Hi everyone,
Just a quick reminder about the tiny Red, White and Blue dress set Bailey or Dazzle can wear… it’s listed on Ebay and ends this evening. If you haven’t checked it out, I hope you’ll take a peek. You can see it by clicking the picture at the right side, or you can click HERE.
Next up… I hope Barbara had a wonderful time last night watching Jaiden perform at her pageant… and we all hope she did well… but we want to know what she wore? I’m hoping Barbara has some pictures to share.
And now it’s my turn… with only ONE picture. I guess I could have taken more along the way, but I didn’t… so here she is… Kirsten in all of her blue and white glory! My hubby just came in my sewing room and I showed him what I was working on. He said, “She really looks good in that blue fabric!” That was all I needed to hear… affirmation that I was making the right dress for the right doll. Actually this one could be for a few different dolls. The winner can decide!
So let’s see what I did…
I REALLY like this blue fabric. It looks like a very common fabric I’ve seen at a lot of stores, but this one is different… it’s softer to the touch; a really nice fabric. There was a yard sale at a church Saturday morning… the day of the wedding, a few days ago. A girl I work with at the Food Pantry told me about it. So, I got up early and went to it at 8:00… The wedding was at 11:00, so I had plenty of time to go back home and get ready. I found a few things but THEN… I SPOTTED THE SIGN ON THE WALL… CRAFTS! I always like to look and “just see” if there’s something that grabs my fancy. This fabric was in there…and I did like it. I did get a few more but this was my favorite. I knew when I saw it, I was making Kirsten’s dress from it… and using that little glass pail.
I took a few pictures of the bodice, but on EVERY single one, I had one sleeve puffed up and one sleeve puffed down. They aren’t even serged yet… so I’ll get them fixed. It does look very nice on Kirsten and does set off her blue eyes very nicely.
The lace I used looks nice and almost like straps. I had some vintage buttons but they were all aged and a bit too yellow for this bright white trim, so I used white buttons. The bodice is lined with white batiste cotton and the dress will be open all the way down the back to the hem.
The hard part is over, so the rest hopefully will go smoothly! If I just had another week, I could put a flag with this set and it could work for 4th of July! But I’ll just have to settle for a pretty blue and white dress for Kirsten to wear whenever she likes.
Well, I better get to bed. Maybe I’ll shoot for TWO pictures tomorrow! :o)
Blessings, Jeanne
Woohoo! I was right! Kirsten gets a new dress! The fabric is lovely, and I do like the lace against it–it’s dense enough that it really shows up nicely. Not feeling the buttons, though, I have to be honest. I would think maybe more just a single row down the center front. Or, instead of buttons, a little brooch type of arrangement like you’ve done in the past.
I’ve been working on an AG outfit myself of late. I got the jumper done a while back, before I went to Michigan (oops…I need to get some pictures to you, too–almost forgot), and now I’m doing the t-shirt. I have all the machine work done, and just need to sew the snaps on, and a little bow at the neckline, and then that outfit is done. Our ASG group is doing doll clothes as our charitable project again for Christmas this year. We did that last year, too–and last year, of the 20-some AG dolls they had, there was ONE boy, so I made the clothes for him–a shorts outfit, slacks and t-shirt, and PJs. Part of my therapy after losing Ron, I guess….
Good Therapy, Charlotte.
I hope you share with Jeanne.
Yes, I have been thinking of you ❤️
What a lovely fabric. Was there a name of pattern or manufacturer on the edge? I would love to see if I could find green for Felicity.
HI Nancy,
Linda was looking at some Civil War dress fabrics and found this pretty green that is very similar to the blue one I’m using for Kirsten.
I forwarded her email to you with the link to the fabric in Etsy. I hope it might work…
Blessings, Jeanne
HI Nancy,
There wasn’t a name along the selvage on one edge of the fabric and the other selvage edge had been cut off. Sorry, no name, but Linda found some pretty green fabric that might work for your dress for Felicity. I sent you an email with the link in it.
Blessings, Jeanne
Well, Charlotte, a lot for your to show us, a new outfit for AG and you Michigan photos.
Jeanne, also looking forward to the “Rest of the story” for Kirsten! The blue is her color for sure. The lace is perfect. The glass bucket is going to be so cute with it.
We are off again, for the water this time. Will read y’all’s comments later.
Oh, such a nice, pretty blue for Kirsten! I did think maybe she would be the one, but at first thought Addy. Well, Addy could wear this too, as a few other dolls. But oh yes, Kirsten wears it best, since blue is her color! I love what you have started and think maybe she will have a lace apron over her pretty blue skirt?
I found material similar to this at Hobby Lobby a year or two ago, and made Kirsten a skirt out of it. However, it has more of the darker blue in my material than this has , but it is very similar.
So nice to hear from Anne late yesterday. If anyone didn’t see the blog later, go back and check. It’s the last entry from yesterday. She certainly is having a wonderful time!
I somehow thought from yesterday’s picture that there was going to be a big white Pollyanna type collar. But, the lace straps are nice too. And Kirsten looks very pleased. 🙂
No taking the time machine back to yesterday and read Anne’s comment. Thanks for letting us know, Linda.
