Hi everyone,
Today, it’s Joy’s turn to share something about her dolls… I have forgotten the name of her first blonde doll… Chloe? I’m sure she can tell us, but the other blonde one is new and she’s a real beauty too!
Go ahead Joy…
This is a pic I took of one of the outfits I made for the Sew Along this year. I couldn’t get into the theme as it was embroidery, and I had no transfer paper and couldn’t go to Joann’s to get anything to work with. A lot used their machines to do the work, but I don’t know how to do that. Oh bother. Anyway, I ended up with this and did embroidery the sleeve bottoms by hand. You don’t have to use these unless you’re desperate. 🙂 (I’m NOT desperate, Joy, but I planned to use them and I LOVE that Battenburg lace at the bottom of her dress!) :o)
The other pic is of the tights that came with one of my latest, RR Abigail. Awhile back, I tried to explain how I made tights that didn’t have a seam coming up the back of the leg. They fit so much better when they are on the leg inside instead. These tights are the same. I didn’t make them. The fabric is thin regular tights fabric, but seamed in the front and back. When you put them on, the foot goes to the toe, but the seam gravitates to the inside and comes out and up about the middle of the foot and then up the inside of the leg. It makes it very smooth when putting on a shoe as the seam isn’t at the back of the heel. You also barely notice the seam as it in on the leg inside. (Joy, I think I have some that were for Patsy Tonner that were made like that. I might have to give it a try… but I generally make thigh highs and don’t have to worry about the waist and crotch seams.)
It’s a nice 83 here so will be heading out to do some more yard work as soon as the sun is behind the trees. And, I was so happy that Charlotte won the Dazzle outfit.
Keep cool.
Joy
This is Abigail and a lamb named Miyoni, that I bought for her. She’s a little dressy for herding sheep though. Joy
Here is a picture I found of Abigail on one of the doll forums. She’s owned by a Russian lady. I thought this picture showed “up close” just how really beautiful Abigail is. If I had seen “this” picture, I may have been in deep trouble!
Well, let me just add a couple pictures of my own… my Dinner Plate Hibiscus is blooming… and the flowers are really and truly the size of our plates… It’s not the greatest picture of them as my hubby was watering the garden and the hose is all over the sidewalk. Oh well, if you look closely, you’ll see the grass is super long too. We have been having rain showers almost every day. They don’t last long, but they come and the grass grows!!!
Well, that’s it for today…
I’ll see you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Jeanne Your hibiscus is lovely what a great name for it.
Joy Abigail is really lovely, such a beautiful, serene face. I love the outfit you made. You really should try to find out how to use your embroidery machine it seems a shame to have the option.
I commented yesterday that NZ has no ticks. Actually we have almost nothing that sets out to kill or harm us. No snakes, or any other animals except for a couple of spiders. The native one is very shy (Katipo) and most Kiwis have probably never seen one, the other one is a hitchhiker from across the ditch (whitetail) which seems to have settled very well unfortunately. They don’t kill you though. Our bio-security is extremely strict and mostly works well.
Sissy, I was shocked to realise that you are having to sell stuff to help with your health care. I guess we (in NZ and in UK) take our taxpayer funded health care for granted.
Still intrigued to know what Jeanne is making. 5 spools of thread is a lot.
See you tomorrow
You are right about the embroidery machine. I just don’t seem to have the time to play with it to figure it out. Maybe in my old age. 🙂 I am 76 so far.
Forgot to thank you for the kind compliments on Abigail. 🙂
Joy, that dress you made is just lovely How ever did you find battenburg lace to match your fabric? Or did you hand dye i, perhaps? It’s just perfect. I love the contrast of the cumberbund and the sleeve embroidery.
Your Abigail is just beautiful. I’m not sure how I missed her when they first announced she was coming out!
Jeanne, your hibiscus are lovely as always.
We are all wondering what you are working on!!
Thanks Charlotte. Lace was something I picked up at Walmart. Wish they had battenburg lace there. 🙂
Joy, you did a wonderful job on your Sew Along project! It is so elegant in its simplicity. And that lace! It certainly “makes” the dress! I almost didn’t see the subtle tone on tone print until I saw the close up! Kudos to you on adding the embroidery by hand, you did a beautiful job. Thanks for showing us!
Abigail looks so pretty in her outfit! At first I thought you made that too! She looks very similar to the first doll you showed, but I do see the difference in her complexion, and her hairstyle. Yes, she IS a bit overdressed for herding sheep, but hey, she is just a doll! Miyoni is the perfect little lamb for her!
Your hibiscus is beautiful, Jeanne! Your picture of the yard looks like a scene at the Mo. Botanical Garden! They too, have hoses out in various places, because, well, they do need to water! Oh my yes, the grass just keeps growing! We cut the front and back on different days, and by the time we get the back cut, the front needs it again!
It is never ending!
