In November, 1995, when this bonnet was featured in Creative Needle magazine, I was absolutely enchanted. Chery Williams’ reproduction of this 1920’s simple, unique and charming chapeau screamed “MAKE ME!! MAKE ME!” so loudly that it went to the top of my grandmother’s hope chest project list. But life got in the way and it was only recently that I was able to get to it.

Basically, the pattern consists of a single piece of batiste 15″ X 9″ with deep zig zags along the front and back. This measurement allows a little excess around the edges for hemstitching.

My Brother Duetta 4500D does beautiful hemstitching, even through the two layers of Swiss flannel and lawn.   This  bonnet shows off the pretty entredeux stitch, worked with a reduced width setting.

Embroidery, by hand or machine, is worked into the front points and then the entire perimeter is hemstitched, either commercially or with a machine made entredeux stitch. Lace edging is joined all around.

The embroidered points are folded back to serve as a brim and the back zig zags are hand stitched together. Ribbons are attached at the sides and, bam! You’ve got a dynamite baby bonnet.

Machine made entredeux outlines this bonnet and English lace edging trims it.  The machine embroidery within the front points is from Fil Tire’ and Fancywork Combinations collection.  The design, tinyv, was edited to match the angle of the point.

Because my daughter’s first child was due in Feb., I decided to line the bonnet to give it a little warmth. Even in Florida, Feb. can be nippy. I used a tiny floral print, strong enough in color that the sweet little flowers would shadow through. It doesn’t show up well in this photo, taken in the blazing Florida sun, but in real life, it peeks though very sweetly.  The lining went only to the fold line of the brim.

It was my intention to make a matching daygown. But when ultrasound evidence indicated that Rebecca and Harvey’s baby would be a boy, the pink floral garment went to the bottom of my to do list. In good time, it’s likely that there will be another baby and perhaps that one will be will be the recipient of this bonnet and a Swiss flannel and pink floral print daygown.

NOTE:  To see another version of this bonnet, made with Swiss organdy, click here.  There are more construction details and a free ME design offered.

It was a fabulous weekend, full of family fun.   First there was the downtown Mardi Gras Dog Parade

with the grandchildren who loved the dogs and were intent on catching beads thrown to the roadside crowds.

After the parade, Rebecca wanted to start on this versatile castle project.  It really is a project useful to anyone, young and old.  It would be great for teachers.

What is it for, you might ask?  Well, read her explanation below.

Of course, she knew that I would have all the textile/craft supplies she would need, so she and her father went to  Lowe’s for the basic board.  It was very satisfying for me to use up the bundle of star Daisy Kingdom print I had just purchased at Goodwill (5 yds. @ $2.99!) for the basic castle cover.  We also used a piece of glittery fabric (also from Goodwill for .50) for the windows and doors.

Rebecca has written up a how-to that should make it to reproduce this or a similar board.~~~~

I got the Disney bug this winter and decided it was time to introduce our son to Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful to see the wonder in his eyes? (See  Cutest Little Boy does DisneyWorld.)

While planning for our first visit, Mama told me how Laurel and Robert had gotten pin craze at Disney. On their last visit, Laurel had been indulged with a lanyard and one pin for roughly 10$ each. When I started asking amongst friends and neighbors, it turns out lots of kids had their own Disney pin collections. Most kids have dozens of pins. At 10$ a pin, that adds up. Yikes!

I wasn’t sure if Alastair would be interested in Disney pin trading or not, but I wanted to be prepared in case he made the same doe-eye’d plea my adorable niece did to her Mama. I bought a kit of 1 lanyard and 10 second-hand pins through a very nice Ebay store. It was perfect, and a complete except for a Disney ‘medal’ to hang from the middle.  The kit was a hit, and Alastair traded for a few pins from some of the Disney Cast Members.

My husband had the great idea to use the lanyard as a way to tag Alastair for our trip. He crafted a little homemade dog tag with both of our cell phone numbers in case our son got separated from us (numbers removed from the image, but you get the idea).

Once home with a lanyard packed with pins, I wondered what to do with it. After a day that was just magical for our little family, putting the memento up in the closet just didn’t seem right.

