Category Archives: girls

Cousins’ Matching Birthday Dresses

Posted on May 1, 2012 | 7 comments

I’m busy making spa wraps for Laurel’s 10 birthday party guests and their AG dolls. Then I’ll start embroidering button covers for my Hope Yoder button-up machine. They will be attached to ponytail holders but the girls will do that at the party. Lots of fun, but nothing to show or report now. So once again, I am posting one of Judy Day’s projects.

Her 8 year-old granddaughters are just 3 months apart in age.  Making gorgeous, matching birthday dresses, along with gorgeous matching doll dresses and hairbows is an annual challenge for their long-distance grandmother. Of course, there are also matching Christmas and Easter dresses.  If you haven’t seen Judy’s lovely creations, click on Judy Day’s Creations  in the menu on the right.

As happens so often, Creative Needle  magazine provided the inspiration for the birthday dresses.  Judy told me that the Sept./Oct. 2001 issue had been waiting its turn on her cutting table since before the girls were born.  That’s where she stacks “I definitely want to make that!” ideas. Continue reading →

7 Comments

Posted in doll clothing and accessories, girls, hairbows, hand embroidery, heirloom sewing, Judy Day's creations

Easter Dresses by Judy Day

Posted on April 18, 2012 | 4 comments
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Judy is as skilled at gardening as she is at sewing. Just look at this spring scene in her back yard!

 

Judy Day has continued her tradition of gorgeous Easter dresses and hairbows for both of her granddaughters and their dolls.  These are very different from the heirloom confections she has always made.   But as we all know, as little girls grow a little older, they like contemporary garments. 

Here is Judy’s tale of how  these dresses came about.

This idea for this year’s Easter dresses for my DGDs actually started last summer when I was asked to make a store sample for B Sew Inn (BabyLock dealer)in Springfield, MO.  I fell in love with the dress from the picture on the front of the book, “Rosie and Me“  by Michelle Griffith.

 

Continue reading →

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Posted in doll clothing and accessories, girls, hairbows, heirloom sewing, Judy Day's creations, machine embroidery

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Easter ’12

Posted on April 10, 2012 | 3 comments

Robert and Laurel after our at-home egg hunt.  Somehow, her white shoes were left at home so we had to make do with the black ones that were left at Nana’s house.

Easter is such a joyful holiday, and our family celebration reflected that joy. All were gathered here except for our hard working pilot son who was somewhere in the sky.  Lots of activities, lots of fun, and lots of sewing projects added more joy to this special week.   Easter Sunday, of course, was the highlight.

Robert was debonair in his first grown-up, store-bought Easter duds while Laurel was radiant in what might be her last smocked Easter dress.  The shadow smocked confection was a joy to stitch.

Alastair with his eggs

Alastair was his usual adorable self wearing a shirt he loved.  The applique’ featured an engine pulling a train car with a huge Easter egg.  I had selected this design because he loves trains.  That won his heart. Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, girls, Holiday Projects, smocking, uncategorized

Easter Sewing~Finished!!!

Posted on April 7, 2012 | 7 comments

Happy Easter!!

I am soooo pleased to be done with my granddaughter’s Easter dress.   I learned a LOT about shadow smocking and have some tips to share with those of you who might like to try it.

 

 

Right now, there is still too much to do for me to take the time to give you the details, but I will later. Our children and grandchildren have begun to arrive so we are savoring the time with them.

 

 

Meanwhile, I just finished making 50 cream cheese and jelly sandwiches (on raisin bread) for the Bunny Lunch at church tomorrow.  New shorts outfits for the boys are done. But since I spent so much time on Laurel’s dress, she iwill be wearing the ladybug dress from last year for the lunch.

Continue reading →

7 Comments

Posted in girls, hand embroidery, heirloom sewing, smocking

“T’was the night before Easter…”

Posted on April 4, 2012 | 4 comments

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I’m doing my absolute best to finish up my Easter sewing, but it seems that one thing and then another keep getting in the way of progress.  Still I plug along, hoping and expecting that everything will get  done, because I’ve done it before.

I keep reminding myself of  the Easter my Rebecca was 6, 28 years ago.  For whatever reason, I decided to abandon an almost finished smocked dress in favor of this peach Swiss batiste frock.  From where the inspiration came, I don’t recall.  But I HAD to make it!