Anne’s trip sounds like something out of wonderland. All of the old towns and villages that I’d love to see. But, sorry to hear that her old home is no longer. Same thing has happened here. The homes we remember of our grandparents are torn down. Other person’s is now under the freeway and my grandparents home is now an apartment complex. Ugg on both. Thanks for sharing your trip Anne. Hope you can get a few more pics before you are heading back to New Zealand.
One of my favorite homes my grandparents lived in was where we stayed for three weeks after my youngest sister was born. It was a nice house on a big piece of property. Unfortunately it was demolished to make way for an interchange for the expanded highway through Wilmington, DE. We moved nearby a few years later and I always missed that house being there.
Well, things change, but I wish there was more thought put into these decisions.
Yes, blue is definitely Kirsten’s color. The fabric is beautiful and the trim lovely. You do have some incredibly wonderful trims.
I read and totally enjoyed Anne’s note. I had the opportunity of visiting England and Wales many years ago and wished I could have spent more time there. So much to see and a lot of it very, very old. I did get to see Stratford-upon-Avon where my great-grandfather had been a clergyman and Merthyr Tydfil in Wales where my great-grandmother and her people were from. My great-grandfather also was Welsh, but he was born in England just over the border. I always marvel at how things are torn down that shouldn’t be while other things that should be demolished are left to rot away on their own. Go figure. But for me it’s mostly about schools. I got to attend a few while living in Bethlehem, PA, because our new development did not have neighborhood schools for a few years so the kids in the new subdivision were bussed all over town wherever they could accommodate us. Some of them were old schools built in the early 1900s. Kind of like the school in the movie “The Birds”, complete with the metal jungle gym like in the movie. I was sad to see they have all been torn down but they were multi stories on small pieces of property and did not meet modern-day fire codes. The school I attended in first and second grade, however, was on a large piece of property and only two stories so it has been expanded and modernized and is still going strong. But the really sad thing is the elementary school I attended in 3, 4 and 5th grades that had once been the high school so it was big and lovely, someone was mentally unbalanced (an adult not one of the kids) and they burned it down. That was a huge loss because it could have remained and modernized. It was already large and just two stories with a basement (where we did air raid drills). Now the kids in that neighborhood have to be bussed miles away.
It was fun watching Jaiden yesterday, but we found out she was only one of three thirteen-year-olds in the competition. The rest were 14, 15 and some 16. Way too huge an age range. So you can imagine what little chance Jaiden had of winning anything. Those older girls knew how to shine, not to mention that some of their parents had the money to enter them into every competition available in the pageant at $100 a pop. So it seemed the same people were winning things over and over. But it was a great experience for Jaiden and she had such a good time she wants to do it again next year. Since it had been about 25 years since Andrea had done the pageant and it has changed a lot, we really weren’t prepared for some things so this was a good heads-up for us for next year. And after seeing the gowns some of them wore I think I’ll make Jaiden’s next year because we could not find a thing like them that would have fit her. They were lovely with full skirts and often tiers of ruffles. There were a few tight-fitting with the slits up the side and one with a halter top but most reminded me of dresses women would wear during the days of the Antebellum south. But then I got to thinking with JoAnn’s gone where will I buy the fabric? Online I can’t really see or feel it so I won’t know what I’m buying. Any ideas anyone?. Dionne had already bought the video package which was pretty pricey so I offered to buy the photo package. The proofs were wonderful. As soon as I find out how to get them from Dionne I’ll send a few.
Barbara, some girls would be in tears that they didn’t win anythings. I think it is great that Jaiden just enjoyed being a part of it and had a good time. Looking forward to photos.
Barbara, in our area, Michael’s is greatly expanding their sewing and material section to accommodate former JoAnn shoppers. If you have a Michael’s nearby, you might want to check that out,
Linda, Thanks! I hadn’t realized and will check on the one in Katy. The Michael’s I would go to is actually closer than the JoAnn’s was.
Barbara, if you have a Hobby Lobby, they have fabric, too, including a few of the “fancy” things, as I recall. It may vary from store to store, but worth checking out.
Also, some online stores offer swatching services, so that’s something else to think about. Some will do some smallish free swatches; others might charge a bit but send you a more generous piece so you can really see how the fabric drapes, etc.
I used to shop a lot at Hobby Lobby but their fabric department was small and seemed more geared for crafting than sewing apparel. But I will check it out again because I’m sure more stores like Hobby Lobby and Michael’s will be more than happy to pick up where JoAnn’s left off.
And I have seen the online swatch offerings but have never taken advantage of any of them, so I’ll keep that in mind.
Well, I am late today, – which is great actually, I enjoy more comments.
I have been racing around loading the car, moving stuff. No I do not want to talk about it, Moving is so annoying. 😂
I loaded the car with the vacuum this morning and went to the house to vacuum the storage area. It was pretty clean actually…. and I also moved MORE fabric. Oh gosh,.
