Category Archives: Holiday Projects

Joyous Easter 2010

Posted on April 5, 2010 | 5 comments

Alastair does not want to sit!

UPDATE:  Alastair just looks so serious and even unhappy in the photos from this wonderful day.  So I have decided to include this picture.  I managed to capture one of his happiest moments in this blurry photo.  While we were getting dinner on the table, he discovered that the easily opened old oak wash stand in the kitchen housed a box of garbage bags with unlimited fun potential.

Alastair, anticipating a LOT of garbage after Easter dinner.

He was allowed to enjoy himself but was never left unsupervised with the potentially dangerous bags. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alastair has places to go and eggs to hunt.

What a lovely, joyous celebration we had today!  We are so grateful that both of our children and their families live near enough that we can be together for holidays and often just to be together.

When Ryan’s family arrived, Robert was perfectly happy to swap out his huge shirt for this one, version 2, which is more fitted than version 1 but still too large.    Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, brother-sister, clothing, embroidery blanks, girls, heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects, infant clothing, machine embroidery, Nana fun

Big Boy Easter 2010 ver. 2.0

Posted on April 4, 2010 | 2 comments

I’ve embroidered a second shirt for Robert, hoping it fits him better than the knit golf shirt.  It looks dressier than the polo, so I hope he likes it. The contrast between the comical ducks and the formality of the monogram is greater than I would like.  But version  #2 is as far as I’m going with this suit.

The monogram is from Monogram Wizard Plus.  I wanted to get the ducks in there somehow, so I went to one of my favorite sites, Embroidery Library, www.emblibrary.com, and sure enough, for $1 these little ducks were mine, downloaded and embroidered within 30 minutes of finding them.

It’s late.   Bob and I have been babysitting darling Alastair while his parents went to an engagement party.  He went to sleep promptly and with no fuss at 8 p.m. so he hasn’t hampered my preparations.  Bob stuffed the plastic eggs while I stuffed the deviled eggs and made up the salad for tomorrow’s dinner.   Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, brother-sister, clothing, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery

Big Boy Easter Duds Done (ver. 1)

Posted on April 2, 2010 | Leave a comment

The shorts and a shirt are done for Robert Charles. This is the third and final (almost) coordinated Easter outfits for my three grandchildren.  The yellow baby cord shorts match the bubble made for his cousin Alastair and the shirt has a hatchling duck which appears to be approximately  the same age as the ducklings in the handloom used on his sister’s and cousin’s outfits.

Giving some thought to Robert’s obsession with Super Heroes at age “faw an a haf,” I thought perhaps a waterfowl with a little more maturity was in order. OESD’s Dreams of Childhood collection has a spunky ducky dunking, with feet and tail in the air, head apparently underwater. I thought that would appeal to his age-appropriate compunction to giggle and point out every “butt” he sees, from the dog to the cherub garden statuary. But this more juvenile design would still maintain the Spirit of Spring theme projected by the infantile ducklings. Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, brother-sister, embroidery blanks, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery, techniques

Lemon Meringue Pie

Posted on April 2, 2010 | 2 comments

zLemonMeringuewslip

 

Frothy and yellow and sweet, this dress reminds me of lemon meringue pie, which, incidentally, is on my Easter dinner menu.  Laurel will look like dessert!

I know that too many pictures of this garment have already been posted.  From gathering supplies, to slip construction,  and even the complications, it has been posted and discussed endlessly. And yet, seeing it complete with the yellow underdress and the added rows of lace at the hemline, I feel compelled to show the overall effect.

 

zLemonMeringueslipyoke

 

From the planning stage, my vision of this frock presented a white dress with yellow shadowing through the sheer batiste.  The yellow shadow beneath the lace was an unexpected and pleasant surprise.  Continue reading →

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Posted in brother-sister, Freckled Laundry, girls, heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects, techniques

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Easter Dress 2010 Done!

Posted on March 31, 2010 | 9 comments

Finally, Laurel’s Easter dress is done.  It turned out shorter than I had planned so I have added a few rows of lace to the slip hem –or “tail” as Elizabeth Travis Johnson always called it–to add a little more length.  By the time I finished it, the lighting wasn’t good so I will post a picture tomorrow of the dress and slip together.

Generally, I am pleased with the dress.  Now that it’s done, I wish I had dropped the yoke to the bottom of the armscye.  On the other hand, this will twirl better and every little girl loves to twirl.

