Janice Ferguson Sews

pink Swiss batiste, heirloom beading, heirloom gooseneck edging, Swiss embroidered floral vine

It’s time to start planning Easter dresses, so I began plundering through my stash of heirloom goods.  I’ve been busy wrapping my fabrics onto the comic book boards Terri Click talked about in one of her blog posts about organization.  That was a great recommendation.

With a greater awareness of what I have, I’ve come to realize that I could dress 8-10 granddaughters in heirloom sewn dresses 7 days a week.  In fact, I have only one precious granddaughter and distant hope of a second.  So it’s time to find a new home for these beauties.

I thought I would try Farmhouse Fabrics technique of grouping complimentary goods.  So tonight I am posting two heirloom “families,” pink and blue.

PINK

• 5 yds. pink Swiss batiste, $14 per yard (also available in white)
• I-1 heirloom beading, 5/8″ wide $1 per yard
• heirloom gooseneck edging, 7/8″ wide $2 per yard
• Swiss embroidered floral vine,  2″ wide, $5 per yard

The pink batiste is gossamer sheer, called fairy fabric by some.  Note the printed paper that was slipped beneath the fabric.  This gives you an idea of its delicacy. This 42″ fabric nearly floats off the cutting table.

I also have some pink Nelona for $16 per yard but I haven’t measured it yet.  If that interests you, let me know and I’ll get right on it.

BLUE   My daughter has sky blue eyes, so I bought a lot of this color for heirloom dresses.  I sewed up a lot of it for her, but, obviously, not all!

• 6-1/3 yds. + 3 yds. blue Swiss batiste (Fairy weight) also available in white  (I have a whole bolt.)  The printed page under the fabric shows the sheerness of the fabric. $14 per yard (regularly $19)
• Swiss insertion, entredeux on either side, 3/4″ wide, 2 yds. 34″ for $8
• Swiss insertion, entredeux on either side, 1-1/8″ wide, 2 yds,. 20″ for $9
• Swiss edging, 1-3/4″ wide, 2 yds. 4″ for $7
• Swiss edging with roses, 5″ wide (good for collar or yoke overlay) 2 yds. 20″ $12 for the piece
• Swiss edging with white doves, 5″ wide, 4 yds. 5″ $5 per yard

There is much more to post, including a lot of Swiss batiste and trims.  Also, I have more Liberty of London tanna lawn to move out.  So please check back if any of this interests you. Easter comes up faster than we ever expect.

I have to tell you how thrilled I am with the comic book boards. It’s so nice to have a neat way to store the fabric.

The top shelf is Liberty. Below on the left is linen and polka dot pique. On the right is Swiss batiste.

The stacks need to be straightened up, but I am still loading bolts in place.

Imperial batiste and broadcloth, together at last!

I hope to organize them by color but that will have to wait until I get it all wrapped.

If you’d like to purchase any of the fabric or trims, you can e-mail your order to me at NCcabin@aol.com   Whether or not you buy any of this stuff, I’d love to hear about what you are planning for Easter outfits.

They work very well, neatening my stacks of fabrics.

American Girl doll Marie Grace in her Valentine nightie

For Valentine’s Day, I am making my 7 year-old granddaughter a smocked bishop nightgown and this matching one for her American Girl doll.  If these hadn’t been cut out and pleated up before I got Custom Keepsakes  Sweet Dreams collection, I would be making nighties from that set.  But these have to be finished.

I wanted something a little more interesting than a standard bishop and decided centered embroidery would be a fresh look.  More than once, I have flattened the pleats at center front for embroidery or a tab and never found it to neither difficult nor problematic.

Doing this on a doll sized bishop gave me some unexpected disappointments.  I’d like to share with you what I learned on this little project.

But here are the particulars of the nightie.  The smocking is a design I just made up as I went along,  the fabric is Imperial batiste and the pattern is one I drafted. The embroidery is from Martha Pullen’s Little Pleasures  collection, though it is slightly rearranged.  Laurel’s gown will have the fil tire’ heart for embroidery.

The smocked sleeves were trimmed with French lace and embellished with French knot flowers, a cluster of three in the center and a single knot on either side.

Frankly, this is all nit-picky stuff and probably isn’t worth worrying about on a doll nightgown.  But I wanted to figure out just what went wrong.  If you don’t care, take a quick look at the pictures and move on!  The internet is full of fabulous blogs with interesting, fun posts.

First, in response to Jo’s question, just how do you prepare a bishop with center front embroidery?

• Pleat the bishop as usual, but with extra long threads and with the center front marked.
• Pull up each pleating thread at that center mark and cut.  Be sure to pull up enough thread that you can easily tie a hefty knot.
• Remove the threads from enough pleats to accommodate the embroidery design.
• Knot each of these cut ends.
• See a flat center with a vertical row of knots on either side.

The problem I ran into was the neckline and binding.  First, in order to correct the inevitable dip in the hemline at center front, I always draft (or use patterns) with a straight neckline. Here is how I do it and then you will see what I should have considered for a doll pattern. FYI, I always use 1/2″ seam allowance at the neckline which I adjust on patterns that have a smaller seam allowance.

•  After cutting out the pieces, I fold the front in half, with the fold running down the center front from neckline to hem.
• Then I mark a dot 1/2″ below the top edge on the fold.
• With a rotary ruler and cutter, I cut from the dot on the fold to the seam line of the front shoulder.  This removes a folded wedge from the neckline, making it 1/2″ shorter at center front.  The gentle taper causes no difficulty with pleating.
• After sewing the pieces together, I run a machine sewn 3.0 length gathering stitch 1/4-3/8″ from the raw edge.
• The bishop is pleated with the first pleating thread 1/2″ below the neck edge, which puts it right on the seam line.

So far, so good.  Then for center embroidery, I remove the pleating threads from that area as detailed above.

So what is the problem?  The neckline.

1.  The flat, embroidered section, 1-1/4″ wide has very little curve to it.  If there had been pleats there, the slight taper of neckline would have been greater at the center front.

As I thought about it, I recalled that approximately 3″ of flat fabric pleats up to 1″.  So the center 1-1/4″ of binding would have used up  3-3/4″  of fabric that had been tapered.  That leaves the center front much straighter.

I’ll have to check with my husband, the engineer, to figure out just how that could be corrected.  But I know it should have been a deeper curve.

2.  The flat, embroidered section has no bulk to fill the bias binding.  I don’t recall this being a problem with earlier flat center bishops, but maybe I wasn’t as picky  then.

As I was applying the binding and came to the flat section, I discovered that I had two choices, neither of which I liked.  The first was to fold the bias over just as I had on the smocked section.  That left the bias much wider, because it had nothing two wrap around.

The same amount of bias could wrap around thick pleats and measure 3/16″ in width while the flat section had nothing to fill it and measured 1/4″.  Does that make sense to anyone who has plowed through this minutiae?

The other option, was to wrap the bias over the same distance, and then stitch the excess width further down on.  But it shadowed through.  I chose this option as the lesser of two evils.  In retrospect, I probably could have just twisted a narrow strip of batiste to use as filling.

You can see the excess bias shadowing through the batiste above the embroidery.

Well, I could go on about how I wish I had lowered the embroidery and/or smocked fewer rows in the front, but this is more than anyone wants to read.  And it’s more than I want to write about.  I still have Laurel’s nightie to smock so I will move on to that.

Are you sewing/smocking/embroidering any Valentine’s gifts?  Tell us about it.

NOTE: Thanks to all who spoke in favor of an overview/report on the last day of Martha’s Market.  No one chimed in that the topic was overworked, so here is the final installment of my report from the front line of sewing fun.~~~~~~~

This was another great day, though relatively short.  I was so tired that I chose to sleep in, even though it mean missing Louise Cuttings 8:00 class. Her One Seam Pants pattern has always intrigued me and I thought I’d check it out.  But it will have to be another time.

www.thatssewconnie.com

So I slipped in to Connie Palmer’s class  Connie’s Techniques & Notions Know-How – Take your sewing up a few notches by learning the favorite techniques and notions that are Connie’s favorites when she creates her sewing masterpieces. You’ll see how she uses notions; whether “tried and true” or the “new kid on the block,” you’ll learn how to make each and every technique easier and with perfect results every time. ..

WOW!  Connie scopes out all the latest notions and then applies them to her dynamite techniques.  She creates more beautiful things in less time than anyone I know.  As this blond whirlwind said, when she sews, she likes to GO!  And not stop to wait for something to dry or to spend time calculating the distance between buttonholes.

Spaghetti bias is so big right now and Connie is all about it.  Fasturn Tubes have been around for a long time, but it took Connie’s samples and tips for me to board that bandwagon.  Of course, in her insistence on perfect everything, she has embraced the Fasturn Tiger Eye.  It sounded good when she described it, though I wasn’t at all sure how it would work.  But I bought it.

Like the majority of people, I am a visual learner.  I found this very clear, succinct instructional video on YouTube that shows exactly how to use this valuable little tool. Continue reading →

NOTE: I still have one day’s highlights from Martha’s Orlando Market to share, but perhaps I have worn out that topic. Let me know if you would like this last report.

I’ve been grinning like the Cheshire cat since last night.   That’s when my ever indulgent husband drove with me to the other side of the state to pick up my new old sewing machine.

