Category Archives: boys

Gator Kids

Posted on September 18, 2011 | 4 comments

At The Swamp--my handsome son with his children Laurel and Robert, settling in before kickoff. Shelly, their mother, took the picture.

Another September Saturday, another college football game.  Yeah!!!  Some  teams are celebrating, some looking forward to redemption next week.

After Florida’s very disappointing last season, we are celebrating the win in the first SEC game of the season:  Florida Gators 33–Tennessee Volunteers 23.

I love the ability to combine my love of college football with my love of sewing.  In an earlier post, I mentioned that I was embroidering new game day shirts for my three grandchildren. I don’t have a photo of Alastair, who lives on the other side of the state, but here are the other two.

Robert’s shirt is a repeat of last year’s model, a simple Gator Boy design.

Laurel was up for something new so I followed a new trend in college sports wear for girls and women. This style  identifies the team only by name or mascot,  not by team colors.  Instead, pink and gray is used, usually the heather gray you see on sweatshirts or athletic tees.

This frame is built into my Brother Duetta, one of many that can be sized to fill each from from 4 x 4" to 7 x 12".

Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in boys, girls, machine embroidery, sporting gear

School Rocks!

Posted on September 12, 2011 | 2 comments
With a goofy grin, Robert, 6, stands next to his birthday tree.

With a goofy grin, Robert, 6, stands next to his birthday tree.

 

By now, the new school year has started for just about every child in the country.  With Labor Day as the traditional opening day,  our nation’s children have loaded up new book bags, sharpened  new pencils and cracked open spanking new boxes of Crayolas.

It’s a big day, that first day of school.  To commemorate the occasion, my three grandchildren each wore an embroidered shirt as they began the next year in their education journey.

We snapped this picture of Robert  next to his birthday tree, as his birthday almost coincides with the start of school.  He was so pleased to have a “cool” shirt, a real upgrade from his Backyardigans and Max and Ruby shirts of days gone by. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in boys, brother-sister, girls, machine embroidery

Tagged , ,

Independence Celebration Duds

Posted on June 20, 2011 | 2 comments

 

July4LR

 

Making holiday outfits for the grandchildren is always fun.  They look forward to having special clothes and I look forward to seeing them wearing the things I have made.  Some holidays, such as Christmas and Easter,  require an investment of far more time and materials than this summer celebration of independence and Americana.  Right now, quick and easy is what I like.

Robert and Laurel are all set for this year’s festivities in  their matching shirts.  Alastair’s shirt has the same design.  If all three are  together for the Fourth, they will enjoy being part of a set.

 

July4A

Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in boys, brother-sister, girls, hairbows, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery

Celebrating Easter ’11

Posted on April 25, 2011 | 3 comments

 

So how long is this going to take?

After several days of non-stop hustle and bustle, I am enjoying the quiet that follows a huge celebration like Easter.  The children and grandchildren have all returned to their homes and everyone here at my home is asleep.

All the good china and silver is put back in place, the table linens are in the washer, and except for scattered Easter grass on the floors, a dirty child’s sock on the hall table and a pink Peep bunny perched on the sugar bowl, things are back to normal.

But what a beautiful day it was!   Norman Rockwell himself could not have painted a more traditional scene, with beautiful children, Florida sunshine and sticky chocolate bunnies.  The dining room was seated with all ages, from toddler to super-senior.  This joyful celebration was down home, home grown and home sewn.

Is there anything cuter than a gap-toothed 6 year-old?

Before the Easter egg hunt, we  tried to get pictures.  What a production that was!

Three relatively cooperative, squirming, anxious children were surrounded by 6 relatively cooperative, squirming anxious parental paparazzi.  The cameras were snapping like finger cymbals.

Hundreds of photos were taken, though the children would probably estimate that there were thousands.

Aren’t you done taking pictures?

There must be 20 shots of the children on the stairs.  It was like trying to line up 3 cats!  We never did get a picture of all three smiling.  Robert fidgeted and Alastair was focused on his right foot. Laurel, bless her sweet cooperative little heart, sat primly for every photo but the last, when she lost her resolve and was caught picking her nose.  That unladylike pose has been deleted from my camera.

 

Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in boys, brother-sister, girls, heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery, shadow work by machine

Driven

Posted on April 23, 2011 | 5 comments
R suit

5 year-old Robert’s Easter suit

 

NEWS FLASH!!!!   I beat the clock!  Robert’s shirt was finished by 1 p.m.  Saturday! I sewed on buttons at the hairdresser’s, I hemmed while waiting  at the airport  for my brother, I whipped neck bias while watching  for Uncle Richard to arrive. I am done!  Bring on the bunny!

