. Thank you for showing the differences and I must say, Betsy looks adorable in that outfit!
Well, I would just give up on that collar when it comes to following instructions, and would just do it my own way! I would think that a person who sells a pattern would have actually made the pattern, but what do I know?
Jeanne, it looks like to me that those pieces are separate from the large collar. It looks like they are lower and it shows two pieces, the large collar and the 2 pieces sticking out below it, but what do I know, just what it looks like to me.
I would just look like it does on the pattern and cut some pieces that make sense to you. Have fun playing with it.
We are off to the pool, have a great weekend, Y’all.
Dear Jeanne, first you are very brave to sew in a different language (smile).
Second, I know that you can figure this out. You always do. Set it aside for a little while and it will come to you. The non-sewer who is one of your cheerleaders says “Go Jeanne go! You can do this!”
Okee dokee.
First, the pieces. I think the small piece fits just as you are holding it in the last picture. it is that added collar feature that sticks out. and the flat edge just as you are holding it. Give it a try with some “junky fabric” (I also use old bed sheets) See if it goes together. It looks very “fiddly” but I believe that is the way it goes. the small bit of fabric is placed correctly to fit on the right side (from my view) of the collar. Give it a try!!!!
Nice find for the candy, Jeanne.
I like seeing the dolls all lined up (a “line up” of adorable criminals” so many body shapes.
Happy Friday everyone. Hubby wakes me up at 8. I was glad to wake up because I was having an annoying dream! haha
Today I am going to sew all day and squeeze in a few chores here and there.
It is beautiful outside, I should go for a bike ride or a walk, but sewing is more important heehee.
Hubbs and I will probably rake at the old house this week-end
I hope all of you are feeling good and have a nice week-end.
How fun seeing the outfit on Betsy McCall. She looks great wearing it. 🙂
Now, that pattern was a kick to see. Got me awake trying to figure it out. I’m sure you will be able to finish with the nice instruction translation. I did have to laugh at step number 8 though. Temporarily attach the god to the front of the body! Maybe that is the answer? I always have looked at Blythe patterns, and now I know why I haven’t gone further. Too difficult for me.
Managed to haul all of the rails back out from underneath the deck overhead structure and to the saw horses. Painted the last side with a first coat and the others a second. So, they are almost ready to cut to size when we get back to that. Still have one decking piece to replace, but it has been prepainted as well. Then, stair railings. Way too many railings around here that take forever to paint. But, it looks like it will be clear and sunny for a few days, so back to work. Of course, we do have tons of little green things popping up everywhere. A touch of rain and here those weeds come again. Ugh
I agree with Sissy that the little pieces are separate lapels and don’t attach to – or extend the large collar but are sewn to the jacket front at the angled or diagonal section of the front (above the buttons).The original pattern shows it as a different fabric and doesn’t attach to the main collar. This is as I see it. Just another point of view, lol.
Have a great weekend all.
I noticed my Betsy taking a close look at the outfit on the Betsy model. She hasn’t said anything yet but I’m sure she will. The sweet treat is a great idea. I’ve never seen one of these before.
I agree with Sissy and Dorothy L, The smaller piece is the lapel and the larger the collar so if you lay them out with the idea of joining it as a lapel, I think it might make some sense. The instruction translated said “label” when I think it means “lapel”.
I once had a friend who didn’t sew much but was making a shirt for her son for a class play. She could not understand how to fold the bottom of the shirt sleeve to make the vent in order to add the cuff. She brought it to me. She had ironed the folds so I just laid the shirt sleeve out on the table and the ironed folds just fell into place. It was hilarious. She acted like I had performed some miraculous feat, but I told her she had done the work but was so frustrated she gave up too soon. She is my son’s Godmother and I always enjoyed my time with her whatever the reason.
I buy a lot of patterns from Les Cherise de Vaniline and they are in French. and the translation is not the best. I wouldn’t suggest anyone without a lot of experience buy them because I have to use all my previous experience to know where they are going sometimes and they are not the best at answering questions. I also buy patterns from a Ukrainian lady. I love her patterns but you have to go to videos for the instructions and she’s speaking Russian. I turn off the sounds and just watch the video. They are done well, but once again prior experience is the key.
The dilemma with the collar/lapel reminds me of my experience with “translating” pictures from Zillow to my Home Architect program. Rarely if ever is there a floor plan included so I have to wing it by looking at the pictures and sometimes knowing the outside dimensions of the house. Sometimes it takes two or three pictures from different perspectives to figure out the actual placement of the rooms. It’s a great mental exercise but probably not everyone’s idea of a fun thing to do.
Hi everyone! I just wanted to share with you about an app or site that my daughter uses on her cell phone to translate another language into English. My daughter loves to assemble those mini-house or apt. kits that are usually from China and the instructions booklets are ALL in Chinese! She holds her phone over the instruction booklet area and the Chinese is translated into English. I will ask her what the name of the app is or how she found it so I can share it. Those instruction booklets have numerous photos showing how to assemble parts and pieces, but sometimes you just need to be able to read the written instructions.
I would love that since I do buy things from China from time to time.
Hi Jeanne and Sofa Sisters!
Daughter explained how to use the Google translate on my cell phone!
1. If you don’t already have the Google App on your phone, then go to Google App store and set up a Google (Chrome) account so you can access Google-Translate.
2. Click on the Chrome app icon on your phone and type in the search bar: translate to English. Where it says to enter the text (to be translated), click on the little square icon with a dot in the center, that is located next to a microphone icon in the lower right-hand corner (of that text field). Clicking on the square icon will switch you over to your phone’s camera.
3. Hold your camera phone over the paper printed with the different language and in about 2 seconds, it translates to English, word for word.
I tried this on your post where you had photographed the Japanese instructions and they were translated to English right away! Until my daughter had told me about this feature, I did not know our phones had this capability! I told my daughter….this feels like a “Mission Impossible” task and so into the “future”!!
Feeling like an elder…but willing to learn new tricks!!