Category Archives: girls

“As pretty as Walt Disney’s dinosaur”

Posted on May 11, 2010 | 2 comments

…….the ultimate compliment from Lucius Jackson, age 7

Judy Day made matching Easter dresses for her 6-year old granddaughters. Though the girls live hundreds of miles apart, the cousins share a camaraderie built largely on their grandmother’s love and sewing creations.

The Swiss batiste bodice of the girls’ Easter dresses are machine embroidered with shadow work monograms from Suzanne Hinshaw. The skirts are an exquisite 27″ Swiss embroidery, purchased a few years ago from www.farmhousefabrics.com Tied at the waist with a pink satin ribbon, the dresses are simple but elegant.

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Posted in clothing, girls, heirloom sewing, machine embroidery

Cinderella Fan

Posted on May 7, 2010 | Leave a comment

 

For Laurel’s 6th birthday, the family is going to DisneyWorld.  Like most post-toddler to pre-teen girls, she is fascinated by the Disney Princesses.  Her Cinderella panties are always the first to be selected when the fresh laundry is folded and put in her drawer.

I’ve always made matching outfits for Laurel and Robert to wear to DisneyWorld. They enjoy knowing that no one else in the world has an outfit just like theirs.

For each visit, Laurel wears her latest Minnie dress and Robert his newest Mickey Jon-Jon, the outfits coordinated in fabric and primary mouse colors, red, black and white. Just 15 months apart in age, they are nearly the same size and always draw admiring glances. Continue reading →

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Posted in clothing, Disney, embroidery blanks, girls, machine embroidery

Out of Retirement Pinafore

Posted on May 2, 2010 | 1 comment

pinafore all

 

After a fabulous weekend with both of our son and daughter and their families, I started pulling out some of Rebecca’s dresses that have been packed away for Laurel. Sadly, many are already outgrown, as I missed the small window of opportunity to pull  them out for a second generation.  But this one is out of retirement.

 

It hurts to see the rippled yoke. I do a better job now.

It hurts to see the rippled yoke. I do a better job now.

 

The Little Sunday Dresses pinafore is just the right size for Laurel now.  Smocked with Ellen McCarn’s monogram, the skirt and shoulder ruffles are Swiss embroideries from Capitol Imports.  The bodice is Swiss batiste.

I had planned to pick out the monogram and re-smock it with Laurel’s initials. But the stitches are  just old enough (25 years) and the blue floss just dark enough that I’m afraid the color may have marked the fabric permanently. So I’m just going to leave it.

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Posted in clothing, girls, heirloom sewing, Second Time Around, smocking

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Treehouse Cafe

Posted on April 30, 2010 | Leave a comment
If becoming a grandmother was only a matter of choice, I should advise every one of you straight away to become one. There is no fun for old people like it!~Hannah Whithall Smith
NOTE: It’s all this old English major can do to scratch out “was” and insert “were.” What ever happened to the subjunctive mood in English? But I must respect the quotation marks. See end of post…….

Today, as planned, my little homeschoolers had lunch in the treehouse. Laurel was appropriately dressed in her ladybug knit outfit (see earlier post Frog Ballet), made from an inexpensive blank set from WalMart.

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Posted in clothing, embroidery blanks, girls, machine embroidery, Nana fun

Amy’s Sundresses

Posted on April 28, 2010 | Leave a comment

 

They say the acorn does not fall far from the tree,  and for Judy Day’s little acorn Amy, it certainly is  true.  We all hope our daughters will learn to sew and share our passion for for the art.  Amy has the passion and the talent to sew beautiful, creative things.

She took to sewing like the proverbial duck takes to water. While teaching school full time, working on her master’s degree at night and tending to her pre-school daughter, house and husband,  Amy took up sewing.  And then she ran with it.

She began with traditional sewing on a Babylock Decorators Choice, a Christmas gift from her parents and never looked back.  Now that she has an embroidery machine, she is sewing more than ever, while continuing with all her responsibilities, as well as finishing up her Ph.D. 

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Posted in clothing, girls, heirloom sewing

Sunshine on My Shoulders

Posted on April 23, 2010 | 5 comments

 

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This spectacular sundress was made by my friend Judy for her granddaughter. The pattern, Sunshine on my Shoulders, is from Kari Mecca’s very popular book, Sewing with Whimsy. Judy, of course, varied the embellishments somewhat to suit her personal taste.

