Sadly, the 2009 college football season is about over. University of Florida’s final regularly scheduled game was played Saturday against the Florida State Seminoles. It was a great Gator victory, 37-10.
Last week, our son and his wife were in Gainesville at The Swamp watching the victory over Florida International University. Before the game, Shelly realized that she needed a new Gator shirt so I embroidered this one for her. Continue reading
Posted in embroidery blanks, machine embroidery, sporting gear
Saturday, our family gathered to watch and then celebrate the Florida Gators victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks, 24-14. This game extended the winning streak to 20. Two of our grandchildren, Laurel and Robert, were here for the festivities, dressed for the occasion.
The design on Laurel’s shirt is one I have used before. A cheerleader skirt, braided pony tail and ball cap have been added to the baby alligator design from Brother’sMoskowitz card #6, with the help of BuzzEdit 2.
Posted in boys, embroidery blanks, girls, machine embroidery, recipes, sporting gear
Tagged Gator gear, Gator sports, kids Gator gear, recipe
Just today I sent this sleeper off for Alastair. It’s really nothing special, but the truth of the matter is, not everything we sew is. Sometimes, it’s just what I call utility sewing, a mere notch above mending on the sewing fun chart. But even utility sewing is always done with love.
Alastair has outgrown most of his sleepers and I had this blank one in my overflowing drawer of Things to Embroider Someday. So yesterday seemed to be the day. Continue reading
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it’s time to think about bibs to keep the corn pudding and cranberry sauce off the grandchildren’s holiday clothing. Using ready made bibs reduces this project to quick and easy. This is  a genuinely modern project for old fashioned Nanas who think bibs are in the Dining Room Dress Code for every toddler.
I love hoop appliqué and find it especially appealing for children. So I usually seek out such designs for kid projects. This turkey is from the Autumn Harvest collection, Designs by JuJu www.designsbyjuju.com . The text has been added, using the Kid Block font from Monogram Wizard Plus, a great program that I use regularly.
My first grandbaby is 5 ½ now, with absolutely no baby left in her. She still loves her smocked dresses, but she also loves all that is fashionable for the 4-7 year old age group.
Have any of you heirloom fans found yourself smitten with garments 180 degrees from your comfort zone? When I found these jeans, I had to admit they were pretty cute. With the embroidered, hot-fix jeweled back pockets and the neon pink belt, those pants are about as hip as a 5 year old needs to be. They are not exactly this old fashioned Nana’s first choice, but I do think she looks darling in these jeans.
Laurel loves them. She has never had a belt and cannot believe her good fortune in getting not only a belt but one in her favorite color. Continue reading
Posted in embroidery blanks, girls, machine embroidery
appropriately garbed, but he still can’t do the Gator chomp
All three of my grandchildren have outgrown their Gator shirts at the same time, midseason.  I shouldn’t be surprised. They all grow like weeds and one weed grows about as fast as another.
Robert’s new shirt was featured in a recent post. (NOTE: Check sporting gear category at top of page for more articles on team duds.) Laurel’s puff sleeved tee will be detailed next week.
Now Alastair is game ready, decked out in yet another Ralph Lauren Polo one piece suit, clearance priced. It is newly disenfrancished from the sport of polo and rededicated to Gator football. Continue reading
When the PlayGroup Mamas hosted a bridal shower for my daughter, I assumed my regular assignment–party favors. For this special shower, embroidered cross stitch monograms were embroidered on these little Aida gift bags. The guest party favors were filled with Hershey’s kisses, always appropriate, I think, for engagement and wedding celebrations.
No one loves a bargain more than I do. So when I saw the bags on clearance, priced at $ .25 each, I bought three dozen, the entire lot. I had no plan for their use, but I knew that for $9 I had the raw materials for  something wonderful. Little more than a year later, Rebecca was engaged and my PlayGroup Mama friends scheduled a bridal shower for 3 months later. Continue reading
Four year old Robert has outgrown all of his Gator shirts. With a home-based tailgate party scheduled at his house tomorrow for the big Florida/Georgia game, he needed some new team gear.
Just before I pulled out a shirt from my size 4 stash, his mother, Shelly, told me that she had a shirt for him that just needed embroidery. Their five-year old neighbor had outgrown this shirt and it was passed on, as children’s clothing and good will often are in their closely knit neighborhood.
Posted in boys, embroidery blanks, machine embroidery, sporting gear
Tagged embroidered Gator gear, Gator gear, kids Gator clothes
kiddie wedding fun
For our daughter’s 2006 wedding at our home, the guest list went round the full “circle of life,†from infants to the elderly.
All were welcome, but, especially for the smallest guests, accommodations had to be made.  In order for little ones and their parents to enjoy themselves, extra planning was required. It took some effort, but in the big picture, it was not a major expenditure of time or money.
Our first consideration was seating for our 8 youngest guests, ages 0-4 years. Reaching out to local friends, we borrowed enough high chairs for the babies and booster seats for the toddlers. The high chairs were wrapped with gold organza bows, just like the adult chairs.  The booster seats were strapped securely onto the regular adult seats.
minister’s baby
Posted in baby accessories, bags, embroidery blanks, machine embroidery, wedding
Until 4 year-old Robert Charles forced the introduction, I had no idea just who or what the Backyardigans were. But as I’ve said before, the Nana learning curve is steep. I had to climb hard and learn fast. Do you know who they are? I’d love to hear about what you readers have had to learn for your grandchildren.
As I found out, Backyardigans are just one more set of peace-loving, gentle natured cartoon characters, beloved by many preschoolers, including my darling grandson.   They include a moose named Tyrone, a hippo named Tasha, Pablo the penguin, Uniqua and Austin, creatures whose species eludes me. I was never good at science.
I absolutely adore this little guy. He is almost a clone of his father, my son, both physically and emotionally (translation: gorgeous and challenging).
After Robert goes home, I follow his long established, clandestine route through my house. I turn out all the back bedroom nightstand lights (on the little brass tap-tap-tap switches), turn on the daylight sensor front porch light switch, reset my dishwasher to “normal wash” from his preferred “pots and pans” and “air dry” cycles, turn off his four favorite outdoor hoses, and once again mute the sound on my computer.  We rarely catch him in the act but when we do he is nonplused, like a meter reader just doing his job.  Continue reading
Posted in boys, embroidery blanks, machine embroidery