It turns out there is a wonderful little family business that sells pin boards called Bauble® Board (www.baubleboard.com) I purchased the shield Bauble® Board for 17$ (including shipping!) and couldn’t be more pleased. The board arrived in the mail some 4 days after placing the order, was exactly as I requested, and professionally finished. That, and I was supporting small family business right here in America. What’s not to love?

Over time, I thought that both the pins and the board were great, but didn’t I need, well, more?!?

Many more pins! And a great big Bauble® Board! And I wanted the board to be part pin board, part activity board, part rotating picture frame for all of Alastair’s loved ones. I had some serious shopping to do.

I found some second hand collections on Ebay and was in business. With our little house and limited storage, I could put up pins for gifts for my niece and nephew, neighborhood Disney pin-trading kids, and general rewards for Alastair without taking more than a half a shoebox worth of space. The possibilities stretched forward.

Next, I got a quote for a darling owl shaped Bauble® Board to fit in with his Harry Potter themed nursery, but decided that it just wasn’t going to be big enough. I started thinking that a great big Medieval castle was just the thing, but I wasn’t sure if I could justify the cost of commissioning one from Bauble® Board. Besides, I wasn’t sure if I could define how I wanted it to look exactly, and once it arrived, I doubted I would be able to modify it without diminishing it’s professional quality.

So, what’s a girl to do? Why, it was time to visit my Mama, of course. Together, we put together a great big castle activity/pin board in an evening.

My poor Mama – a homemade pin board is not up her alley. On a few occasions when I took shortcuts, she became so unsettled I think it bordered on causing her physical pain. She’ll lie to her grave and tell everyone – including herself – that she loved every minute she spent with her daughter. In time, she’ll even remember it that way. And so we go on. (Personally, I had a blast!)

The construction is highly suspect, so ladies, try not to fall out of your chairs.  Materials for the pin board consist of:

• An image for inspiration
• Large sheet of pressed insulation board, 10’x4’x1/2” sheet for $7.30 + tax from Lowes
• (8) 1” finishing screws
• 2.5 yards of 48” wide fabric
• ¼ yard of sheer sparkly fabric
• Scrap accent fabric (I used yellow and brown)
• Ribbon
• Sharpy, the color of your base fabric
• Hot glue gun
• Staple gun
• Jigsaw
• Screwdriver
• 2 sawhorses

The project was completed in a single eight hour period. This includes travel time to Lowes, a Publix run, dinner with the family, time to bath my son and niece, and so on. Total project time with materials in hand took closer to 2-4 hours. The board itself is a piece of pressed insulation board from Lowes.

To determine the suitability of a potential board, I used my earring as a test case. If I could pierce the material with the earring back and it held securely, I had a match. (I recommend you bring a pin with you, or an earring you don’t mind mangling.) This pressed insulation board is not the ideal material for pin boards, but it was the best match given the choices at hand at the nearby hardware store. Perhaps you know of a better source for the pin board, and can share your knowledge?

To make your own pin-board, collect the materials and be sure to consider details like a paper plate or empty cereal box to rest your glue gun on. Also consider handling your staple gun with extreme care. As a self-described klutzmo from a long line of klutzmos (from my father’s side, of course), I took precautions like wearing eye protection, keeping small children far away, and never, ever, rushing to grab the staple gun or hot glue gun. I suggest everyone do the same.

Trace out a pattern directly on the board material. This gets covered, so don’t worry if you monkey it up a bit. Use the jigsaw to cut out the pattern while resting the board itself across a pair of saw horses. In my case, the edges of the board frayed pretty significantly, but it didn’t matter. All edges were covered (mostly) on the board itself with fabric.

If you choose a dimensional activity/pin board, cut out additional shapes (in the castle, I cut out an additional windows and double door).

Dust off all boards thoroughly. Touch up all corners with the Sharpy to mitigate any gaps from stretching the fabric over the corners.

Measure out your fabric to cover the board generously, then double the fabric over. This technique of doubling the fabric was something I learned from Bauble® Board and has proven true already. Don’t skip this step – it adds life to your pin board’s aesthetics. As you move pins around on the board, you invariably leave little holes behind. With two layers of fabric, the holes shift ever so slightly and cover the hole underneath. It’s working well for me and Alastair already.

Stretch the fabric across the board and staple the material down generously. Cut away any extra material, and overlap across the back between 2 and 4 inches. Add glue when turning corners or doing notches in the design (I recommend against a 13 notch design, btw. My construction is downright sloppy after notch #3). If you have any dimensional pieces to go on top of the base board, cover those as well.

Add the dimensional pieces with 1” long finishing screws. You’ll want these placed carefully and securely. Tuck the screws behind ribbon where you can, and where you cannot, try to incorporate them into the design.

Next, add ribbon. I used slate blue ribbon to define more castle architectural features, but I was fantasizing about making a castle for a little girl with ribbons streaming from the towers and draping over the doors and windows.  Had I indulged, my truck loving, boot stompin’ little boy would have thought the castle was for someone else. Sigh.

But I digress.

The final product is 3.5 feet tall, 5 feet wide, and propped up against the wall in his bedroom. I’m going to leave it there for a week or so before I’m confident that it is where I want it to live. When I’m sure, I’ll have Harvey screw it directly to the wall a few inches above the baseboard.

Despite this project being so far out of Mama’s domain, I thought she should share it with each of you because the children in your lives may enjoy something custom made for them so they can define themselves on their board. With the advent of Facebook and MySpace, we should all be familiar with the concept that the world is always trying to define itself.  This board may be just the thing for your little pin collector, budding athlete (ribbon board), movie buff (tickets and tween pinups), etc.

Then again, if you can’t bring yourself to wield a staple gun on fabric, you can get a pin/activity board drop-shipped just a click away. The kind folks at Bauble® Board will even do a custom ordered board for you.~~

It’s time to get started on Easter outfits for the grandchildren. In fact, I woulda/shoulda started before now but I am busy working up a design and embroidering tee shirts for Robert and Laurel’s Odyssey of the Mind competition next week.

I’m especially grateful for the 1000 stitches per minute that my Brother Duetta puts out.  The shirts are pretty ugly, but beautifully embroidered (film at 11, or after the competition).  There are other must-do’s but very soon I MUST at least have a plan.

For sewing mothers and grandmothers, there is no greater thrill than to see their little darlings decked out in their most elaborate and special garments, created with love in every stitch.

Those of us who have labored long and hard on these very special holiday garments often find that specific recollections of each Resurrection Sunday are tied more closely to the Easter outfits made that year than to the calendar year.

For example, “Wasn’t it 1989 when that nice German foreign exchange student stayed with us? Remember, we all had Easter dinner at Nannie’s (maternal grandmother) with Uncle Jon and his new car was speaking to him in German.  Our student told him it said ‘Be sure to read the manual.’ ”

“Well, in the pictures we took of him and the children before church, Rebecca was wearing her peach Swiss Easter dress with all the puffing and tatting.  The dress was a size 6 so it must have been 1984.”

I so clearly remember planning that dress and working to find ribbon to match the peach Swiss batiste. I also remember, oh so well, questioning the wisdom of allowing a high school student to serve as a Sunday School teacher. Apparently, she gave one of Rebecca’s classmates the black magic marker which made the sinister line down the front of the peach Swiss dress. That was the same year I thanked God for talented Morty at Mitchell’s Dry Cleaners. I don’t know what he used, but the line was gone when I retrieved the dress.

Now, I’m reminiscing about the outfits I have made for my grandchildren in 5 short years. Laurel’s first Easter outfit was a bubble. Just 10 months old, she was crawling at the speed of a roller derby queen and I knew a dress would be ruined before the leg of lamb was served. Made from pink Imperial broadcloth, the scalloped front bubble pattern was from Maggie’s Classics.

In an effort to dress up the casual style of the bubble, I attached the sleeves with entredeux.  That detail always elevates the garment a notch or two.

Her mother had specifically requested no more tiny pearl buttons because they were so hard to button up on a wiggly baby. So, in my mind, the larger buttons needed some justification which translated to embellishment.

The 3/4″ fisheye pearl buttons were first sewn on rather securely with white thread. Then an orange bullion was worked over that, making a carrot. Green lazy daisies extended from the top hole onto the bubble fabric. The same bullions and lazy daisies were worked on the puff sleeves as ribbon carriers.

Tiny bunnies were machine embroidered on each of the peter pan collars before construction. After cutting the baby tatting twice with the machine needle as I tried to tiny zig zag it to the collar, I decided it was easier to attach it by hand than to repair the cuts in the tatting. So that’s what I did.

Laurel had just enough hair to look like a well-coiffed baby boy, so certainly a girly headband was in order. Tatted beading was cut 1″ larger than her head and baby tatted edge was joined to either side. The raw ends were zig zagged together with a very wide stitch, creating a circle.

Pink ribbon was cut 2″ longer than the tatted circle. One quarter inch elastic, slightly narrower than the ribbon, was stretched and joined to the flat ribbon with a three step zig zag in monofilament thread. This was woven through the beading and pulled up until it was snug on Laurel’s head. It was stitched to the wide zig zag, rendering a beribboned, stretchy headband.

Finally, I joined more baby tatting to one side of a length of ribbon on one edge of which I had stitched a strong gathering thread. This was pulled up and twisted around into a two layer circle, then hand stitched over the rough zig zag seam of the tatting. A small ribbon rosebud was attached to the center.

It’s always nice to have a holiday bib to go with special outfits. If any reader wonders why, this picture shows exactly why.

Even as I take breaks from those ugly team shirts, I am rummaging through  my fine fabrics, perusing the patterns and trying to come up with a way to make a lacy heirloom dress for Little Lady Laurel, coordinate it with her Huckleberry Finn brother, Robert, 6, and cousin Alastair, 2.

Huckleberry Robert

Laurel will be easy.  Huck and Alastair will be challenges.  I’d better get started.

Shop Goodwill!!!   And here’s why…

A few days ago, I dropped into Goodwill in search of knitting needles. Michaels, Joann’s and even WalMart were all out of size 6!  pssst….Is there some to-die-for new knitting project that requires #6 needles?  Is that what is causing a  run on this size?  If so, please share!

Walking past the children’s clothing I spotted this white broadcloth smocked dress.  It’s a perfect Christmas frock, loaded with bullion roses, priced at $1.49!

Just behind that was a 24 months pink smocked bubble, also marked $1.49!

The white insert on the pink seersucker romper is smocked with the most detailed little girlie pigs.  The bullion ring snouts just make me smile, as do the French knot necklaces.

Both are in perfect condition.  Right  now, I have no pressing need for size 2, but that didn’t stop me.  I have no doubt that I can find a 2 year old who would look precious in these!   So I snatched them up right away and felt pretty smug.

As I wandered to the back where craft supplies are located, I saw another shopper with a basket full of minky dots, all rolled up like remnants.  WHAT?!#$???

She had 5 bundles of this luscious stuff in a variety of pretty pastels.    Each had 2-4 yds. and was marked $2.99.  For the entire bundle!   I reeeeeally wanted that fabric.  But I reminded my greedy self, repeatedly,  that I had already happened upon two fabulous bargains.  Still…….

I scurried to the fabric area just in case Super Shopper had left a piece or two behind.  Nope.  Apparently, all my good luck was used up on the smocked garments.

But as I rummaged through the fabric bin,  I did find a 4 yard piece of Daisy Kingdom navy and blue checkerboard with stars, just perfect for the set of grandchildren’s upcoming Odyssey of the Mind skit.  It, too, was marked $2.99, just like every bundle including the minky.   I’ll post photos of that fun event.  So I got another bargain…though did I mention that I really would like to have had that minky?

You can be sure that I will be stopping by Goodwill regularly and I highly recommend that you stop by yours to see what treasures are there. ~~~~~~

And now let me groan “Good Grief”.

The previous post was about a preemie daygown I made for a 3 lb. baby. After posting it, I perused the page to see just how it looked.  I was absolutely sick when I saw what appeared to be holes in the lace at the hemline.

Look closely. The holes/tears/catastrophes are apparent.

It turns out that pictures do NOT lie!  Close examination of the lace showed multiple holes.  How could I have missed that?  This lace was first quality from a major supplier of imported trims.

Studying the pattern, I saw that most of the holes followed a pattern.  There is one weak thread that just gave way when it was pressed.  At the time, replacing the lace did not seem to be a viable option, as it had been pinstitched in place.  I had already written to Lily’s mother, telling her it would be mailed out today.  So it had to be mended.

It was a tedious process, with 80 wt. thread and a #12 John James needle.  With careful attention to the lace pattern it really did not look bad at all.  I wish I had scanned the fix but it was late and I was still in a state of despair.  In the wee hours, I packaged up the gown so it could be mailed today.

In retrospect, I could have replaced the lace by simply cutting it off and attaching more lace 1/2″ above the cut.  That would have taken far less time than the dreary task of repair.

Through the years, I have probably used many, many miles of lace.  I have encountered this problem only one other time in all that mileage.  After making a a christening gown for a two day class, the lace came apart in this very same manner as it was pressed.

I discussed this with Louise Baird, a real expert at Martha Pullen company.  She explained the weak thread problem and reconfirmed that it very, very rarely happens.  But when it does, GOOD GRIEF!

I don’t know what you can do to be sure this doesn’t happen to you.  Most likely it is one of those things over which you have no control,  one of those things you just have to deal with.  Like the minky.

This preemie daygown was made for a tiny baby girl who was born last week weighing 3 lbs. 9 ounces.  Almost 8 weeks before her due date, she is doing quite well in the neonatal intensive care unit at an excellent hospital.  But she is sooooo little!

Her mother was one of my daughter’s classmates and one of my favorite students in my children’s sewing classes.  Now she is a wife and new mother to a precious baby daughter who will probably be in the hospital for some time.

I had planned to smock a daygown for little Lily, but she arrived before I even began.  So I whipped up this simple A-line so she would have something girlie to wear over her itty bitty institutional nappies.  If I can find a little more time, I’d like to make a bonnet and blanket.

She is a very pretty little thing, but I was shocked at her size.  Each of my babies weighed exactly 9 lbs. 1 ounce and all three of my grandchildren were 10 pounders.  Even at that, they seemed tiny to me.  I can’t imagine a baby almost 1/3 their size.!

Sewing such a small garment was a new experience for me.  When our first grandchild was on her way, we expected a tiny babe because her mother is so small.  So I made a preemie daygown for her coming home.  But even weighing 10 lbs., the gown fit perfectly.

She would not have fit in this!  The pattern is very simple, with a kimono style layout with only one pattern piece, except for the bias neck binding.  The binding finished at only 7″!!!  Necklines for standard newborn-4 month daygowns finish at 10 1/2″.  Only side seams are needed on this gown.

The fabric is Swiss flannel hemstitched with French lace.  The construction, hemstitching, feather stitching and machine embroidery were all done on my sweet, ever ready and reliable Brother Duetta. It does beautiful hemstitching.

My favorite font, #22 in PE-Design, was used for the monogram.  The flowers and design between the buttonholes is from Fil Tire’ and Fancywork Elements.

I’m not at all satisfied with this gown, but time was short and I rushed.  It is so hard for me to accept that a baby can be that small for more than a few days, even though my head says it is so.  So I felt pressured to get the dress done and delivered.

The feather stitched oval is too large and not even properly shaped.  The beading and lace look skimpy.  They were applied flat to the sleeves but the edging should have been gathered.  The embroidery design between the buttonholes is not evenly spaced.

It seems that since my sewing projects are no longer featured in magazines or scrutinized as class projects, I have gotten sloppy.  More projects are finished with my “relaxed” sewing attitude, but the level of satisfaction is not nearly so great.  I’m going to think on that a while.

What about you?  Are you very fussy?  How willing are you to redo?

This week, my adorable grandson Alastair visited DisneyWorld for the first time.   He will be 3 next month and his parents decided that he was old enough to enjoy and appreciate this major milestone in the life of a Florida child.

Of course, as soon as the trip was scheduled, I rushed to my Brother Duetta 4500D with all its Disney embroidery to stitch a shirt for him. He loved it and I loved being able to make this little guy smile, not that it is hard.

He waited patiently for the documentation of his arrival at the castle, but was eager to move on.

At this tender age, he has not yet focused on one Disney character or another, so his shirt is a simple crest with Mickey.  I can’t wait to stitch out Pooh and Donald and the whole gang at Toon Town.  I’ve done Minnie princesses and Tinkerbell for Laurel and her doll, but Alastair is more likely to want Tigger.

It was a rather impromptu trip to the Magic Kingdom, so he didn’t get the full Disney garb his brother-sister cousins wore for their first trips.  Or the more elaborate Mickey shirt that Robert wore most recently.

But he was Disney dressed, nonetheless, as he  rode the train

and toured Swiss Family Robinson’s tree house.

He watched the parade, first from his daddy’s shoulders

and then up close and personal.

He wore his Mickey shirt when he hung out with M & M!

After all that excitement, the little guy in the Mickey shirt just gave out….

But he has 100 pictures and his shirt to remind him of this magical day.  I know he will want more Disney gear now that he has been there, so I plan to make him more shirts and a pillowcase.

The next time Alastair goes to the Magic Kingdom, you can be sure that his Nana will see that he is decked out in full Disney regalia.

Heirloom sewn children’s clothing is nearly timeless. Bishops, basic yokes and button-ons have been around for so long that you can hardly tell the old from the new.

Laurel, my 7 year old granddaughter, wore this dress 28 year old dress to church last Sunday.   Perhaps you can tell that it is not new because it is not black and hot pink or lime green.  But still, I think the color and style do not scream “HAND ME DOWN!!!” (Please advise me if I am wrong.)

The dress was made for my daughter Rebecca in 1984.  The fabric is a Rose and Hubble lawn.   How I wish that company were still in business, making almost Liberty quality lawns!

The collar is ivory linen with hand fagoting stitches joining the bias strip and lace edging.  The same edging is fagoted to the linen sleeve binding.

NOTE:  On SewForum, I posted a picture and description of a daygown with fagoted lace.   The word “fagoted” was “beeped.”   I wonder what their censorship program would do with “roll and whip?”

I need to mend the mitre on the bias.

The collar was just plain ivory linen when Rebecca wore the dress.  All week I had planned to monogram it for Laurel, but we’ve had two or more grandchildren round the clock for the past 4 days.  We had a grand time, but there was no sewing in those busy days.  So last night, after they were all bedded down, I embroidered the collar.

Careful as I thought I was, the design is not straight and it’s driving me crazy.  Since I didn’t notice it until we were walking out the door, it is probably not reason enough to throw out the dress—or pick out the stitches to redo the embroidery.

I doubt anyone at church noticed.  A young lady in the congregation, now university professor, wore this dress to a wedding many years ago.  Her mother, a  very accomplished and prolific sewing friend of mine,  had asked to borrow it even though her child had a closet full of heirloom dresses.  Neither mother nor daughter one mentioned the crooked embroidery design.

Nor did they mention that Laurel was wearing two different shoes!  Her mother was in a rush when she packed Laurel’s bag and the poor child ended up with two mismatched shoes.  Thankfully, there was a right and a left.  The alternative was her hot pink, flashing-lights sneakers, so we went with the mismatched shoes .

I thought the shoes might provide a distraction from the “CROOKED!!! CROOKED!!” error message the collar was sending out.  It seems to have worked.

Have you upgraded or updated an old garment?

fil tire' oval surrounded by pinwheel roses and greenery ~~situated above serpentine entredeux woven with threades used for leaves...5.12" x 7.9"

The Fil Tire’ and Fancywork machine embroidery collections created by Suzanne Sawko and me have been mentioned in several posts.  

There are three sets, Elements,   Combinations and  Frames and Phrases.  The stitched samples make the post very image intensive, so each collection will be posted separately.  They will appear in succession,as quickly as I can scan sew outs and write the descriptions.

A few of the free designs offered here have been from one of the three sets.I’m sorry this is more tedious than the one click purchase option on other upscale sites. This is more like a yard sale–bargain prices, changing inventory, and limited quantities.   You might be surprised at some of the unique items I have in my stash/hoard/collection!

3.85" x 2.07"

For sale:  Fil Tire’ and Fancywork Combinations machine embroidery collection.  $35 downloaded or $40 + postage on CD. Designs require hoop sizes  from 4 x 4 to 6 x 10″.  This is the second of three Fil Tire’ and Fancywork collections.

6.63" x 2.02" ~~very sweet on a baby blanket with a monogram or name above the swag.

See a Swiss flannel blanket with this design.

NOTE:  These sew-outs were stitched to card stock and kept in a notebook.   This caused  the puckers in the fabric.  The designs  stitch out perfectly flat.

3.94" x 3.94"~~nice under monograms or names

This collection was designed and digitized by my close friend Suzanne Sawko and edited by me.

6.75" x 1.92" Baby pillowcases are so pretty with this design.

Suzanne is an innovative digitizer with a great sense of design.

2.68" x 2.69"~~~fil tire' basket .

 See this design on a tabletopper.

She was the first to digitize fil tire’ and, in my opinion, no one has ever duplicated the crisp, light, hand stitched look of her machine embroidered version of this classic hand stitching technique.

2.59" x 0.63"~~I've used this on either side of a button front yoked daygown.

There are 3 collections, Elements, Combinations and Frames and Phrases.  Elements has individual designs  that can be combined as you choose.  Many of those “elements” are included in the Combinations designs.  The other two collections will be offered and displayed in another post.

3.94" x 3.94"~~Replicated from a 1930's boudoir pillow.

There are also designs that look very much like hand embroidery. Some were copied from antique embroideries, like this one which was featured on a ’30′s boudoir pillow.  There is a single coordinating flower in the collection.

When she first told me many years ago that she was digitzing fil tire’, I might have been skeptical had I not known her.  Suzanne had already digitized so many hand look stitches like chain stitch for redwork, machine embroidered French knots, lazy daisy, pinwheel rose and more that I expected she would do it and do it well.

1.69" x 1.34"

See this design on a little quilt, “If apples were pears….”

There are 35 different designs, but 54 design files.  Many identical designs are offered in two versions, like the two below.  The first features web roses (shown unfinished–see the 5 legged cross at the very center of the fil tire’ and along the sides) which need some hand work, explained in the information file.

8.54" x 5.54" This would be pretty on a round collar or yoke.

The second substitutes a pinwheel rose requiring no handwork.  See the center of the fil tire’ below for the pinwheel rose which has been substituted for the web rose.

8.54" x 5.54" This would be pretty on a round collar or yoke.

0.61" x 2.43" This would be nice on a yoke or between front buttons.

Other designs are offered with slight variations, such as a row of entredeux with three pinwheel roses at right. It can be stitched vertically with what might be ribbons or, if stitched in green, tendrils. This same entredeux design with pinwheel roses is also offered horizontally.

1.2" x 0.48"

The dainty, wide V design is sweet on collars or as brackets around a tiny monogram.   See this design on zig zag bonnet.

3.26" x 1.55"

Another useful design for monograms is this corner. called monogram swag. The flowers look very much like hand embroidery.

If rotated, the corner below also works for a monogram or name.

3.94 x 3.94"

As is, it looks sweet on a handkerchief corner or on either side of a yoke. This design was used on a set of child’s tea party linens.

I use this little floral spray frequently on baby blankets, to break up a line of feather stitching around the perimeter.

3.94" x 3.94"

I used this on the sides of a Swiss flannel baby shawl.   A handkerchief corner is another place for this small design.

2.54" x 6.9" floral serpentine This can be stitched continuously with a border hoop.

One of my favorites in this collection is this floral serpentine.  It can be connected to a continuous line around a skirt or down a blouse front.

1.56" x 1.33" fil tire' oval See this on a doll dress bodice.

For those of you patient enough to read through all this and still eager to sample a design, please leave your request as a comment.  I will e-mail the fil tire’ oval, one of the most frequently used designs in the collection, to you.

fil tire' crescent from Combinations collection

The Fil Tire’ and Fancywork machine embroidery collections created by Suzanne Sawko and me have been mentioned in several posts.   A few of the free designs offered on this site have been from one of the three sets.

I’ve meant to post purchase information for some  time, but generally I am  more wrapped up in sewing than selling.  After receiving several inquiries, I have halted my sewing prattle and will now share them with you.

from Fil Tire' and Fancywork Frames and Phrases, 3rd set in this collection

There are three sets, Elements,   Combinations and  Frames and Phrases.  The stitched samples make the post very image intensive, so each collection will be posted separately.  They will appear in succession,as quickly as I can scan sew outs and write the descriptions.

Of course, I think they are fabulous and I use them all the time.  The designs are all digitized by Suzanne to look like hand embroidery.  She has carefully studied  antique textiles and emulated designs and elements from those elegant old pieces.

To purchase, please send an e-mail to NCcabin@aol.com.  Payment can be made through Paypal or with a personal check. These little details can be worked out in e-mail.  Designs will be e-mailed to you for the price listed, or for another $5 I will send a cd.

I share these in hopes that you will like them half as much as I do.