The little ladybug button, the pearls and beads she nestled into the rick rack flowers on the bodice as well as on those that hang from the rick rack bow, add to the charm of the rick rack flowers.

 

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The pattern is unfamiliar to me, but whether or not it included an embellished back yoke, Judy’s trim and cluster of flowers make the dress almost as lovely from the rear as it is from the front.

 

zSunshineback

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Posted in clothing, girls, Judy Day's creations, machine embroidery, techniques

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Frog Ballet

Posted on April 20, 2010 | Leave a comment

Laurel, comparing sizes with her birthday

It’s nice to have a quick and easy little project in answer to the regularly scheduled question, “Will you make me something, Nana?”

This comfortable two-piece knit outfit is just the sort of thing that Laurel likes to wear in the summer.  The skirt features three froggy ballerinas from Sew Many Designs’ (www.sewmanydesigns.com) Feelin’ Froggy applique’ collection.  The shirt is embroidered with a pair of ballet slippers hanging from a floral swag.

Machine embroidered applique’  is especially suitable for knits because the designs are usually not as stitch intensive a filled motif.  Sew Many Designs is one of my favorite sites.   Their collections cover every subject,  are cute as can be and are reasonably priced.  And  they always stitch out beautifully.

 

It is so hard to find children’s wear like this, with no embroidery or screen printing.  I bought a set in blue and red, but wish I had bought one of each color available.  Then the next time she asks me to make her something, I can whip something up in a heartbeat.

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Posted in clothing, embroidery blanks, girls, machine embroidery

Strawberry Sundress

Posted on April 11, 2010 | Leave a comment

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With the sweet spring weather we have had these past few weeks, I have had sundresses on my mind.  I came across pictures of this little sundress that I made for Laurel the summer that she was two.

Many such sundresses had been made for my daughter Rebecca from that age on, from a pattern that my friend Mary Hale Hoffmann and I made up.  Smocking this garment brought back sweet memories of those days.

Our daughters were the same age and we smocked around the clock for them.  This pattern was so easy and economical that our girls wore them like school uniforms.

We used the armhole curve from Katina, a Children’s Corner sundress pattern with a narrow yoke.  We added the width of the yoke to the armhole curve and voila’ we were in business!

 

strawberrybloomersBrite

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Posted in clothing, girls, machine embroidery, smocking, techniques

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Cherries Jubilee

Posted on April 7, 2010 | 1 comment

We are still enjoying a little spring weather here in Central Florida. But with temperatures in the mid 80’s, summer clothes are now standard attire.

Laurel loves her new swing dress which twirls nicely to the great satisfaction of this almost 6 year old. Lydia from Bonnie Blue Designs is a delightful pattern, quick and easy, and even includes a view with smocking. This small area for the center front is suitable for a single picture smocking motif or a simple geometric pattern, all in keeping with the ease of construction.

It can be lined and turned, leaving no more than 3″ of handwork. However, given our sub-tropical climate, I prefer to line only the bodice and put in a shirttail hem. Continue reading →

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Posted in girls, machine embroidery, techniques

Joyous Easter 2010

Posted on April 5, 2010 | 5 comments

Alastair does not want to sit!

UPDATE:  Alastair just looks so serious and even unhappy in the photos from this wonderful day.  So I have decided to include this picture.  I managed to capture one of his happiest moments in this blurry photo.  While we were getting dinner on the table, he discovered that the easily opened old oak wash stand in the kitchen housed a box of garbage bags with unlimited fun potential.

Alastair, anticipating a LOT of garbage after Easter dinner.

He was allowed to enjoy himself but was never left unsupervised with the potentially dangerous bags. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alastair has places to go and eggs to hunt.

What a lovely, joyous celebration we had today!  We are so grateful that both of our children and their families live near enough that we can be together for holidays and often just to be together.

When Ryan’s family arrived, Robert was perfectly happy to swap out his huge shirt for this one, version 2, which is more fitted than version 1 but still too large.    Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, brother-sister, clothing, embroidery blanks, girls, heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects, infant clothing, machine embroidery, Nana fun