bassinette skirt~work in progress
I really haven’t dropped off the face of the earth! I had hoped to post photos of a finished bassinette skirt several days ago, but instead have only a picture of the work-in-progress project and a synopsis of the last several hectic days.
We’ve had a houseful of grandchildren and their parents. The happy chaos that ensued has been delightful—-and exhausting! Continue reading
UPDATE: Just came across this site with excellent tips about sewing on pre-ruffled fabric. There are two parts to the tutorial so scroll down to part 1 before reading part 2.
The color is really a coral, more like the photo below.
I’m trying to make my granddaughter Laurel an occasional contemporary garment. At eight years old, she sometimes balks at wearing the smocked or heirloom dresses I lay out for her to wear for homeschool or church when she is with us.  This little outfit is my attempt to step into the “cool” zone of kid couture. If it’s not quilting, smocking or heirloom, I am totally out of my comfort zone. But this should placate her for a while. Continue reading
Posted in girls, machine embroidery, serger
Tagged Baby Animals Two by Two, cot sheet, embroidered leopard kitts, Morehead 7, ruffled skirt
Legendary Tim Tebow spending a little time with Robert, Laurel and two of their lucky friends.
Finally, it’s here. The 2012 SEC college football season started Thursday night with the South Carolina (W) vs. Vanderbilt game. Friday night, Tennessee (W) played NC State. Bob and I were hunkered down in front of the tv for those games, our appetites whetted for today’s Gator game against Bowling Green.
For the past nine months, we’ve waited for kickoff. Around the country, and especially in the South, the date of your team’s opening game ranks in importance way above Halloween, which is now reckoned as the most popular secular holiday in America.
my children and their spouses Swamp bound–off to the game
In the Ferguson family, it is a date to which we have been counting down since January.
Six year-old Laurel taking a half-time break
Posted in boys, girls, infant clothing, machine embroidery, sporting gear, uncategorized
Our church is very active in the Operation Christmas Child program. This meaningful charity gives a shoebox of presents to individual children around the world who would otherwise receive no Christmas gifts.
I was asked to make something for the 2-4 year olds, an especially challenging age group. Everything in the box must be safe for little ones who regularly put things like buttons in their mouths.
Another consideration is that 2 year olds are still babies while the 4 year olds are likely marching full stride into the big kid category. The box contents must be appropriate for all the children in this age range.
Anita Goodesign’s Baby Stuffed Animals
I need some of the lining fabric used on this bonnet.
Most of my last week was spent across the state with my pregnant daughter, Rebecca, and 3 year old grandson, Alastair. Son-in-law Harvey was among the 10,000!!!!! bikers riding in the RAGBRAI 500 mile safari through Iowa. On purpose. In July. With no pressure from family or friends. And he loved it! Go figure.
Meanwhile, in those hectic days, Rebecca had a sonogram which gave us the wonderful news–it’s a girl! This little bundle of joy is due to arrive sometime around Christmas.
I am beside myself, whirling around here in high gear. Laurel, our only other granddaughter, is 8 years old now, so my kind of smocking and little girl sewing is slowing down, being replaced (as per her request) by more contemporary, young lady projects.
But now a baby girl–oh my!!!!! I’m pulling out all my Creative Needle Baby Issues, Sew Beautiful mags, baby daygown and accessory patterns and reveling in the options. Precious handlooms, antique laces and unique Swiss embroideries are scattered around the sewing room in stacks for careful review.
There are two minor emergencies, though, with which I hope one of you readers might be able to help me. Continue reading
Posted in baby accessories, heirloom sewing, machine embroidery
Robert and his bag, after swimming at camp in the hot sun
This little project made me very happy. It’s always so hard to find sewing projects that boys will like but this one was a hit.
Robert, 6, has a passion for sports. He has played flag football for several seasons and just finished a week at basketball camp. Knowing that every day he had to tote his lunch, bathing suit, towel, etc. I decided to find an athletic bag that could be easily embroidered. Continue reading
Posted in machine embroidery, sporting gear
Tagged boy gift, embroidered sports bag, monogrammed sports bag, sports bag
Please excuse the tacky, wrinkled backdop. I was swamped and wanted to get this post up.
Today, a dear friend came to do some special embroidery. She brought 14 linen napkins to embroider for an upcoming event at her home. Susanna loves to entertain.  So for her church’s fundraising auction she donated a tea party for 8 at her beautiful home! With a well-deserved reputation as an exceptional hostess, I imagine the tea party was a hot item at the auction.
With plans to use her mother’s china tea cup collection, Susanna wanted embroidered napkins–each different–to sit with each unique tea cup. Continue reading
Luke’s twin size quilt–shown on queen size bed
It is so easy to come up with sewing projects for daughters and granddaughters. But finding things for the boys, especially as they grow older, is a real challenge.
My dear friend, Suzanne Sawko, has always made fabulous things for her four grandsons. Now, she is on a quilting binge and the boys are quite pleased with their birthday gifts. This one was made for 11 year-old Luke. Continue reading
Posted in home dec, machine embroidery, quilts
The dress is badly wrinkled, I know, I know. But it was finished just this afternoon, popped over dgd Laurel’s sweet head in the church parking lot, worn to the pot luck supper for VBS and then worn home–lots of good reasons to be wrinkled. When I asked her to let me take a few pictures, she replied, “Please hurry, Nana! We’re going for a night swim!”  So there you have it–this was the best I could do. Please imagine it freshly pressed, as it was before the church supper.
All About Blanks carries these 60% ramie/40% cotton dresses ($24) and they are wonderful. There is a double row of drawn thread work at the hemline while the neck and armscyses are bound with self bias. They come in white and pink sizes 12M to 6, though currently many sizes are temporarily out of stock. It also comes in yellow dotted Swiss ($28) but only up to size 4.  Note that they run almost a size large. Eight year old Laurel is on the small side of average and wears this 6 quite comfortably. I made up a white one last year (size 5) that she can still wear.
Now about the embroidery, about which I am pretty pleased. Continue reading
Posted in embroidery blanks, girls, machine embroidery
This pillowcase and its mate will be included in a wedding gift I am putting together for my cousin’s daughter. The first and only time I saw Jordan was when she was 14 and spent a week with us learning to sew. Now she has just graduated from University of Nebraska and will be married next week by her father in the church he pastors.
Sewing for others always requires at least a cursory consideration of their personal taste. When her grandmother (my sweet Aunt Rheeta) told me the wedding colors were black and white, and then the very contemporary invitation arrived, I knew Jordan was a 2012 Thoroughly Modern Millie.
But she is a beautiful young lady, both inside and out, who will be a lovely bride and a loving wife. She is entitled to her own taste. Continue reading
