Hi everyone,
I guess we’ll call today, “Take Two!” on the button issue and hopefully it will receive a better response! It just seemed there was too many differences of opinions about that blue button, so I had to rethink some things. Maybe I wanted that blue button to work so much it clouded my judgement. I still think it could have worked, and I did try to move it up, but between the seam where the collar was serged and turned down toward the bodice, the thickness of the overlapped burgundy bow and then the thickness of the button (probably 3/8th”), all of it combined made it just too thick right in the middle of the bow and there under Rebecca’s chin. So, I gave up and started looking in my “vintage” buttons again and found one that was convex so the shank on the button was underneath and the button acted like an upside-down bowl, covering the edges of where my bow was sewn together and the raw edges at the top. It sort of pushed the bow down and didn’t look so “thick!” I polished the new button and decided it was the one. It sort of has swirls like in the fabric.
Another question came up in the comments… why didn’t I try a blue color for the bow? That’s pretty simple… I searched my entire sewing room looking for a ribbon, a piece of wool felt, a piece of fabric, anything in that color of blue and I had nothing even remotely close! It’s really a different color blue… like I said yesterday, I looked online to see if I could find a color close to it, and struck out! I’m sure there is a name for it… I guess maybe if I took a scrap of fabric to the paint store and looked at their samples, I might find something, but that really wouldn’t help me because I need something in a fabric or ribbon to make that bow.
Okay, now onto to the scraps I had left over… If you remember, I had these few pieces of fabric left and THAT WAS ALL!
I really wanted to make a bonnet, even if it was a super simple one, so this is what I did…
I stitched those long pieces of fabric together like this…
Then I folded them in half like this and pressed them flat. The long strip was wider in some places and narrower in others.
Then I cut out 2 bonnets from the burgundy fabric… and added 3 darts in the back to make it curve around Rebecca’s head.
I ran 2 rows of basting down the fabric strip making it just as wide as I could in the narrow bit of fabric I had… I gathered it up about as long as the circumference of the bonnet. I basted it onto the bonnet meeting “almost” in the back. I know, I know, it looks like a hot mess, but just wait…
But with a little bit of patience and careful sewing, stitching around the edges and not catching any folds in the gathers, it turned out like this…
I added a bow in the back and got out anything I could find that might be able to make it coordinate with the colors in the dress… a couple of blue flowers, some beads, and a few fairly neutral leaves. After a little handiwork, it looked like this…
I added a cream rayon ribbon to the sides and decided it was a pretty good bonnet since I only had scraps to work with… NOW look at what I have left…this is ALL from that 1/2 yard piece I started with.
Here are a few more pictures of the bonnet…
I decided to leave the ribbons on the bonnet long and let the winner of this set cut them off where they like. I personally like to tie the bows for my doll bonnets on the side, and when I do, it makes one length of the ribbon shorter than the other. If the winner likes their bonnets tied in front, they can then cut the ribbon however long they want.
Then I decided the dress needed a proper crinoline to go underneath it… it has boning in the bottom and will hold her dress out like it’s supposed to.
There was no time to figure out anything else for an accessory for Rebecca… but maybe tomorrow I’ll think of something for her to carry.
I’ll see you then,
Blessings, Jeanne
The neck trim looks so much better now, Jeanne! I liked that blue button, too, but it just wasn’t cutting it for me, with the button sort of “floating” as it did. This style, with the changed bows, etc., works much better. Sometimes shank buttons are difficult to use for just trims where they’re not going thru a buttonhole!
Wow, I am impressed, how you took those little scraps and came out with a cute bonnet like that! Talk about using almost every scrap of fabric! Can’t wait to see what’s next!
Who would have thought that those scraps would make such a nice ruffle? That’s a cute bonnet. And the new button shape works nicely.u might consider a picture of the bonnet on a doll with her hair down, so that buyers who are not as good with styling hair can see that the bonnet would work for their dolls too.
I had a lovely day with my great niece and my sisters. I had sent my niece a journal that came with colored sharpies, tape, stickers, and stencils, thinking that it might provide entertainment if her grandparents had to attend to something else for 2 minutes. It turned out hat she had been wanting a journal, and had been wanting some decorative tape. Don’t you love it when you get something right?
