Category Archives: Judy Day’s creations

Valentine Pettiskirt Ensemble

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

Rick Rack Smocking at the Beach

three cousins at the beach

Once again I share with you an upclose and personal view of Judy Day’s delightful creations  for her granddaughters. She never makes “a dress.” It’s always a complete ensemble for each of the two girls and their dolls, usually including matching hairbows for all and often coordinating flip flops.

Though the idea for rickrack smocking is not Judy’s original idea, her execution is always original and fabulous.  Enjoy Judy’s chronicle of the dresses.~~~~

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Dawg Dress Update

Little boys hope to fill their fathers’ shoes.  Kennedy hopes to fill her mother’s cap!  Today,  Mama Amy, was awarded the title Dr. Amy.

Kennedy was a major attraction when she attended the University of Georgia graduation ceremony.  She wears Children’s Corner Lucy with smocked insert Spencer’s Bulldogs.  Her grandmother Judy Day made her outfit for the ceremony and the party that folowed.

How special!

Beach Portrait Dress and Vintage Skirt

Judy Day attended Lezette Thomason’s Children’s Corner Sewing School in June and had a fabulous time.  She just finished this classic white beach portrait dress which was one of the projects.   Any beach would be enhanced with Judy’s pretty seven-year old  granddaughter, Courtney, wearing this dress.

Children’s Corner pattern Louise was redrafted for this garment.  Judy reported that it is embellished with 12 tucks on the front, 18 on the back,  three gathered tiers with tucks, separated by lace. She thoroughly enjoyed stitching this project. I fell in love with the dress and the idea of a beach portrait for my own seven year-old granddaughter, Laurel.  Instantly, I remembered this exquisite white skirt, purchased at our church bazaar several years ago for no good reason other than its loveliness and potential.  Of course, I wonder on what occasions the  original owner with her 22″ waist wore this elaborate skirt.  Vintage textiles always pique my curiosity. Continue reading

1st Communion Accessories

This is a continuation of the previous post about the exquisite First Communion dress Judy Day made for her granddaughter Courtney. Details of the dress, slip and veil were included  there while this post focuses on the extensive accessories–Bible cover, garment bag, hanger and purse–that make the ensemble  all the more special.  In Judy’s  words:My parents, Courtney’s paternal  great grandparents, gave her the First Communion Bible. It was smocked and beaded by my mother, Wanda Stewart,  in  the same diamond pattern as the dress.  The beaded cross on the Bible was formed by sewing the pearl glass beads  in place  after the smocking was completed.  The instructions for the Bible cover can be found in the April, 2007 issue of Creative Needle  magazine.  Continue reading

Courtney’s First Communion Dress

Sewing for children and grandchildren is a true labor of love.  But like birthing a baby, some labors are longer and harder than others.  Always though, the resulting product is worth the effort.

First communion dresses rank right up there with christening gowns in the expenditure  of labor and love. With the able assistance of her mother, Wanda Stewart, the ensemble that Judy Day created  for her granddaughter Courtney is the result of months of stitching as well as proof positive of  immeasurable grandmotherly love.

The set grew to include so many items—dress, slip, purse, garment bag, hanger, headpiece and Bible cover.  The many interesting and intricate details will require more than one post, so please come back for the final installment.  Each piece is exquisite, so you won’t want to miss any of it.  Continue reading

Lots of Dots Bed and Bath

There are so many great ideas and techniques used in this well coordinated bedroom and bath.  Judy Day collaborated with her daughter, Beth, to create all the components, each of which included lots of dots. 

Inspiration was provided by a pricey piece of silky brown fabric with blue three dimensional fringed circles.   Beth asked her mother, Judy Day, to reproduce these circles for accents on the bedroom curtains she planned to make.

The fringed motif on the left is part of the decorator fabric.  The blue circle on the right was created by Judy using Babylock’s MasterWorks 2.  The photo is not very sharp, but even so it is clear that Judy’s smaller blue circle is nearly identical to the other.

Judy studied the fringed circles and recognized that they were no more than zig zag stitches radiating from a  center circle.  She digitized the design in Babylock’s MasterWorks 2, clipped the bobbin thread behind the zig zags, clipped the loose loops to make fringe and then used the fringed fabric circles to cover buttons.

Beth made the curtains, using a simplicity pattern for the valance.

Shortly after deciding on the blue dots/brown silky fabric theme Beth happened upon the brown towels with blue dots, along with a matching bath mat at a department store.  Continue reading

Kids Sew Jumpers

6 year-old Kennedy hard at work in her Mimi's sweat shop

Few activities delight a sewing Nana more than sewing with a grandchild.  Of course, we encourage this interest in all of our grandchildren, but some take to it like the proverbial duck to water.

Six year old Kennedy is one of those ducks.  Not only does her mother sew fabulous things for  her, but her grandmother, Judy Day, is an extremely accomplished “sewist” who sews almost around the clock for her three grandchildren.  Kennedy has reaped the benefits of matriarchal stitchers and observed that it is fun.

The little Snow Princess with her doll--doesn't she look proud?

This summer, she and her cousin Courtney spent time with their grandparents and loved working  in the sewing room.  The girls made matching sundresses and were thrilled with the results.   ( The proud six-year old cousins will be featured with their sundresses in a later post.)

Recently, Kennedy spent a week with  “Mimi” and “Papa” and was more than eager to tackle another project or two.

Careful planning and extensive preparations are critical when sewing with children.  Having years of experience teaching sewing classes,  Judy knew how to guarantee her little granddaughter’s success.

Her choice of materials and pattern were suitable for Kennedy’s sewing skills. Polar fleece is a forgiving fabric and the jumper pattern was the quick and easy Lucy from Children’s Corner.

For American Girls doll Rebecca Judy drafted a similar style using a bodice pattern from Martha’s Doll Dressing book.  It features patterns for dolls 13″ -19″.  Continue reading

Perfectly Pink Christmas X 4

 

four pink beauties

Judy Day never ceases to amaze me with her breathtaking creations and the vast number of projects she designs and completes.  Her grandchildren are so incredibly fortunate.  And it sounds like at the tender ages of 6 and 7,  they have begun to recognize the beauty of the garments Judy makes for them.

Here is Judy’s story about her perfectly pink Christmas: 

These dresses were in my mind years before I ever put needle to fabric.  I saw this dress in the Sept./Oct. 2000 issue of Creative Needle…now that I look at the date, it was before the girls were born!  
 
When I see a magazine article I really like, it goes on the corner of my cutting table for future ideas.  Continue reading

Model Bedroom

 

Home dec projects appeal to everyone.  Whether or not we have little ones to sew for, each of us has a bedroom where we seek a calm and quiet atmosphere, away from the demands of our busy days.

This model bedroom was done for the Springfield, MO,  Babylock dealer, BSewInn, by my friend Judy Day.  Her unfailing good taste, skillful color coordination and attention to detail make this model bedroom a soothing refuge.  It is both classic and contemporary.

There are several other items in this grouping, but they will be posted at a later date.  There is so much meat in the pieces shown that any more items would make for a very lengthy post. Continue reading