Category Archives: machine embroidery

Peace on Earth

Posted on December 21, 2009 | Leave a comment

Yet another gift has been completed for in-laws of my in-laws.   This relatively quick and easy project can serve its original purpose as a linen guest towel or as a Christmas banner.

The linen guest towels come in a variety of styles. Some have hemstitching at both ends while others have only a 1/2″ turned hem at the plain end. This one, with hemstitching forming the casing at the top and three rows of hemstitching, met my need for a decorative casing as well as hemstitching suitable for a few rows of ribbon.

The embroidery design, Peace on Earth with Dove Tree, is from one of my favorite design sites, Embroidery Library www.emblibrary.com Continue reading →

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Posted in embroidery blanks, Holiday Projects, home dec, linen blanks, machine embroidery

JOY

Posted on December 20, 2009 | 1 comment

Tick tock, tick tock……Christmas is coming. As I work to finish up some small gifts for extended family, including several in-laws of in-laws, I am so glad that I have an embroidery machine.

In my opinion, these fingertip towels and the other presents I am making are nice enough to show that some effort was extended on their behalf, yet small enough to prevent the recipients from feeling obliged. And if they don’t care for my gifts, they can still be used to dry hands or to dust.Actually,  they are all such nice people that I do hope they are pleased. Continue reading →

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Posted in embroidery blanks, Holiday Projects, linen blanks, machine embroidery

Smocked Coat and Muff

Posted on December 18, 2009 | 6 comments
Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do.
Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust (and smocked clothing) over the lives of little children. ~Alex Haley 
 
C and K xx
 
Making a coat is not for the faint of heart, nor for those less than accomplished in the needlearts. Years ago, Judy Day made gorgeous smocked coats for her two daughters and now has made these beauties for her two granddaughters, using the same pattern.   Self piping, covered buttons and monograms are special details that make the coats fit for a princess or two.

Though they live hundreds of miles apart, the adorable, girly 5 year old cousins see one another often enough to be close friends and enjoy wearing the matching clothes that Judy makes for them. In the pictures, you can see their matching blue smocked bishop dresses peeking out at the top of their coats. Continue reading →

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Posted in girls, machine embroidery, smocking

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Christmas Critters III

Posted on December 17, 2009 | 5 comments

ChristmasCrittersIIILaurelbrite

 

Laurel’s Christmas dress was finished just in time for her brother Robert’s preschool Christmas program. In fact, her father had taken her for an afternoon outing and managed to get her to the program wearing jeans and a tee shirt only a few minutes ahead of me carrying her holiday clothes.

She was absolutely taken with the dress, mostly because of the fullness of the 90″ skirt.   This motivated her to twirl, perform some of her ballet moves and smile at everyone, entertaining the waiting parents, grandparents and friends. Laurel loves an audience, even if, technically, it’s her brother’s audience.

 

 

critter bib

 

The bib, collar and sleeves are all trimmed with ecru tatted edging. The design on the embroidered button on bib is yet another from Bernina’s Current Critters Continued. Laurel’s mother has decided that the “critter” nestled in the big bow is a baby squirrel and she should know. As a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, she has hand fed hundreds of them. I always thought it was a mouse, but I defer to her expertise. Continue reading →

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Posted in brother-sister, clothing, girls, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery

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Crazy Patch Stocking

Posted on December 16, 2009 | Leave a comment

 

I have always loved crazy patch quilting but hadn’t used this technique for several years until I began this project.  Made for my dear friend, my daughter-in-law, it was a perfect diversion from my sewing marathon of baby/children’s items. 

There are so many things I love about doing crazy patch.  I like combining fabric with a variety of textures like silk dupioni, corduroy, velvet, satin.  I can’t think of another kind of sewing that would allow that. 

Adding little snippets of interesting lace, odd buttons, special ribbons and all the decorative stitches available on our sewing machines transforms crazy patch into a potpourri of sewing delights. Continue reading →

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Posted in Holiday Projects, home dec, machine embroidery

Christmas Critters II

Posted on December 16, 2009 | Leave a comment

 

Glenn button-on-bib

With only 9 days left until Christmas, I am down to the wire  finishing my grandchildren’s holiday outfits. Baby Alastair has been wearing his since Thanksgiving (see Lemonade post), but 4 year-old Robert and 5 year-old Laurel are expecting delivery tomorrow. This button-on bib is the last piece of Robert’s suit which will be complete just in time for his preschool Christmas program.

The Children’s Corner Glenn suit is made of a beautiful piece of vintage brown plaid Viyella from my stash.  Vintage!  Did you know? I didn’t. I just thought it was old.  (See below.) The button-on bib is made of a linen look-alike blend and embroidered with a design from Bernina’s Current Critters Continued. Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery

Dirty Laundry

Posted on December 14, 2009 | Leave a comment

I’ve mentioned my good friend Sue Lord and all of her talents before (www.suelord.com).    Her ever -flowing creative ideas and strong influence on my sewing projects require that I give her credit and thanks yet again.

Sue designed the dirty laundry bag project. It was featured in one of the machine embroidery magazines and is included in her embroidery collection Gifts for Women.  This collection has something for everyone and is just fabulous.

Sue, ever the Southern gentlewoman, stitched her dirty laundry bag in feminine pastels. But the text is just suggestive enough to make me think of black lingerie.

The bag is made from ivory polished cotton with black doubleface satin ribbon running through the casing.  I almost always prefer ivory over white.  On this project, it softens the harshness of the black stitching.  Continue reading →

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Posted in accessories, antique/vintage textiles, bags, Disney, Disney projects, Judy Day's creations, machine embroidery, Tutorials

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Special Angels

Posted on December 12, 2009 | Leave a comment

During the Christmas season, references and images of angels are as pervasive as Santa Claus. They appear on greeting cards, holiday attire, tree ornaments and home decorations. It is not surprising that there are so many embroidery designs and projects that reflect the public’s interest and fascination with these celestial beings.

In literature, angels are equally prevalent. There are Biblical references, such as, “For God commands the angels to guard you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11

And tongue in cheek references, “A baby is an angel whose wings decrease as his legs increase. ~Author Unknown

We just can’t seem to leave angels alone.

Continue reading →

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Posted in antique textiles, baby accessories, Holiday Projects, home dec, linen blanks, machine embroidery, quilts

Alastair’s Temporary Christmas Stocking

Posted on December 9, 2009 | Leave a comment

 

Alastair temp stocking

 

 

Talk about quick and easy!  This is truly a modern project for any kind of Nana. Purchased by my daughter for her son, Alastair, I was asked to personalize it for him, which I did.  But, as it turns out, this stocking is doomed to be a single use item, scheduled for replacement, Christmas 2010.

His name is embroidered in the candy cane true type font, about which I wrote in the Christmas Aprons post a few days ago.  At the intersections of the decorative stitching, novelty Christmas buttons are sewn. The Santa, snowman, gingerbread man, cardinal, Christmas tree and other dimensional buttons delighted Alastair.

Rebecca, too,  was delighted until she caught up with this blog and saw her nephew Robert’s stocking in the Flying Santa post. She had never seen it.   When that stocking was made and hung, Robert was a newborn and his Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Harvey were in Africa, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

“You mean you can MAKE Christmas stockings?  I had no idea! Will you please make one for Alastair?  Uh, next year will be fine.” Continue reading →

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Posted in embroidery blanks, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery

Just Plain Glenn

Posted on December 9, 2009 | Leave a comment

In previous posts, I’ve mentioned that Children’s Corner Glenn is one of my favorite patterns for little boys.  It comes with a button-on bib which offers countless opportunities for hand or machine embroidery.

For my 9 month old grandson, Alastair, I have made two Glenns, this one in black check and the other of brown plaid Viyella.   The bibs were for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Mother Goose Story Time.

One of the best things about this pattern is that if you embroider the suit itself, a soiled, embroidered bib can be removed, leaving the baby looking fresh, clean and well dressed.  This just plain Glenn (suit with no bib) was shown in the Mother Goose post, with a bib of the same name.  With the zebra, embroidered on white fabric and applique’d on to the black check,  Alastair can be Mowgli, playing with zebras in the Jungle Book. Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, infant clothing, machine embroidery