Category Archives: girls

Sail Away, Baby Girl

Posted on June 9, 2015 | 10 comments

beach baby outfit for 2 yo Vivian Rose.Â The jumbo rick rack is really bright pink, almost the same color as the pink on the sails.Â Oops–just noticed that unstitched section of the neck casing.Â Thank goodness it’s an easy fix.

Summertime is beach time.Â Our daughter and her family are 30 minutes from our home, staying at a friend’s oceanfront condo.Â This little outfit was made for 2 yo granddaughter Vivian Rose to wear if her mother can ever get her out of her bathing suit and swimmies.

I’m generally happy with the finished product but it is not as I planned it.Â Do you carefully plan your projects in great detail?Â I just can’t get the hang of doing it like that.

My original plan was to make a quick beachwear set using this sweet Michael Miller fabric, Sail Away.Â For the top I chose Children’s Corner Jane.Â This is a favorite of mine because it is quick, easy to make, comfortable and cool for summer.

It did not go as planned. Â As I changed my mind about one thing and another, but turned out to be not very quick and also offered some challenges.

Can you see the soft grey seagulls in the sky?Â And that rickÂ rack is NOT red!Â It’s bright pink.

Continue reading →

10 Comments

Posted in girls

Tagged Children's Corner Jane

Seaside Pinafore

Posted on May 7, 2015 | 16 comments

Linny’s Pinafore Pattern by Mommy’s Apron Strings

Making this little summer pinafore for 2 yo granddaughter, Vivian Rose, was such fun.Â I “tested”Â Linny’s Pinafore by Mommy’s Apron StringsÂ and loved the results.

The star at the base of the placket was machine embroidered. It looks like a happy coincidence of fabric placement.Â The novelty buttons are shells.

Continue reading →

16 Comments

Posted in girls, infant clothing, machine embroidery

Tagged beach outfit, beach pinafore, easy pattern, Linny's Pinafore

Easter Dress~Oh NO!

Posted on April 4, 2015 | 12 comments

See followup post She Wore the Dress.

Happy Easter to you all!Â This is such a joyous season, filled with promise of renewal and new beginnings.Â Beautiful worship services, inspiring music, egg hunts and family gatherings all make it so special.

I will enjoy all these blessings, but right now I am dealing with major disappointment–the EasterÂ dress I made for 2 yo granddaughter Vivian Rose.

For this enormously significant holiday, every mother and grandmother tries to outfit her little darlings in beautiful garments.For me, “tries” is the operative word here.Â And believe me I didÂ try.

This post is not meant to be all about moaning and wailing, though this Mary Engelbreit illustration captures my feelings pretty accurately.Â But I do hope listing the details of my failure will be helpful.Â Also included are the few (very few!) good things I did.

So, reluctantly, I post this sad photo of the disastrous dress.

MISTAKES:Â (If you are prone to depression, just skip this and go to the few little success at the end of the post.) Continue reading →

12 Comments

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

Tagged boy bow tie, Custom Keepsakes, Easter dress catastrophe, Easter dress disaster, Easter dress mistakes, feather stitch, monogrammed tie, tatted medallion

WOW! OSQ Expo ’15

Posted on March 8, 2015 | 14 comments

a Kari Mecca creation with her signature ribbon trim (made with handy Whimsy Sticks) and spaghetti bias

Original Sewing and Quilt Expo in Lakeland, Florida– what a fabulous event!Â This past week with my dear friend Carol (my son-in-law’s mother)Â we took classes and shopped at the enormous and tantalizing market.Â Seeing so many friends, making such great buys, and learning so many new things made OSQE a circus of fun.

My schedule included 2 “Whimsy” sessions with Kari Mecca, two serger classes and one quilting adventure.Â Each offered great techniques and loads of inspiration.

My classes with Kari Mecca inspired me beyond words.Â Being the smitten grandmother of 2 year old Vivian Rose, I dream of making every garment on Kari’s sample rack–a dream that’s unlikely to come true! Continue reading →

14 Comments

Posted in accessories, girls, infant clothing, serger

Easter Outfits from my Past

Posted on February 20, 2015 | 13 comments

Is there any more joyous occasion for sewing than Easter? It’s time to get started but instead of pulling out the lace and batiste, I find myself looking back at those confections from the past. For me, it’s not about seeking inspiration so much as it is about enjoying the memories all over again, like re-reading a very good book.

Among these outfits, there might be some inspiration for those of you who have not yet jumped into this special sewing season.

Who doesn’t love babies in daygowns?Â And with a sweet big brother they are even more precious.

If daygowns interest you, details are posted here Happy Easter ’13.Â This post details the daygown with fagotted lace and a hand embroidered front placket

The next year Big Brother Alastair wore this little suit.

Another hurry-up outfit, made for my grandson Alastair.

This hurry-up Easter suitÂ was made for my grandson Alastair.

It seems like I am always in a rush to get Easter outfits finished.Â This one for Alastair was no exception.

Making this dress was pure joy.Â I love the Swiss handloom and laces.

Baby’s Easter Dress, made for Vivian Rose last year. It was a modification of a dress I made for her mother 31 years ago.

And I love this picture of her strolling through the grass.

Vivian Rose, 15 months old, Easter 2014

Continue reading →

13 Comments

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

Tagged baptism dress, Easter boy suit, Easter dres, heirloom sewn dress

Look Whoo’s 2

Posted on January 26, 2015 | 2 comments

Our granddaughter, Vivian Rose, that’s who.Â And what a time she had all day.

Her mother likes to start the celebration at wake up with a special breakfast. For Vivi, it was her favorite English muffins with nutella.

A corduroy jumper from a pattern in the book Martha’s Favorite Applique’s was worn for her party. Â Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in girls, machine embroidery

Tagged birthday dress, whoo's two

Christmas Outfits Past Part 2

Posted on December 23, 2014 | 2 comments

I hope you have all finished your Christmas sewing.Â I’ve moved on to baking and gift wrapping and hope to finish up in time for our big family celebrations.

Here are a few more Christmas outfits from the past.Â These gingerbread outfits for myÂ two older grandchildren were favorites of mine.Â Â A few years later, new grandson Alastair wore Robert’s suit.

Ready-to-smock gingerbread outfits were paired up with a Creative Needle smocking plate.

One year I planned to make matching Thanksgiving outfits for the children.Â The Viyella brown plaid garments were made but before I began the bibs, plans changed and the older two would not be with us that day. So I decided to use the garments for Christmas.Â But that was a stretch—brown plaid for Christmas.Â I made it work.

Alastair’s Christmas outfit, Children’s Corner Glenn with linen bib embroidery from OESD’s Current Critters Continued.

Laurel’s basic yoke dress was trimmed with tatting, as was her linen bib.

Laurel also had a tie-on bib with a Current Critters Continued design.

These Current Critters embroidery designs are so charming. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in boys, clothing, doll clothing and accessories, girls, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery, ready-to-smock finished projects, smocking

Tagged AG dolls, American Girl doll, brother sister Christmas outfits, brother-sister outfits, christmas dress, Christmas outfits, heirloom sewing, hemstitching, Hudsons Sunday suit, lace tape, machine embroidery, nutcracker embroidery

Christmas Outfits from the Past

Posted on December 19, 2014 | Leave a comment

Hand embroidered Sarah Howard Stone collar and velveteen dress for my daughter, 1983. It was worn a few years ago by my older granddaughter, Laurel.

They say time flies when you are having fun and, let me tell you, I have had a good bit of fun making holiday outfits for my children and grandchildren.Â Like many of you, Christmas and Easter clothes are my favorite and most memorable projects.

This collar reminds me just how hard IÂ tried to get the stitches just right as we drove to my brother’s house for Thanksgiving. Â It was a two hour drive along bumpy back roads and I poked my fingers more than once.Â But I couldn’t waste the time. As the family sat and visited after the pumpkin pie, I continued to embroider.

Who knew that 15 years later it could be done on an embroidery machine?Â Who knew there would be home embroidery machines? Certainly not me.

Robert and Laurel all ready for the Stetson Christmas concert. She is wearing recycled heirloom from her Aunt Rebecca’s closet.

A few years after the shadow work collar was made, my daughter wore a burgundy velveteen dress (just like this one) with this very puffing collar.Â Then Laurel wore the collar on a new burgundy velveteen dress. Continue reading →

Christmas Finery for Sister and Brother

Posted on December 9, 2014 | 14 comments

Hurrah!Â Christmas clothes for our two younger grandchildren were finished, shipped and received late last week.Â Toddler Vivian Rose’s white Swiss flannel bishop has the neck and sleeve bound with in red gingham pima cotton.Â Heirloom lace is hand whipped to the bias binding.