Category Archives: girls

Christmas Dress Embossed

Laurel, fighting off the passion vine

Laurel, fighting off the passion vine which is tumbling down the arbor

 

Hurrah!  The problems with my server seem to be resolved so Janice Ferguson Sews is back!  After all this time, I hope there are still a few readers left.  There are so many things lined up that I want to share with you.  This is the first.

Granddaughter Laurel’s dress was meant to be just a church frock.  But when time got away from me, it was upgraded to her Christmas dress.  Nonetheless, she wore it to church the first Sunday of Dec. because I had nothing else made up for her.

These pitiful pictures were taken in a rush after church and before Laurel had to hurry off to another event.  And if you think this photo is bad, wait until you see the others!  But they do show you the details of the dress.  I should have taken a minute or two to press her dress and sweep the walk.

 

L gate top

bodice embossed with Embossed Frame Monogram Alphabet from Designs by JuJu

The bodice is burgundy cotton velveteen, the skirt a heavy poly silk.  The sleeves and neckline are bound with poly silk bias.  Since I first saw the embossed designs, I’ve been wanting to stitch one.  When planning this dress,  I realized the velveteen was a perfect fabric for this  technique. Continue reading

Good Times~Autumn Leaves, Mountains, Grandchildren

The tiny red dot is Alastair 4, just in front of our cabin.

The tiny figure in the road just in front of our cabin is Alastair, 4, examining a fuzzy caterpillar.

 

What a delightful week we just spent at our cabin in the North Carolina Mountains.  Except for grandson Alastair, it was a girls’ getaway.  With my daughter Rebecca,

 

Rebecca and Alastair

Rebecca and Alastair

her 9 month old daughter Vivian Rose,

bunny profile

Vivian Rose in her warm bunny jammies, protecting her from the bitter 34 degree weather.

Continue reading

Halloween for Baby

Candy Corn all

 

I’m packing for a trip to our cabin in North Carolina for some quality time with daughter Rebecca and her two children, 4 year old Alastair,  9 month old Vivian Rose and  Auntie Jeannette (Alastair’s NanNan).  We’re looking forward to a week of fall color and relaxation.  Actually, I’m not sure any  relaxation is possible with two little ones running around all day and Vivian Rose nursing 2-3 time through the night.  But with three adults, at least one of us should be relatively free at any given moment.

Post Trip UPDATE:  WRONG!!!!  It required one adult per child and one to cook meals and prepare Alastair’s non-stop snacks.  He must be having a growth spurt.

Our Florida baby girl would need some warm clothes, so I teamed up off-the-rack fleece pants and leggings with a few tops.  One, of course, had to have a Halloween theme. Continue reading

Quick Big Girl Skirt

L skirt

 

Laurel loves her new denim skirt and so do I.   My friend Suzanne Sawko recommended this pattern, telling me that it was a favorite of her granddaughter Alee, who is the same age as Laurel.

 

IJ829_1

You can cut out and serge this skirt in less time than it takes to bake a cake and it made Laurel even happier than her favorite–lemon pound cake.  It is such a unique pattern. Continue reading

UPDATE: Game Day Shirts and Tailgating

UPDATE: Robert’s spiral bound book, Football Frenzy, is now available.

front scanCR

 

Robert wrote every word, did the research and even typed this himself.  Finished before his 8th birthday, it includes a 7 year old’s experience and appreciation for the game, as well as interesting quotes and statistics along with Robert’s comments. It’s a bargain for $5 + $2 shipping. Get your copy now before Amazon picks it up and raises the price!!

 

first time tailGators

First time tailGators, Laurel in a new shirt and Robert in one of his VBS tie shirts.

 

What a great time we had Saturday at the Florida/Arkansas football game in Gainesville!  Robert and Laurel’s first tailgating experience was just about perfect.  A good win for our beloved Gators, good food, good family time, and good weather.  Okay, so it was a sunny 90 degrees, but there was a nice breeze and it didn’t rain.  In Florida, that’s considered good weather, but not great.

 

L shirt closeCR

 

Sewing always seems to play a role in all the major occasions of my life.  I’m sure it’s the same for you, whether it’s party favors or decorations or gifts. Continue reading

End of Summer Dress

DSC06987

The coral rose and passion vine tangle up and cover this bench trellis. It’s a pretty spot to sit—or hang a dress.

 

Have you ever had a project that made you wonder if you would ever finish it?  That’s the story for this summer dress that I started in June.  Finally today,  Sept. 2, it is ready to wear.

Yes, it’s a little late for summer, but in central Florida, summer lasts until late Oct.   There are still plenty of 90 degree days ahead for Laurel, my 9 year old granddaughter, to wear this cotton sundress.  Add  to that the fact that it is a little big, so she will be cool and cute next summer.

The pattern is Summer Separates from the Sew Beautiful collection.

summer separates Continue reading

Smocked Nighties for 2 American Girls

L M stand

 

For Laurel’s 9th birthday I finally finished smocking this nightie.   The matching gown for her American Girl Molly had long since been done.   But when little Vivian Rose was born I was wrapped up making baby girl things, so this project was pushed to the back burner.  I was so glad to have both pink things out of my sewing room.

 

L close smocking

 

Like the Molly’s nightgown, Laurel’s has a machine embroidered heart in the unsmocked area at center front.  The designs are from Martha Pullen’s Little Pleasures collection which includes two nearly identical hearts in two sizes.  A little editing made them match almost perfectly.  Laurel notices and appreciates details like that.

 

L M sit cr

 

Continue reading

Alysha’s Birthday Dress

happy-mothers-day

Happy Mother’s Day to each and every one of you who has mothered a child of your own or a child of another. (Frankly, I cannot imaging anyone who sews or reads this blog who has not reached out to children and grandchildren of their own and/or others.) The love and attention showered on our precious children is the best use of our precious time.

I’m at that happy time of life when I can enjoy my beloved adult children as well as the beloved grandchildren they have given us. My daughter Rebecca and daughter-in-law Shelly are both incredible, wonderful mothers whom I admire and love dearly. I wish each of you a happy day filled with appreciation from and for your loved ones.

Around here it has been busy, busy, BUSY!!!! We’ve been blessed with almost back to back and overlapping visits from our four grandchildren and even more happy chaos.  In a future post I’ll tell you all about Laurel’s luau 9th birthday party, new fleece blankets for each grandchild and the progress of our newly tamed feral cats and the kittens.

So once again, I am rerunning an old post, though I do have a few new thoughts and plans.  I hope  to make a very similar dress for new granddaughter Vivian Rose before her first birthday.  FYI, Alysha is almost 5, adorable and the apple of her grandparents’ eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~zAlyshabdbishop2

Continue reading

Easter Outfits by Judy Day~~Going with the Flow

Courtney_quiet_momentCR

 

Many of you have been there—that place in time where your idea of what your child or grandchild should wear differs from that child’s opinion.  Selecting fabric, pattern, smocking design, etc. is so easy when  they are little, but as they develop their own personal taste you have to go with the flow.

 

Kennedy

 

Judy Day has done just that with fabulous results for her 9 year old granddaughters. Judy has always made holiday outfits in groups of 4, one for each girl and one for  each girl’s doll.   But this year, she recognized and acknowledged her girls’ growing sense of individual style.  Well, at least their different color choices.

Here is Judy’s story about the Easter outfits.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continue reading

Baptism

LRnM

 

What a joyful day this was!  Our two older grandchildren, seven year old Robert and eight year old Laurel, were baptized.

 

bapt pic 2C

 

Cousin Alastair, 4, loves a photo opportunity so he stepped up to be included.

 

RLA short

 

Continue reading