Fall stitching

I didn't get this little bishop finished quite as quickly as I originally planned. Doesn't that happen to all of us? 

I used a combination of Scared-d-Cat and Octo-Bear, both by Little Memories. I didn't want specifically Halloween or Thanksgiving. So I went with a general fall theme.

The pattern is Children's Corner Bishop. I used a pima cotton called Kiwi Gingham from Bessie Mary.

Hopefully I will have a picture of our baby modeling her new bishop soon. I am onto Christmas sewing and finishing up convention projects. (The darker green around the center pumpkin is because the fabric is still wet where I spritzed out the blue marker. I'm delivering the dress within the hour and didn't have time to wait for it to dry completely.)

A gift of love

The gown is finished and the most beautiful baby in the world has been baptized into God's  family of faith. It is no secret I love a christening gown. I was asked once what item do I still have from childhood that I cherish the most, I immediately answered, "My christening gown." I don't know why and I am sure there is some deep Jungian reason that is beyond my capacity to understand. All that aside, I hold it dear and secretly spirited it from my mother's possession as a teenager and still have it. It hangs in my sewing room. All of my own children were baptized in that gown. Sadly, it is not sturdy enough to withstand another generation's use. The upside of that is, I have the precious opportunity to make a family gown for each of my four children. This is the story of the first of those.

Remember you can click to enlarge the pictures.

Our beautiful mommy holding her baby on the graced occasion of her baptism, October 3, 2010.

It was a gorgeous, crisp fall day, the sun was shining, the leaves were beginning to turn as family and friends gathered to celebrate. And to make it even more special, my husband, an ordained deacon in the Catholic Church was to be the one baptizing this much loved child. God was definitely there in so many ways throughout the day.

All of our children and their significant others were there. My husband always comments when ALL of his children are around the dinner table at one time. I always comment when they are all in the pew at Mass together. We were both happy on Sunday. It is the simple things in life.

I had a heck of a time getting good pictures of the gown on Sunday morning. So I apologize for the pictures not being the best.

The gown is made from silky voile from BessieMary. This is not the most expensive or extravagant fabric but I love it. It is a joy to work with. I love the fact that it keeps its filmy nature after it is washed but yet it sturdy enough to handle the hand embroidery. I lined the bodice with silk organza to give it a bit more oomph to handle the weight of the long skirt.

I used a combination of patterns both by the Old Fashioned Baby. Mommy wanted the skirt of the French Acadian Christening gown and Mimi wanted it smocked, so we combined the skirt with a shortened bodice of the Baby Gowns pattern. 

She wanted to reverse the original sized sequence of the "squares" on the skirt, making the largest one on the bottom. She chose the symbols she wanted used and mentioned "the featherstitching" about a dozen times. So I knew that was something she wanted as well.

The shell used to symbolize Baptism is done in chain stitch, back stitch and shadow work. The flourishes to either side are raised satin stitch. The water drops are padded eyelets.

 

The grapes and wheat on either side of the shadow work cross are stem stitch, granitos, lazy daisies, shadow work and back stitch. It represents Eucharist.

 

The monogram is raised satin stitch with shadow work and chain stitch lily of the valley. It was her idea to add the lily of the valley embroidery to the monogram, which coordinated with the lily of the valley maline laces used.  

I had always planned on using this lace and had collected several widths of insertion and edgings over the years. This is one of my favorite laces. I used a combination of three sizes of lace on the lower skirt with two strips of three pin tucks each to represent the Trinity. The shadow work doves in the corner represent Confirmation.

She wanted three-quarter sleeves but not too puffy and large. So I reduced the sleeve width by 3/4." By concentrating the gathering on the lower edge directly below the sleeve header gathers it still puffs nicely. The bottom of the sleeve is finished with lily of the valley beading/edging threaded with silk satin ribbon. Since I knew the beading lace would add length, I used the newborn length for the 3/4 sleeves. I also inserted lace across the sleeve.

The slip is the one from the Baby Gowns pattern also made from the silky voile. Shell hems finish the neck and armholes with lace edging across the bottom. It was nippy yesterday so mommy had a onesie underneath it all. She is styling her first jewelry gifted by a friend.

I made a size 6 months and it fit perfectly. She weighs between 13 and 14 pounds. The gown is a tad over 39 inches long. Mommy wanted long so that is what she got. It was fastened in the back with two sterling silver beauty pins. Ignore the bright blue paci, we switched it out to a plain white one soon after these pictures were taken.

In the spirit of full disclosure I will admit that there is more feather stitching to be added along the bottom of the skirt and on the sleeves. I will do that this week along with her name and date on the back of the lower skirt. My plan is to do that this week before she has her portraits taken.

There are also some things on the gown that I am not completely happy with, but you will notice I did not point them out. She was beautiful, blessed and baptized and that is what matters.

Here she is with her parents and godparents before Mass.

This is why I sew. I also will admit to a tear or two when we first dressed her. It makes a Mimi's heart sing I tell ya! I hope you, faithful readers, are working on something that makes your heart sing as well.

Coming Home

Baby's coming home ensemble. I had so much fun doing this. Just the sweetness of it about did me in. How can you go wrong with whisper soft pink, sweet lace and just a touch of embroidery? Pattern is Emma's Smocked Baby Dress. This pattern goes together without a hitch. I love it. I was telling Jeannie at OFB that I want to try and make a bubble version of this little dress I love it so much.
 

 I love the back as much as the front. Just sweet.

Anyone that knows me, or has attended convention with me, knows I have an extensive collection of mother of pearl buttons, also from Old Fashioned Baby. Jeannie's website does not do justice to number of baby buttons she actually has. Well she has less than she used to because I have a basket full upstairs.

I did a sort of modified version of one of the bonnets from The Christening Bonnet Collection. Both patterns are from The Old Fashioned Baby. Mommy isn't crazy about "fru-fru" bonnets, so this tailored version fits the bill. A tiny bit of embroidery to match the dress bodice finishes it off.

The fabric is Sea Island Diamonds from Bessie Mary. I have a serious love affair with this fabric. I LOVE tone on tone anyway, but the diamonds have a soft sheen to them that is just enough contrast. Plus the more you handle this fabric the softer it gets. It has almost a velvety feel to it after a couple of washings and handling it during stitching and construction. Jan also has it in blue. I may have to have some blue. It might be a bit pricier than you might normally spend on a yard of fabric, $22/yard.

But....you can get all four of these pieces from one yard of fabric!! There are even some scraps left. It is 60" wide so it goes a long way.

Of course an obnoxiously possessed Mimi makes a matching hanger. (I know, its a sickness.) Pattern is from Lyn Weeks but there is also one in Australian Smocking and Embroidery Issue #76. The little diaper cover is also from the same issue.

Any proper young lady needs a slip. (Something all three of my girls seem to have forgotten.) The fabric is satin batiste. Again from Bessie Mary. It looks peachy in this picture, in real life it is much pinker and almost a perfect color match for the dress fabric.

I finished the arms and neckline with a shell stitch hem and just a quick touch of embroidery. I did add just a smidge of German Interfacing to the shoulder facings where I stitched the buttonholes. I have better success with my buttonholes in that tiny space when I do that. And of course some mother of pearl slip buttons.

Since the lace, buttons and patterns were in my stash I only spent $30 for this outfit. Not bad if you ask me. She is going to be so pretty in her pink dress.

I'll be home soon with pictures and report of my trip to Avery Island.

A Coming Home Dress

 

Well a new baby needs a new dress to come "home"; so that is the next project in line.  I am using again a new fabric to me called Sea Island Diamonds in a pale pink. Scrumptious fabric. I got this from Jan again at Bessie Mary. This fabric is a kind of jacquard/damask I guess. It has a subtle woven texture in the diamond pattern and the diamonds have a bit of a sheen to them. Very pretty. Soft, soft pink color. You want the dress to be beautiful, but not so out there that you lose the beautiful baby inside the dress. In my mind this calls for subtle color, smocking ans embroidery. While it may not be the most inexpensive fabric, it only takes a yard for a baby dress. So in the scheme of things, not a large investment. The laces I had in my stash, so in my mind, they are free.

I of course pre-washed my fabric but was still a tad concerned how it would go through the pleater with the woven texture. Don't even try to write me and tell me that pre-washing isn't necessary. I won't listen. After my god daughter's First Communion dress made from Swiss batiste and heirloom laces shrank three inches; no one will be able to convince me again not to pre-wash my fabric. Ever. I digress as usual. 

 

Back to pleating, it went through that pleater like soft butter. I LOVE my pleater. I have a Super Amanda Jane pleater. I have had it about 12 years now. I love it. So my fabric pleated like it was its job. (Those two extra needles in the pleater serve no purpose other than saving the time to remove them.)

Emma's Smocked Baby Dresses by

Old Fashioned Baby

I am using a lacy version of this pattern. A new pattern for me. 

 

Mommy gave me permission for some lace but not over the top. This is a simple fancy band at the bottom. It will have edging attached after the dress is constructed. I was told no vertical lace on the sleeves. Yes ma'am!

 

For the smocking design I am using the plate provided in the pattern. At least I think I am. I was too lame to walk up the stairs last night and retrieve it. Sooo the smocking is how I remember the plate included in the pattern. Either way I like it. I only used two strands of floss. I wanted a delicate tone on tone look. It was also quick! On a newborn basic yoke it only takes about 5 or 6 rows of smocking. This much was stitched during a one hour episode each of American Idol and Project Runway. So I should finish the smocking today and can move on to the embroidery on the yoke, sleeves and skirt.

First posted at Bessie Mary

I have to give a shout out to Jan of Bessie Mary, the heirloom shop, she has entered blog land. So drop by and pay her a visit at Bessie Mary's blog. Now how in the heck she got 16 stinkin' followers overnight is beyond me, but drop by anyway as she gives you a virtual tour of Charleston. 

Speaking of followers, I noticed that your humble servant here has 99 followers. I will offer a giveaway once we reach 100. Hmmm, what to offer?

A Sweet and Simple Daygown

First posted at Bessie Mary

Jan at Bessie Mary has gotten a new (to her) fabric called Skip Dent. Kind of a funny name for a fabric. It is a poly/cotton blend by Scpechler-Vogel. It is a fairly inexpensive fabric which sometimes is just the ticket when a budget is tight or you want to make a quick gift that looks expensive but isn't. I really really like this fabric. Even though it is a poly blend it feels like a cotton when working with it. Except for one thing, no wrinkles. Now we all know I love an iron. I love the look of something that has been ironed even better. And I love the tone on tone look of it. So I set out to make another daygown with it. As always, click on the pictures to enlarge them.

I used Sweet and Simple Daygowns from The Old Fashioned Baby. I am in LOVE with this pattern.

When deciding on a color, I went with blue because blue can be gender neutral. I loved my little girls in blue and of course it is the universal "boy" color as well. Since the fabric arrived though, the need for gender neutral is out the window. The baby that will wear this little gown is a girl. And mommy wants the girly factor ramped up without being too frou-frou. So I was then on the quest to pink it up. And that is what I did. Not overly so I don't think. I hope you agree.

 

This is the gown still damp. I washed it and then threw it in the dryer for just a few minutes to get out what my girlfriend used to call "hard wrinkles." So even before it is dry all the way and an iron has even touched it, it is essentially wrinkle free.

 

Pink satin binding on the white voile collar, some Swiss eyelet trim on either side of the placket, a teeny bit of embroidery and pink buttons. Tailored but girly and sweet.  

 

For an added touch of pink, I ran two strands of floss through the entredeux of the eyelet trim.If you click on it you will see I even missed a spot or two on the entredeux. But overall adds just another hint of color. I was going to embroider between the buttons as well, but decided with the pink buttons it didn't need it. 

A teeny rosebud on the top of the back pleat. Not needed, just a little "ahhh."

Another thing I like about this pattern is the underarm pleat. Controls the fullness without being overpowering.

 

 I did put in the hem by hand, again using two strands of the pink floss. 

 

All in all, I LOVE this fabric and I LOVE this pattern.

Sewing by proxy

Remember when I posted about the reader who contacted me because she wanted help making a christening gown for her granddaughter?

Well a few hours on the telephone, a dozen camera charges and a couple of hundred emails later and here are the results. She has done a gorgeous job. I knew all along she could do it. She hadn't smocked since this baby's mother was a child. Just like riding a bicycle, she is back at it with great results!

She used Eternal Love from AS&E Issue 42. She purchased her supplies from Bessie Mary. Thanks Jan!

It was delightful fun helping someone rediscover a forgotten passion. I just know that her granddaughter will benefit from this refound love of smocking and heirloom sewing. The christening is this Sunday, and I know it will be a day for all of them to cherish. I am glad to have been a part of it.

The pictures may have my stamp on them, but the stitching was all hers. Great job Mary!

Covered cupcakes (oops)..buttons

Some things just scream summer. That is what this darling cupcake print from Susan Branch did for me. I got it from Jan at Bessie Mary. I love Susan Branch graphics anyway, so it was a given I would like her graphics in a fabric. My first thought was to make a bishop smocked with cupcakes, and I still have enough, but then decided to use it to make a CC Taylor. On the Delphi Heirloom Sewing and Smocking board we had a Taylor challenge. Since I had never made this pattern before I decide to try it. It is a sleeveless bubble that I adapted to have a yoke. I paired the cupcakes with what else, gingham. I swear if you used gingham with burlap it would be adorable. Things go better with gingham! (I wonder if the Coco Cola Bottling company will mind?) I didn't have any cute buttons to go with it so I decided to cover some to match. I LOVE covered buttons almost as much as I love linen. And since I liked these little cupcakes so well, I wanted to make sure I had cupcakes on each button.

Covered buttons can be intimidating for some, but are really quite simple. And since I liked the cupcakes it took a bit more planning to achieve buttons with cupcakes on each center. I decided to share with you how I did that. As always you can click on the image to enlarge.

1. These are the supplies you will need. The covered button kit. These are readily available at most fabric stores.
2. A scrap of your fabric.
3. Temporary spray adhesive
4. Scissors, both paper and fabric.
5. Blue water-soluble fabric marking pen.
   

Using your paper scissors, cut out the appropriate sized circle from the cardboard backing of the button kit.

Decide which motif you want to feature on your button. I chose this cute little cupcake with the cherry on top. Trace around the cardboard circle with a blue water-soluble marker. Cut out traced circle.

I have marked the base of the button kit with a black marker. This is so that when I place the covered top into the base, I can position the cupcake right side up. This will be important when attaching the back. Otherwise your button turns out with your cupcake facing sideways. Ask me how I know this.

Pay close attention to this very technically savvy process. Stick the button front on the end of your finger. Spray button front with spray adhesive. It doesn't take much, you just want it to be tacky enough to catch your cupcake and not let it slip as you push it into the white base. (I told you it was technical.) Place button face down on back of fabric circle. It will stick to the fabric while remainng on the end of your finger. Pick up fabric circle and button front, place over white base making sure that the top of your motif is placed below the black mark you made on the base. Shove, press, push what ever verb suits you, the fabric and button front into the well of the white base.

After you shove it into the base, tuck the excess fabric down into the button. You will think it is too much, it rarely is. You can trim a scant amount of excess if you are dealing with a heavier fabric. If you trim it too close, the fabric won't be held securely by the button back. After you have tucked in the extra fabric, place the blue "pusher" thing, (I am sure it has a name that I don't know.) down into the back of the button front to make sure that the extra fabric is snug into the button front. Place button back on top of fabric making sure that the shank is horizontal to the black mark on the white base, thus aligning motif upright on button. Push down pretty hard. Sometimes you will feel the back snap into the button front. Remove blue pusher, check that back is snapped down all the way around. If not, repeat wit h blue pusher.

Twist white base to remove button.

Voila! Cute little cupcake button to go on my Taylor.