New blogs for inspiration

Don't know if you noticed on my blog list in the side bar but I added a couple of new blogs.

Jeannie Baumeister of the Old Fashioned Baby has a new blog. The Old Fashioned Baby Sewing Room. Jeannie also has been featured in Creative Needle (::sniff:: we still miss you.) and Sew Beautiful magazines. I love Jeannie's patterns and have had the privilege of taking several classes from her. I plan to take another one at the end of the month at SAGA convention. She may ban me from any future classes after I spend two days grousing about rolling and whipping by hand. I am not good at it, I hate the way mine looks and will admit that I don't hold out much hope that I can improve. But... I am going to give it another go. I was looking for a picture to post because as I told Jeannie, I can't write a post without a picture or several, and realized that I have completed four items from Jeannie's classes or patterns in the past year. Not bad I don't think.

The gown at the top was from this post.

This little onesie type bubble was from this post.

This little bonnet was a 10 year old class UFO from this post.

And Wally here was the baby gift I talked about here. I still love that little whale. Just makes me smile.

Another blog that has come on the horizon recently is Lulu and Annie by Gail Doane. Gail is the author of the recently published

as well as a sought after teacher and is featured in Australian Smocking and Embroidery often.

The little jacket above is featured in her book. Again I had the pleasure of taking this as a class at SAGA convention. It is made from wool blanketing and embroidered with bullion bunnies. I swear you use a ten penny nail to embroider those bunnies. I love this, they are so fun. I won't allow myself to put away the fabric I have ready to make a bishop to match. Love those little bunnies. And for all of its cuteness it really is quite quick. It takes longer to whip down the binding on this jacket than it does to cut it out, embroider it and construct. Lots of bang for your buck when it comes to time.

One of my favorite projects I have ever done, was this class with Gail, making a lace jacket and a pintucked dress. The dress and jacket were made for a friend's daughter. I loved every minute of this project. There are no bad lace combinations. As you can see from the below picture. And not all of the laces were expensive ones.

So please drop by and see these two great talents. Tell 'em the Southern Matriarch sent you. :)

The look of determination

You know some people have lofty goals in life, they want to be President, or climb Mount Everest or run a marathon. Me? I just want to master this *&^% teeny tiny feather stitch that Jeannie Baumeister of the Old Fashioned Baby teaches! I had a goal once of mastering the biscuits my step father's mother made. I did that about 10 years ago. A worthy life long (I hadn't seen my step grandmother since I was about 14) goal. And now this one. I have a couple of UFO's that aren't finished simply because I can't get this antique double feather stitch. This is a hunk of scrap I picked up last night with the first floss I laid my hands on. I sat and studied the pictures in Jeannie's book and attempted this before I went to bed. Its not there yet but it is light years better than I have been able to do in the past. "My name is Martha and I am feather stitch challenged." I will get this if it is the end of me! Hopefully I will have pics of those UFO's soon with sweet teeny tiny feather stitching on them.

Moving right along

For some bizarre reason convention projects seem to moving right along. I approach my stitching time a little differently than many. I do machine work during the day and handwork at night in front of the television. Many stitchers tell me that they do handwork during the day. Oh well, this works for me. I have all but the buttonholes done on this gown from my Jeannie Baumeister class at convention. It is her pattern Antique T-Gown Dress and Christening gown. So I am reduced to handwork on both this gown and the pink linen matinee jacket.

I hate this stage of a project. I can't wait to get finished so I can wash the blue marks out. The wash away blue marker just makes it look messier than it is. But of course any project comes alive after it has been washed and the miracles that an iron and a can of starch can achieve are monumental.

So check back soon, I hope to have this one ready for its recipient, a hanger, soon.