Thursday, December 31, 2015

A Year in Review-Backtracked

I am sliding this in with a retrofit post. Lets hope it works. I never got a chance to do a year end review last year. I enjoy having an accounting of the things I make each year. This year was even more impressive. Of course I didn't blog much in 2015, thus more sewing time. Its odd how that works.

So in keeping with each year's review here goes:

  • Twenty Button Bookmarks for our Annual Auction
  • Twelve Machine Embroidered Napkins, also for the Auction
  • Six Dresses
  • Five Sew Together Bags
  • Five Machine Embroidered T Shirts
  • Five Monogrammed Diaper Covers
  • Three pair of Shorts
  • Four Machine Embroidered Hooded Towels
  • Two Shirts
  • Two Jon-Jon
  • Two Doll Dresses
  • Two Ready to Smock Bishops
  • Three Blouses
  • Two Smocked Bishops, start to finish
  • Two Jumpers with Embroidery
  • Two Short Sets (2 pcs each)
  • Two Embroidered Knit Rompers
  • Two Bubbles with Machine Embroidery
  • Two Monogrammed Ring Bearer Pillow Tops
  • Two Button on Suits
  • One Eton Suit (2 pcs)
  • One Button on Skirt w Blouse (2pcs)
  • One Girls Romper with Machine Embroidery
  • One Machine Embroidered Tooth Fairy Pillow
  • One Button on Bonnet
  • One Skirt/Top set (2pcs)
  • One bloomers
  • One Trick or Treat Bag with Embroidery
  • One multi pocket/page Zipper Tote!!
  • One Hand Embroidered Christening Gown!!
  • Helping One Sweet Girl make her own Teddy Bear Doll (Priceless.)

For a total of 99 garments/projects and a total of 104 pieces.
In addition to this
  • Three Sewing Workshops
  • One Twelve Day Trip Abroad
  • Three First Days of School
  • Hosting One First Birthday Party
  • One Grandparent's Day
  • One Baby's Baptism
  • Purchasing and Learning One New Sewing Machine
Once again I am amazed at how much got done as well as some of the forgotten projects I had done. There is lots of fodder here for some future blog posts. 

Now, there are reviews for each year since 2008.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Its That Time Again-


Time for the Cardinals Home Opener. If folks had their way, it would be a school holiday and a day off work. Judging by the news coverage of downtown, a LOT of people called in sick today. Its a viral sickness called "cardinalitis".


As much as everyone wants to see those boys on the field, they come for these boys as well. If *AmBev ever tries to get rid of the clydesdales, their will be a city wide revolt.


Its not Thursday but here is a throwback anyway. This sweet boy is three and a half now. He still knows what team to root for.


Enjoy another season of great baseball! And lets hope we make it another post season winner.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Let's Pretend


Let's pretend that for the past 9 months that I have been totally on top of things and posting regularly as is always my intention. Don't know about you but my mother always said the road to h*ll was paved with good intentions. I do have the best of intentions. The truth of it is, you can't sit in this chair and sew at the same time. If I could, oh the things I could show you! And the past many months has seen a LOT of sewing done. For my son't wedding alone I already shared it was eight weeks of straight sewing. Since the first of the year it seems to be pretty much the same thing. That is okay. It is what this Mimi does.

If the last several months have seen lots of sewing, the past few days have seen lots of file transfer. When you take as many photos of the most beautiful grandchildren as I do and almost as many of different sewing projects, you end up with an astronomical amount of photos clogging your disc space. Astronomical as in thousands. Suffice it to say, my desktop mac was unable to do anything because I had no room. Another frustration that had me spending less and less time in this chair. For several days now I have been transferring files to free up some disc space. It will take several more days to finish this task. I wasn't kidding when I said thousands. After that is completed perhaps it won't take as long to accomplish something if my computer can run at a more optimum speed.

I have been able to edit some photos, albeit poorly of baby Leighton's coming home dress.


My daughter wanted to replicate the dress that she wore to come home from the hospital. This dress was completely done by hand from Swiss batiste. The embroidery is very "rough" but I loved it and loved my baby wearing it. 


The original was made from this pattern. This is the only pattern by this designer that I have ever seen. There were lots of things I liked about the original and some things I wasn't as crazy about. I wanted deeper pleats on the back and I was never a fan of the sleeve shape.


So I decided I would combine parts from a pattern I love the fit, the back and the sleeve shape. Old Fashioned Baby's "Emma's Smocked Dress".  It has recently gone out of print, so be searching your favorite shops now to find what they still have in stock or resort to eBay or Etsy. It is a great pattern.


This is a pic of the bodice. When necessary, punt. The copy dress is made from Swiss flannel in place of batiste. This inserted entredeux at the neckline was IMPOSSIBLE to accomplish by hand. The Swiss flannel doesn't behave the same as batiste. It frays and won't roll and whip by hand like the batiste does. After three attempts, I decided to take another route. I did the roll and whip by machine. That left a rather unsightly ending to the entredeux in the center. When in doubt? Cover it with a bullion rose. If I hadn't told you, you would never have known that I had modified the original embroidery plan. I am all about full disclosure you know. :)


This is the back I love, buttons all the way down the back and has antique mother of pearl buttons. Also purchased from The Old Fashioned Baby. And you can see that sweet sleeve shape. Also this shows the contrast in color. Pink Swiss flannel is a soft muted pink as seen against a pink cradle sheet here.


I also did the Madeira hem a little differently than the original. The original has you turn the hem towards the front and stitch. Swiss flannel does have a noticeable right and wrong side to the fabric. So to achieve the same look, I added a hem band and stitched it in place with a pin stitch. The hem is also accented with bullion roses all around. Also by adding the hem band that was cut on the bias, it eliminated the little tucks at the hem from trying to ease in the fullness on an a-line skirt.


The finished dress. Soft sweetness in pink with white embroidery. Even better,


on our littlest Princess. Doing what she likes best, to be held. As I catch up on posts, she is going to grow up fast right before your eyes. She is six months old now.

FYI- a friend has a new blog. Berry Hill Heirlooms. Jump over and visit. Tell her I sent you.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Playing Catch-Up-Getting Ready for Baby


I am still trying to catch up on all the sewing this past fall. I did attend SAGA Convention in September before traveling to New Orleans to await the arrival of our newest blessing. Luckily before I left I was able to finish up this pair of garments. Big Brother needed something to wear to the hospital for his first meeting with Baby Sister, didn't he? Of course he did!


I used Children's Corner "Johnny" for his long all. Fabric is a poly/cotton from the stash closet. I have no idea what the fabric is. The embroidery is from Applique for Kids, I used the machine embroidery/applique for Big Brother and the coordinating shadow work design for Baby Sister. Shirt is also from Johnny out of Imperial broadcloth.


It seems I didn't take a picture of Baby Sister's gown by itself. I used Embroidered Raglan Daygown from The Old Fashioned Baby for Sister's gown. To coordinate with Brother, I used the same poly/cotton blue for a hem treatment. The rest of the gown is poly/cotton Imperial batiste. In hindsight, I wish I had removed the hem allowance before adding the bottom band. It makes for a really long daygown. To eliminate having to hem the gown, I made a double band and attached it to the gown, sandwiching pink gingham piping at the seam.  All in all a sweet set, but not as sweet as:


when seen with these sweet faces. This is as close as we were allowed to get at first. He was having none of that posing business.


After some cookies we were able to coax a finger touch, She probably wishes he had stuck with that. Three months later he hugs, lays on top of, pokes her eye, and tries to show her how a friendly slug up side the head feels. All those other signs of "brotherly love". These days a crib and playpen aren't just places to rest but places of protection as well.

Stay tuned, more to come.
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