{"id":12396,"date":"2011-04-19T00:47:23","date_gmt":"2011-04-19T04:47:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/?p=12396"},"modified":"2015-01-02T21:30:36","modified_gmt":"2015-01-03T02:30:36","slug":"satisfactionsewing-for-boys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/2011\/04\/19\/satisfactionsewing-for-boys\/","title":{"rendered":"Satisfaction~Sewing for Boys"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Alasair's<\/a>

Alastair’s Easter outfit, under construction<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Anyone can go to Strasburg Children www.strasburgchildren.com<\/a> \u00c2\u00a0and buy gorgeous heirloom clothing.\u00c2\u00a0 Their collection of smocked and heirloom sewn apparel\u00c2\u00a0for little ones\u00c2\u00a0is unrivaled.\u00c2\u00a0 But even\u00c2\u00a0in\u00c2\u00a0Strasburg’s\u00c2\u00a0oasis of classic beauty in the world wide desert of classic children’s clothing , the selections for girls far\u00c2\u00a0outnumber those for boys.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s a realistic reflection of the market.<\/p>\n

I could<\/em> buy their lovely outfits for my two grandsons and they would look so classically handsome.\u00c2\u00a0 But that would not satisfy\u00c2\u00a0my urge to create unique garments just for them. I want<\/em> to do it myself.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0I want to\u00c2\u00a0bring life to my\u00c2\u00a0personal, unique\u00c2\u00a0vision of beautiful children’s clothing for my unique and beautiful grandchildren.\u00c2\u00a0 And I don’t recall ever seeing train duds\u00c2\u00a0in the Strasburg catalogue.<\/p>\n

So I sew.\u00c2\u00a0 The satisfaction of sewing for the boys is even greater than sewing for granddaughter Laurel.\u00c2\u00a0The challenge to design classic attire for little guys is greater, given the constraints of practicality, comfort and local standards of acceptability.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"ATrainE11close\"<\/a>

shadow work by embroidery machine design from Suzanne Hinshaw’s Teddies and Toys<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0For Easter, once again I am coordinating outfits for all three grandchildren- almost 7 year old Laurel,\u00c2\u00a05 1\/2 year old\u00c2\u00a0Robert Charles, and just 2 year old Alastair.\u00c2\u00a0 This year, the only\u00c2\u00a0unifying component is the color blue.<\/p>\n

Laurel’s dress and petticoat are standard heirloom, Swiss batiste, heirloom laces, embroidery.\u00c2\u00a0 To look presentable, it requires starch, my beloved 1946 Betty Crocker\u00c2\u00a0football iron (would you like to hear about it?), \u00c2\u00a0a puff iron, a ham, and about 20 minutes on the ironing board.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

The boys’ easy care outfits will definitely fall into the category of\u00c2\u00a0 “modern projects for old fashioned Nanas.”\u00c2\u00a0 Alastair’s 2-piece suit\u00c2\u00a0 consists of blue babycord shorts and an Imperial batiste shirt with a square collar.\u00c2\u00a0 The shorts pattern is Jackson <\/em>by Children’s Corner, available from Farmhouse Fabrics <\/a> The\u00c2\u00a0pants are\u00c2\u00a0almost tailored, without the fullness I have come to expect (and dislike) in so many elastic waist shorts.\u00c2\u00a0 I chose to line the shorts for more body, though the pattern does not call for lining.<\/p>\n

The button back shirt is from Martha Pullen’s Heirloom<\/em> Sewing for Jack and Jill<\/em>.\u00c2\u00a0 What a great resource this\u00c2\u00a0book\u00c2\u00a0is!\u00c2\u00a0 Among the many, many patterns it includes several for shaped collars.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Baby cord piping trims the square collar and the sleeve cuff.Alastair is currently enthralled by trains, so his collar reflects that interest.\u00c2\u00a0 I decided to use shadow embroidery, rather than applique’ or standard machine embroidery because I wanted to maintain the heirloom mood\u00c2\u00a0established by\u00c2\u00a0Laurel’s dress.\u00c2\u00a0 The design is from Suzanne Hinshaw’s Teddies and Toys<\/em> collection.<\/p>\n

I’ve often wondered why it is that I\u00c2\u00a0have such a passion for\u00c2\u00a0heirloom sewing and classic children’s \u00c2\u00a0clothing.\u00c2\u00a0 It certainly\u00c2\u00a0did not come from my roots in the Midwest. \u00c2\u00a0I grew up 50 miles from Chicago, surrounded by cattle and cornfields–not cotton, not tobacco, not Spanish moss.\u00c2\u00a0 My mother sewed most of my clothes and they were lovely, well constructed and stylish.\u00c2\u00a0 And yet, from my earliest recollection, \u00c2\u00a0my taste has always been in tune with Southerners.<\/p>\n

To this day, I remember seeing my cousin Elaine wearing a Sears Roebuck blouse with embroidery and\u00c2\u00a0“eyelet.”\u00c2\u00a0 I thought it was the prettiest thing\u00c2\u00a0I had ever seen and\u00c2\u00a0pestered \u00c2\u00a0my mother until she drove me to\u00c2\u00a0the store\u00c2\u00a0to see if they had another in my size.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0It was as close to “heirloom” as\u00c2\u00a0anything I had yet seen.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"our<\/a>

our two year-old son Ryan wearing his Madeira applique’d teddy bear suit, 1976<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

When my son was born here in sunny Florida, I was\u00c2\u00a0 blessed with the friendship of a woman who had served on the faculty with me during my last pre-pregnancy year of teaching.\u00c2\u00a0 Her Puerto Rican mother and Cuban father\u00c2\u00a0had given Nilda\u00c2\u00a0a heritage rich in needlework skill and appreciation.\u00c2\u00a0 On one visit to her family in Miami, she brought Ryan\u00c2\u00a0a little white romper, embellished with Madeira applique’d red teddy bears parked in patches of grass and French knot flowers.\u00c2\u00a0 I was smitten.\u00c2\u00a0 I wanted to go to Little Havana.<\/p>\n

I had never seen anything like that–not even at Sears Roebuck!\u00c2\u00a0 And Strasburg Children was more than 15 years from opening their doors.\u00c2\u00a0 I loved\u00c2\u00a0this little suit\u00c2\u00a0and spent untold hours searching department stores for clothing of that genre for my precious baby boy.\u00c2\u00a0 Ryan wore it in 1976 and he looked precious.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Ryan's<\/a>

Ryan’s 14 month old son Robert wearing his father’s teddy bear suit at Rebecca’s wedding, 2006<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

Ryan’s 11 month old nephew Alastair, wearing the teddy bear suit, 2010<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ryan’s son Robert wore that classic suit to our Rebecca’s wedding in 2006. He looked precious. \u00c2\u00a0Rebecca’s son Alastair wore it in 2010 and, you guessed it, he looked precious.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Ryan<\/a>

our son, Ryan, in linen drawn thread button on suit, 1977<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

For Ryan’s 3rd birthday,\u00c2\u00a0Nilda gave him a blue linen blend\u00c2\u00a0button on suit with drawn thread work down\u00c2\u00a0 the front.\u00c2\u00a0 After he outgrew it, I packed this treasure away.\u00c2\u00a0 It\u00c2\u00a0has been worn Robert Charles and\u00c2\u00a0 another special\u00c2\u00a0little boy.\u00c2\u00a0 Soon will fit Alastair.\u00c2\u00a0 It was stunning and “in style” for each of them. What’s not to love about classic children’s clothing?<\/p>\n

I wonder if\u00c2\u00a0I would have been such an enthusiastic fan of\u00c2\u00a0 heirloom sewing if my taste for this classic clothing had not been fed by these little boy suits from Little Havana.\u00c2\u00a0 I wonder if I would have achieved or sought\u00c2\u00a0creative satisfaction without those gifts.<\/p>\n

Perhaps \u00c2\u00a0some of the garments I make for my grandchildren will become heirlooms.\u00c2\u00a0 I certainly hope so, for their children and grandchildren.\u00c2\u00a0 If not, at least I had the pleasure of stitching them and the joy of seeing them worn by my loved ones.<\/p>\n

Do you love heirloom sewing?\u00c2\u00a0 Why?\u00c2\u00a0 Was it a family legacy or an inherent appreciation?\u00c2\u00a0 I’d love to hear\u00c2\u00a0about other journeys into sewing classic clothing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Anyone can go to Strasburg Children www.strasburgchildren.com \u00c2\u00a0and buy gorgeous heirloom clothing.\u00c2\u00a0 Their collection of smocked and heirloom sewn apparel\u00c2\u00a0for little ones\u00c2\u00a0is unrivaled.\u00c2\u00a0 But even\u00c2\u00a0in\u00c2\u00a0Strasburg’s\u00c2\u00a0oasis of classic beauty in the world wide desert of classic children’s clothing , the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12421,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7,28,18],"tags":[213,212,1062,1061,495,496,1070,497,435],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12396"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12396"}],"version-history":[{"count":55,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32696,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12396\/revisions\/32696"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.janicefergusonsews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}