Category Archives: clothing

Lion and Mouse Suit

Posted on October 9, 2010 | 5 comments

zlionsuitwhole

 

 

Do little boys in your area wear heirloom clothing?  I hope so.  This little suit is for my 18 month old grandson who will wear this as soon as he grows into it.  I am always so pleased that my daughter and her husband enjoy seeing Alastair in classic clothing.

The blue suit fabric is a very fine wool challis, no heavier than broadcloth.  It is lined with blue microcheck and closed at the shoulder and side tabs with pearl shank buttons.  I was tempted to embroider a little mouse on the front of the suit, but chose instead to leave it plain so that it would be more versatile.  I may make another shirt, perhaps with a wide, embroidered collar.

 

zlionsuitcollar

 

 

The shirt is made of ivory combed batiste.  A box pleat at center front allows for more ease of movement.  Pearl 4-hole shirt buttons close the back opening.  Continue reading →

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Posted in antique textiles, Binche Lace, clothing, girls, heirloom sewing

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Picture Lace Pinafore

Posted on October 5, 2010 | Leave a comment

PictureLacePinaforewhole

 

Finding this dress and pinafore made me so happy.  I had long since thought the fall Liberty print dropped yoke dress was lost.  As it turns out, I had forgotten that my friend Suzanne Sawko had made another pinafore to go over the dress for a Sew Beautiful photo shoot some time ago.  Both garments were recently retrieved from the bottom of my antique blanket chest where specially sewn items are stored.

The dress was originally made to go under the Little Fawn Pinafore.

 

PictureLaceruffle

 

The picture lace pinafore shown above is made of a medium weight champagne Swiss batiste and edged with ivory lace tape and antique picture lace or AEsop’s Fables lace.  It’s unique characteristics include the colored cordonnet that outlines a figure and is worked into the lace edge.  It is an antique Binche lace, made some  time prior to 1926, though the exact year is unknown.  Continue reading →

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Posted in antique textiles, Binche Lace, clothing, girls, heirloom sewing, lace tape, techniques

Lavished Linen Blouse

Posted on September 30, 2010 | 1 comment

 

This classic linen blouse is lavished with fil tire’, bullion roses, lazy daisies, web roses and point de Paris.  It looks like the product of an overworked, thimbled embroideress.  In fact, it was all done by machine.

Wing needle entredeux and shaped French laces add detail and delicacy to this versatile garment.  It is a project I designed and taught at the Babylock school at a Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion in Huntsville.

The machine embroidery is from Fil Tire’ and Fancywork Combinations  by Suzanne Sawko and me.  Suzanne digitized the designs and her fil tire’, in my unbiased opinion, is the best,  cleanest and most delicate machine embroidered fil tire’  there is.   Continue reading →

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Posted in clothing, heirloom sewing, ladies, machine embroidery

Drakes

Posted on September 26, 2010 | 2 comments

These ready-to-smock garments are a real responsibility!  All were purchased for Robert and Laurel who have outgrown the remainder of my stash.  So now I am scurrying to finish up the boy’s things for 18 month-old Alastair.

His mother has requested some duck themed clothing, since his Alastair’s middle name is Drake.  I wanted to go a little further and concentrate on the drakes.  So I pulled out some old smocking plates and designs and plan to combine them for something a little less repetitive than either scene.  The yellow graphs were someone’s good idea for miniature smocking but they never caught on.  Still, I bought one of each and have used them periodically for tiny designs.

I especially like the cattails in Jerry Stock’s plate and the drakes in the leaflet, though I see now that the ones I like are obscured by the graph design.  The scan on the right shows how dramatic they are. They should show up nicely on the white Jon-Jon insert.  Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, clothing, ready-to-smock finished projects, smocking, techniques

Team Gear and More

Posted on September 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

dhild's Georgia Bulldog jumper

This Saturday is another day of college football.  In earlier posts I’ve shared my Gator projects, but there are other teams out there with equally enthusiastically sewing fans.

This little jumper made by Amy Spriggs really caught my eye.  In Florida, it is almost always too hot for polar fleece clothing, but in other areas of the country, this miracle fabric has a myriad of uses.  I just had never thought of polar fleece as a jumper fabric.  But isn’t this cute?  I can just see a little Bulldog fan with black leggings and a black long sleeved turtleneck shirt.

Amy has used her embroidery machine to clearly identify her team.  But even without an embriodery machine, it is clear which team the wearer of this garment supports. 

Continue reading →

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Posted in clothing, girls, machine embroidery, sporting gear

Girlie Team Gear

Posted on September 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

Another Saturday, another game day.  I do love college football.  Today, Clemson nearly toppled Auburn but lost in an overtime.  What a nail biter! 

But it brought to mind this little dress, which was probably worn yesterday by a sweet little Clemson fan.

It is another Amy Spriggs creation, made for the daughter of a Clemson Tiger friend. 

Her choice of fabrics in Clemson colors is tasteful and creative.  I love the way the white polka dots on orange create interest and suggest texture.  The addition of interesting details–ribbons, rick rack and machine embroidery–give this little popover a real designer look.  Continue reading →

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Posted in clothing, girls, machine embroidery, sporting gear, turn tube hem

Game Day!

Posted on September 12, 2010 | Leave a comment

I’m still having a grand time here in the  mountains with the grandchildren and their mothers.  This blog is supposed to be about sewing so I’m focusing on game day projects.  The earlier post about football brought even more football fans out of the woodwork, so I hope those of you who are not big fans will indulge me as I pursue one of my favorite subjects.

Today was Game Day for the Gators and most other college football teams.  With a noon kickoff on the schedule, we donned our Gator gear, fed the children an early lunch, set out our snack food and hunkered down for the game.  Robert was clad in the new Gator shirt I embroidered for him, while Alastair wore one of Cousin Robert’s hand-me-down Florida warm up suits.

Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, clothing, girls, machine embroidery, sporting gear

KICKOFF!!!!

Posted on September 4, 2010 | 5 comments
baby Gator

baby Gator

 

At last, it’s time for football.  The first game of the year is awaited as eagerly as Christmas and the celebrations last far longer.  Few women outside the deep South understand the seasonal passion that pervades Southern  kitchens, calendars, wardrobes and sewing schedules.

 

1-kickoffAlback

 

 

But Millie, Judy, Amy, Suzanne and other readers know all about it and welcome this invasion into their every day lives.

 

my sweater for cool game days--why didn't I stitch Albert's sweater in blue?

my sweater for cool game days–why didn’t I stitch Albert’s sweater in blue?

 

For the enthusiastic and loyal fans among us, there are a multitude of sewing opportunities.  From team gear to tailgating accessories, my sewing machine has been humming for some time. Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, clothing, embroidery blanks, girls, machine embroidery, sporting gear

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DIY Ready to Smock Bishop Nightie

Posted on September 2, 2010 | 3 comments

DIYreadyLfront

 

Fewthings are sweeter than a little girl in a smocked nightgown.   This ruffle sleeved classic bishop in blue batiste is smocked in white with pink bullion roses, edged with French lace.  Six year old Laurel loves it.

The nightie was completely constructed before it was smocked.  Again and again, I have heard friends talk of their stacks of unfinished projects.  Many, if not most, are smocked garments awaiting construction.  Smocking is a joy.  Construction is less so.  Some of these projects will never  be finished.

 

DIYreadyLside

 

Some time ago, I began making my own ready-to-smock bishops.  To me, doing the construction first makes as much sense as eating your vegetables before dessert. The initial surge of enthusiasm for a project can get me through the sometimes tedious construction phase and before the project is yesterday’s news, it is ready to smock.  Yippee!!! Continue reading →

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Posted in clothing, girls, heirloom sewing, Nana fun, ready-to-smock finished projects, smocking

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Finishing Touches-Alastair’s Farm Suit

Posted on August 31, 2010 | 8 comments

 

Alastair's Farm Suit, v.2

Alastair’s smocked farm suit is finally finished.  I had completed the smocking when we were in the mountains a few weeks ago, but needed to upgrade it a little.

This was a ready-to-smock outfit and I have relied heavily on them this past year.  The quality is very good, but there are improvements that can be made.

original collar and button

The shirt was a plain, serviceable and nice white broadcloth.  In order to make it more a part of a two-piece outfit, I added a whip stitch to the collar and cuffs.

upgrade: embellished collar, pearl buttons, red thread button sewing

At the collar, a 3.5 straight stitch was worked in white thread.

The edge of my presser foot was guided along the piping, making the stitching line perfectly parallel to the piping.

On the sleeve, there was ready made stitching below the piping.  On both the sleeves and collars, red 12 wt. thread was simply whipped over and under the stitching line.   Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, clothing, ready-to-smock finished projects, smocking, techniques