Adventures at Weathertop

In which we're "Singing in the Rain..."

I am finally back after a week and a half's worth of sabbatical (doesn't the word 'sabbatical' make it sound important and official?). Actually, I only intended to take a short break and then I got caught up in other things...

BUT, I have not been entirely idle (no, not at all). I completely reorganized the storage of all the Weathertop Dresses (and as you can imagine, that was a considerable task). The dresses we have had far outgrown the recepticle in which we were keeping them, and so they were moved into a small dresser. While I was at it, I did a little spring cleaning and put all of the winter dresses into storage until next fall, and brought out and aired the spring and summer dresses. The girls are all set for the warmer weather we keep hoping is on its way.

On top of that, it has been so rainy and miserable here that the girls decided they needed some new Rainy Day Dresses to chase away the blues, and so, of course, I got busy sewing said dresses. What we have for you today is a parade of these dresses to be added to the Weathertop Merchantile as soon as we get it up and running. The dresses themselves are available now, of course, so if you are interested, please drop me a note.

I thought for this selection, we might need a little music to set the mood...

This first selection of dresses was made from a lovely array of 100% cotton pastel umbrella prints in shades of lemon sorbet, strawberry cream and the most delicate cream.

The Pastel Umbrella Crossover Dresses:

The Cream Umbrella Crossover...

The Pink Umbrella Crossover...

The Yellow Umbrella Crossover...

The next set of dresses utilizes the same fun 1940's style print, but they are made in the Pinafore style.

The Pastel Umbrella Pinafore Dresses:

The Yellow Umbrella Pinafore...

The Pink Umbrella Pinafore...

The final set of dresses in this delightful print are the...

Pastel Umbrella Plain Janes...

The Cream Umbrella Plain Jane...

The Pink Umbrella Plain Jane...

The Yellow Umbrella Plain Jane...

When I went to YouTube to look for Gene Kelly's rendition of "Singing in the Rain," I found a rendition of the same song and dance performed by Usher. While he is not quite like the original, he did quite a nice job. It is kind of fun to see another take on this classic. You can see side by side versions here, but below you can see and hear his full screen version. I think, perhaps, he is the better singer of the two.

This next selection of dresses is a bit more jazzy in color if not in style, a more modern take on the version above made in brighter colors.

The Multi-colored Umbrella Plain Jane dresses:

The Multi with Blue Umbrella Plain Jane...

The Multi with Yellow Umbrella Plain Jane...

The Multi with Orange Umbrella Plain Jane...

The next set of dresses uses this same colorful palette, but they are made in the Pinafore Dress style.

The Multi-colored Umbrella Pinafore Dresses:

The Multi with Blue Umbrella Pinafore...

The Multi with Orange Umbrella Pinafore...

The Multi with Yellow Umbrella Pinafore...

And that is it for today's parade of dresses.

These dresses fasten in the back with a wee brass safety pin, but for a small fee, I would be happy to install snaps in the back. I am also happy to combine shipping and offer discounts for the purchase of multiple dresses.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or leave a comment.

And now for my final musical selection, a version of "Singing in the Rain" performed by Gwyneth Paltrow and the  cast of Glee.

I think I like the Gene Kelly version best. You can see all of these videos and more on YouTube. I hope you enjoyed today's selection and that you stay warm and dry...

By the way, what happened to the May Flowers that the April Showers were supposed to bring?

In which we share the latest dresses...

As promised, we have the first installment of the more traditional Easter Dresses to share with you today. I say "first installment" because I still have two styles on which I am working and I hope to have them available for you by the end of the weekend.

All of the dresses you will see here today are available for purchase and of a few of them I have extras.

The first set of these dresses was made from a print I call Spring Orchard. In this print, I have both a crossover dress and a plain jane version available.

These dresses are made from an 100% cotton fabric printed with soft yellow, pink and green flowers, leaves and fruits.

The crossover dress features a frothy white 100% cotton lace at the hem of the sleeve.

The second set of dresses was made from a delicate purple daisy fabric and embellished with the same cotton lace at the sleeves and hem.

As you can see, that while these dresses have a purplish tone, they are delightfully not TOO purple.

The third set of dresses was made from a cotton fabric with a stylized flower print.

I will have a plain jane version of this dress available soon as well.

The final set of dresses was sewn from a cotton (possibly a cotton blend) quilting fabric in a lively shade of spring green sprinkled with white daisies.

I am particularly fond of how the white cotton trim brings out the sweet daisies on the crossover version of this dress.