Using Swiss organdy for the sleeves was a must, as the finella batiste has no  body whatsoever.  Even with starch, there would have been no pouf to the sleeve. Continue reading →

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Posted in clothing, girls, heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects, White Wednesday

Day Grandchildren’s Easter Duds

Posted on March 29, 2010 | Leave a comment

 

Update:  In discussion with Judy, I was reminded that Jackson’s shorts were actually made from a man’s shirt.  After searching high and low for fabric to coordinate with the mint green dresses, Judy finally found a very pricey shirt that would do.  She whacked that shirt up for shorts which had to be lined, due to the light weight of the shirting.

I’ve always said that heirloom sewing is very expensive, either in terms of time or money.  Judy paid both ways for these beautifully coordinated Easter outfits!  She says she just did what a grandmother had to do.************************

A few years ago, Judy Day made these three beautiful, coordinated outfits for her grandchildren.  The girl cousins are the same age and Big Brother Jackson is the oldest of the three.

The mint Imperial batiste bishop dresses seem to project the essence of Spring. Ribbons woven through the smocking add shimmer, making the dresses even more classically elegant.  Tucks add another special detail to the skirts.

The sleeves are trimmed with tatting made by Judy’s grandmother–that would be the girls’ great-great grandmother.  What a special treasure for these girls!  Continue reading →

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Posted in boys, brother-sister, embroidery blanks, girls, Holiday Projects, Judy Day's creations, smocking

Easter Dress 2010~Complications

Posted on March 28, 2010 | 2 comments

I really had expected to have Laurel’s dress finished by this afternoon.  But, as so often happens, complications have arisen.  The placement of the fancyband was too high.  It just hurt my eyes. 

Frankly, I gave serious through to calling Mildred Turner or Judy Day for advice and inspiration, but even such true and faithful friends as they are deserve more respect than a 2:30 a.m. phone call that really could wait.  I could finish off the sleeves and think about it while I worked.  Instead, I just thought about it,  evaluating different techniques and strategies to fix this. Continue reading →

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Posted in heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects, techniques

Easter Dress 2010~More Progress

Posted on March 26, 2010 | Leave a comment

skirt fancyband

Laurel’s heirloom sewn Easter yoke dress is coming along.  She and her brother. Robert, spent  last night with us and what with all the activity, baths and preparations for today’s homeschool lessons, not much got done on the dress until this evening. 

unfinished butterfly sleeve

The butterfly sleeves are well underway.  I finished the skirt fancyband and plan to use a portion of that for the lace ruffle below the beading.  But time ran out before I could get the sleeves finished.  The skirts are 45″ front and back, so it takes 2 1/2 yds. of each piece of the 5 pieces of lace in the fancyband.  It takes a good while to starch and iron 13 yards of lace, not to mention the time to stitch them together.  Continue reading →

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Posted in girls, heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects

Progress~2010 Easter Dress Yoke

Posted on March 24, 2010 | 1 comment

It seems nearly impossible to get a nice flat scan of anything dimensional. This yoke not all rippley.

Progress is slow on this dress and I am really getting worried about finishing the grandchildren’s outfits before Easter weekend.  I have made every mistake possible and spent more time picking out stitches than putting them in. 

This ultra sheer batiste absolutely requires stabilizer behind all hemstitching.  And yet if I remember to put the stabilizer in place, I have forgotten to insert the wing or #120 needle.

In my humble opinion, the inclusion of hemstitching wherever possible always elevates the heirloom status of a garment.  On a whim, I decided to use yellow Madeira Cotona for the entredeux at the shoulders and pinstitch on either side of the insertion.    I hope I don’t regret it when the garment is all assembled.  Will it disappear or conflict with the yellow slip?  Continue reading →

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Posted in girls, heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects, techniques

Easter Slip 2010

Posted on March 22, 2010 | 2 comments

The underdress/slip for Laurel’s Easter dress is finished,  except  for sewing on the buttons.  After cutting out a size 6 and realizing that it was too large, I altered it considerably.  But it still looks huge to me. It may require a tuck under the arm at the side seam.

I decided against using the fagoted lace edging on the slip.  The sleeves will be butterfly style, open down the center with lace on either edge.  With that peekabook feature, the slip might make the sleeve look cluttered. So I’ve used a simple scalloped lace edging. Continue reading →

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Posted in girls, heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects