Nap Time and Too Many Children on Parade

Posted on February 11, 2014 by | 23 comments
cot sheet all

cot sheet for Vivian Rose, made of heavy pink twill with a border of Children on Parade by Michael Miller

Valentine NEWSFLASH!!! Sarah Jane, the fabric designer for Children on Parade and many other adorable prints, has posted on her blog a downloadable PDF for an absolutely adorable, printable (4 to a sheet) kids’ Valentine card. With Olympic hearts and a gold chocolate coin taped to the back, it will delight all your children’s friends. Check it out here.  Thanks, Mary Sue, for the link!~~~~~~~

Our 13 month old granddaughter, Vivian Rose, is now enrolled at a Montessori school two days a week.   After the first day, I called her mother, my Rebecca, to see how it went.  When she said it hurt to hear Baby Girl wailing as she did, I sympathized and said it must have been hard to leave her.

“NO!” Rebecca said. “She cried and cried when I picked her up! She didn’t want to leave!  When I dropped her off she gave me not a single backward glance and toddled off to the play area.  That hurt a little.”  Vivian Rose is one independent little girl.

 

The font is JuJu's Sugar and Spice. Isn't it so cute?

The font is JuJu’s Sugar and Spice. Isn’t it so cute?  The set comes with numerals, upper case and lower case in 3″, 5″ and 6″ sizes.  The letters had to be staggered in order to fit in my largest (8″ x 12″) Brother Quattro hoop.

 

But like all of the “Ones” in her baby class, she has a scheduled nap time.   For that, Rebecca asked for a personalized cot sheet, much like those I had made for Big Brother Alastair and his friend Carson.

My Oh My, so sew much drama ensued.

But first, I have to ask if you have seen this most adorable dress made by Cheryle Cole-Bennett whose facebook page is  SeeSeeMe Custom Designs.

 

jenni-leigh-play-fabric

The fabric is Michael Miller’s Children on Parade.

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Posted in baby accessories, girls, machine embroidery

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Think Spring Dress

Posted on February 8, 2014 by | 21 comments

UPDATE: There have been several inquiries about the sleeve finish so the process is detailed at the end of this post (below the groundhog eating wolf).

It’s been so long since there has been a new post at  Janice Ferguson Sews that faithful readers might have thought that I was missing in action. I’ve been tending my dear husband who had knee replacement surgery two weeks ago. Post-op he spent a week at the same rehab center where I recuperated from my joint surgeries and gained some valuable insights into life.

So I have been spending time with him, running errands and doing his many, many household chores. Whew! That man does more around here than I ever realized! He’s my grocery shopper, gardener, pool boy, morning feral cat feeder, garbage hauler, very best friend, and more. I have really missed him.

At last, he’s back home, stepping lightly with his gentleman’s cane and walking the fast track to a complete recovery.

That's not really him. And it's not really me.

That’s not really him. And it’s not really me.

And I’m back too, with a finished project to share with you.

This cheerful little dress just makes me grin. Looking at it reminds me of our Florida springtime with raspberry pink azaleas, white dogwoods and the bright turquois waters of nearby Blue Springs.The fabric says spring to me.

think spring dress all recol Continue reading →

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Posted in Basic no-embroidery Machine Projects, girls, heirloom sewing, smocking

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Another Precious Child…

Posted on January 28, 2014 by | 22 comments

precious corner 2X

Our congregation is celebrating the birth of yet another precious baby.  Due to some complications, little Laura Jane came into the world a month before her due date.  At just over 4 lbs., this pocket sized preemie spent her first ten days in the hospital.

Two weeks later and now at home, Laura Jane weighs 5 lbs. 8 oz.  Hurrah!

As a deacon of our church, one of my responsibilities is to welcome new babies with a gift, hence, this blanket.  I love my job, but wish we had more newborns!

The delicate pink color of the ready made 100% cotton flannel blanket is much like the blush color of sweet baby cheeks.  The flannel’s heavy but luxurious texture made the embroidery process a real delight.

The text was arranged in Brother’s PE-Design.  The little angel cherubs are from Petite Designs, Brother’s card #20, one of my most often used collections. The corner embroidery nestled perfectly in my Brother Quattro 8×8 hoop.

 

bib corner Continue reading →

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Posted in baby accessories, church projects, heirloom sewing, machine embroidery

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First Birthday Dress~Finished

Posted on January 21, 2014 by | 39 comments

UPDATE: And look at it now.

Viv "eating"Aunt Peggy's chocolate pudding. Surely a some got in her mouth.

Viv “eating”Aunt Peggy’s chocolate pudding. Surely some got in her mouth.

first birthday dress for Minnie fan

first birthday dress for Minnie fan

Our precious granddaughter Vivian Rose recently celebrated her first birthday with family and friends at a party in her own back yard.

Cousins Laurel and Alastair

Cousins Laurel and Alastair

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39 Comments

Posted in Disney, heirloom sewing, infant clothing, machine embroidery, Madeira applique

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Kid $ewing

Posted on January 14, 2014 by | 16 comments

 

My 9 year old granddaughter continues to expand the product line for her little business, Laurel’s Specialty Sewing.  After introducing monogrammed tote bags, she added the service of sewing Girl Scout patches on the vests of her fellow Scouts ($ .50 per patch, monofilament thread, free motion sewing).  This product and service has proven to be very profitable.  She recently bought an American Girl doll with money she earned.

Now Laurel is promoting a new item in her line.  The simple felt hangings are destined for the upcoming Girl Scout Camporee.  The girls bring little items to trade, momentos of the event or trinkets, such as  these for an event they call SWAPS–Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere.

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Posted in Kids Sew, machine embroidery, Nana fun

Christmas Baby Doll for Baby

Posted on January 10, 2014 by | 23 comments

 

4 1/2" baby doll

4 1/2″ baby doll

 

For Christmas, one of 11 month old Vivian Rose’s gifts was this porcelain baby doll.  Nestled in a tiny wicker Moses-in-the-bulrushes style basket, the Dream Baby doll antique reproduction was tucked in looking like a classic heirloom clothed infant.

Just 4 1/2″ long, she seemed to be just the right start for our grandbaby’s doll collection.  Of course, it will be some time before she is allowed to handle this tiny treasure.  But it’s not too early to begin collecting. Continue reading →

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Posted in doll clothing and accessories, heirloom sewing, smocking

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1st Birthday Dress

Posted on January 3, 2014 by | 11 comments

goods VR 1 dress

It’s hard to believe grandbaby Vivian Rose will celebrate her first birthday in a few weeks.  Time does fly!  Her mother requested a Minnie Mouse dress for the upcoming Minnie birthday party.  Baby’s entire family is made up of enthusiastic Disney fans, so I am lucky to own Brother embroidery machines with built in Disney designs.

I have to admit it took a while to adapt my heirloom taste to a cartoon character dress.  But now, I think I am ready to begin.

Here’s what I have assembled.

  • Pattern:  Baby Butterflies by Petite Poche
  • Fabric: pink Pimatex from Farmhouse Fabrics,  white Swiss pique and black pima gingham from stash
  • Trims:  Swiss black entredeux and black scallop edging from stash
  • Designs:  small Minnie designs on my Brother ULT 2003D.
  • Buttons:  ooops-forgot to include those in the picture, but they are 3/8″  round, black with shanks

NOTE:  At first glance, reader Donna thought the entredeux looked like a zipper.  She’s right!  It does.  But it is NOT a zipper.

It took a while to get my mind right, but now I am excited about this project.  It won’t be traditional heirloom, but it includes enough heirloom goods and  techniques to make me comfortable.

I’m off to the sewing room to cut it out.  Yeah!  What a great project to start 2014.

What are you working on?

11 Comments

Posted in Disney, infant clothing

Bag Bargain Bonanza

Posted on January 1, 2014 by | 6 comments

bags bags

Look at these!  What a steal they were!  These zippered, sturdy, lined totes are really very, very nice, featuring an inside pocket and leather handles.  At JC Penny they were originally over priced at $100, not a cost I would have been willing to pay. From the quantity available at the final clearance price, most shoppers were of the same opinion.  I did, however, do a google search for the bag name and found it listed on more than one site for $60-$65.

While Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving, my daughter came across a table loaded with these bags.  They had been marked down repeatedly.

After a quick call for a Mama consultation, sale-savvy Rebecca marched full steam ahead to the cash register loaded down with every one of  the bargains.  Well, no doubt she had to march more than once but clearly this girl grew up under the influence of her mother’s  Buy Bargains in Bulk!!! philosophy.

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Posted in machine embroidery

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Quick and Easy Gifts

Posted on December 27, 2013 by | 6 comments

Nana Fun:  This is 9 yo Laurel’s note to Santa. With grandchildren, there is always something to smile about.  Like the fact that her house does have a fireplace and a chimney.  Was she messing with ol’ Santa?

L santa note~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3 towels jars

recipe designs from Embroidery Library, raspberries from Ace Points Raspberries, strawberries from Ace Points Strawberry Delight

Many of you know this blog was down for almost two weeks before Christmas.  Because of that, there is a backlog of sewing projects waiting to be shared.

With a long list of recipients and a month-long variety of unexpected demands on my time, it was apparent that the gifts must be quick and easy.  Nothing is faster than machine embroidery on a  ready made item so most of my gifts were of that kind.  Many were towels from All About Blanks.

 

gingerbread towel

gingerbread recipe design from Hatched in Africa’s Winter Recipes

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Posted in embroidery blanks, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery, Nana fun, recipes

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Christmas Greeting

Posted on December 26, 2013 by | Leave a comment

gingerbread 12~13

 

This holy day is almost over, but I want to wish you the joy of the season, which my family certainly has enjoyed.  While their mother was at home preparing for a big Christmas day, Robert and Laurel spent Christmas Eve day at our house decorating gingerbread houses.   They  absolutely love this activity.

 

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, Laurel bottom left and Robert (blond) far right, littlest one, Caroline, front row with white hair bow

 

<< In keeping with the sewing theme of this blog, I will mention that I altered several of these robes, hemming up two, adding 6 inches to another and altering one from a child’s size 12 to a lady’s 14.  Then they were all pressed.  Does that make this a legitimate post?>> Continue reading →

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