**********************************

2 year-old Alastair's Easter suit

2 year-old Alastair’s Easter suit

 

Blue pearl buttons from Farmhouse Fabrics add color to the back.

Blue pearl buttons from Farmhouse Fabrics add color to the back.

 

I’m driven, determined to beat the countdown to Easter morning.   Alastair’s suit, shown here, and Laurel’s dress are finished, but one thing or another has roadblocked my efforts to finish Robert’s outfit.  I have been way behind schedule with unexpected and time consuming life complications, but thought I could catch up.

Two days ago, we had Robert and Laurel overnight.  Their mother has been sick all week and our son has been out of town on business.  So Shelly has been struggling at home alone.  Her mother has helped out a great deal and we had them Wednesday  overnight.  It may not take a village to raise a child, but two sets of nearby grandparents surely makes the task a lot easier.  Continue reading →

5 Comments

Posted in boys, heirloom sewing, machine embroidery, shadow work by machine

Tagged , , , , ,

Satisfaction~Sewing for Boys

Posted on April 19, 2011 | 7 comments
Alasair's Easter outfit, under construction

Alastair’s Easter outfit, under construction

 

Anyone can go to Strasburg Children www.strasburgchildren.com  and buy gorgeous heirloom clothing.  Their collection of smocked and heirloom sewn apparel for little ones is unrivaled.  But even in Strasburg’s oasis of classic beauty in the world wide desert of classic children’s clothing , the selections for girls far outnumber those for boys.  That’s a realistic reflection of the market.

I could buy their lovely outfits for my two grandsons and they would look so classically handsome.  But that would not satisfy my urge to create unique garments just for them. I want to do it myself.  I want to bring life to my personal, unique vision of beautiful children’s clothing for my unique and beautiful grandchildren.  And I don’t recall ever seeing train duds in the Strasburg catalogue.

So I sew.  The satisfaction of sewing for the boys is even greater than sewing for granddaughter Laurel. The challenge to design classic attire for little guys is greater, given the constraints of practicality, comfort and local standards of acceptability.

 

ATrainE11close

shadow work by embroidery machine design from Suzanne Hinshaw’s Teddies and Toys

 

  For Easter, once again I am coordinating outfits for all three grandchildren- almost 7 year old Laurel, 5 1/2 year old Robert Charles, and just 2 year old Alastair.  This year, the only unifying component is the color blue.

Laurel’s dress and petticoat are standard heirloom, Swiss batiste, heirloom laces, embroidery.  To look presentable, it requires starch, my beloved 1946 Betty Crocker football iron (would you like to hear about it?),  a puff iron, a ham, and about 20 minutes on the ironing board.   Continue reading →

7 Comments

Posted in boys, heirloom sewing, machine embroidery

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Latin Shirts

Posted on March 26, 2011 | Leave a comment

 

Translation: I am fine. How are you?

Though sometimes called a dead language, Latin is very much alive in our homeschool classroom. Five year old Robert and 6 year old Laurel are literally singing their way through Song School Latin, a simple,  entertaining, age-appropriate curriculum, and loving every minute of it. In fact, it is Robert’s favorite subject and very close to the top of Laurel’s list.

Robert's shirt. Translation: Hello. What is your name?

Some people have commented that Latin is too difficult for children.  But it is a foreign language, much like Spanish which is taught routinely in Florida schools.  Roman children mastered Latin.  Why shouldn’t my grandchildren?

Recently, the children had to make a presentation at the weekly gathering of homeschoolers which they attend. They chose to report on their study of Latin. Of course, I wanted them to have something wear other than a toga so I made these shirts for that event.

The children wore their show-and-tell clothing proudly.  The Latin shirts were a big hit with the other students, most of whom were older.

The text for the shirt designs was created in PE-Design using the Gothic looking font #9. At Embroidery Library, one of my favorite sites, I found a design of the coliseum.

Making a volcano.

It included a tourist riding a bike which I deleted in order to make room for the text. The stepping stones had to be rearranged in BuzzEdit2 www.buzztools.com for the same reason.