Fil Tire’ and Fancywork Elements~~$30     This collection is consists of 49 files and includes:

• ndividual elements, including flowers, leaves, tendrils and a tiny bee, can be combined as you like.
• 4 x 4 block of fil tire’ to be used for applique’.
• fil tire’ circle and rectangle with “Baby” text.
• applique shapes for baby carriage, bee hive and more.
• fil tire’ antique baby carriage design.
• yo-yo’s by embroidery machine in two sizes (see yo-yo’s here)
• detailed directions for yo-yo’s, wing needle designs, faux bullion rose/web rose and thread selection for different designs.

See the cd cover beehive design stitched on a towel.

See this design on a baby blanket.

Each "element" of this wreath is a separate file. They can be combined or arranged as you choose.

4 x 4 fil tire' block made with wing needle. Used for applique'.

1" circle nice for monogram

Sweet on baby blanket, especially combined with some of the floral designs.

shapes for fil tire' applique'

See the bee hive on a Martha Pullen school souvenir pincushion.

“Nothing’s as mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas.” ~Kin Hubbard

No one can accuse a doll bed of being useful. This was a Christmas gift for my granddaughter, Laurel.

The top sheet and pillow case are made from combed cotton batiste and trimmed with bias scalloped pink batiste, English lace edging, feather stitching and machine embroidery.  If embellishments were made of sugar, these bed linens would qualify as a dessert.  I think the bed looks delicious.

Laurel will receive the American Girls doll of my era, Molly.  Thus, the “M” monogram, from my favorite alphabet in Brother’s PE-Design. The fil tire’ heart and floral spray  which brackets the monogram are from  two of the Fil Tire’ and Fancywork machine embroidery collections by Suzanne Sawko and me.

pillowcase embroidery and bias scallop trim

The bias scallop trim is one of my favorite techniques. It is worked with a blind hem stitch, with thread matching the color of the fabric.

This photo shows the stitches in black so you can see how the stitch works. In order to get best results, you must use a bias strip of fine (thin, not necessarily expensive)  fabric and practice a bit before getting the effect you desire.

The tiny 1/4″ English lace is another of my favorites. It has holes in the header that look so much like entered that I get the effect of that expensive and time consuming feature by simply tiny zing bagging this lace to a finished edge. For added detail, I have woven pink embroidery floss through the holes.

Polar fleece is a fabulous, sturdy, versatile textile. I wanted the effect of a whole cloth quilt and sought to achieve that look with the fleece. The biggest challenge was transferring the quilting design to the fleece. After much experimentation, I had success by tracing the design onto tissue paper. The fleece was very lightly sprayed with adhesive and the tissue quilting pattern patted in place on the fleece.

Using the walking foot for straight lines in the cross hatching and free motion for the curved, feathered hearts, my beloved Brother ULT was threaded with pink 80 wt. Madeira Cotton thread in both the needle and the bobbin. After quilting, the tissue is pulled away.  The spray adhesive makes it difficult to remove all tissue, but gentle laundering removes the remaining bits.

The edges of the fleece were finished with the same blind hem stitch that created the bias scallop trim.  The unusual fleece weave allowed the raw edges to scallop satisfactorily, but not as nicely as the bias cut cotton.

When using tissue in this and similar projects, I first wad up the paper tightly and then iron it flat again. This breaks down the stiffness and makes it easier to tear away after stitching. When the 8″ Stitch N’Ditch is wide enough, I use that.

One of the neatest features of this set is a technique I developed out of necessity when my daughter went off to college and was assigned to the top bunk. Like Rebecca’s bedding, Laurel’s doll bed linen has at the foot of the sheet, buttonholes which are partnered with small buttons sewn to the underside of the fleece “quilt.” With these two elements of the bedding joined in this manner, a little housekeeper or chambermaid can make the bed with ease and some degree of respectability.

The rope bed came with no mattress, so I covered a piece of 1″ foam with pink candy stripe polished cotton, to suggest ticking.  Laurel and I have talked about how beds used to be made and then looked at a few old feather pillows I have that are made of standard blue ticking.

I doubt the educational use of the bed makes it “useful.”   Instead,  I think it looks delicious, just the kind of bed on which I would like to rest my weary head.

O bed! O bed! delicious bed!
That heaven upon earth to the weary head.
~Thomas Hood, Miss Kilmansegg – Her Dream