Anne's First Summer

August 5th is Blogger Day.  Did you know the word blog is a combination of the words "web" and "log"?  I didn't.  I just looked it up.  The idea of blog was intended as a personal diary of sorts, and this is precisely how I use it.  Wholly unintentional, I just happened to have finished Anne's fifth costume and was going to "blog" on it today, but now there's cause for a celebration because today is Bloggers Day.  So, let's get started!

First of all, and I know I mentioned this in my last post, I'd written a very comprehensive and long (normal) blog on Anne's gold skirt outfit.  When just about done, the Internet Goblins took over and wiped it clean off my computer.  This was just before I was leaving for convention, too.  I just shook my head and told myself that it wasn't meant to be, and we'd figure something out later.  

What I decided to do since I was working on Anne's Snow White cosplay outfit to go with Grace's, was to simply combine

a few outfits at a time when journaling about them.  I tend to have more photos than words to go with them, but then again, if you've been following me for a while, once I get started, I find the words just flow.

I love Diana Vining's paper dolls.  It is incredibly exciting to me when she does something like this for a new doll.  When the VDC introduced Anne, a set of lovely pdf paper dolls came with the purchase of each Anne doll.  It took a split second for me to know that I'd be busy for months to come, enjoying making some of them.  Why not all?  Well, some of them I could see from the start were going to be very difficult to find the fabric for.

For instance, the 2nd one I made which is the little "French" A dress, I had to use an Eiffel Tower print, and I don't think the dress was as well received because while it looked like the outfit, it didn't have enough busy print on it, and viewers 

would have to use their imagination to some degree.  I worked hard on that one, too.  I like it.  Anne likes it, and I suppose that's all that matters.  

And there are so many other things I want to do that just for now, I intend on creating only my favorites and the ones that will be easiest to find fabric for.

Let's start with the gold dress.  I like this one.  I was in a Paris mode of thought when I made it and did so with the idea that this outfit would be fun to tour museums like The Louvre with.  I actually called this Goldfinch.  Yes, I read the book and saw the movie.  Not an image we want for sweet little Anne, but the painting on its own, before the author wrote a fictional tale about the little painting, is precious.  And in that vein, we will stick to the title of the outfit, Goldfinch.

The flutter sleeves are signature Diana Vining paper dolls.

I chose a very vintage cotton in a tiny polka dot print to make the blouse.  The flutter sleeves took a couple of whacks since on the first pass, they were too small.  

I used a gold silk for the skirt.  Two reasons.  One is that I didn't have a cotton that would work, and the other was that there was a lovely big bow at the neck that screamed to be made out of silk.  Well, there's a third reason.  The gathers.  Silk gathers so beautifully and you can make a fuller skirt on a slim doll when you use it.

I made a lovely pair of white tights using Tamara Casey's pattern.  Love this pattern!  I've made plenty of tights and stockings and socks over the years, but this one is printer perfect.  The software program she uses to make these patterns is top notch and so appreciated.

I needed a pair of black shoes to go with several of the paper doll outfits, and this was the perfect opportunity to make a pair.  Just knowing about and planning the outfit that the shoes were made for is exciting to me.  But they're wonderful for Goldfinch as well.

The charming large bow at the neck just sets the entire outfit off!  Details like this is one of the reasons I enjoy making Diana's paper doll costumes for my dolls.  Playful.  That is Diana Vining.  A joyful, playful, incredibly talented woman.

The straps are held in place with snaps at the skirt waist in back.  Snaps close the blouse and skirt as well.

The back view.

Then along came Grace's Mystery Dress offering.  I had no idea what it would be.  I knew it had a full skirt from the silhouette drawing that was done to advertise the thing, and I...well, I don't know what I thought.  A 50's dress?  But OH what a treat it was!

Rachel offered us a Snow White cosplay outfit for Grace with gorgeous shoes to go with it. I was also introduced to the word "cosplay" which means costume play.  The way things are going, the Webster's Dictionary will be as wide and heavy as my kitchen table someday. 

But I had to make Anne an outfit to complement Grace's.  Once again, I took to my stash of silks and sat down at the drawing board.

I chose a bright lemon silk for the very full skirt, and a dark navy silk for the puffed sleeve bodice.  This is a dress, not a skirt and top.  The ruffled half-slip is sewn into the waist.  It is a fine pima cotton with a red silk ruffle attached to it, long enough to peek out from the hem of the skirt.

Oh!  And look.  The first photo shows her wearing the black shoes.  But I wanted special cosplay shoes for Anne to wear.  

I went to my trusty Pinterest page and found some darling ones done by Disney for little girls.  

The Disney pair was created from a faux leather with blue satin details and an apple on top.

The Disney shoes.

There was no way I was going to be able to make these shoes exactly like Disney's.  Silk frays and unravels.  Satin is even worse.  Oh, I puzzled over the design.  You can count on it.  I considered gluing silk to the leather, but then it might look gunky and there was the matter of the straps going through buckles.  These shoes use Velcro, but the teensy strip I'd have to use to close them would never hold.

So, I did the next best thing.  Adapted the design.  It might be hard to tell, I used a silk band over the instep of the shoes with a big bow to simulate the original design.  I actually bought a pair of red apple post earrings to used for the apple detail, but when they arrived, they were too large.  Good thing I made my own.  And, they look appropriate, in the right size.

A red leather belt finishes the look.

Grace and Anne in their Snow White cosplay outfits.

Then this wonderful member of the VDC group showed one of her dolls with this mini boxed doll by a company called Zuru.  I love miniatures.  Always have, and when I saw these dolls, I went onto Ebay and typed in "mini Disney dolls" and up came the Zuru minis.  I'm obsessed with them now!  

These are the perfect size for many little contemporary dolls to hold in their hands.  

Here's Anne with her Snow White doll.

Returning from convention, I got sick.  A nice little upper respiratory virus, thank you very much.  A week later, I'm finally feeling human again.  And I'm finally able to concentrate and sew again, which is everything!  

I'd begun working on Anne's blue nautical dress prior to leaving for Kansas City.  When I met Diana at convention, I believe I mentioned this to her and thanked her so much for sharing her incredible talent with us.  She inspires me to play.  When someone can do that, inspire a person, they add a brightness to world that carries on forever. 

This outfit I'll name right now.  Anne's Kite Day on the Beach. Even though the kite was a last and afterthought, it gives the outfit a story.

This dress was a little challenging.  I've made sailor collars before, but it's been a while since I have.  The nice thing about this outfit was that I'd get to use the cute little tennis shoes Anne came with.  They're perfect for the dress.

I chose a light blue and white stripped cotton that I had on hand to make the bodice, and a heavier white cotton for the collar.  The skirt of the dress is of the same cotton sateen I used for the Cinderella costume.  It will get used again in another, but that's jumping ahead.

A sapphire blue satin ribbon in two sizes was used to detail the collar, ends of the sleeves, bow and belt.  When I purchased it, I bought it in four widths not knowing which would be best.  And only one yard of each.  Big mistake.  I used every inch of the thinnest ribbon on that bodice and collar.  I had to be very careful and was concerned that I'd run out.  When you buy on Etsy, its a week.  Just plan on it.  Its a week to get to you, IF the seller is on the ball and they aren't always.

The ribbon was hand-sewn on.  It was the only way.  Besides designing the collar, most of the time was spent hand sewing that narrow ribbon on.  Top edge and bottom edge.  If you took it to the machine, you'd botch it up on the curves as the ribbon doesn't stretch and also needed to be folded at the corners of the collar.  Even running a stitch down the middle of it was out of the question.

If you did that, it would look sloppy and the edges would curl up.  Solution?  Glue?  No.  I hand stitched all that ribbon on, even at

the waist.  

When you put a lot of time into something like this, you can only hope it all comes out okay.  That's where making a mockup comes in handy, but I didn't do that.  Lucky me!  It all fit and sewed together nicely.

But like I said, I ran out of the narrowest ribbon, and I still needed to make the bow for her hair.  What to do?  Well, I had some braid left over from a long ago project and it appeared to be a similar color, so I used it.  I sewed two rows of it on the blue and white striped cotton, and made the bow on one of those mini clips for Anne's hair.

When a difficult project comes together like this one did, it's a day to celebrate!

Anne needed something to hold.  She needed and accessory and something to tell a story.  I did not want to put a boat in her hands.  I've done that so many times.  Then the idea of a kite came to me!  Those windy days on the beach are perfect for high flying fun.  So, I made her a little kite with an A on it.  

These are exciting times as in just a couple of days, we'll get to register for Anne's own subscription box!  It's called Anne's Clubhouse, and we got a sneak preview of the boxes just yesterday.  I adore the hopscotch illustration that is in the bottom of the box.  I played hopscotch as a child and marked up our front sidewalk very merrily with brightly colored chalk numbers.  There will be a new Club Grace subscription and one for Ellowyne as well, on the horizon.