I know, I know—I have gone on ad nauseum (see? You probably know Latin already!) about my love affair with machine embroidery, most especially about the ability to personalize items so specifically. Where, I ask, could you find Latin text children’s shirts in sizes 5 and 6 except in your own sewing room? Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in boys, brother-sister, embroidery blanks, girls, machine embroidery, school accessories

Party Sewing

Posted on March 20, 2011 | Leave a comment

Note the ever popular Happy Birthday tablecloth. Several years ago I made 3 or 4 of these. They have been through more parties than Thomas has been through tunnels.

The birthday boy chugs a cold one as he admires his birthday balloons.

Alastair’s Two-toot birthday party was a big hit with the children and as well as the adults.  The cupcake train delighted everyone and was so easy to make.  Typical of Florida spring, the sun shone brightly and a gulf coast breeze kept everyone comfortable.

 

My daughter Rebecca and I made the cupcakes and built the train cars the night before the party.  A Thomas train engine  pulled flatbed cars loaded with cupcakes.

The train cars were  built with a stack of two graham crackers with buttercream frosting holding them firmly together. 

Other graham crackers were  broken into “sticks” and stacked three high for the axels, with mini Oreo wheels.  Gum drops served as hitches between the cars.

We all enjoyed watching 2 1/2 year old Ethan surreptitiously pull an Oreo wheel from the train and pop it into his mouth.  His mother scolded, but  Rebecca assured her that the flatbed cars were there for the children to enjoy, just like  the cupcakes and their teepee train bags.  Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in bags, boys, clothing, hairbows, home dec, machine embroidery, Nana fun, party accessories and ideas

Ready for Two-toot! Birthday

Posted on March 13, 2011 | 3 comments

Alastair with his birthday tree. Now, they are the same height.

Alastair is ready for his “Two-toot!”  birthday party next week.  He and his parents were with us for a long weekend and I was able to finish embroidering his engineer birthday outfit before they left. 

While this may not seem like a big accomplishment, for me it was.  Saturday, the entire family was here, busy with a variety of activities.  Robert (5) and Laurel (6) kept busy playing with cousin Alastair (2), the guys and Alastair’s mother watched the Florida Gators basketball game,    Laurel and Robert’s mother gardened and I spent some time gathering more clothes from Aunt Aileen’s apartment. I delivered these to her at the nursing home where she is getting therapy and visited for a while.  Correction at Rebecca’s behest – his mother was outside with the  babes all afternoon, not inside watching the Gators game.  Sorry, Rebecca!  

Later, we all sat down to a big family dinner.  As we finished dessert, Laurel made a presentation to fulfill a school requirement.  Even in front of her family, she was a little nervous as she read her report on the 5K fundraiser walk she and her mother did to benefit research for juvenile diabetes.  But she did a fabulous job, following up with a photo of her “team” as they completed the walk and displaying the medal she earned for her participation.

Then it was time for a bonfire, which has become the piece de resistance of our family gatherings.  We used all the freeze damaged foliage for this roaring fire. The S’mores left everyone sticky and satisfied.

There are 125′ of azaleas up each side of our driveway. It is a spectacular sight.

The gorgeous weather was a huge distraction. Springtime in Florida is an awesome sensory delight. The air is perfumed with citrus blossoms and wisteria, while everywhere the eye travels it gazes on dogwood, azaleas and all other flowering plants in full bloom.  More about our beautiful spring after details of Alastair’s train suit.

 

The well-worn Oshgosh B’gosh overalls were already hanging in his closet, days away from being packed away.  The pant legs have a snap crotch for the convenience of Diaper Dandies, not big fellas like Alastair who has graduated to big boy pants. Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in boys, clothing, machine embroidery

Re-run: Smocked Brother-Sister Frogs

Posted on March 12, 2011 | 2 comments

LaurelRobFrogs21

This post is a rerun.  I’ve spent most of every day this past week tending to my dearly loved  89 year-old aunt.  She has been hospitalized and has suffered a rather dramatic fall into dementia, so I have been trying to arrange a move from her assisted living facility to a higher level of care in a nursing home.

Between dealing with her needs and tending my 2 year old grandson Alastair, I have run out of time and decided to re-run some old posts until I can get caught up.   I doubt if any readers have read all  or even most of the 386 posts from the birth of this blog.  So here it is……

I love to see siblings in coordinating clothes.  My son and daughter are fully 4 years apart in age, so I was only able to indulge in this practice for a very short time.

But my granddaughter Laurel is just 15 months older than her brother Robert so I have made them many “matching” outfits.  Laurel loves it, her mother loves it and Robert, frankly, doesn’t care one way or the other.

Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in boys, brother-sister, clothing, girls, ready-to-smock finished projects, smocking