Hurrah! Christmas clothes for our two younger grandchildren were finished, shipped and received late last week. Toddler Vivian Rose’s white Swiss flannel bishop has the neck and sleeve bound with in red gingham pima cotton. Heirloom lace is hand whipped to the bias binding.
The smocking design is just a simple diamond pattern that I made up as I stitched.
The back opening features matching gingham buttons. Buttonholes were stitched on the embroidery side of my beloved Brother Quattro with this easy-peasy technique. But why does a stiff breeze kick up every time I try to take blog pictures?
The red gingham buttons are from Farmhouse Fabrics and come in three sizes and other colors. The top button is just mother of pearl instead of gingham because the shank button made the lace stick out.
The bloomers are white broadcloth trimmed with the same red gingham and heirloom lace. Because Vivian Rose is a rough and tumble little gal, Swiss flannel did not seem like a good choice for her diaper cover. Not yet 2 years old, she recently was shimmying up a potted palm on the patio and fell to the ground.  She took the fall about as well as Swiss flannel bloomers would have taken the climb.
Monogram is from Embroitique’s Fancy Monogram 1 collection.
After seeing its frequent use on Cheryle Cole-Bennet’s always spectacular projects, Embroitique’s Fancy Monogram 1 has become my go-to alphabet.   I was disappointed in my too-high placement of the lettering. What was I thinking?
Maybe it was the Christmas carol I was singing along with—Angels We Have Heard on HIGH. Maybe if it had been LOW (Lo) How a Rose E’er Blooming the position might have been better. Whatever.  It still will cover her diaper.
Big brother Alastair’s bow tie coordinates nicely with the dress. Since finding this nice tutorial on line, I can whip one up in a short time.
Now, the children are ready for the annual Christmas pictures. I hope they turn out better than this.
As always, I learned a few things on this project.
#1 ALWAYS ALWAYS always put washaway thread AWAY in its specially marked container after use. I was pretty upset after rinsing out my blue marker lines and discovering that the bishop sleeves were held in place only by the smocking. Groan……..
#2. You cannot back smock red floss on white Swiss flannel at the bottom of a bishop. As the pleats spread, the loose weave of the flannel shows every red back stitch. I had to pick out the entire bottom row of red flowerettes and satin dots and re-stitch them tying off at each place.
With these holiday garments ready for Christmas pictures, I am moving on to more holiday projects. What are you stitching?
14 responses to “Christmas Finery for Sister and Brother”