But I also love the Plain Jane version as well. It is very simple and fresh.

I wish I had more of this green fabric so I could make some more.

While these dresses fit a slimmer Judy Brown Hitty, most of the crossover dresses have an extra overlap in the back so that they could be used on a Raikes Hitty as well. If you are interested in buying one of these dresses for one of your bigger Hittys, please check with me to be sure the version you are buying will fit your Hitty. I would be glad to provide a picture of my Raikes Hitty wearing the dress if you like. These dresses fasten in the back with a little brass safety pin. Included in your purchase will be a set of snaps for you to use to customize the fit of the dress. If you would like to have me install them, I would be glad to do so for a little extra fee.

If you are interested in purchasing one of these dresses or have a question, please feel free to contact me. Otherwise, thank you for dropping by!

In which we present to you an Easter Parade of Dresses...

It is never to early to start thinking about spring, and, of course, new Easter Dresses. Lucky for you, we have been sewing up a storm. Next week we hope to have some more serious dresses to offer you that can be worn all spring and into the summer and fall, but this week we have a selection of twelve dresses made from fun Easter novelty fabrics with which to tempt you.

The first set is made from purple cotton gingham with bunnies dancing across it.

We have three of these available for purchase.

The next set is made from a fun springtime chick print with a contrasting yellow border. I am going to show you these indivicually because each of them is a little different. I was not happy with how the one in the middle below turned out and so I am offering that dress on discount. The chick is too low on the bodice and the yellow border at the bottom of the dress is too wide.

The one below is the one being offered at a discount.

The next set of dresses turned out to be my favorite. They are just so springy and cheerful. They are made from a slightly sparkly chick and egg fabric. There are three of these dresses available.

The last set is made from a whimsical carrot print on a yellow background with a contrasting orange border on the skirt. We have three of these dresses available for purchase as well.

I admit, this dress is running a close second for my favorite dress.

These dresses, like the ones we presented to you last week, fasten in the back with a wee brass safety pin so you can customize the fit. If you would like me to install the snaps for you, I would be happy to do so for a small fee. Be sure to mention it before payment.

If you are interested in purchasing any of these or if you have any questions, please contact me privately.

 

In which we present the first of the Sampler Dresses...NO FOOLIN'

As you know, the girls got on my case this week because it has been awhile since I made new dresses for them. As promised, I finished up a batch of new dresses this afternoon and we are thrilled to be able to share them with you. We made extras, so the ones you see here are available for purchase. Each of them is made from 100% cotton quilting fabric. The lace you see embellishing these dresses was sold to me as cotton lace, but I cannot verify that, as they are vintage trims and came without packaging. I can attest that they are softer than the stuff you get in the fabric stores today.

One of the famous dresses in Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, is affectionately refered to as the Sampler Dress, seen here in this illustration from the book.

One of the fun things about this dress is that you can find fabric similar to this available today and many people have made their own renditions of the famous Sampler Dress, so of course we had to take a turn.

We decided to put our own spin on this famous dress. After making one in the traditional fashion...

...we moved one to making them in different colors and styles.

Here is the Plain Jane Sampler Selection.

Ooops, I guess the girls decided that they needed a little refreshment before their photo shoot.

Plain Jane Sampler in Black:

The Plain Jane Sampler in Pink No. 1:

The Plain Jane Sampler in Pink No. 2:

The Plain Jane Sampler in Green:

Next in line are the Crossover Samplers. The bodice on these dresses crosses over and gives the bodice a V-shaped neckline. These dresses have ample crossover in back. As you will see, they look great on the smaller more delicate Michelle Best Hittys, but they will also fit most Raikes depending on how you install the snaps.

I guess it was time for a break...I have to admit, the lighting in here is rather hot.

Here we go...the first of these dresses I will be showing you is the...

Crossover Sampler in Black:

The Crossover Sampler in Green:

The Crossover Sampler in Pink No. 1:

The Crossover Sampler in Pink No. 2:

In an effort to keep the cost of clothing your Hittys down and allow you to customize the fit of the dress to your individual dolls, these dresses close in the back with a small brass safety pin. If you would like snaps installed, I can do this for a small fee. It should also be noted that I combine shipping and offer a discount on the purchase of multiple dresses.

Do not worry, we work on a two for you, one for me plan. The Weathertop girls were amply compensated for their assistance and cooperation in this endeavor.

If you are interested in purchasing a dress or two, please contact me privately for prices and availability.