This 1907 Young and Chaffee treadle machine was touted as a technological marvel of its day, what with its automatic tension and variable stitch length.  WOW!

But why, you might wonder, would I want an antique, foot-powered, straight stitch treadle when this beauty, my incredible Brother Duetta 4500D, lives well and works hard in my sewing room?

It’s a hard thing to explain.  Perhaps it’s because my college minor was history, or because I love all things old, like lace and quilts, or because I just want the whole spectrum of sewing machines from A-Z.  And this treadle is definitely “A” in the sewing machine alphabet. Continue reading →

The second day of Martha Pullen’s Sewing Market was even better than the first, probably because it was a longer day, from 8 a.m. until 9:00 p.m..  So many new sewing techniques learned, so much creative inspiration, so much technical guidance!

My early day started at with Janice Stewart’s class:  Drawn Thread by Machine -Love the look of drawn work? – Let Janice show you how fast and easy you can accomplish this technique all by machine. Copy this high end look for your home, wardrobe and even babies. Lecture includes tips, tricks and a trunk show of ideas to get you inspired.

I am not a morning person.  Margaret Boyles was known to say that her heart did not begin beating officially until 10 a.m.  Some days, mine starts even later. I like to say I work the night shift (in my sewing room).

Any earlier start of the day requires HUGE motivation, like homeschooling my grandchildren or sewing workshops.  But I reeeeeeally wanted this 8:00 class from Janice Stewart.  Thankfully, it was most definitely worth firing up my slow starting old heart.

Janice’s projects were just spectacular.  Sadly, by the time I picked up my things and finished a quick chat with a few other students, Janice had already packed up her samples.  She did not have them on display in her booth so I missed a one-time opportunity to share these incredible pieces with you.

One sample was a blue wool wrap around skirt.  Drawn thread ran down the front, next to the fringed edge.  It was so attractive, but especially interesting because of the fringe.

Janice felt it was not full enough.  So she cut a narrow strip down the selvage edge, fringed it up to the selvage and then stitched it on the underside of the skirt flap next to the fringe.  It was very striking. Continue reading →

My head is still buzzing, and will be for quite a while, about Martha Pullen’s Orlando Market. I want to relive it and give you a play-by-play in hopes that you will treat yourself to this delight when the opportunity presents itself.

This is one of Connie's Madeira applique' patterns. I had to buy the companion pattern for AG dolls.

I arrived just before noon on Thursday, in time for my first class, Madeira Applique’ with Connie Palmer.   Though I am practiced in the basics of this technique, I knew Connie would have more to offer.  And, of course, she did.   A few of the things I learned from Connie Palmer in her Madeira Applique’ class:

• Use water soluble thread in the bobbin.  I’ve always put it in the needle but it breaks more easily there than in the bobbin.
• Use the water soluble/sew it together technique to make two identical pieces, such as Madeira frames.
• There is a terrific new scallop template that Connie loves.  You simply determine the size scallop you want by measuring the skirt width (or whatever) and deciding how many scallops you would like, i.e. for a 42″ skirt you might want 7 scallops.  Then you would want them to measure 6″ each.   Just snap the two piece template together at the proper markings and you are ready to trace your scallops!  As Connie said, now you can get all of the saucers, soup bowls, tea cups and whatever you have used to make scallops out of your sewing room and store this flat little notion.

• 

  Mark scalloped borders on hems, collars and quilts quickly and easily in sizes from 5" to 12". Instructions are included with template. In stock Price: $14.99(from MO)

In response to a student’s question, she also went into her uses and techniques for spaghetti bias, especially as a cathedral window look.  I might write more about that in a later post but for now, just look at this blouse she made!  I had forgotten my camera that day, so this was taken with my phone.  The photo quality is not good, but the blouse is spectacular. Continue reading →

Custom Keepsakes Sweet Dreams AG doll sundress

MY, OH MY, OH MY!!!  What a fabulous time I am having here at Martha Pullen’s Orlando Sewing Market!  I did bring along my cranky, antique laptop but it is sooo hard to work with.  So this will be a brief report.  I just had to give  you a peek into this wonderful event.

It is hard to say which is better, the classes or the vendors. But right now, I am over the moon excited about Custom Keepsakes designs (Kathy Harrison).  I LOVE the Sweet Dreams collection which I got today.  This i-phone photo does not do it justice so please click on the link and see the slide show on Custom Keepsakes web site.

The collection is described as “six sweet nightgowns to stitch in the hoop for ladies, girls and dolls.”  I absolutely cannot wait to get home and make up a matching set for Laurel and her dolls.

another sundress/nightgown from Custom Keepsakes Sweet Dreams collection

Continue reading →