For those mentioning ticks, during my teen years, we lived on a plot of ground that had 400 acres, with woods, creeks and glades, and yes, we had ticks! We always had to wear long pants, shoes and socks to keep them off of us, but our dogs sure got into them and I spent many times pulling them out. Here in the suburbs we don’t run into many, if any, since we don’t have woods, but they are certainly here.
The ticks I mentioned that came in the logs one of our neighbors brought in for their fireplace were seed ticks. It was creepy running our hands over our dog to pet him. He would be covered with them. Dipping was the only answer and we had it professionally done at the vets. We also had the yard treated. We moved not too long after so never knew whether the situation improved.
Thanks Linda on the dress I made for Karina. Abigail is a really nice doll. Glad I ordered her, and I do wish I could sew as nicely as those outfits that Ruby Red produces. 🙂
What eye candy today! Joy, I love that outfit. I like the pale brown color together with that shade of blue on the accents. The battenburg lace tops it off.
And Abigail certainly is a beautiful doll. Such an angelic face.
Jeanne, your hibiscus’ are beautiful as is your yard always is. You and George take such good care of everything.
It’s suppose to get hotter today, hopefully the humidity stays low. I need to keep an eye on the bird baths and keep them full of water.
Something about the heat and fireworks – too hot!
Thank you for the nice comment on Karina’s Dress. I’ll tell Abigail about how angelic she looks. She will blush. 🙂
Good morning dear ones. I have already used up my allotted sweat. I will try to update this afternoon, evening. Thanks for the tick tips too.
Kind of sleepy this morning, but after feeding Callie Cat and the birds, I’m adjusting. I have no idea why I can’t get sharper pics with my phone. Other people use their phones with excellent results. Must be something I’m doing wrong.
Anyway, my girl wearing the sew along dress with minimal embroidery is Karina. The dress lace is something I grabbed off the shelf at Walmart that just happened to match, fairly well, the brownish flowered fabric I also found there. Wish it was nice lace, but it’s some kind of synthetic stuff I think. Abigail’s outfit is so nicely made with great detail. Nothing that I would ever attempt. Ruby Red always seems to come up with new dolls that tempt me. There are quite a few in the works now. The French doll shop has a couple also that should be out maybe by September. So many dolls so little time. 🙂 Thanks for sharing my picture attempts Jeanne.
Jeanne’s Hibiscus are a landmark feature. What a striking photo of them with the now completely repaired fountain in the background. Lovely.
The only thing I did in the yard yesterday was to pull out a few volunteer tomato plants that popped up in the cucumbers and some weeds there as well. I also took off the last raised bed netting. Sure hope Callie Cat doesn’t get into them. It ended up hot yesterday. So, we had to actually turn on the AC. I think today will be the same, so must get out early and walk and do some yard work.
Hard to believe that tomorrow is actually the 4th of July. I think tri tip is on the menu. Keep cool everyone. 🙂
Dear Joy, Karina is adorable. I am imagining the caper you must have engaged in to keep her hidden from Other Person (laugh).
Abigail is so pretty. I couldn’t tell if she was yours or Jeanne’s .
Was she sculpted by Diana Effner?
I agree, how did we get to July 4? I am still standing at the Maypole saying, “what happened to the time?” (laugh)
Abigail is mine. I’m not sure if was a DE sculpt or not. I’d have to look on the sculpts on the site.
And I agree. What happened to May?? 🙂
I forgot to add that Abigail is a Diana Effner mold by Ruby Red. 🙂
The dress you made for Karina is just gorgeous, Joy. The dark khaki print with turquoise is a lovely combination.
Wow, I love the way you make tights. Maybe you could give us all a tutorial as although my PC/AG have plenty my RRFFs could use some. Running the seam to the inside of the leg looks so nice. I know my Anaelle’s tights are like that.
Abigail is very sweet and I love her little lamb you found for her. Thanks so much for sharing your lovely dolls.
Your hibiscus is so pretty, Jeanne.
Laura, I left a comment for you yesterday. Actually I left it today but it was on yesterday’s blog.
Enjoyed reading all of your comments, Barbara. Nowadays. there are even music lessons offered on YouTube.
I definitely understand the cost of private lessons. my daughter was homeschooled K – 12 , so i paid for those violin lessons and my parents helped out as well. Gave up other things to budget that in. I always wanted to play the violin as a child, but with my mom working and my dad in dental school the money wasn’t available. A year of ballet and Girl Scouts was it for me in grade school. I did get to play around on the violin during my summer visits to my grandparents and my grandfather gave me many piano lessons then as well I was able to take a year of piano lessons in high school, but then chose other clubs and activities.
I love that my daughter had that opportunity and also was able to play the violine that belonged to my great, great, great grandfather and that my grandfather also played.
Thanks so much for your kind comment on Karina’s dress. 🙂 I didn’t make these tights, but have made some in the past the same way. They work so nicely with the seam on the inside of the leg. 🙂
lunch time greetings.
Joy, your sweet Abigail is so cute! Now I want one! I love the dress with the Battenburg lace trim in the light brown. That is stunning on her! the color and the blue trim too. I love that dress. Well done.
by the way, I lived in Belgium (on and off in college days, my dad was there with NATO working as an auditor) and that lace is so lovely, I have a lot of it. It is still called Dentelle Renaissance there. My mom got “turned on” to lace and lace making and she learned to make lace. She was incredible.
Abigail looks so sweet in the fancy dress, yes, she is just stepping out to check on her lambies. and then going for tea at the neighbors, right? I love that dress too.
Your hibiscus flowers are beautiful. And they do look happy
We did it ! We moved our beds in record time (one hour 15 min van rental from Homie Depot) this morning at 10AM, and boy did we do some panting and puffing and sweating. Major accomplishment for two 70 year olds.
We are scarfing lunch and I think hubbs is done for the day, but I have a long list of items that I must gather for the actual move for us, shampoo, soaps, shave stuff, hubbs eye drops and AND Princess kitty. I might need to sleep with her tonight in her room. We will try to bring her around dinner time so she has the evening to freak out a little.
I hope all of you have a super happy 4th of July week-end doing fun silly enjoyable activities!!! I will check in tomorrow if I remember my laptop.
I’ll give Abigail your compliment. Tks
That’s amazing that your mother could actually make lace. My grandmother used to do tatting, and I have some of her work. But, no lace makers in our family.
Glad you were able to get those beds moved and within that small rental truck time. Good for you.
Great job Joy! I love Karina’s dress. I love brown and the accent color is perfect. If you lived closer I would be glad to work with you on embroidery. If you don’t have an embroidery machine (which I didn’t for years) you can do free motion embroidery and that’s a lot of fun. I also did hand embroidery for years and some smocking which I really need to get back to. You did a great job on the sleeve embroidery. As for taking pictures, I usually use my camera when I do doll photography. Then I don’t have to take if off my phone. I find an SD card easier. But that’s just me not using my phone for much other than phone calls and texting. Abigail is absolutely lovely. Abigail is one of my favorite names but I don’t think I have a doll named that. Hmm, need to remedy that.
I think I’ll pack up my machine and show up on your doorstep in TX. 🙂 Thanks for the offer.
I’m sure that I could figure out the embroidery part if I took the time to do it. But, there are always so many other things that need my attention.
I too used to use an SD card with my camera, but I’ve seen such great photos from others that just use their phones, I started using it instead. But, the quality isn’t there like on photos I’ve seen by others. There must be a trick.
Thanks for the dress compliments. Pretty plain compared to the dress by Ruby Red that Abigail is wearing, but I do like browns. 🙂
Oops! I hit the post button before I told Jeanne how much I love her huge Hibiscus flowers. I lost my Hibiscus bush a couple years ago during a freeze. It didn’t come back. I really need to plant another one. Your yard is absolutely gorgeous and a wonderful backdrop for picture taking. I have to buy backgrounds to get the effect you have naturally.
😱🫤 Jeanne, I just realized those are YOUR hibiscus flowers.
Oh my… they are gorgeous.
I read through so fast and on to the comments.
Well, it is late now. We are at the new house with Princess and the beds. I am p00ped, completely!!
Princess is meowing and meowing and meowing, for over an hour now…. and now she is quiet… hmmm.
I better go check!
I can’t wait to go to bed.
I really enjoyed reading through all of the comments this evening.
Sure hope that Princess is okay. I’m sure she’ll adjust in a few days. 🙂
Well, Joy, we all really love your outfit, the fabric and trim and your blue additions. I love the little sandals too. Wish I could see them better. Thank you for sharing Abigale, too, her sweet face, outfit and her sheep. really nice.
Jeanne I love those Hibiscus! I had some that kind once in a different house. The ones I have now are pretty colors, but can’t beat yours! My yellow ones didn’t like the winter, but they are showing a lot of leaves finally so I hope they have blooms before winter, LOL!
Looking forward to the big thing you were sewing on!
Barbara, I loved seeing all the sewing you have done. I look at photos of outfits I made years ago and wonder how I did them! I just can’t sew like that anymore.
I guess I should send Jeanne some more photos one of these days.
Rosemary, so glad you got your big move done. I can’t imagine how I would be able to move again, there is so much in this house. I know that if we live long enough we will have to leave it.
Thanks Sissy for the kind words. Kind of funny, but I couldn’t find any shoes around that would work with the dress, but finally found the sandals on another doll. Then, when I did the photo, the darn sandals didn’t even show up. So, they are borrowed which reminds me that I need to return them to their owner. I’m sure Karina, won’t mind going barefoot. 🙂
Dear Jeanne, your garden is lovely, as always. Thanks for letting us stroll through it.
Compliments to Joy for Abigail — I had not seen that RRFF before and she’s beautiful.
Compliments to Jeanne for the hibiscus — we don’t have many around here.
We have great fireworks here– when they don’t get rained out. Sometimes it rains in the afternoon instead. I wish everyone a safe and comfortable 4th.
I’ll give Abigail the compliment. She really is a lovely one. TKS