Grummie's Pillow

My grandmother is 84 today. There isn't much in the way of new and exciting gifts to give her, so I decided I would make her something. Since my latest crafting involves sewing and smocking, I made her a little pillow. It measures about 10'x15' without the ruffle.

I used leftover fabric from Brooke's Dress, which are colors that remind me of Grummie anyway :). The plate is an Ellen McCarn pattern I used for Sadie's first bubble, and also the smocked insert for Jackson's bubble.

I actually had everything on hand, even the blank pleated insert! I literally used every scrap of fabric, because I was intent on putting a ruffle on the pillow. It is made of many smaller strips, and barely was enough to go around, but I like the end result.

Stuffing the pillow was a little tricky. Even though I didn't overstuff, it is difficult to keep the stuffing from lumping up behind the elastic smocked insert. And while I pieced the front quite evenly, I guess the smocking still wasn't perfectly blocked because it seems to be a little wonky still. And the side pieces curve for some reason.

Even so, it was a good learning project--I've never done pillow before. (Well, unless you count the snail!) Also, I've never actually sewn a smocked insert into anything, those baby bubbles were made for me. The other garments I've smocked directly on.

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.

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!

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.

Finished!

It's finished!

It's different...
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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.

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.