When my sister served a perfectly lovely breakfast, I politely said I was allergic to everything, which apparently passes for 9 year old humor. I’ve been working with her on the history of fashion and how fashion and history mesh. We looked at pictures of clothes her great-great grandmother might have tried to copy when she was in business school, the kinds of clothes her great grandmother wore during WWII, and one book I had showed a Mary Quant dress, which would have influenced the clothes her grandmother wore.
Did you know that there are a whole bunch of Mary Quant clothes and purses for sale right now on Ebay? Most are currently located in Japan. Was there a major Japanese collector? That the clothes were produced there is likely — I had almost forgotten that everything used to be made in Japan before everything was made in China.
And for us doll people, there were Mary Quant dolls, some of which are available from the Japanese seller.
And back to Jeanne. I’m hoping for A LOT of bidders on the new outfit. It deserves them.
Beautiful save, Jeanne! While I did like the blue button, I really like this new one too, in fact, maybe even better! It looks a tad larger and fills the space up better over the bow. All in all, it looks wonderful now!
The bonnet is charming and it is wonderful how you were able to us the scraps for trim! I too, love the side bow on it, which better shows off the button and bow trim at the neck. I wasn’t too excited to see the flowers I. The close up shots of the bonnet, but when you step back and see it in it’s entirety, it looks good, and dresses it up.
The crinoline is perfect, and looks like a real one from the Civil War days!
I do think a pretty little reticule would round out this outfit, perhaps in the burgundy material?
Wow. After your break, and some new fabric, you are on fire!!!
This bonnet is magnificent. The new button is great, flatter is better. I did like that blue button but I understand completely. This whole outfit is incredible.
Yes, she needs a little purse to carry, or something.
Beautiful photos Jeanne
Everything with this outfit is looking fabulous. Love the changes and the bonnet. The back view with the tuck and bow are so sweet. Love the look. Perhaps, with those tiny scraps, the fabric can become an accent on a purse of some kind for Rebecca, or even a little bag to use while picking wildflowers? or something in which to wrap some rolls to take to grandmother? I would love to see a little more of that wonderful dress fabric used in another way.
And speaking of that wonderful dress fabric, I went looking yesterday to see what was available from the Vicksburg, Marcus collection. Absolutely nothing came up even close to Jeanne’s lovely fabric. Maybe someone else had better luck. Maybe the fabric was made some time ago? Don’t know.
Yesterday, we toasted and more heat coming today. We actually had some tomatoes cook on the vine as it was so hot. Other person was not happy. I think today and maybe Friday, should do it with the heat. Not even sure what our high was yesterday, but in the high 90’s. Inside though, we managed with fans and our little AC in the window. So glad for that.
Keep cool everyone.
My faith in your ability to figure things out is once again rewarded with a perfect outcome. Everything “fits” in this ensemble. Very clever to design the bonnet to accommodate exactly how much fabric was left. Congratulations on another beautiful Jeanne Marie Creation! ❤️🥰
Dear Jeanne, the dress is lovely. I really love the hat. It is so pretty.
Don’t you just love how “helpful” we all are, Jeanne? Voicing conflicting opinions and making a myriad of suggestions?
Yes, of course. If you didn’t have the right color of blue to use for the cuffs, piping, and bow you had to go with something else. After all, Joann’s doesn’t exist anymore and even though they are trying Michael’s (at least ours) hasn’t picked up the slack completely yet. I hope they do as they are much closer anyway.
The new button is so much better and the bonnet is just darling. I love the tuck and bow in the back. A perfect crinoline as well. Yes, now it’s pulling together quite nicely.
I just got back from another doc appointment, our regular one this time, and made “breakfast” after we got home. I love the dress, bow, button, and hat, Jeanne, you have a winner for sure!
I will try to get some photos from MDCC to you this weekend. I have to get the house ready for company coming Sunday afternoon.
Love the lace yoke, red piping trim and the bonnet….You really made good use of the entire 1/2 yard of fabric, turning it into a fashionable civil war era ensemble!
I sent the photos of my old-fashioned dresses made for my Ruby Red dolls, to the same text address that I sent the Kimberly doll photos….but perhaps they didn’t go thru to you? My outfits made from the Pemberley Threads patterns seemed appropriate to send since you are working on a dress of that era. Just wanted to share!
Can’t wait to see your photos. I would love to know what reduction you used on the Pemberley Threads patterns. I know some dress parts don’t reduce appropriately, but it would be a start for me. I think that I settled on 72 percent last time I reduced something down from from an AG to a RR.
The entire costume is beyond beautiful! I adore the bonnet, you did an amazing job on that outfit.