Category Archives: clothing

Baby Bunny Bubble

Posted on February 18, 2012 | 6 comments

It’s time to get started on Easter outfits for the grandchildren. In fact, I woulda/shoulda started before now but I am busy working up a design and embroidering tee shirts for Robert and Laurel’s Odyssey of the Mind competition next week.

I’m especially grateful for the 1000 stitches per minute that my Brother Duetta puts out.  The shirts are pretty ugly, but beautifully embroidered (film at 11, or after the competition).  There are other must-do’s but very soon I MUST at least have a plan.

For sewing mothers and grandmothers, there is no greater thrill than to see their little darlings decked out in their most elaborate and special garments, created with love in every stitch.

Those of us who have labored long and hard on these very special holiday garments often find that specific recollections of each Resurrection Sunday are tied more closely to the Easter outfits made that year than to the calendar year. Continue reading →

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Posted in baby accessories, Freckled Laundry, girls, hand embroidery, heirloom sewing, infant clothing, machine embroidery, techniques

Tiny Daygown for A Tiny Girl

Posted on February 14, 2012 | 12 comments

tiny dress all 2

This preemie daygown was made for a tiny baby girl who was born last week weighing 3 lbs. 9 ounces. Almost 8 weeks before her due date, she is doing quite well in the neonatal intensive care unit at an excellent hospital. But she is sooooo little!

Her mother was a classmate of my daughter’s as well as one of my favorite students in my children’s sewing classes. Now she is a wife and new mother to a precious baby daughter who will probably be in the hospital for some time.

monogram

I had planned to smock a daygown for this little darling, but she arrived before I even began. So I whipped up this simple A-line so she would have something girlie to wear over her itty bitty institutional nappies. If I can find a little more time, I’d like to make a bonnet and blanket. Continue reading →

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Posted in heirloom sewing, infant clothing, machine embroidery, White Wednesday

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New Look for an Old Dress

Posted on February 8, 2012 | 5 comments

Heirloom sewn children’s clothing is nearly timeless. Bishops, basic yokes and button-ons have been around for so long that you can hardly tell the old from the new.

Laurel, my 7 year old granddaughter, wore this 28 year old dress to church last Sunday.   Perhaps you can tell that it is not new because it is not black and hot pink or lime green.  But still, I think the color and style do not scream “HAND ME DOWN!!!” (Please advise me if I am wrong.)

The dress was made for my daughter Rebecca in 1984.  The fabric is a Rose and Hubble lawn.   How I wish that company were still in business, making almost Liberty quality lawns!

The collar is ivory linen with hand fagoting stitches joining the bias strip and lace edging.  The same edging is fagoted to the linen sleeve binding.

NOTE:  On SewForum, I posted a picture and description of a daygown with fagoted lace.   The word “fagoted” was “beeped.”   I wonder what their censorship program would do with “roll and whip?”

I need to mend the mitre on the bias.

Continue reading →

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Posted in girls, hand embroidery, heirloom sewing, machine embroidery, Second Time Around

Valentine Pettiskirt Ensemble

Posted on January 26, 2012 | 3 comments

Judy Day made these darling Valentine outfits for her granddaughters. As my granddaughter, Laurel, would say, these are “cool!” Judy has a knack for seeing one thing and envisioning another. The Valentine ensembles clearly demonstrate that ability.  Here are the details from Judy.~~~~~~

I typically don’t make Valentine specific outfits, as I want my granddaughters to wear the things I sew for them longer than this short season.

Purchased “blank” items can be transformed into personal outfits with just a little embellishment here and there, as these outfits attest. Continue reading →

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Posted in girls, hairbows, Holiday Projects, Judy Day's creations, machine embroidery

It’s Over

Posted on January 8, 2012 | 4 comments
ItsOver F throw

monogrammed fleece throw for sweet daughter-in-law

 

Christmas 2011 is finally over.  I know, I know—-you probably put all your ornaments away before the pumpkin pie was gone and already have your Valentine’s decorations up.  I bet you are set to bake red, white and blue  cupcakes for Presidents’ Day and have a bunting ready to hang on the front porch.

Not me.  Our at-home celebration with our children and grandchildren began Dec. 27th and ended Jan. 3 when they had all left.  So we are a little  lot slower wrapping things up.

The pre-Christmas bug that kept me in bed and, more importantly, out of the sewing room,  is the reason I am still finishing up a few gifts.  The microfleece throw for my sweet daughter-in-law was embroidered with one of my favorite machine embroidery collections, Sandy Jenkins‘ Paisley Alphabet  from Martha Pullen.

 

I especially like to create an applique’ for the solid portion of the design (gold show above).For this projects, a silver gray ultrasuede was substituted for the fill embroidery.  Shelly loves deep, rich colors so I hope she will enjoy this throw.

Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in boys, machine embroidery, Nana fun

Blossom Basket Blouse

Posted on January 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

blossom basket blouse

 

I hope 2012 is off to a good start for all of you.  For us, the new year was kicked off in the midst of chaos rather than the cozy family gathering we had planned for our Christmas #2 celebration.

