A Few Modeling Moments.

First up is the bubble I just posted last week here. I'm not sure what she is doing with the leg there, but all of the photos where she isn't doing that, turned out blurry. Isn't that always the case? I love the way it fits. I made it longer in the stride length intentionally so it would "bubble" out. She is a clothes horse! When she tries on something new, she doesn't want to take it off. Ignore the wrinkles, it came straight from the suitcase.

Next up is the birthday dress posted here. Also love the fit on this one. Not the best photo.

The only photo of the robot shirts. LG is wearing Children's Corner Mamie with Frannie bloomers a dear friend made for her.

In other news, all of the kids except LG started school. Always a big day. I love how clean and crisp all of their uniforms look with their fresh haircuts and clean faces. It won't take long for that image to change. Especially those boys.

This has got to be one of my favorite photos from the first days of school. Some little man was more interested in making faces at himself in the shiny mail slot. Too cute. If only they would stay little like this forever.

I am off to plan little pink daygowns. I have not sewn one thing for the new baby yet. Time to remedy that!

Just Playin'

Sometimes I do get to just play. I had run across a button on bubble a few months ago that I just fell in love with. I am not usually adverse to plunking' down my money but this time I just wanted to see if I could re-create it. Its not like there isn't a closet full of fabric needing to be sewn. This is my take on that button on bubble.

I also have friends with way better memories than I possess She remember that in this old issue of Sew Beautiful magazine there is a Button on Dress by Cheryl Davidson. I used that for my bib.

For the bottom bubble portion I adapted Children's Corner Wright.

I am pleased with how it turned out. I am anxious to see it on Little Girl. It is a size 2.

In retrospect  I should have used smaller buttons up the back but since it is a play bubble made from easy care poly/cotton skip dent by Spechler-Vogel and broadcloth I am okay with it. Sadly the skip dent no longer comes in colors. Since the skip dent is very sheer, I lined the bubble portion with batiste to prevent her mickey mouse diaper from peeking through.

The machine embroidery I showed you last week came from SWAK Embroidery. It is called "Following Mama" there are many other designs in the set I plan to use in the future.

So if you see something you like, look through your pattern stash and see if you can replicate it. I'll let you know how it fits. Thank goodness, Little Girl lives in a warm climate and wear it for a few months yet.

I couldn't leave the others out, so the embroidery machine to the rescue. Not always a faster option. The apple for our big First Grader came from Creative Appliqué on Etsy. The boys will get this friendly robot also on Etsy from Ladder Hill Designs.
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What is on the Machine?

I was on the road last week, sorry to have missed you. Heres what's on the machine today. I'm excited about it. Hopefully I can show you in a day or so.

On the machine

Whatcha workin' on? Pink gingham and aqua chambray is what I am working on.

I Have Fallen and Can't Get up

Man down! When you barely touch something and bam to the floor it goes, pieces everywhere. The struggle is real. Your first instinct is to immediately order another. Then a shred of common sense intercedes with a whisper "Maybe it can be fixed?" Soooo off on the search into the cave known as the garage. Wood glue!

Sadie Stand is back on the job. Not much worse for the wear, She won't hold up a Mac truck but she can wear a toddler's dress. Whew. Though I do need to order a bigger sister for the two I have. :sniff sniff: Princess has outgrown the larger one that I have.

Keep stitchin',  faithful reader.

Happy Birthday Princess

A summer birthday calls for a breezy summer dress. And I hope this dress fits the bill.

I used Children's Corner Emily, View B. I like the shaped bodice but will admit attaching that skirt to the bodice is a challenge.  You pleat the skirt first then ease it onto the bodice. Next time, I am taking deeper pleats to reduce the amount needed to be eased onto that bodice.

I used a Swiss pique from the closet. I bought it has a precut from Bear Threads during market at SAGA Convention in Atlanta. A dream to work with. Comes out of the dryer needing very little ironing. The collar is Spechler-Vogel poly/cotton pique. A standard choice for collars for me. The dress and collar are  piped with pima cotton gingham.

All in all I like the dress, those few puckers drive me crazy but I'm going with it.  Its light, breezy and perfect for summer.

Happy Birthday to this sweet girl! Six going on thirteen. They grow up too fast but everyone is excited.

We are anxious to welcome our newest addition later in the year.

Nighties for a Birthday

Princess has a birthday this week and she needs some new nighties. I have made her a couple in the past using the same pattern. She loves them so much she has insisted on wearing them even though they are woefully too small.

Children's Corner Jane

I have used Children's Corner Jane several times. Super quick and easy to put together. And it makes great nighties.

The knit for both came from stash. The ruffle on the floral is more narrow because I had to squeeze a size 6 out of the absolute minimum of fabric. The ruffle is even pieced to have enough length to gather. I have no idea how old the floral is but I suspect it could be 15 to 20 years old.

The other knit is a Sea Island knit I bought a couple of years ago with princely frogs and pink bugs. Her brother will be most intrigued by those bugs until he gets a gander at those pink ladybugs and crowns. He will then declare "dat for girls"

Don't be too impressed with the bows on the front, they are just slapped on there so she knows which is the front. :)

And since it is her birthday a new dress is in the works. Need to finish up so I can get it in the mail. Some things never change. This Bear Threads pique is a dream to work with.

Quick Play Clothes

Just a quick bubble for play clothes for our littlest one. Her mother prefers her in pastels and white but I think LG will like it. Fabrics are from my stash. Pattern is a favorite, Children's Corner Taylor

Machine embroidered caterpillar from an etsy dealer, La Stitcher. Not a perfect match but close enough to please me. Piped in yellow. I altered the front to be able to have a solid yoke. No perfect science to this. I eyeballed a place that intersected the armhole, used a French curve to shape it, add 1/4" seam allowances and cut the lining from the original pattern piece.

No ruffles on the hiney, just something quick for her to play in the dirt and on the monkeybars.

What is on your machine?
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A Little Horn Tootin!!!

I know I had mentioned the newest sewing magazine here,

Subscribe here

Classic Sewing Magazine published by Hoffman Media. Well in the midst of a greater than average stressful week a sweet surprise arrived in my mailbox. My advance copy. Squee! See, I CAN keep a secret!

Excuse my fly-by phone pics but I was a tad excited here people! I don't know who this sweet little model is but she is a cutie patootie! And it goes to show just how a baby grows UP and not OUT! This little day gown fits quite a while.

I have friends who have had many, many items published so perhaps they are more accustomed to seeing their things in print. Not me, I still get a real charge out of it. And seven pages! That was a real surprise too.

I have a few photos I had taken before I mailed it off. I don't want to share too many details because I want you to purchase the magazine! We need to do our part to keep any and all sewing publications in print.

It is an Italian inspired color palette using blue Japanese lawn, smocked and embroidered with ivory and ecru.

There is a little bit of lace insertion. The magazine did a stupendous job of illustrating this technique.

This photo, you can tell has all the set up of a real professional photographer, HA! Its lying on the floor of my living room in front of the window. I tell all my dirty secrets. You too can be a perfeshenul like me!

I hope you will either purchase a single copy, available through the magazine's website, Barnes and Noble or Joann Fabrics or better yet subscribe. You get quite the value for your $. Full size patterns, lots of inspiration through many projects and additional downloads from the website.

Enjoy and thanks for letting me toot my own horn for a moment. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.
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Cherries --- Again

Excuse the horrid lighting and the less than stellar press job. I was in a hurry to get these photographed before I sent them home with the children the morning we left. It is barely daylight outside when I took these photos. All excuses aside. They looked adorable on and I am anxious to see how the family portraits turned out.

I used an Italian superfine twill check available from Farmhouse Fabrics. This fabric is a dream. It reminds me of the Spechler-Vogel Sea Island Diamonds I used here. The more you handle it the softer it becomes. Luscious.

I modified Children's Corner Louise for Princess. My original thought was to make the insert white for the cherries but decided against it. I have made cherry dresses in the past and have hand embroidered the cherry leaves. This time, I decided to machine embroider them. The cherries themselves are a stuffed yo-yo from pima cotton gingham. The same was used for the piping. Poly cotton Spechler-Vogel pique is used for the collar. I did refrain from piping the armholes. Great style for a young lady who is almost six. Though I am not ready to give up on basic yokes or bishops for her just yet.

I may not have piped the armholes but I did extend the piping at the waist to the center back opening. That does mean modifying the order of construction some, but it wasn't difficult. You just have to think through your steps.

For LG, I used Children's Corner Kathy/Kelly. I didn't realize until just now, that this pattern is out of print. You can find copies on both eBay and Etsy. I love this pattern. I am sad it is discontinued. People get scared of the pleats but they are not difficult if you just follow it step by step. and Iron, iron, iron as you go. Fabric is the same Italian twill with lined pique for the collar. I almost had a catastrophe on my hands. I didn't measure the pattern length before I started, so it has a much shallower hem than I would prefer.

The afternoon after family portraits was busy with party prep so I don't have any photos of LG in her dress and could only find this one of Princess. Even more reason I am anxiously awaiting those family portraits. My goal had been to try them on them before we left to return campers to their parents, alas it wasn't to be. We would have been even later than we were if I had taken time to do that as well before leaving the house.

I did not take photos of the boy's garments. I made Children's Corner Parkers Pants (of course I did) from the blue twill with pink polos. They looked like little southern gentlemen.

I am sure these are not the last cherry dresses I will do, I just love everything about them. Even more I love the girls in them.

I hope this will inspire you to try your own St. Louis Cherry Dress.


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