Category Archives: infant clothing

Beach Baby Outfit

I like the way the rick rack bordered yo-yo sun turned out but wish I had placed it further to the side.

I like the way the rick rack bordered yo-yo sun turned out but wish I had placed it further to the side.

 

Though we’ve been extraordinarily busy, we took a moment to enjoy our first sort-of fall day here in Central Florida.  We actually turned off the AC and our hairy dog Hannah enjoyed napping on the breakfast porch instead of inside.

But after that brief moment, I was off to our son’s house to work on costumes.  Our 10 yo drama-loving granddaughter, Laurel, has written a woodland play which is in high gear production now.  As director, she had her cast of 8 girls alternately rehearsing and working on their leafy, nature-themed costumes.   I was busy sewing a shaggy white fleece stripe down the chipmunk’s brown hoodie and making a pastel colored mane for the unicorn. Who knew that 25 years after purchasing a fringe fork I would finally need and use it?

It was such fun to see all those junior thespians alternately rehearsing their scenes and working on their fairy, gnome, and evil witch’s outfits.  They had scored big at the local Goodwill where they found most of the foundations for their costumes.

But back to fall and the beach baby outfit. Continue reading

Dressed up Play Top

eyelet 1

Doesn’t this look cool and comfortable for a Florida toddler?

 

I seem to be stuck on the simple, free, gathered play top pattern from The Purl Bee.   (See Mountain Sewing Getaway and Free Patterns~Summer Play Top)  There are so many variations dancing around in my head that I doubt this will be the last one I make.  I  really hope to make some for Operation Christmas Child.

For this version, the top is cut to a dress length–at least for an 18 month old– and given a more elegant look with the  a finer fabric.  The contrasting casing of which I am so fond and is embellished with stacked  yo-yo’s, a single leaf and a tiny pearl button. Continue reading

Baby’s Easter Slip & Tips

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slip for Baby’s Easter bow dress

 

This pink slip was made to be worn under granddaughter Vivian Rose’s white batiste Easter dress.  It create a soft pink shadow effect.

 

dress pink2

 

The slip bodice was monogrammed with white thread. Continue reading

Baby’s Easter Dress

dress pink2

Vivian Rose’s white Easter dress with pink slip

UPDATE:  Finally I have a photo of Vivian Rose in her Easter dress.

VR Easter 14 crop

 

NOTE:  Please excuse the poor quality of these photos. They were taken midday, making it nearly impossible to get a shot without shadows.  The breeze was blowing and the dress kept moving.  And photography is not my strong suit.

Are you all busy with Easter sewing?  Busy, busy, busy has been the status around here for some time and it’s not been all about sewing.  With Aunt Rheeta’s visit,  Rebecca’s 3-day visit with Alastair and Vivian Rose,  and sleepovers with our other two grandchildren, progress on Easter outfits is way behind schedule.  But I loved every minute of these visits and have no regrets.

During that time, however, I did manage to make some progress on  Vivian Rose’s holiday finery and now that things have quieted down, I  have just finished her dress and slip.

 

dress no slip

dress without pink slip

Continue reading

“Git ‘er done” Projects

simple, everyday onesie with lamb embroidery

Git ‘er done #1—simple, everyday onesie with machine embroidered lambs from Ultimate Baby Layette collection by Martha Pullen.

 

Though many of us would prefer to spend all of our sewing hours stitching heirloom christening gowns, lacy Easter dresses and smocked bishops,  there are many less exciting projects that demand our time–and I’m not talking about cooking or cleaning.  My “git ‘er done” list has gotten so long that I had to get a few out the door.

DEFINITION for readers living outside of  US South:  It’s southern dialect for “Get her (‘er) done” — an imperative statement expressing a desire to start a job or complete an unfinished task.

Many objects and actions have a feminine persona (like when a farmer refers to his truck as a she, or when a captain of a ship calls his vessel a she). In the same way, a task may be given a feminine context. In the southern American English dialect, something can be “gotten done.” Hence, “Git’r done.” Continue reading

First Birthday Dress~Finished

UPDATE: And look at it now.

Viv "eating"Aunt Peggy's chocolate pudding. Surely a some got in her mouth.

Viv “eating”Aunt Peggy’s chocolate pudding. Surely some got in her mouth.

first birthday dress for Minnie fan

first birthday dress for Minnie fan

Our precious granddaughter Vivian Rose recently celebrated her first birthday with family and friends at a party in her own back yard.

Cousins Laurel and Alastair

Cousins Laurel and Alastair

Continue reading

1st Birthday Dress

goods VR 1 dress

It’s hard to believe grandbaby Vivian Rose will celebrate her first birthday in a few weeks.  Time does fly!  Her mother requested a Minnie Mouse dress for the upcoming Minnie birthday party.  Baby’s entire family is made up of enthusiastic Disney fans, so I am lucky to own Brother embroidery machines with built in Disney designs.

I have to admit it took a while to adapt my heirloom taste to a cartoon character dress.  But now, I think I am ready to begin.

Here’s what I have assembled.

  • Pattern:  Baby Butterflies by Petite Poche
  • Fabric: pink Pimatex from Farmhouse Fabrics,  white Swiss pique and black pima gingham from stash
  • Trims:  Swiss black entredeux and black scallop edging from stash
  • Designs:  small Minnie designs on my Brother ULT 2003D.
  • Buttons:  ooops-forgot to include those in the picture, but they are 3/8″  round, black with shanks

NOTE:  At first glance, reader Donna thought the entredeux looked like a zipper.  She’s right!  It does.  But it is NOT a zipper.

It took a while to get my mind right, but now I am excited about this project.  It won’t be traditional heirloom, but it includes enough heirloom goods and  techniques to make me comfortable.

I’m off to the sewing room to cut it out.  Yeah!  What a great project to start 2014.

What are you working on?

Spectacularly Made by Cheryle Cole-Bennett

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Rosey Alphabet from Hang To Dry is the source of the “P” and the flowers. The font for Page is Sweet Tart from 8 Claws and a Paw. The bib is an ITH design from FiveStarFonts.

Have you ever seen a sweeter combination of fabric and design?  Like everything Cheryle Cole-Bennett makes,  it is perfectly stitched and perfectly coordinated.  Any new mother who received a set like this would likely be dancing on the ceiling between each feeding and diapering session (if she weren’t too exhausted).

This set and everything featured here was made by Cheryle, an incredibly talented designer.  I happened upon her projects while surfing the very active, broad spectrum SewForum.com site which is graciously sponsored by AllBrands.com.  The forum is one you must join in order to have access.  Just do it–you’ll be glad you did.

 

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Here’s a close up of the onesie.  Cheryle mentioned a modification she made. “The P was edited to use the flower component from a different letter.” Can you see that the flowers are 3 dimensional?

After downloading many of my favorite photos from SewForum into my computer file called “pics inspiration,” I noticed that several were  “ccb” (Cheryle) submissions.   When I saw her preciously pink Roses for Page,  I had to know more about this person. Continue reading

Good Times~Autumn Leaves, Mountains, Grandchildren

The tiny red dot is Alastair 4, just in front of our cabin.

The tiny figure in the road just in front of our cabin is Alastair, 4, examining a fuzzy caterpillar.

 

What a delightful week we just spent at our cabin in the North Carolina Mountains.  Except for grandson Alastair, it was a girls’ getaway.  With my daughter Rebecca,

 

Rebecca and Alastair

Rebecca and Alastair

her 9 month old daughter Vivian Rose,

bunny profile

Vivian Rose in her warm bunny jammies, protecting her from the bitter 34 degree weather.

Continue reading

Moving on…..

all w headband2BR

 

It seemed as though I would never finish this simple little pini-4, but at last it is checked off on my to-do list.  There were no technical complications, but rather just a matter if life getting in the way.  Entire days passed when I did not sew and that makes me cranky.  I feel better now.

The original plan was to add a row of cable under the beaded ribbon, but in my eagerness to finish this up I just forgot.  Of course, it’s not too late and I could still do it.  It  really would look better.  But I am tired of this project.  It’s done. I’m ready to move on.

The pattern is the same one I used for the Liberty of London popover for granddaughter Vivian Rose.  But I look forward to when Lisa at Mommy’s Apron Strings releases her very similar pattern.  She has so many improvements, like sizing.

 

pini4-patt Continue reading