Category Archives: girls

Gallery of Readers’ Easter Projects

Posted on May 8, 2014 | 4 comments

 

Children's Corner Johnny

Julie’s Children’s Corner Johnny–how many French knots do you think there are?

 

It seems like forever since there has been a new post at Janice Ferguson Sews.  Busy, busy, busy is what I’ve been but only some of that busy-ness has been sewing. Sigh….

Now the distractions and other responsibilities are mostly behind me so I can share more sewing projects and chat.  Before the joyous Easter celebrations are even further in our past, I want to share some of the Easter outfit photos I received from our creative and talented readers.

Julie shared these photos and information about the precious, classic Johnny she made for her nephew.  She also smocked a dress for her niece.  I’d love to see that. Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in boys, brother-sister, girls, heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects, smocking, uncategorized

Free Big Bunnies Design

Posted on April 24, 2014 | 146 comments

3 bunnies

 

As a self-described Only-When-Absolutely-Necessary digitizer/machine embroidery designer, I worked up this design for a Children’s Corner Callie.   It was made in a huge hurry for my granddaughter to wear to the Bunny Lunch at church the day before Easter.

 

VR ball basket Continue reading →

146 Comments

Posted in free patterns and designs, girls, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery, uncategorized

Easter Bunny Lunch~Casual Garments

Posted on April 23, 2014 | Leave a comment

fba173397ddc74968502faadb8fb450d

 

I hope you all had a joyful Easter.  We had a beautiful weekend-long celebration with a houseful of laughing adult children and grandchildren.  Our daughter, Rebecca, her family and our son Ryan’s family were here.  He is a pilot and, sadly, was unable join us.  We’re happy that he loves his work, but we miss him at so many family gatherings.

 

sandwiches

 

Friday night, while taking a break from my sewing, I made more than 100 little raisin bread/cream cheese/jelly sandwiches for Saturday’s Bunny Lunch at church.  My dear, helpful husband sat with me and cut away the crusts from 5 loaves while I spread the filling.  The sandwiches were topped with cream cheese carrots sprinkled with a little orange sugar which pleased the children.

 

tie design from Linnie Pinnie, with single bunny from

Tie design from is Linnie Pinnie, with single bunny extracted from Bernina’s Warm Wishes from Ingrid collection.

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in church projects, girls, heirloom sewing, machine embroidery, Nana fun, uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

Bunny Dress for Bunny Lunch

Posted on April 17, 2014 | 31 comments

bunny callie CR

One more Easter outfit finished.  This is for Vivian Rose to wear to the Bunny Lunch/Easter Egg Hunt at church on Saturday.

The pattern is Children’s Corner Callie, made from some anonymous pink fabric from my stash and trimmed with this sweet vintage Liberty bunny print.  It has been aging in my stash for so long that these playful rabbits are elderly by now.

More details later.  I still have Easter sewing to finish.  Tick  tock tick tock…..

 

31 Comments

Posted in girls, Holiday Projects

Tagged , , , ,

Baby’s Easter Slip & Tips

Posted on April 16, 2014 | 6 comments
slip 2

slip for Baby’s Easter bow dress

 

This pink slip was made to be worn under granddaughter Vivian Rose’s white batiste Easter dress.  It create a soft pink shadow effect.

 

dress pink2

 

The slip bodice was monogrammed with white thread. Continue reading →

6 Comments

Posted in girls, heirloom sewing, infant clothing, lace tape, machine embroidery

Tagged , , , , ,

A Happy Little Dress

Posted on March 9, 2014 | 6 comments
happy dress front

Children’s Corner Katina pattern.   Extra buttons were added so the strap length could be easily adjusted when the dress is tried on. If not needed, the upper MOP buttons will be removed.

 

With its cheerful colors and simple design, this dress just makes me smile. The combination of Liberty of London tanna lawn, blue gingham checks, and yellow whipstitch piping seems to chirp predictions of happy days filled with warm sunshine, blue skies, and colorful flowers.

 

smocking up close

 

A bit of smocking front and back makes Katina just the sort of cute and comfortable  frock I’d like my 14 month old granddaughter to wear all summer long.

 

happy dress back

Katina back

 

I’d like to have added a cute hairbow to the ensemble but Vivian Rose has expressed a very strong dislike for anything on her head—except for strawberries and other food she rubs in.    Sigh…

Of course, a pair of ruffle bottom bloomers was needed to finish the outfit.  The edges of the 2 1/2″ wide ruffles are serged with a 3 thread rolled edge, using wooly nylon in  the upper looper.

 

bloomer ruffles Continue reading →

6 Comments

Posted in Basic no-embroidery Machine Projects, girls, serger, smocking

Tagged , , ,

Parade Catastrophe

Posted on February 21, 2014 | 16 comments

parade dress all2

It’s a good thing that I bought 9 yards of  Michael Miller’s Children on Parade fabric, because I think I will need every inch of it to get one dress to look like  Cheryle’s.   I’m sure she is SuperWoman for stitching such a perfect little garment. I won’t bore you with the painful details of the errors made while trying to duplicate her pretty little parade dress.  Most of my mistakes were the result of my jumping in, both feet first, without checking the depth of the water. Continue reading →

16 Comments

Posted in Basic no-embroidery Machine Projects, girls

Nap Time and Too Many Children on Parade

Posted on February 11, 2014 | 23 comments
cot sheet all

cot sheet for Vivian Rose, made of heavy pink twill with a border of Children on Parade by Michael Miller

Valentine NEWSFLASH!!! Sarah Jane, the fabric designer for Children on Parade and many other adorable prints, has posted on her blog a downloadable PDF for an absolutely adorable, printable (4 to a sheet) kids’ Valentine card. With Olympic hearts and a gold chocolate coin taped to the back, it will delight all your children’s friends. Check it out here.  Thanks, Mary Sue, for the link!~~~~~~~

Our 13 month old granddaughter, Vivian Rose, is now enrolled at a Montessori school two days a week.   After the first day, I called her mother, my Rebecca, to see how it went.  When she said it hurt to hear Baby Girl wailing as she did, I sympathized and said it must have been hard to leave her.

“NO!” Rebecca said. “She cried and cried when I picked her up! She didn’t want to leave!  When I dropped her off she gave me not a single backward glance and toddled off to the play area.  That hurt a little.”  Vivian Rose is one independent little girl.

 

The font is JuJu's Sugar and Spice. Isn't it so cute?

The font is JuJu’s Sugar and Spice. Isn’t it so cute?  The set comes with numerals, upper case and lower case in 3″, 5″ and 6″ sizes.  The letters had to be staggered in order to fit in my largest (8″ x 12″) Brother Quattro hoop.

 

But like all of the “Ones” in her baby class, she has a scheduled nap time.   For that, Rebecca asked for a personalized cot sheet, much like those I had made for Big Brother Alastair and his friend Carson.

My Oh My, so sew much drama ensued.

But first, I have to ask if you have seen this most adorable dress made by Cheryle Cole-Bennett whose facebook page is  SeeSeeMe Custom Designs.

 

jenni-leigh-play-fabric

The fabric is Michael Miller’s Children on Parade.

Continue reading →

23 Comments

Posted in baby accessories, girls, machine embroidery

Tagged , , ,

Think Spring Dress

Posted on February 8, 2014 | 21 comments

UPDATE: There have been several inquiries about the sleeve finish so the process is detailed at the end of this post (below the groundhog eating wolf).

It’s been so long since there has been a new post at  Janice Ferguson Sews that faithful readers might have thought that I was missing in action. I’ve been tending my dear husband who had knee replacement surgery two weeks ago. Post-op he spent a week at the same rehab center where I recuperated from my joint surgeries and gained some valuable insights into life.

So I have been spending time with him, running errands and doing his many, many household chores. Whew! That man does more around here than I ever realized! He’s my grocery shopper, gardener, pool boy, morning feral cat feeder, garbage hauler, very best friend, and more. I have really missed him.

At last, he’s back home, stepping lightly with his gentleman’s cane and walking the fast track to a complete recovery.

That's not really him. And it's not really me.

That’s not really him. And it’s not really me.

And I’m back too, with a finished project to share with you.

This cheerful little dress just makes me grin. Looking at it reminds me of our Florida springtime with raspberry pink azaleas, white dogwoods and the bright turquois waters of nearby Blue Springs.The fabric says spring to me.

think spring dress all recol Continue reading →

21 Comments

Posted in Basic no-embroidery Machine Projects, girls, heirloom sewing, smocking

Tagged , ,

Gingerbread Christmas Dress

Posted on December 22, 2013 | 6 comments

front all

 

Vivian Rose’s first Christmas dress has a gingerbread theme.   With a long standing family tradition of making holiday gingerbread houses, I knew her mother would like it.  Her brother sported gingerbread in his first Christmas outfit.  This is important because Baby Girl doesn’t care one way or another.

 

IMG_1071

trying to climb down off her father’s lap at her brother’s Christmas program

 

It was first worn for Big Brother Alastair’s Christmas program.  She would have looked better with her long sleeve white shirt with a lettuce leaf finish at the cuffs and collar, but it was a very warm day, too warm for long sleeves.  Ahhh,  the joy of winter in Florida! Continue reading →

6 Comments

Posted in girls, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery