A new dress

I have made a new dress for a dear friend. Yes, it is another Mary De. One of these days I'll venture out to another pattern, but for a Christmas gift I'm sticking with what I know. I did use a new plate, designed by my cyber smocking friend, Shannon. Here are her instructions. I absolutely love this design!! I am so pleased with how it turned out:
I didn't have room to finish with additional 1/2 step waves in gold and green as per the plate.

Look at these great buttons!

Overall, I am quite pleased with this--it may be my favorite one yet. Sadie's birthday dress is the most sentimental, but it certainly wasn't made quite as well as this one. Practice makes perfect, though this is far from perfect. I did however, get some French seams in this. I also had to contend with an idiotic 3/4 inch selvage, on a fabric that wasn't a full 45" width to begin with. Fortunately, in this toddler size, that doesn't matter much.

Here is a shot of the inside: hand-hemmed lining and the french seam.

Sadie's Dollhouse

My first holiday gift project, completed in November, is a little fabric dollhouse for Sadie. This great pattern is from this tutorial. I just love this little house! And I'm not ashamed to admit that mine is almost piece for piece like UK Lass'. I thought hers was so perfect, mine is almost identical except for an extra window inside.

It is quite small, only 6 inches wide. I've had some trouble finding a little doll and furniture to go in it, but finally scored with a Fisher Price My First Dollhouse bed and chair. I'll post more pictures with the gift recipient after Christmas!

Yes, I'm here :)

I haven't reported in lately, but I have been doing a little sewing. This summer, I completed a quilt top for Sadie. It is based on a memory quilt from an old issue of Martha Stewart Kids.

This is the inspiration photo:

The blocks are made of our favorite clothes from her first year. I still have to back it, but that will wait until the first of the new year. I've been working on a couple of Christmas presents lately...

Pillowcase

Some friends and I are going to try our hands at pillowcase dresses.

And, I just won these from eBay! $10.54 shipped. I don't know that I would have paid that in a store, but you know how it is: Win Victoriously. You sort of get carried away.

Not only that, but I am contemplating some "S" monogrammed pillowcases that will probably be closer to $15. They'd make a cute dress too, but they might just stay on a bed for Sadie. Does that price justify buying a machine that can do embroidery??

Which reminds me, I once embroidered a monogram by hand. It is the lace handkerchief I carried at my wedding. My "something blue". Not bad, but I like crisp, clean machine monograms better.

Stuff for Jackson

Jackson is my little second cousin and will turn one in September. This is an Ellen McCarn panel I smocked for him:

Like the one for Sadie, I was afraid to attempt the bubble, so I gave the panel and fabric and notions to my aunt who had the outfit completed. It was given before he was born and completed shortly thereafter.

And here is a pair of cute little shoes for Jackson. He and his mommy and daddy like dogs!

Reversible Jumper II

My cousin asked me to make another reversible dress like Sadie's for a gift. I bought more of the same cute floral fabric, but backed this one in pink--here it is hanging with Sadie's green version. It is amazing how the floral looks different with the two different underlays, though it is hard to tell in these pictures.



This is the finished product, with the little bloomers:

It is a little cleaner than the first version (I guess most second versions are), though the ric rac isn't any more even than the first try--maybe less so even though I tried to re-sew it in several spots. Oh well--the effect is still there.

Check out this cute variegated ric-rac! I love it with this. The reverse is white which looks cute with the pink dot.

And, since I had some fabric left over, here is another pair of shoes for the lucky owner of the dress. Sadie got a pair too :)

I'm still here

I'm still here, and now that I'm on summer break I hope I can get back to some sewing. As simple as Sadie's dedication dress seems to be, I've hit quite a stumbling block. The pretty scalloped sleeves and hem don't lend themselves very well to tatted edging. Plus, I'll never be able to tat enough to trim the hem--I've already missed my June window. Maybe I can get it done by October.

Meanwhile, I've decided to go ahead with other things--If I wait for the dedication dress I may never get anything else done! The next thing I want to do is this memory quilt made with some of Sadie's clothes from her first year. I'm trying to go through our closets anyway. Maybe a soft t-shirt quilt for me, too.

I've Been Tagged.

I feel like I have officially arrived in Blogdom! I've been tagged by Shannon. More about her later.

I'm supposed to pick up the nearest book, turn to page 123, and post the 6th, 7th, and 8th sentences.

LOL, the nearest book to me happens to be my 7th Grade Science Book--Teacher Edition. The 123rd page contains the most dull and irrelevant material in the whole book. There is some pretty good stuff about genetics, human physiology, Newton's laws of Motion, etc. but this page happens to be about Floods as part of the precipitation section in the Atmosphere Unit.

"High water is not the only hazard in a flood. Floods can knock

down electrical poles and wires. Downed electical poles can leave

dangerous live wires hanging loose and cause power outages."

Had I been in another room, the material would have been out of a L.M. Montgomery book or a Frances book, or some such.

Nevertheless, this is the cutest tag I've seen, and thanks to Shannon for thinking of me. Anyone who has made it to my little blog probably knows all about her already. She is one of the most talented sewers I've seen, and I've been greatly inspired by the clothing she makes, especially those for her daughter. And her smocking?? Perfection!

So, I hope the following people don't mind if I tag them because that's one of the rules of this game--tag 5 people and acknowledge your tagger (and I'm cheating a bit because I already have links to them):

1. Dana Great smocking ideas, and great taste in books and movies.
2. Michelle She posted a great shoe tutorial that I'm thankful for
3. Amie A kindred spirit, sewer and smocker with a daughter named Sadie!
4. Andria Should win a blogging Pulitzer. I wish we could be IRL friends!
5. Joanna There is nothing she can't do--such quality work!!

My posting has been slow, because I won't allow myself to start any new projects until Sadie's dedication dress is done. I've hit a bit of a snag, because while I thought the dress was super simple, the sweet scallops won't work well with the tatted edging I'm working on. Which by the way I've completed all of about 6 inches. Too many birthdays to plan for and celebrate lately.

Sadie's Birthday

Sadie turned ONE on Monday, April 21st!! As you can see, she really enjoyed her cake :)

Here she is, showing some love to her Birthday Presents.

And of course, she wore her Handsmocked/sewn by Mommy Birthday Dress. She was the perfect little hostess and charmed all of her party guests, as she has charmed us every day of the last year. What a Little Blessing!

My very first smocking project

I thought I would show you my first smocking project.


I took a smocking class when Mason was 3, I was not yet pregnant with #2. Even though Mason was just about too old for smocked clothing, I had high hopes for a second child--never dreaming it would be a girl.


For my class project, I began smocking an insert. I used the unisex ecru thread. This was in the spring, and I didn't complete my project until I became pregnant later that summer. Even then, the insert didn't get completed until after Sadie was born the following spring. (In my defense, she was 3 weeks early) I did find out very early on that she was a girl, and added just the palest pink 6 cable flowers to the pattern. It is by Ellen McCarn.





Unfortunately, the baby bubble it went into was way beyond my sewing skills, so my mother-in-law had it sewn for us. That bubble pattern is STILL beyond my skill-level, but I'm getting closer!!















It was completed shortly after Sadie was born last year, and she wore it for her 3 month portrait.

Mary Grace

I have a new project! With the help of the fine ladies at Elegant Stitches, my local shop, I found this pretty pattern for Sadie's dedication dress. "Mary Grace" by Bonnie Blue Designs. It is just what I wanted--simple construction with embellishment options. I'll start tatting tonight!

Tatting

I can tat.

I've always been pretty proud of this--I treated myself to lessons one year for my birthday shortly after I got married. It was the one craft I couldn't "get" just by reading instructions out of a book. I never did anything more ambitious than a handful of bookmarks and ornaments for relatives. I haven't tatted since before my kids were born, so I didn't get those tatted booties made for them like I intended. And the baby is almost one, so she won't get them either. :(

So, I'm determined to include some tatted edging in a dress or two for Sadie.

I would gladly take any suggestions from any of you dear readers who occasionally drive-by this blog. Do any good projects come to mind? Particular dress patterns? Edging pictures or patterns that you have seen?

A couple of things I'm thinking of: an Angel-sleeve Bishop, and a Dedication gown. The Dedication Dress presents a couple of challenges: It doesn't have to be a formal gown, because Sadie will be over a year old. But it does have to be completed in a couple of months, because the church where we were married and where my son was dedicated will be closing at the end of June. I'd like to do something with some tatted edging and some embroidery. Ecru on white? White on white? Some pink? (remember, it doesn't have to be formal) Insertion or just edging? Oh, and keep in mind I still haven't sewn anything with a sleeve!!

More on the Jumper

So the bloomers still aren't sewn--I've got to buy more thread. But just look how cute this is in Moda fabric from my local shop:
The floral is on a yellow background, and the dot is a lime green.

Reversible Jumper

I just finished this:

I just have to sew the bloomers and then I'll post a picture. It is such a cute pattern! The entire jumper is one piece, and you can line it with a coordinating fabric to make it reversible. It was very easy to do. I even added ric rac trim. It is a tad bit uneven in places, but overall it was a worthy addition.

It was a very quick project, except for the buttonholes which took as long as the rest of it put together. For me, buttonholes are like crepes: the first one always goes to the dogs. Last night was especially difficult because my automatic buttonhole foot kept throwing tantrums like a 3 year-old. We eventually worked through our issues, but not before running out of thread. (Gah!!)

AND, the pattern goes from 6mo to 4T! We will be making quite a few of these dresses in the future I think. And of course, there are plenty of scraps left over for matching shoes! Though I'm not sure how much longer Sadie will be in soft shoes, especially outdoors.

More Little Shoes

More Little Shoes! I really like these--Audrey and Sadie will probably both get a pair!

I used Michelle's pattern at On Pins and Needles. One of her completed pairs inspired this look. I sewed button holes through both top layers and tied with a sweet organdy ribbon.

Finished!

It's finished!

It's different...
`

I'm not loving how the three floss colors appear olive-y from a distance. But, I guess that's true of all smocking. The detail and color of the stitches can only be appreciated close-up. If I had it to do over, I would probably choose different floss colors. Though I don't know what they would be...

Though the fabric is not quite the quality of my first one, it came together a little better. Practice makes perfect, right? Every sewing project gets a little better I guess. There are even lovely french seams on the side. This actually made the side seam construction a little easier for a couple of reasons. One, the selvage is unattractively white and spans 1/2 inch. The seam allowance is only 1/4". Also, the bodice under the arm holes is at this point already finished, and is 1/4" shorter than the rest of the side fabric. (Yes, I read the instructions and let the bodice extend 1/4 " past the back skirt pieces, but that is on the side of the facing.) So it was very easy to take a 1/4 wide pass with wrong sides together along the sides of the skirt stopping at the bodice. Then I trimmed a bit and made a second pass with right sides together all the way up the skirt and the bodice, and it all matched up perfectly. And the selvage was hidden. There is plenty of fabric to increase the total side seam allowance to 1/2 inch. None of that probably makes sense without pictures. I'll get better at this blogging thing too, with more practice ! :-D

Smocking Done!

Smocking is Done! I hope I can finish construction of this Mary De this weekend. I keep going back and forth about how I like it. I really like this Flamingo Smocking plate, but this might not have been the best fabric for it. And the thread colors are perfect, but I worry they are a little drab for a baby dress. We'll see what the finished product brings.

The Owner of the Closet

Here she is, Sweet Sadie. She is 11 months old today. It is hard to believe the time has already passed, but it is also difficult to remember life without her. She is a true delight! She charms everyone who meets her, and has Mommy, Daddy, and even Big Brother Mason wrapped tightly around her little fingers.

Here she is, doggedly determined to chase down the cat.

Baby Needs A New Pair of Shoes

Audrey's Dress is on its 5th green floss. I like it better, and will post pictures when I'm finished smocking. The reworked green is straighter this time too, and that makes me happy.

In the meantime, I'm showing you what will surely be a rival to Little Dresses: Little Shoes. This pattern from Stardust Shoes is so cute I can't even stand it. Sadie will surely have many pairs. Especially since every little garment has just the right-sized little scraps left over. For the soles, I used the dotted grippy fabric from JoAnns because I can't find the bonded fleece. Maybe in the fall. I may even use suede next time.

Some smocking done

Okay, here is some smocking on Audrey's Dress. Childrens Corner Flamingo smocking plate. This is my 4th green floss, and I'm still trying to decide if I like it. It is a tad yellow, but the others faded right into the fabric.

Little Dress 2

This will be Little Dress 2. Also a Mary De, but it will hang in Audrey's closet, a very special cousin-to-be. The pattern pieces are cut and smocking has begun. I'll post a picture soon.

These light and dark aqua/teal colors are actually the colors of her nursery. Hopefully she will like the trendy circle fabric!

Hi from Me.

Here is my first whole-garment smocking project. Little Dress 1, the Birthday Dress. For Sadie's 1st Birthday. The dress was completed 6 weeks ahead of schedule. I'm really pleased with it. The pattern is Mary De from Children's Corner. And look, my first piping! It really looked perfect when I sewed it onto the bodice pieces, a little less so when I sewed the skirts to the bodices.

The smocking is an adaptation of Aimee Catherine by Gwen Milner. The hearts are pretty subtle in this color but that's ok.

Overall, the construction was pretty easy. The pattern instructions were very good, and there are some very good photos of construction here:

(Thanks Juliane!) Just don't go looking at the seams. The zig zag stitch and I are not friends, so I haven't done the edges. Also, I had already finished the dress when I stumbled on some blogged instructions for French Seams. [I heart blogs!] All the instructions I have ever seen tout them as "advanced", and the diagrams look incredibly complicated. Now, I know that it is a fairly simple matter of taking one pass with right sides together, and then finishing the seam on the second pass with the wrong sides together. Voila, the raw edges are enlosed. Not exactly rocket science. The only trick is to subtract the first pass from your overall seam allowance, and maybe do a little trimming. However, working with 1/4" seams might be easier said than done. We'll see on the next Little Dress.