Category Archives: clothing

Miss Alice’s Tatted Yoke~Another Re-run

Posted on April 2, 2011 | 4 comments

“Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God.”  Leviticus 19:32 

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This verse is beautifully scripted above a peaceful scene painted on a wall in the lobby of the nursing home where my 89 year old Aunt Aileen is settling in.   A few days ago, we had a family picnic on the lovely screened porch, overlooking azaleas and newly leafed oak trees.   We dined on fried chicken, biscuits, baked beans, potato salad, fresh strawberries, cherry cheesecake and a raspberry-brownie cheesecake.  All that cooking reminded me of  tailgating at Norman Field in Gainesville for Gator football games.

Attended by her robust and sharp witted brother Richard (91), her wheelchair bound sister Dollie (83)  and her very fit and active “baby” sister Rheeta (76),  Aunt Aileen enjoyed the rare gathering of the four remaining siblings (of the nine children).  Added to the mix were my energetic,  entertaining and well-behaved grandchildren, Laurel  (6) and Robert (5), their mother, my husband and I.  The full circle of life was represented.

At every visit with her, this scripture serves as a gentle reminder of the treatment and respect this age group deserves.   I think of it so often, as I continue to deal with the details of her relocation.  And it reminds me of another elderly lady whom I loved so well, Miss Alice Van Cleef.

Again, I have to resort to a re-run for lack of time.  This is one of my favorites.  I hope you enjoy a little historical insight into my tiny hometown, Glenwood, and an introduction to Miss Alice, one in whose presence the entire community rose.

 

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BACKGROUND: The tatted yoke on this camisole is at least 90 years old.  What a testimony to the sturdy fruit of the shuttle!  I had sentimental reasons for my appreciation of this yoke (detailed below in HISTORY) and made a camisole for my daughter.  Miss Alice, the previous owner, was especially fond of my children and they grew up knowing her as an exemplary model of Christian womanhood.  In 1996, this garment was featured in my series entitled  Antique Textiles in Creative Needle magazine. Continue reading →

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Posted in antique textiles, clothing, heirloom sewing, ladies, techniques

Latin Shirts

Posted on March 26, 2011 | Leave a comment

 

Translation: I am fine. How are you?

Though sometimes called a dead language, Latin is very much alive in our homeschool classroom. Five year old Robert and 6 year old Laurel are literally singing their way through Song School Latin, a simple,  entertaining, age-appropriate curriculum, and loving every minute of it. In fact, it is Robert’s favorite subject and very close to the top of Laurel’s list.

Robert's shirt. Translation: Hello. What is your name?

Some people have commented that Latin is too difficult for children.  But it is a foreign language, much like Spanish which is taught routinely in Florida schools.  Roman children mastered Latin.  Why shouldn’t my grandchildren?

Recently, the children had to make a presentation at the weekly gathering of homeschoolers which they attend. They chose to report on their study of Latin. Of course, I wanted them to have something wear other than a toga so I made these shirts for that event.

The children wore their show-and-tell clothing proudly.  The Latin shirts were a big hit with the other students, most of whom were older.

The text for the shirt designs was created in PE-Design using the Gothic looking font #9. At Embroidery Library, one of my favorite sites, I found a design of the coliseum.

Making a volcano.

It included a tourist riding a bike which I deleted in order to make room for the text. The stepping stones had to be rearranged in BuzzEdit2 www.buzztools.com for the same reason.

I know, I know—I have gone on ad nauseum (see? You probably know Latin already!) about my love affair with machine embroidery, most especially about the ability to personalize items so specifically. Where, I ask, could you find Latin text children’s shirts in sizes 5 and 6 except in your own sewing room? Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, brother-sister, embroidery blanks, girls, machine embroidery, school accessories

Old Fashioned Baby Bubble–Re-run

Posted on March 22, 2011 | 2 comments

I’m still up to my eyeballs cleaning out Aunt Aileen’s apartment and sorting through all her paperwork.  Now she is settled in a nursing home and seems to be content.  We are so grateful. 

Aunt Rheeta is staying a while longer to help me sort and was thrilled to find old photos of her parents, grandparents and siblings that somehow ended up in Aunt Aileen’s custody.  We have another week to vacate the apartment and it is going to take every minute of that to get the job done.  So this is another re-run. 

Now that Alastair’s 2nd birthday has passed, I am enjoying these pictures of him as an infant. 

This is a delightful little garment, old fashioned in appearance but with all the convenience of a modern garment.   It looks soooooo much better on  Baby than on the hanger.  When I showed this to Rebecca, she paused a moment before saying, “….uh..thanks.”

 But after she saw it on 5-month old Alastair, she really liked it. 

It is still a quite large on him and will look better still when he is a little taller.  But hey, Florida summers last until November so I’m sure he will have plenty of warm days to wear it.