That was Maundy Thursday.  I had three days, mostly filled with the activities of this 6 year old child and her 10 year old brother, not to mention preparing my Sunday school lesson, fixing dinner, etc.  I slept very little from then until Easter, but I did complete the dress.  If I did it then, I can do it again, right?  I am 28 years older, but I don’t have a 6 and 10 yo under foot.  Yes, surely I can do it!

The fabric is what Jeannie B. calls “fairy” batiste–sheer and fine enough to clothe fairies who could not bear the weight of linen or even Nelona.  The major features of the dress are entredeux beading, tatting, puffing–lots of that!–a sweet Swiss handloom.

 

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The sleeves are set in with entredeux, one of my favorite heirloom touches. Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in girls, heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects

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Spring and Black Velvet

Posted on February 29, 2012 | 2 comments

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It may seem that Laurel’s  black velveteen dress is out of season.  But the weather this time of year in central Florida can be freezing or almost hot.   Today, it is 80 degrees (I’m not complaining!) but a week ago it was freezing.  So her church clothes wardrobe requires seasonal variety.

The black velveteen basic yoke ’10 Christmas dress still fits, though the hem had to be dropped.  Hurrah for 6″ hems!  With a few 6mm twin needle tucks and a border of serpentine stitching the crease was invisible and the skirt was long enough.

 

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As I began planning a collar to go over this dress, I recalled a box of ready-made collars that was packed away. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in girls, shadow work

Wedding Veil and Flower Girl Dress

Posted on February 26, 2012 | 7 comments

 

Judy Day continues to dazzle all who see her flawless, elegant sewing projects. Recently, she made a wedding veil for a bride for whom Judy’s granddaughter was the flower girl. Her creative approach to design and problem solving are inspiring.

 

 

 

In Judy’s words: Continue reading →

7 Comments

Posted in girls, Judy Day's creations, wedding

Tagged , , ,

Baby Bunny Bubble

Posted on February 18, 2012 | 6 comments

It’s time to get started on Easter outfits for the grandchildren. In fact, I woulda/shoulda started before now but I am busy working up a design and embroidering tee shirts for Robert and Laurel’s Odyssey of the Mind competition next week.

I’m especially grateful for the 1000 stitches per minute that my Brother Duetta puts out.  The shirts are pretty ugly, but beautifully embroidered (film at 11, or after the competition).  There are other must-do’s but very soon I MUST at least have a plan.

For sewing mothers and grandmothers, there is no greater thrill than to see their little darlings decked out in their most elaborate and special garments, created with love in every stitch.

Those of us who have labored long and hard on these very special holiday garments often find that specific recollections of each Resurrection Sunday are tied more closely to the Easter outfits made that year than to the calendar year. Continue reading →

6 Comments

Posted in baby accessories, Freckled Laundry, girls, hand embroidery, heirloom sewing, infant clothing, machine embroidery, techniques

New Look for an Old Dress

Posted on February 8, 2012 | 5 comments

Heirloom sewn children’s clothing is nearly timeless. Bishops, basic yokes and button-ons have been around for so long that you can hardly tell the old from the new.

Laurel, my 7 year old granddaughter, wore this 28 year old dress to church last Sunday.   Perhaps you can tell that it is not new because it is not black and hot pink or lime green.  But still, I think the color and style do not scream “HAND ME DOWN!!!” (Please advise me if I am wrong.)

The dress was made for my daughter Rebecca in 1984.  The fabric is a Rose and Hubble lawn.   How I wish that company were still in business, making almost Liberty quality lawns!

The collar is ivory linen with hand fagoting stitches joining the bias strip and lace edging.  The same edging is fagoted to the linen sleeve binding.

NOTE:  On SewForum, I posted a picture and description of a daygown with fagoted lace.   The word “fagoted” was “beeped.”   I wonder what their censorship program would do with “roll and whip?”

I need to mend the mitre on the bias.

Continue reading →

5 Comments

Posted in girls, hand embroidery, heirloom sewing, machine embroidery, Second Time Around

Valentine Pettiskirt Ensemble

Posted on January 26, 2012 | 3 comments

Judy Day made these darling Valentine outfits for her granddaughters. As my granddaughter, Laurel, would say, these are “cool!” Judy has a knack for seeing one thing and envisioning another. The Valentine ensembles clearly demonstrate that ability.  Here are the details from Judy.~~~~~~

I typically don’t make Valentine specific outfits, as I want my granddaughters to wear the things I sew for them longer than this short season.

Purchased “blank” items can be transformed into personal outfits with just a little embellishment here and there, as these outfits attest. Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in girls, hairbows, Holiday Projects, Judy Day's creations, machine embroidery