But even more exciting than that is that the VDC will have a Tonner Halloween convention.  My next outfit for Anne will be in anticipation of this. 

Let's enjoy August to the fullest.  Thank goodness I'm feeling better today and the sky is a brilliant blue, the sun shining.  A perfect day for Anne to get her kite airborne!

Love, Melissa

 

A Story of Giving

July 31rst and the end of a very full month.  If one could envision a month with wings, July certainly flew by. I'm sitting here nursing a virus I picked up at convention, blowing my poor little raw nose, hoping the virus takes the wings July did and flies as quickly away as it came.  At least I was well for the duration of the week, and I suppose this summer cold is the Universe telling me to STOP and slow down.  Me?  Slow down?  Never.  I have so many projects left in stages on my table, and so many I can't wait to begin.  I had an idea last night that just may supersede the others as well.  One thing at a time.  With love and intention, one thing at a time.

I'd written a post a couple of weeks ago.  One on Anne Fitzpatrick's gold skirt paper doll outfit, and for some reason, the Internet goblins blew it away.  So, I decided to wait until I had two more outfits completed for her, and then I'd write another journaling on all together.

Sounds like a plan!  One thing at a time.  

Having just returned home after a very wonderful week in Kansas City, seeing friends from afar all gathered together, it is now the end of one story, and the beginning of another.  One that began in perhaps February when my friend, Rosemarie, suggested we make a gift to present to Ruby Ho at her event dinner, during the UFDC convention that took place last week.  So much has taken place since those initial conversations, that I must tap into the recesses of my own computer banks and remember well, a story, an adventure that will be with me a long time from now.

My journaling, my blog, is my memory.  Just today my friend, Betsy, was asking me to remember something I made for her Hitty, and I didn't, couldn't remember it.  She loved it, and that is all that matters.  I go from one project to the next without stop sometimes, most times, and if I don't complete the project by 

sharing it, it is simply lost in the fray.

This is the story of two friends who through the vast miles apart, halfway around the world, Bali to California, shared ideas by phone, sent photos back and forth, and eventually created a very special gift for a woman we both admire and hold dear in the doll world, Ruby Ho.

Even more, this experience gave me a visual and practical experience of what goes on behind the scenes in the professional "factory doll costuming" business.  While we'd all like to believe in the 

magic, which it truly is, wrought from talented minds and hands, it is a lot of hard work, stops and starts and do overs.  What I remember most clearly is that even the best in their class have do overs.  And here I thought it was only people like me that foodle around with doll costuming!  Its common, it's part of the process, but no one talks about it.  Everyone wants their finished product to look like magic.  Not me.  I'm too stinkin' honest about the process.  But I saw magic.  Magic in the hands of one Indonesian woman who does all the embroidery, by hand, and quickly!  It was her splendid embroidery that I would have to recreate

on silk doll slippers.  That was my task.  The shoes.

Here are examples of her work and how they become the finished product.  WOW.  I'm still blown away by her work.

The gift was essentially two silk Chinese costumes.  One for Ten Ping and one for Yu Ping.  I would make the silk slippers to match.  No biggie?  Well, I was getting a set of the costumes, Rosemarie was keeping one, and Ruby Ho would receive one.  That's six pairs of hand embroidered slippers.

This little pink tunic was a mockup for size and how the collars would fit.  

Let's go back a little further in our story.  Rosemarie did not own a Yu Ping doll.  Just a Ten Ping.  So, in order to create a costume for Yu Ping, I needed to accurately provide measurements, measurements drawn on paper, photos, and eventually more measurements after an outfit was shipped to me for sizing.

While the initial designs and selection of fabrics were being done in Bali, I was thinking to myself, "Holy crap!  Is my work good enough to pass Rosemarie's inspection?  Will I embarrass myself presenting my impossibly novice work in shoes to Ruby Ho with these extraordinary costumes?"  A question of confidence and bravery once came up in conversation.  For me to even consider being a part of this venture, I had to have some measure of both.  Right?  I would do my best and that is all I could ask of myself.

The first pair of Yu Ping shoes were in the light teal silk sent to me from scraps of the tunic's fabric.  I would embroider elements of the floral design on the collar, onto the shoes, so they would match.  I realize these photos are not good.  It was always my intention to take GOOD photos at the end, but I didn't.  Frankly, when I was done, I delved into the next project and didn't look back.  Big mistake.  So, the photos you see here are all the ones that were sent to Bali.

I created a mockup shoe first, just to see what I'd need to do to embroider them.  Unlike the collars that were embroidered on a piece of silk, I made the shoes first, then embroidered them so the embroidery would fit and work evenly around the front and sides of the shoes.  Crazy, yes, but this was how I did it.

After the initial light teal shoes, I wanted to try a pair in white.  I felt that the white would complement the white of the collar best.  Eventually, the white pair would go in the gift box.

A dark navy silk was used for Ten Ping's outfit and the shoes can be seen three photos down when we were designing the gift box.  Each pair of shoes was embroidered to match the embroidery done on the collars.  With one thread.  Imagine.  ONE 

THREAD.  I studied the tiny work on the collars to determine what stitches were used and did test flowers to see how they would come out.  There was a lot of thread pulling and rework, but eventually I had six pairs of perfectly matching Chinese silk slippers.

I was done!  Hooray!

Then Rosemarie decided to add one more costume.  I called this costume, Gigi's.  Gigi was Ten Ping's best friend, so it made sense, but to Rosemarie, it just looked nice in the set.  One more pair of shoes would have to be made.  I was only going to do the one "gift" pair.  And chose a lovely red to pick up the colors in the new costume.  In the photo, you see Ten Ping standing on a photo I used to create them.  This was seriously tedious work, but I sure learned a lot of new embroidery techniques!

Next, we needed a box.  I knew just the kind of box that would set this off.  When I was a little girl, we went to Chinatown in San Francisco one year and when I saw Katsuraningyo With Three Wigs, I begged my father to buy her for me.  I still have her.  

When I showed this to Rosemarie, she liked the idea and took it to her son-in-law, Kadek, and he made us a beautiful red box with dividers for the costuming and shoes.

I took measurements around Ten Ping's dark blue slippers so the dividers would just fit three pairs of shoes,

Rosemarie designed the other elements to fit the costumes that would go into the box.  The Gigi outfit would tie into the lid.

Things were coming together!

Kadek's lovely box

With the ribbons tying the outfits in.

Now comes the tragedy of the story.  

The night before the dinner event, Rosemarie and I put the box together.  She already had the costumes tied in, but we would select the best of the shoes for Ruby Ho, tuck them into the partitions and put a ribbon around the box.  I had brought along with me some needle felting wool and the peach color worked nicely to nestle the shoes into place so they wouldn't move about.  

The lid went on.  Rosemarie tied and an incredibly beautiful ribbon design around the box and we were all set.  The gift was presented at the dinner and Ruby seemed so pleased.  It was an incredible moment to be a part of.  However!  I never took a photo of the pieces in place!

I came home so disappointed in myself, as I always photograph and archive my projects.  I was just shaking my head in sheer disgust.  I was out of my element in the hotel room.  That's what I attribute it to.

Then a day later I thought, hey!, Fred, Ruby's son,

took lots of photos there at the dinner.  Maybe he'll come across a nice one and share it with me.  I wrote to him, pleading my case and asked.

He did me one better.  Ruby said she'd pose for him with the box, and he could take a photo for me.  I was beyond grateful!  He took one of the opened box, and one with his mother holding it.  Big sigh!  Thank you, Ruby and Fred!  Her photo is at the end of this journaling.

The photo here is of my own dolls wearing their beautiful costuming by Rosemarie, that incredible woman that embroiders, and my little slippers.  The third costume will need its own slippers - eventually!

One more note.  The photo at the top is a vintage doll costume that served as inspiration for these costumes.  

Somewhere in the midst of all this, my friend, Heather had a birthday in February.  I was smitten with Doug James's 1470 Circle bathing costume and wanted to make one in a similar design for Kitty Hudson.  However, I couldn't find the right knit fabric.  There was a lot going on back then.  Not all of it good.  So I sent Heather the antique picnic basket I'd picked up at convention the summer prior, to go with the bathing costume, and that would have to do for the time being.  

Probably in May, I'm thinking, I had an opportunity to go into Roseville and stopped in at JoAnn's.  There it was.  The perfect knit fabric.  Let's get to work!  I've typically brought a gift for Heather each convention I've attended, and this would be perfect.

Doug's fabulous bathing costume belongs to my Emily, but this is Ed's photo.

I did a lot of research on bathing costumes of the 1920's.  There are tons of vintage photographs of bathing beauties from this era, but one thing in particular that you'll see, are a number of designs!  Almost as if these girls just set out to make something unique just for themselves.

There are still the long dress lengths transitioning from the Edwardian days.  There are some that look like costumes just for show!  But one thing was certain, these women were free and having a ball!  The 20's to me is all about shedding tradition and challenging all that was taboo.  That included the length of a garment and how much leg showed.  It also included how much under arm was showing.

Beaches would have monitors walking the shores in search of girls brazen enough to test the rules.  Here is a fabulous photo of one such monitor with her measuring tape.  I'm sure this would have been equivalent of today's string bikini!

After several days of reading and reseach and Pinterest photos, I found this darling image of five young women testing the waters in very fancy bathing costumes and headwear.  

It just so happened that JoAnn's had a diamond knit that was the perfect size for a bathing costume for Kitty Hudson.  Do remember that it was Doug's swim costume that I was trying to replicate.  Not the one in the photo.  And isn't it sometimes fun to make something unique?  So I took elements of both costumes and a little bit of my own designing to create Kitty's.

Its funny.  I knew when I saw Doug at convention that I would approach him about the design.  I just hoped he would be willing to share "how he did it".  I had the circle suit turned inside out and pulled this way and that way, to not only trace out a paper towel pattern, but figure out how it was assembled.  I never did figure out how it was assembled at the shoulders.  The rest is pretty true to the original though.

The knit that is the under suit with shorts, serves as a lining for the bodice area only of the outer swim dress.  I can't explain this any further, but the only way I could get a nice look was to hand stitch the "straps" at the shoulders and close them with buttons and thread loops.  This actually worked out better when dressing the antique 1469, so she wouldn't struggle into the suit.  

Credit given where credit is due.  The swim cap is Rosemarie's design.  She sent me a pattern that I reworked a bit for how I wanted it to look, but it was the perfect fit.  Thank you, Rosemarie!

The hat is in four sections.  Two lilac and two orange, and the lining is of the same.  Its a fun, stretchy little cap that picks up the colors in the diamond print.  The under bodice with shorts is of the lilac knit.

A black cotton belt was made with a mother of pearl buckle, and I painted a pair of Doug's cream heels in black to go with it.

For those of you familiar with Kitty Hudson, she would have insisted on being the star of the show.  The one and only mermaid on the beach.  Madame Hoover always aims to please.

Thank you for staying with me through this long journaling, but when a story begs to be told, I enjoy putting the time into it.  Some day in the future when my brain is going soft, maybe I'll be able to read through these and relive a special time in the first half of 2024.

And of course, we need to turn our attention once again to sweet little Anne Fitzpatrick.  I have two projects for her on the table, one in the works that's perfect for the summering days of August.  And upon completion, I'll blog on three costumes.  Maybe a fourth!  Because remember, I had that brilliant idea last night!  I'm just itching to get that one started!  And I need to get well.  Priority.  Get well.

If any elements of the past six months should be prized, they are patience and perseverance.  Honestly, I don't have the confidence people think I might.  I'm sensitive, easily hurt, and try not to show this.  When we look at others, maybe through the work they do, we form impressions of the person that are seldom accurate.  One of the reasons I admire and love both Ruby Ho and Rosemarie Ionker, is because they are real people.  Humble and hardworking.  They are superstars, yes, but they are role models at least to me.  I'm honored to know them.

Let's see the rest of summer out with new adventures and fun with dolls.  Rachel will be starting her subscription boxes soon and I hope to get into all three this time around.  What a brilliant woman to bring such fun and adventures to the chair we sit in at our computers!  Here's to August and pleasant days ahead!

Love, Melissa

Fred took this of his mother, Ruby Ho, for me.

A great lady.  Rosemarie Ionker.

 

A is for Eiffel - Anne Fitzpatrick

Hotter than noon on the 4th of July!  We've been in a serious heatwave for the past four or five days, and this weekend is when the temperatures will peak.  

Today is the 4th of July.  I've had to enjoy sharing my personal celebration of the holiday on Facebook only.  It's just too doggone hot outdoors for comfort.  Sure.  There are crazy people out frying in the sun, boating on the lake, standing over barbeque grills in parks and backyards, but with temperatures in the triple digits, I prefer to spend the holiday in the comfort of my well air-conditioned home.  And this is what I've been doing for the past few days.

I'm never bored.  Never!  Dolls keep me busy.  Reading keeps me busy.  My dog, Brighton, keeps me busy, and of course, the day to day of living fills the hours of the day.  Then there's sewing!

I couldn't wait to begin Anne's second outfit, which I'm calling 

A is for Eiffel.  Of the paper doll outfits for Anne that Diana Vining illustrated, I purchased fabric for only two.  I'm watching what I spend with the UFDC convention coming up on the 22nd.  And with fifty-thousand pounds of fabric stuffed into my cabinets, I really do try to use what I have in my stash first, before purchasing more.