The pattern is  from the Old Fashioned Baby Embroidered Baby Clothes pattern www.oldfashionedbaby.com .    The beauty of the one-piece pattern  is that there are no buttonholes, no shoulder seams, no side seams and no set in sleeves.

  Two tiny optional pockets,  a small crotch extension and a one piece facing for the back opening are the only other pieces. 

Pique’ is one of my favorite fabrics for children’s wear, but then there is the ironing factor.  And I am putting a great deal of thought into creating “modern projects for old fashioned Nanas.” Continue reading →

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Posted in heirloom sewing, infant clothing, techniques

Party Sewing

Posted on March 20, 2011 | Leave a comment

Note the ever popular Happy Birthday tablecloth. Several years ago I made 3 or 4 of these. They have been through more parties than Thomas has been through tunnels.

The birthday boy chugs a cold one as he admires his birthday balloons.

Alastair’s Two-toot birthday party was a big hit with the children and as well as the adults.  The cupcake train delighted everyone and was so easy to make.  Typical of Florida spring, the sun shone brightly and a gulf coast breeze kept everyone comfortable.

 

My daughter Rebecca and I made the cupcakes and built the train cars the night before the party.  A Thomas train engine  pulled flatbed cars loaded with cupcakes.

The train cars were  built with a stack of two graham crackers with buttercream frosting holding them firmly together. 

Other graham crackers were  broken into “sticks” and stacked three high for the axels, with mini Oreo wheels.  Gum drops served as hitches between the cars.

We all enjoyed watching 2 1/2 year old Ethan surreptitiously pull an Oreo wheel from the train and pop it into his mouth.  His mother scolded, but  Rebecca assured her that the flatbed cars were there for the children to enjoy, just like  the cupcakes and their teepee train bags.  Continue reading →

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Posted in bags, boys, clothing, hairbows, home dec, machine embroidery, Nana fun, party accessories and ideas

Ready for Two-toot! Birthday

Posted on March 13, 2011 | 3 comments

Alastair with his birthday tree. Now, they are the same height.

Alastair is ready for his “Two-toot!”  birthday party next week.  He and his parents were with us for a long weekend and I was able to finish embroidering his engineer birthday outfit before they left. 

While this may not seem like a big accomplishment, for me it was.  Saturday, the entire family was here, busy with a variety of activities.  Robert (5) and Laurel (6) kept busy playing with cousin Alastair (2), the guys and Alastair’s mother watched the Florida Gators basketball game,    Laurel and Robert’s mother gardened and I spent some time gathering more clothes from Aunt Aileen’s apartment. I delivered these to her at the nursing home where she is getting therapy and visited for a while.  Correction at Rebecca’s behest – his mother was outside with the  babes all afternoon, not inside watching the Gators game.  Sorry, Rebecca!  

Later, we all sat down to a big family dinner.  As we finished dessert, Laurel made a presentation to fulfill a school requirement.  Even in front of her family, she was a little nervous as she read her report on the 5K fundraiser walk she and her mother did to benefit research for juvenile diabetes.  But she did a fabulous job, following up with a photo of her “team” as they completed the walk and displaying the medal she earned for her participation.

Then it was time for a bonfire, which has become the piece de resistance of our family gatherings.  We used all the freeze damaged foliage for this roaring fire. The S’mores left everyone sticky and satisfied.

There are 125′ of azaleas up each side of our driveway. It is a spectacular sight.

The gorgeous weather was a huge distraction. Springtime in Florida is an awesome sensory delight. The air is perfumed with citrus blossoms and wisteria, while everywhere the eye travels it gazes on dogwood, azaleas and all other flowering plants in full bloom.  More about our beautiful spring after details of Alastair’s train suit.

 

The well-worn Oshgosh B’gosh overalls were already hanging in his closet, days away from being packed away.  The pant legs have a snap crotch for the convenience of Diaper Dandies, not big fellas like Alastair who has graduated to big boy pants. Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, clothing, machine embroidery

Re-run: Smocked Brother-Sister Frogs

Posted on March 12, 2011 | 2 comments

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This post is a rerun.  I’ve spent most of every day this past week tending to my dearly loved  89 year-old aunt.  She has been hospitalized and has suffered a rather dramatic fall into dementia, so I have been trying to arrange a move from her assisted living facility to a higher level of care in a nursing home.

Between dealing with her needs and tending my 2 year old grandson Alastair, I have run out of time and decided to re-run some old posts until I can get caught up.   I doubt if any readers have read all  or even most of the 386 posts from the birth of this blog.  So here it is……

I love to see siblings in coordinating clothes.  My son and daughter are fully 4 years apart in age, so I was only able to indulge in this practice for a very short time.

But my granddaughter Laurel is just 15 months older than her brother Robert so I have made them many “matching” outfits.  Laurel loves it, her mother loves it and Robert, frankly, doesn’t care one way or the other.

Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, brother-sister, clothing, girls, ready-to-smock finished projects, smocking

Summer=Sundresses

Posted on March 4, 2011 | Leave a comment

 

Almost 2 year-old Alastair needed daycare this week.  His mother, my computer engineer daughter Rebecca, was called back to work full-time for a big project so I am tending the little guy on the west coast of Florida while his parents work.  I love it but his presence adds a new dimension to the challenge of snapping photos for a post.

plain jane sundress, unembellished except for cat hair

The dresses (one embroidered, one plain) were carried here in a bag, meant to be ironed.  But Alastair thought that was not a good use of our time and nixed the session at the ironing board.  Okay, we’ll live with the wrinkles.

Then I wanted to sew three tiny buttons onto the bow knot on one shoulder.  But before they were stitched in place, Alastair snatched them from the leather ottoman where they were resting and ran like the wind with them clutched in his hot little hand.  As he ran, he squealed with delight that Nana was chasing him. 

When I finally convinced him to return the buttons to their rightful owner, he dropped them onto the oriental rug where they became invisible.  I quickly recovered the buttons and sewed them to the bow knot. Finally, I got things set up to take a picture. Continue reading →

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

Coming soon: St. Patrick’s Day!

Posted on March 1, 2011 | 1 comment

“St. Patrick’s Day is an enchanted time-a day to begin transforming winter’s dreams into summer’s magic.”  Adrienne Cook

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Though March 21st is the official first day of spring, March 17th is truly the harbinger of sunny days to come.

St. Patrick’s Day is just plain fun.  Snakes are said to have been driven away by this popular saint and yet parades “snake” through town in celebration of all that is Irish.

 

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The holiday implies no responsibility for candy or roses or gifts or greeting cards.  A celebrant’s only duty is to wear green, The Great Equalizer that enables people of all nationalities to share a single ancestry for a day.  Of course, there are always those who take advantage of a situation and sport shirts or hats demanding “Kiss me.  I’m Irish!”

On this day, everyone of good humor is Irish.   Though the smallest dab of green on one’s clothing implies participation in the day’s festivities, it is more fun for children to dress for the occasion. Continue reading →

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Posted in button machine, embroidery blanks, girls, hairbows, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery

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Lace Tape : its History and Peggy’s Daygowns

Posted on February 20, 2011 | 4 comments

Lace tape is a fabulous new~old product. Its history is as lengthy and varied as is its uses. While not as widely used and recognized as it should be, lace tape is growing in popularity nonetheless.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this produce, it is a 100% cotton, loosely woven “tape,” approximately 3/8″ wide. Previously available from Wendy Schoen, now the only source that I am aware of is Farmhouse Fabrics. Lace tape has a pull thread on either side just like heirloom lace insertion.

Because lace tape lacks the transparency of lace, it is unnecessary to cut away the foundation fabric beneath the lace tape. Consequently, the integrity of the fabric is not compromised and the garment is sturdier.

Its uses run the gamut from a substitute for lace insertion to shadow applique’ when applied to the underside of sheer fabric to tuck filler for shadowed shark’s teeth and more.

PEGGY’S DAYGOWNS: Evidence of this growing awareness of its charms can be seen in Peggy Dilbone’s precious daygown projects for Martha Pullen’s Sewing for Baby school. Viking educator Peggy always comes up with to-die-for projects and these daygowns are as sweet as anything she has designed.

The pink daygown features shaped lace tape bows and machine embroidery. Gentle gathers offer enough fullness for comfort but not so much as to make the lace tape bows disappear in the fabric folds. What mother would not love this for her baby girl? It would be as much fun to make this puff sleeved pink confection as it would be to dress a little darling in it. Continue reading →

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Posted in clothing, heirloom sewing, infant clothing, lace tape, machine embroidery

Knight Alastair

Posted on February 16, 2011 | Leave a comment

Names are funny.  From generation to generation, they wax and wane in popularity.  When we named our son Ryan, I knew of only one other child by that name;  my sorority sister’s son was 6 years old on the other side of the country.  Now, “Ryan”  is as common as John used to be.  Alastair, however, seems never to have achieved a high ranking in the past 100 years.

Which is why my daughter and her husband, Harvey, chose it.  Every name that they considered was first checked against a list of the 100 most popular names in the past 100 years.  “Alastair” was clearly absent from each.  So that’s the name they chose.

Shortly after my grandson’s birth, a friend of Harvey’s commented, “With a name like Alastair, it’s knighthood or failure.” Thus, the choice of this embroidery design for his Valentine’s Day shirt.

 

 

After choosing the knight from Planet Applique www.planetapplique.com , I decided on the text, “Soon I’ll be your knight in shining armor.”  But a senior moment denied me access to the proper spelling and I typed in “amor.”  Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, clothing, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery