La Broderie Bayou '09

I hit the road running so fast and hard when I got home that I didn't get a chance to tell you about my trip to Avery Island. Above is another shot of the live oak tree out of my window in the morning. Have I mentioned I love live oaks dripping with Spanish moss? Yea, I've lost count too. But I do love it. La Broderie Bayou is held at the old Marsh House, one of the original homes of the McIlhenny family. The breeze is often still, the air heavy and fragrant. In less genteel language that means, hotter the hell, humid as a sauna and you can smell the marshes and bayous close by. I love it, those generations of Cajun genes just rise straight to the top.

I spent each night with this old girl. I wonder if I would look as good when I get to be 150. I'm thinking not.

The school is hosted by Wendy Schoen Design. I don't remember how many years she has held the school here but this was my second time to go. Like SAGA convention, you spend several days with other stitcher's laughing, learning, stitching and eating. Can life get any better?

Suzette teaching on her knees.

The first night was a pre day class taught by Suzette Wink on crocheted edgings. It was fun and Suzette did a great job. It is nice for a quick, easy and inexpensive baby gift.

I finished my bib. There is also a matching burp cloth in the kit.

The first two days for my group were spent at the Great Louisiana Thread Pull otherwise known as class with the awesome Mirella Arroyo. If you ever have a chance to take classes with Mirella, I urge you to do so. Her work is exquisite and she has the patience of Job. I didn't get a picture of the whole gown, I was trying so hard to get a picture of the details. It is of course a linen daygown with diamond netting with dove's eyes. Truly beautiful. I can't wait to get back to it.

It is double breasted but off center opening. Very classy for a young man.

A close up up the left front, just above the hem. It took two days of 12 hour days to get one diamond done. Now I am sure it would have been much quicker if I had not screwed up and had to fix my screw up. The diamond shape is much more challenging than pulling the threads for the square shape as in the project from last year. I will not let it defeat me! Of course we know I love linen anyway. I have said so many times.

The second 2 days were spent on vacation it felt like. Wendy taught the second class which is a precious organdy pinafore with Madeira appliques with linen.

The bodice with the hand stitched scallops. I am thinking they are going to get what Jane Briscoe calls, "machine assisted" scallops. Where you stitch the scallop shape by machine and then come back and do the hand buttonhole stitch.

Here is the skirt with the madeira applique hem band. I plan to smock my skirt as well so I can put it in the fair.

And here is the back. Don't you love that bow? I can just see a pair of ruffle bottom panties under it.

While working on this piece I did discover a new "must have." I love my wooden hoops that attach to the sit on seat. But Sarah, my table partner,

Sarah the only two seconds she wasn't laughing. She is always laughing.

discovered at the on site shop (Aren't they clever? Captured audience and all.) a floor stand for the nice wooden hoops.

Here is my work in progress using it. I LOVE it!!!!!! So guess what was delivered to my house today?

My own floor stand. I do most of my hand stitching in my chair in the living room. With the sit on stand, I could never get it positioned just right. In a straight chair or a class room chair that isn't an issue. But in my comfy chair it is. So this is going to be great. And as you can see in the picture I can attach my magnifier to the hoop as well.

Just a couple of pics of some of my other stitching friends. I am bad, once I get to stitching I forget to take pictures. There were lots more people there than this. On the left is Vicki K, Vicki is in my SAGA chapter but we drive twelve hours to see each other. In the picture on the right is Brenda F, owner of Its Sew Heavenly in Youngsville LA, talking with Mirella.

One of the other thing we get to do is paw through and drool over so many of Mirella's and Wendy's samples.

This is a linen sundress of Mirella's. Love the shaped hem and of course the drawn thread work and embroidery are gorgeous.

I can't remember the Spanish name of this set, it begins with an "F" but whatever it is called it is exquisite. It is two pieces, though you can't see the top very well in the pic on the right. Mirella called the top a camisole. Which is a totally different thing than what I would call a camisole. But the purpose of the set just appeals to my "presentation is everything" sensibility. The skirt is a one size fits all, that you put on baby over the pram or stroller straps. It lays on top and looks gorgeous. In the winter time you use a knit skirt with the same camisole when it is a bit cooler so you don't need to cover baby with a blanket. I don't know how cool it gets in the winter in Cuba or Puerto Rica. The picture on the left shows the beautiful drawn thread work on the skirt panels. Can't you just see a beautiful baby sitting up in a pram dressed in this gorgeous linen with silk satin ribbons?

These pics are of a gorgeous linen christening gown. I haven't done a cg out of linen yet, maybe that will be next. It will have to be one of my OWN grandchildren to be out of Ulster 1400 linen though. That yummy stuff runs at about $75 a yard.

Wendy had so many samples they were too many to go through. It is wonderful though being able to see all of the embroidery club pieces and garments featured in the magazines.
I was struck by these two. Of course one is a christening gown.

I like the bodice detail on this gown. I wouldn't do the roses in pink, I would do them either in pale ecru or white, but I love the tailored look of the lace shaping.

And I loved the shadow work on this sundress. Just looks so summery to me.

One of the benefits or drawbacks of staying in the same building as the classes in such a relaxed atmosphere is that you can stitch as late as you like. I did. Though I didn't stitch as late into the night as I sometimes have a tendency to do. I think I was asleep every night by 10:30. For me that is EARLY. Of course I didn't have a computer with me, or a TV. For me that was good. Not everyone stays on the island. Some opted to stay at nearby hotels in New Iberia, LA or at home for those that lived close enough.

And I didn't even mention the fact that meals are prepared for you by a chef and someone else does the dishes! Of course the on site shop has supplies as well as all of Wendy's kits and several books on drawn thread work, white work, monograms and general embroidery. There were also behind the scenes factory tours at the Tabasco Co, tours of Jungle Gardens, island tours of Avery Island (visitors are not normally allowed past the entrance to the Jungle Gardens to the area of private residences, the salt mine and the original pepper fields), as well as a presentation by Shane Bernard, historian for the McIlhenny Company and Avery Island.

So if you want 5 days of good times and good classes stitching with new and old friends alike; be on the lookout for La Broderie Bayou '10 at Wendy Schoen Design.

Awww-sweet bunny tails

I have been MIA this week due to being under the weather and spending a lot of time at hospitals and doctor's offices. Hopefully that will be over soon. On to the subject at hand; sweet bunny tails.

Remember I love linen. And pair it with adorable fluffy bunny tails and you have almost heaven. This is the finished matinee jacket and bonnet set I gave you a sneak peek of in this post. It is a class called "Baby's First Outing" and it was taught by Wendy Schoen at this year's SAGA convention.

Shadow work bunny bottoms with turkey work tails. Embellished with embroidery of back stitch, lazy daisies and French knots. Stitched with DMC floche. Quite simple really. The jacket hem is pin stitched.

Somehow instead of being finished first it was edged out by the baby gown. But I love this set. I love this bonnet. One of my favorite things is the silk satin ribbon that is ruched under the brim. Very nice touch. It is kind of fiddly to do but the effect is so sweet. Can't you just see a sweet baby face peeking out from under this bonnet brim?

This set is sized newborn to 6 months, so that is a baby in arms or often over mom's shoulder. So as a treat the back yoke is embroidered too.

The same embroidery is on the bonnet.

Someone asked me how to do the scallops. I don't know if there is an official way to do them but this is what I have learned over the years,

1. Slow down, there isn't a race, the slower you go the more accurate you can be.
2. Use a straight stitch foot. I have never been one to use a straight stitch foot much until recently, but I can tell from this project it does give you more control.
   
3. Use a very small stitch length. I used a 1.5 stitch length.
4. I traced the seam line on the pieces instead of trying to eyeball the raw edge with the markings on the bed of the machine. I was able to follow my traced lines.
   
5. Clip, clip, clip! You can't be afraid to clip up to the that stitching line, coming within 1- 2 fabric THREADS of the stitching. It is one of those physics things again. If you don't release the pull on the fabric it won't turn to the right side without having puckers and tucks at the seam line.
6. As you stitch each scallop turn your fabric as you are stitching, try not to stop and pivot. Try to stitch each scallop, turning and stitching without stopping. You will get a smoother stitching line. There are a couple of scallops that aren't as rounded as I would like and I think that is what happened.
7. Just as important as clipping is press, press, press! I don't know why so many people, especially young or new sew-ers don't realize or value the importance of an iron. I still am not happy with the pressing on my bonnet. I want slick smoothness without a crinkle to be seen. I have learned over the years that most mistakes and missteps can be cured with an iron and I learned very early on, if you press as you go, the better the final product will be. Then when you are finished, press, press, press some more! And starch! I love me some starch.
   

So enjoy this sweet jacket and bonnet. I have to go clean up my mess then decide what to move onto next. There is an advantage to being stuck at home, you get a lot of stitching done. I do know one thing, I need to pull out some boy UFO's. I tell you I am going to have a softball team of boy grandchildren when they start coming if I don't sew a few blue things. My kids are pretty on board with my dressing future grandchildren. I think they may squawck if I try to dress baby boys in pink linen though. No matter how much I love pink linen. I'll get that famous nodding up and down of the head as they stuff it in a drawer never to be seen again. And that would not make mother happy.

#1 in line

to be finished from this year's SAGA convention. Of course it is linen. And to make it even better, it has Turkey work! Or Ghiordes knot stitch. I LOVE turkey work. Its the knotted stitch that makes his bunny tail. I also love this little jacket. It is called Baby's First Outing by Wendy Schoen. I plan to adapt it in Swiss flannel for a boy. I think I will work a little giraffe on it.

I think this little bunny worked in shadow work is adorable. I didn't realize until I enlarged the picture that I forgot to do the whiskers on one side. Need to fix that before I finish the other pieces. They are all traced and ready to embroider.

Dolly needs a new dress

Not getting rid of all of your UFO's can be a good thing. This doll dress is left from a class I took in 1997 at my first SAGA convention. It was a class on Madeira applique by Wendy Schoen. The only reason I have a doll dress is because it was a class project. I think doll clothes are great and perhaps when I have grand daughters I will relish in making doll clothes; (I have a hard time imagining that.) but doll clothes just are not my thing. But that is okay, I have this project and I finished it because my local chapter is having a raffle of an American Girl Doll and wardrobe. (If you are interested in tickets let me know.) This UFO was so old I had to piece together enough fabric to finish the dress and I am sure there were more scraps left from the collar but I couldn't find them, so I had to piece together cuffs for the sleeves as well. In the pictures it looks like the buttons are different sizes but they are the same size. Shoot I even used some of my prized antique baby buttons for this project.

Who ever wins this doll probably won't know or care that they are antique mother of pearl buttons. I enjoy using them. Better to use them than leave them in a box to be sold at a garage sale later on.

The doll raffle is to fund our chapter Wee Care project so I am happy to contribute. Below is another class project from Norfolk's SAGA convention in 2003. It is a bishop out of Swiss batiste. The unique feature of this dress is that there are no side seams. Kind of cool.

At this rate I MAY finish convention projects before I die. I probably would have to stop going to convention to catch up though.

Back home again

I am back home again. Had a wonderful 5 days on Avery Island and spent the rest of the time at my daughter's. Wendy Schoen's La Broderie Bayou was heavenly. Not only was the setting divine, but the company even better. Caught up with some old friends, met new friends all the while surrounded by beautiful garments, fabrics and threads. We won't even mention the wonderful meals prepared for us while staying at Marsh House on Avery Island. In the days ahead I hope to have my own day gowns finished. I am pretty far on the pink daygown taught by Mirella Arroyo. The blue gown with net darning is another story. I may be pulling blue linen threads for many weeks.