Category Archives: machine embroidery

Shadow Embroidery by Embroidery Machine

Posted on July 20, 2013 | 26 comments

Catching up with my must-do’s so that I can write a new post has been nearly impossible. I won’t bore you with ALLL the details, but one obstacle is time spent supervising 7 year old grandson Robert as he works on the book he has written, Football Frenzy (which soon I HOPE and expect to be for sale @ $7, at least until Amazon or BooksAMillion pick it up ;-)). After I printed up two copies for his perusal, he decided that it is too short. So he is back to composing, adding a chapter on recipes for football watching snacks and more.

Roberts book cover

Additionally, I have been substitute teaching Sunday School for 1st-5th graders, a satisfying but time consuming task.

So until I finish the little popover pinafore (Pini-4) which is almost done, I resort yet again to putting up a post from the past.

Shadow embroidery by machine continues to be of great interest. Though you probably have a greater chance of winning the lottery than of laying hands on any one of Suzanne Hinshaw’s to-die-for collections, you just might get lucky. There are other designers mentioned below with sets or individual designs.

So here is the old post, with a few photos of projects done since putting this one up. A real, new, fresh post should be up very soon.

grandson's Easter outfit with shadow embroidery from Southern Stitches’ Shadow Work Baby Collection

grandson’s Easter outfit with shadow embroidery from Southern Stitches™ Shadow Work Baby Collection

Continue reading →

26 Comments

Posted in heirloom sewing, home dec, machine embroidery, techniques

Tagged , , ,

Modeling their New Clothes

Posted on July 5, 2013 | 8 comments

 

modeling their July 4th outfits

modeling their July 4th outfits

I simply must show you the pictures that Rebecca just sent of Alastair and Vivian Rose wearing the outfits I made recently.  You’ve probably already seen these clothes and I know I am Pitiful Nana to HAVE to show these off.  I’m like the grandmothers who pull out the 11 x 17″ g’baby photo albums at every opportunity.  But I am what I am.

 

V-stands

 

 

Six month old Vivian Rose, our own four-tooth “Chubbalicious,” is finally getting hair in a reversed sequence of her mother’s development.  Rebecca was born with thick, dark hair that nearly covered her ears but it all fell out and at her first birthday she had about as much as does Vivian Rose now.  Vivian also has 2 teeth now while her mother didn’t cut her first almost until her first birthday.  I thought I might have to send her to  kindergarten with pureed baby food in her lunch box.  FYI, this Children’s Corner Bobbie bubble is a size 18 months!

Continue reading →

8 Comments

Posted in boys, Holiday Projects, infant clothing, machine embroidery

July 4th Outfits and At Home Celebrations

Posted on July 2, 2013 | 9 comments

both

I love the 4th of July and everything that goes with it.  I love the picnics, the parades, the fireworks, the flag waving, the declarations of patriotism, the television broadcast of A Capitol Fourth, all that and more.  But what I love most is the blessings and freedoms we celebrate on Independence Day.  Oh–that and the children’s clothes, too!

When our children were still at home, we hosted a huge picnic with as many as 175 guests.  I wrote an article about it for the 1988 summer issue of Sew Beautiful.  For any who would like to stroll down Memory Lane with me, the  article is reprinted at the end of this post. Continue reading →

9 Comments

Posted in boys, brother-sister, Holiday Projects, infant clothing, machine embroidery

My Little Tie Guy

Posted on June 29, 2013 | 4 comments
Gator tie 2

VBS day #1–Gator tie, 6″.  I should have made the 8″ size.

From the moment he first saw the mirror reflection of himself wearing a tie, our 7 year old grandson, Robert, adopted the cravat as his signature fashion accessory.  Even for Wednesday night church potluck suppers, he has always liked to wear a tie.   Selecting just the right one for Sunday morning has always been a lengthy process.

With a grin, Robert recently confided to me that the kids at church call him  “Tie Guy.”  I frequently teach his Sunday School class and have never heard this, but he declares it is true–and who am I to argue with a 7 yo who wants to wear a tie to church?

 

vest R all crop

Day #2–vest and bow tie. Even though I enlarged the design, it is still too small. And yet he loved it.  Instead of the embroidered buttons in  the original design, real buttons were added, along with his “cypher”  (click here and scroll down the post to see why RCF is not a monogram).

 

But it’s just not practical to wear a tie to Vacation Bible School.  So when he asked me to make him a tie for each day, these embroidered tee shirts were the perfect solution.  Because Robert so rarely asks me to sew for him, I spent time each day searching for “tie” designs and my evenings stitching his shirt (and sometimes one for his sister Laurel) for the next day.  Each afternoon was dedicated to their homeschool lessons.  Whew!  I was worn out by the end of the week. Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in boys, machine embroidery

Smocked Pini-4 for Vivian Rose

Posted on June 20, 2013 | 19 comments

Coming soon! Grandbaby Closet Sale–All those special items too small too soon or just plain outgrown need to go to a new closet  At least one of Vivian Rose’s daygowns has never been worn.  Also coming soon (we hope), hair on her pretty head!

VR close

Rebecca, baby Vivian Rose and I are quite pleased with this little Pini-4.   The smocked skirt is Liberty of London and the machine monogrammed, self-lined bodice is hot pink microcheck.

pini4 front all3

There are no buttons or buttonholes, only ties at the neck, center back and underarms.   With a little careful planning or by following the pattern exactly (I just can’t do it!), this super quick and easy pattern COULD be a joy to stitch.   So I neeeeeeded to add piping, sure and how about some  tatting–oh yeah!  And I wanted to line it with my preferred method rather than as directed. Continue reading →

19 Comments

Posted in heirloom sewing, infant clothing, machine embroidery, smocking

Smocked Nighties for 2 American Girls

Posted on May 18, 2013 | 6 comments

L M stand

 

For Laurel’s 9th birthday I finally finished smocking this nightie.   The matching gown for her American Girl Molly had long since been done.   But when little Vivian Rose was born I was wrapped up making baby girl things, so this project was pushed to the back burner.  I was so glad to have both pink things out of my sewing room.

 

L close smocking

 

Like the Molly’s nightgown, Laurel’s has a machine embroidered heart in the unsmocked area at center front.  The designs are from Martha Pullen’s Little Pleasures collection which includes two nearly identical hearts in two sizes.  A little editing made them match almost perfectly.  Laurel notices and appreciates details like that.

 

L M sit cr

 

Continue reading →

6 Comments

Posted in doll clothing and accessories, girls, machine embroidery, Nana fun, uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

Baptism

Posted on April 21, 2013 | 9 comments

LRnM

 

What a joyful day this was!  Our two older grandchildren, seven year old Robert and eight year old Laurel, were baptized.

 

bapt pic 2C

 

Cousin Alastair, 4, loves a photo opportunity so he stepped up to be included.

 

RLA short

 

Continue reading →

9 Comments

Posted in church projects, girls, heirloom sewing, machine embroidery

Tagged , ,

G’Kid Stuff and Preschooler’s Cot Sheet Pattern

Posted on March 9, 2013 | 8 comments

 

A sheet

Alastair with his new preschool cot sheet, fresh out of the priority mailer envelope. There is a tiny race car crossing the “t” in his name.

It’s been busy and hectic here with lots of fun with grandchildren and friends.   And some sewing, but there is nothing pretty to show you.

Alastair is 4 now, though the celebration at Nana and Granddad’s is not scheduled until next week.   But to my great surprise, this early birthday cot sheet gift seemed to thrill him only slightly less than a visit from superhero Captain America.  It was made to compensate for the duck fiasco detailed below. Continue reading →

8 Comments

Posted in button machine, machine embroidery, Tutorials, uncategorized

Tagged , , ,

The Lace Dress for Easter

Posted on February 27, 2013 | 15 comments

Easter-lace-dress-br

 

This is a beautiful, symmetrical dress–not cockeyed as it appears in this photo.   The wind would NOT stop blowing so it kept swinging on the hanger as I  tried to snap it in a moment of calm.  Note also that the hanger is an adult size, so the shoulder appears to be wider than the pattern picture.

But, hurrah!! Laurel’s Easter dress is almost done, lacking only buttons and buttonholes.  The pattern is one of Nancy Coburn’s at Ginger Snaps Designs.

 

lace-dress-patt

 

Laurel’s dress includes absolutely no originality from me.  I copied this beauty as is because I didn’t think there was any way I could improve upon it. Continue reading →

15 Comments

Posted in girls, heirloom sewing, machine embroidery

Tagged , , , ,

Easter Dresses from the Past

Posted on January 24, 2013 | 15 comments

Courtney wrote a sweet note asking about Easter dresses I have made in the past.  For her 2 year old daughter, she is designing an heirloom confection for this same celebration.  She was curious about my granddaughter Laurel’s earlier special frocks.

bunny bubble

 

She was just 10 months old, crawling at lightning speed when her first Easter rolled around.  A bubble seemed to be the most sensible solution for a baby who spent most of her waking moments on her knees.  For details of this little outfit, headband and matching bib for Easter dinner, see the post Baby Bunny Bubble.

 

 

1st birthday~Easter dress

 

Laurel’s first birthday was two months later.  She was toddling around, making it easy for me to justify making the heirloom dress of my dreams.  I absolutely loved making  this.  For details and more photos than you will want to look at, check the post First Birthday Dress.

 

slip

 

For me, the matching slip was the finishing touch.

Her second Easter fell just a few months before our daughter’s wedding, Continue reading →

15 Comments

Posted in boys, girls, heirloom sewing, machine embroidery, ready-to-smock finished projects, shadow work by machine, smocking

Tagged , , , , , ,