And played one tune on the piano and then I came back to the old house. Poor kitty Princess all alone, I gave her a few kisses and pets.
It is so HOT here in Northern Virginia.
Anyone watching (while doing other things) the Brown Bears of Katmai on Explore? The live cameras are up. https://explore.org/livecams/brown-bears/brown-bear-salmon-cam-the-riffles this is The Riffles cam but if you scroll down you can see a smaller view selection to click on. The salmon will be coming soon, but I think the bears are eager and find a few early arrivals.
Stay cool and fresh!
Now I am also going to go back and read the note from Anne
I love bears so thanks for the link. I’ll check it out. I especially love watching them when the Salmon run.
I totally enjoyed this. You need to watch it for a little while to get the most benefit and pretty soon a bear will get lucky and snatch a Salmon out of the air while it (the Salmon) is trying to swim up the falls. And the lady bear with her three cubs is adorable. Seeing all the bears waiting at the base of the falls is hilarious.
So glad to hear from Anne, what a great time she is having! I am so glad she is sharing with us. Looking forward to photos, Anne!!
It is hard to see the place where your house used to be. My parents sold our big house by the ocean when all three of us went our separate ways and built a smaller one. Before it was sold I took photos out SIDE through all the windows of the lovely flowers and Daddy’s beautiful landscaping, and the photos of the beach and water. Why I didn’t take photos of the INSIDE I will never know. It is still all in my head but my sons would not remember it. I lived there from birth until I married at age 23. It was bought 3 times and then torn down for a huge “Italian Vila” style.
My school from first grade through 6th is still there and one of the best in the state. We had to go to the neighboring town for the 7th though 12th, and it was the same school that my grandmother, mother, brothers and a nephew went too!! My older brother and I had 2 of the same teachers that my mom had. The school is still going well and is the second oldest school in the state.
Sissy, you reminded me of a house we lived in while in Bethlehem, PA, that was torn down to make way for the new highway to transport the steel out of Bethlehem Steel. I call it the “scar” of Bethlehem because it runs right through an area that used to be a great place to live and walk around. It took off a hunk of the junior high football field and caused the tearing down of some of the older and lovely townhouses near downtown on one half of First Ave. Worst is that shortly after it was built Bethlehem Steel ceased to exist so the road was not needed. It was actually conceived of during WWll but building didn’t start until around 1964. Our house had a hitching post and a carriage block in front of it. I have no pictures of the house inside or out, but because I loved the house so much (three stories and a basement with a Mansard roof) when I got my Punch Home Design Program I recreated the house. It brought back a lot of memories. It was next door to the boy I dated during my junior year in high school. Both families had to move during that year so we did not live next door any longer but I did still live in town until the summer before my senior year when we moved to Wilmington, DE.
Oh, Barbara, that is worse that what happened to my home. At least the place where it stood is still there. That is so sad that they tore all that down and then didn’t need it after awhile. So sad. Wonderful that you recreated it! I do have a painting my family had that shows the back of the house when they moved in. All sand dunes in the back. No more sand dunes, all houses.
Bethlehem has an interesting topography. There are a lot of ups and downs. You can look it up on Google and see what I mean. The area below First Ave. between that and Main Street (which was also elevated) used to be a park and it was also where the train tracks ran through. There was also a small playhouse theater there which was kind of rustic. It was a great place to walk on a nice evening. Some of the older homes and buildings on the streets down there are still there but in order to put the highway through they had to widen the area hence the first part of First Ave. we lived on got chopped off. It was a great loss. And there were other streets back from us that were partially lost too so many of my friends had to also move. Many of the people in the “way of progress” did try to get the area declared historic because First Avenue at least had homes built in the late 1800s and also included the first home in Bethlehem which had been moved there but now resides in the area of the Rose Garden. I’m a history junkie so modernization leaves me cold, especially when it exists to make developers rich.
It is sad when lovely old houses are replaced. The house we grew up in wasn’t particularly special. My Dad ran Public Baths (for the council), not swimming baths but a place where people could come to have a bath in a proper tub and not have to haul a big tub in front of the fire! Gradually, with help from the town council, people started updating their houses and putting in bathrooms and Dad was slowly losing business which was when he decided to move us all to Huddersfield in 1958. The Baths were closed and eventually became part of the new shopping centre and bus exchange. Not really a great loss but the same can’t be said for the bungalow where my mother and her brothers and sisters were born. It was a beautiful, thatched cottage, chocolate box style and in the 70’s it was demolished and replaced with small brick units. Nowadays they wouldn’t have got away with such vandalism and it would have had a preservation order on it.
In Huddersfield there was a small lane called Shambles Lane. The shambles were where butchers’ shops used to be in medieval times. Not sure if Shambles Lane went back that far but it is possible, it was certainly very old. In the 70’s (again, vandals all of them) it was all demolished and modernised with lots of brick paving. The area now is dying and they wanted to redo it again but this time they had a preservation order on it as a ‘fine example of 70’s architecture’ UGH!!!
John is taking me to the botanic gardens this morning then I will be having a quiet afternoon while he goes to play snooker.
See you all tomorrow