First our pilot son was called away for a last minute flight to Denver. Then after the bonfire and s’mores, the grandchildren’s plans for a loud welcome to the new year were foiled by 6 year-old Robert’s battle with croup and Laurel’s virus.

Finally, after unsuccessfully trying to soothe his cough with the cold air humidifier, my son-in-law and I left at 2 a.m. and drove 40 minutes each way to Robert’s home to retrieve his croup medicine.   The remaining adults tended to Robert and Laurel. Being on the roads at that time was a little worrisome, but we arrived home safely.

The best part of the new year was that our daughter and her family were here for a whole week.  However, this left me not a free moment as 2 year-old Alastair claimed my undivided attention. I loved every minute of it, but there was no time for blog writing, sewing or picture taking. Consequently…

For Faded Charm’s  White Wednesday, this is a rerun of an earlier post. I hope you find a tidbit or two that interest you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continue reading →

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Posted in clothing, heirloom sewing, lace tape, ladies, machine embroidery, Madeira applique, techniques, White Wednesday

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Christmas Celebration #2 Projects

Posted on December 31, 2011 | 4 comments

After a joyous Christmas Eve and Day on the other side of the state, we’re gearing up for Christmas celebration #2.   At our home this weekend, both of our children and their families will be here.

Things are not going according to plan though.  I had scheduled a 3-day, uninterrupted solitary sew-in this week while Bob was out of town on business.  But my little Christmas gift to me was stolen by a powerful Grinch virus which moved in about an hour after DH moved out for the airport.  Instead of stitching, I was twitching and groaning in misery.

Three days later and 20 minutes after I moved from black suffering to the light of almost normal , our daughter and her little family arrived.  Now, I’m scrambling to sew up a few of the projects I had planned for my abandoned sewing retreat.  Of course, I wanted to enjoy time with Alastair, so most of these were sewn with his…assistance?  supervision? Whatever… We had fun.

In the interim, Laurel joined us for an unplanned overnight, so I threw this outfit together for her to have something clean to wear to her Odyssey of the Mind practice this morning.  I knew I was a desperate woman when I passed it off as an early Christmas present. Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in boys, girls, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery

Christmas ’11~First Celebration

Posted on December 27, 2011 | 1 comment

I hope you all had a happy, merry Christmas day, filled with family, friends and love.  We’ve just had another joyous celebration with our daughter, Rebecca, Harvey and 2-1/2 year old Alastair.    Regrettably,  I took very few pictures the entire two days.

Christmas Eve was spent with Harvey’s family, who seem like our very own.  At Carol and Alan’s absolutely gorgeous, huge, decorated-to-the-nines country home, we enjoyed a delicious supper of gumbo, homemade slaw, special bakery bread, fresh strawberry pie and bread pudding.  Our son-in-law Harvey grew up just outside New Orleans so it’s no surprise that his mother has significant expertise in Cajun cuisine, not to mention everything else edible.  The company was as good as the food.

 

A-Xmas-suit1

 

Alastair wore his Christmas suit and was, of course, the star of the evening, shining for his adoring grandparents,  89 year-old great-grandmother Ruby, aunts and uncles.   Why didn’t I snap a shot of him charming Ruby or showing everyone how high he can jump?  Why didn’t I take a picture of him alone in the music room playing (well, hitting the keys) on his grandmother’s baby grand piano? Or pulling back the curtains to examine the electric candles and the outdoor lights?  I missed so many photo ops. Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, embroidery blanks, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery

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Last Minute Flights and Late Night Projects

Posted on December 24, 2011 | 5 comments

UPDATE: Alastair was precious in his Christmas suit and loved the design! None my fears were realized.   I shouldn’t have worried about him not liking it.

burgundy velveteen shorts, ivory linen shirt

I knew I was cutting it very close this year.  One thing and another kept coming up, thwarting my plans to finish up Christmas gifts.  Yesterday, I had the entire day free to finish up.  But then…

 

My pilot son invited us to join him on a shake down flight on his new jet.  Well, it’s not his to own, but his as the captain to fly and schedule. So we were off to Ft. Lauderdale for lunch, except that there were some technical glitches and we had a late supper there.  It really was delightful, but the whole day was used up.

my handsome pilot son and his family

Continue reading →

5 Comments

Posted in boys, embroidery blanks, heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects, linen blanks, machine embroidery

Overtime in Santa’s Workshop

Posted on December 20, 2011 | 7 comments

I’m not sure if my Christmas workshop effort should be labeled overtime or overdrive, but I can tell you that I am working hard!  There is still so much that I want to make, but I have gotten some gifts sewn up.

Molly and her American Girl  sisters will have a new hand knit sweater.  I’d like to make more pants for the dolls, but that might have to wait until after Christmas.  The colors in the sweater embroidery will coordinate just about any fabric.The letters are the small Diva Dots from Five Star Font and the spray was taken from Amazing Designs Buttonholes 1 collection. Continue reading →

7 Comments

Posted in boys, doll clothing and accessories, machine embroidery