Author Archives: Janice

Robert and Laurel after our at-home egg hunt. Somehow, her white shoes were left at home so we had to make do with the black ones that were left at Nana's house.

Easter is such a joyful holiday, and our family celebration reflected that joy. All were gathered here except for our hard working pilot son who was somewhere in the sky.  Lots of activities, lots of fun, and lots of sewing projects added more joy to this special week.   Easter Sunday, of course, was the highlight.

Robert was debonair in his first grown-up, store-bought Easter duds while Laurel was radiant in what might be her last smocked Easter dress.  The shadow smocked confection was a joy to stitch.

Alastair with his eggs

Alastair was his usual adorable self wearing a shirt he loved.  The applique’ featured an engine pulling a train car with a huge Easter egg.  I had selected this design because he loves trains.  That won his heart. Continue reading →

Our church’s annual Palm Sunday re-enactment of the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into the marketplace of Jerusalem seemed reason enough, I thought, for my grandchildren to be especially well dressed.

The lame boy at the entry begged "Alms for the poor!" Since the food was provided free of charge, his free will collection helped defray some of the expense.

Laurel was to wear an heirloom dress, last year’s Easter frock.  Robert would be decked out in dress pants, a matching vest and his signature church accessory, a tie.   Quite the young clothes horse, he even insists on wearing one to the monthly pizza night.  Laurel carried her doll Kit and a handkerchief purse (scroll down the post) to carry her shekels.

heavily embroidered Swiss handkerchief

One year ago, when the dress was finished, it turned out to be too short for the 6 year old.  So a lace flounce was added to the slip for more length.

It was no surprise that now, a year later, the dress was once again too short.  So Saturday night, after a busy day, when the grandchildren were finally bedded down, I dug out the two cards of lace edging and insertion.  Two more rows of lace were added to the slip. Continue reading →

This post is just a story, but a true one.  I have no techniques or photos to show you, except the pattern front below.  But perhaps there is some inspiration.

This whole chain of events is one of my favorite needlework stories.

Many, many years ago, there was a thriving knit shop in our little town.  As a customer, I had developed a friendship with the owner, Pat, who was aware that I taught smocking and other needlework classes.

One spring Saturday afternoon, Pat called to ask if I could pleat some fabric for a customer who had just walked into her shop requesting that service.  The “customer” was actually an older couple who had come to town from their home some 20 miles away, deep in the central Florida countryside.  They were hoping to get the pleating done today.  “Of course,” I said.

Dr. Jones and his wife arrived at my home a little later. After introducing himself (a retired surgeon) and explaining that his wife had recently become deaf, he presented me with a bag of  batiste and this pattern, with which I was very familiar.

The $3.50 price on this pattern tell you it is pretty old!

I knew full well that this was a pretty ambitious project.  My friend Mary had made this dress a year or so before then, but she had come to a standstill because she couldn’t get the hang of bullion roses.  So we did a work swap.  She smocked a dress for my daughter and I embroidered the 88 bullion roses as specified on the pattern.

But back to Dr. and Mrs. Jones and the pleating. He explained that this was to be the wedding dress for their son’s bride.

The pattern pieces were all cut, including the armhole curve, so I quickly stitched scrap fabric to the curve so the fabric would enter the pleater uniformly.

As I bagged up the pleated fabric and pattern, Dr. Jones asked if, perchance, I had a book on smocking he could buy because  “My wife doesn’t know how to smock.”

Oh boy.  This wedding dress was in big trouble. So he was sold one of my many how-to smock books and encouraged to come up with a back up plan, like a ready-to-wear dress.

“Oh, we have plenty of time,” he said.  “The wedding isn’t for 3 weeks.”  He was so confident! Continue reading →