I was charmed and intrigued by this printed dress with a large, floppy red beret, and adorable red t-strap shoes.  There is so very much to this outfit, so many details, and yet deciphering it to begin planning to create it, was quite a puzzle. I've looked under a magnifying lamp at the print, and I'm pretty sure Diana drew hundreds of little "A's" all over the dress.  And yet!  And yet, with the beret, it looks very French, and those symbols could be artistically conceived Eiffel Towers.

Then again, you have the A's on the knee socks, so the dress must be printed with the letter A for Anne.

But such a fabric does not exist.  If I can't find it, it doesn't exist.  I've been sewing paper doll outfits for twelve years now and finding fabrics to match the illustrations is second nature to me now.  It's like going on a treasure hunt. Instinctively, I knew I wouldn't find anything close to Diana's vision, but it was fun going for a spin around the internet just to see.

In the past, I've actually created my own fabric before.  Whether it was painting on silk, running an image through the printer on printer fabric, which is horrible, worse than Kona cotton, or creating iron-on appliques.  The most important thing for me in this creation, was to make something charming and inspired, and create it in a way that would make Anne feel pretty and Oh-so-French!

This dress is one of the more challenging I've done, if only in the design of the collar.  I have a love-hate relationship with collars.  I know how to make them, but it usually takes a few whacks at it to get them designed to lay properly and nicely on the neck edge.

This dress was also drawn with elements of off-white, or light beige, and white.  Digging through my stash to see if I could come up with the correct knit for stockings, white for the inset in the bodice and again, color tint for the collar took some time.  I have silks.  Tons of silks, but this dress required cottons as the print I chose was cotton. Where I could go wild, if I ever do, was with the trim.

I chose a lightly ribbed white shirting cotton for the inset, a light cream cotton for the collar, off-white-cream for the knee highs, and thin red cotton velveteen for the trim.  My thought was, what would a little girl find in a French couture shop to wear on a visit to the Louvre?  What would she delight in, spin around in, visiting The Jardin de Tuileries in Paris?

This print has tiny Eiffel towers on it.  Little A shaped Eiffel towers.  It's a simply quilting cotton, not my favorite doll dress fabric, but it worked for my inspiration.  I worried constantly that it would not come together in a pleasing way.  I'm such a stickler for authenticity, exactness.  Its what I do.

The red velveteen makes the dress elegant.  I remember loving the feel of wearing velveteen as a child.  I used to pet it.  It was soft.  Felt like a kitten.  So the cuffs, hem trim and beret are made from the lipstick red cotton velveteen I had in my stash.  It came from the U.K. and I will have to try and purchase more in the future since the two-yard order I purchased has been used for so many other costumes, and Red Riding Hood capes. 

The buttons are pearly set in brass and were purchased from a French Fashion seller. The white sold out quickly, so using all six of the ten I had was a special gift to Anne.

But the real fun was in trying to make the knee socks and t-strap shoes.  

I didn't want to let Diana down.  I know in the past she's enjoyed seeing her illustrations come to life, and I did my best to do this.  She really spent some time drawing all those A's, and this I could only attempt to replicated with Eiffel Towers.  On the other hand, I could do the accessories.

I spent a great deal of time in May embroidering silk slippers for the gift my friend and I are presenting during a UFDC event.  Eight pairs of tiny silk slippers if my memory serves.

So embroidering A's on the socks wouldn't be too long a leap.  Or would it?  Embroidering on stretch knit is a whole other thing though.  I make no excuses if the two A's aren't exactly alike.  I did my best (LOL).  Not an easy, no brainer task.  But gosh, they turned out nice.  Hence, so many photos attached!

And of course, those precious red t-straps with the tiny bows.  What child would not fall in love with shoes like this?!

These photos just show the shoes and knee socks from different angles.  I truly enjoyed the creative process in both these accessories.

The large, floppy beret was made from the same red velveteen as the cuffs and hem trim.  Oversized, but fun and playful.  That's our Anne.  Playful!

Now Anne has TWO of her paper doll outfits by Diana Vining.  Diana's artwork inspires me daily.  It truly has that voie d e vivre, and what could be better for a little French outfit?  

Below, I show her with a large red bow-ribboned ponytail.  This was how I imagined her looking.  

I hope you've enjoyed both this outfit and the journaling of the creative process.  Thank you for joining me on these dolly endeavors!

Love, Melissa