Category Archives: home dec

Halloween already?

Posted on October 2, 2014 | 8 comments

Mickey pumpkin tabletopper outside

 

As I’m sure you have noticed, the stores have been jam packed with Halloween costumes, decorations and jack ‘o lanterns for a month now.  With all that pumpkin exposure, I couldn’t help but get in the mood to make something to celebrate the season.

I’ve always found that the orange and black signature color scheme just too grim.  But with the addition of purple, the entire Halloween mood is lifted, at least for me.

And my goodness, the fabrics!!!!  In addition to the adorable prints, the currently very popular burlap is available in a rainbow of colors, printed with text, and to my delight, with orange polka dots.  Now that was something I could work with. Continue reading →

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Posted in Holiday Projects, home dec, machine embroidery

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Back to School ’14

Posted on August 20, 2014 | 6 comments

 

Five years ago, my  5 year old granddaughter wore a CC Frannie school dress for our first day of homeschooling.

 

With the start of another school year, I can’t help but look back.  Most retired school teachers, I suspect,  do  the same.  This post was written 5 years ago as we began our first year of homeschooling together.

Now, she begins 6th grade.  Wow.  If she’s getting older, I guess that means so am I.

Laurel, 10 going on...?

Recently, she wrote a play which she will direct and has cast with friends. It will open at the public library in due time.

 

Perhaps you will find some of  these school sewing projects useful for your special students.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continue reading →

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Posted in bags, home dec, machine embroidery, school accessories

Wedding or Holiday Chair Backs

Posted on June 13, 2014 | 11 comments

 Another wedding repost.  Quick and easy to make, these chair covers could be embroidered for birthdays, Christmas or other holidays.  Any event that calls for a guest’s special recognition is a good reason to whip up a few.

The BRIDE and GROOM chair backs lived with the trunk show samples I displayed when I taught classes.  At every event, they got a lot of positive attention, with students measuring and making notes on the construction.  

Have you ever made chair covers?  Please share pictures.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

zwedchairsCOMP

 

Sewing for a wedding is just about as much fun as sewing for babies.   It’s like the prelude to grandchildren. Continue reading →

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Posted in Binche Lace, home dec, machine embroidery, party accessories and ideas, serger, wedding

Wedding Aprons

Posted on June 5, 2014 | 4 comments

wedapronwhole1beccca

 

A wedding is not a marriage. A wedding is only the beginning of an undertaking that may or may not, someday, develop into a marriage. What the couple have on their wedding day is not the key to a beautiful garden, but just a vacant lot and a few gardening tools. (David and Vera Mace)

Because it’s June, the favored month for weddings, I will re-run some earlier posts about my daughter’s wedding.  Sure,  a lot of sentimental fluff is included but that’s because I’m a sentimental gal.  There are also some useful ideas for wedding sewing.

This month, my fabulous husband and I will celebrate our 46th wedding anniversary. I wish every couple could have this much happiness.

 

1968

1968. Because we wanted to be married in Florida, where we would start our life together, fewer than 30 guests attended. But we didn’t care.  My mother made my dress.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rebecca’s garden wedding for 130 guests at our home was a hands-on affair, orchestrated almost entirely by family and friends. Only the photographer, ceremony string quartet, reception Cajun band and wait staff were hired.

As soon as Rebecca and Harvey’s engagement was announced, my dear friend Susanna presented me with her own well-used tote bag.   It was embellished with the text MOTB–Mother Of The Bride. She had used this bag extensively while planning her own daughter’s fairy tale wedding.

Susanna graciously offered to serve as wedding coordinator and was promptly engaged in that volunteer capacity. From that time on, in our conversations and planning sessions, familial relationships were designated by letters–MOTG (mother of the groom), AOTB (aunt of the bride), Grandmother of the Groom (GMOTG) etc. It was fun.

 

Continue reading →

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Posted in home dec, ladies, machine embroidery, recipes, wedding

Rheeta’s Visit ~Sweat Shop or Working Vacation?

Posted on April 8, 2014 | 26 comments
Rheeta

Aunt Rheeta has fallen in love with my Brother Quattro.

What a fabulous time we have had with my dear Aunt Rheeta.  She and her little apricot poodle, Molly, visited us here in Florida to escape the bitter Indiana winter and do a little sewing.  As it happened, she did more than a little.  In fact, my sewing room was like a sweat shop.  She accomplished so much!  Having an in-house sewing buddy was such fun.

We worked together, with most of the design arrangement done by me and most of the sewing done by her.    She is no newcomer to machine embroidery, only new to my Brother Quattro which she loved.

Rheeta has several major projects under her belt, including a spectacular embroidered linen communion cloth for her church, an exquisitely embroidered Bible cover and more.

Her primary goal was to finish high school graduation gifts for her granddaughter Alexa, a rising freshman at Texas A & M.  Rheeta’s first project was the requisite college fleece throw in school colors.

Edges are finished with a 3-thread wide serge.

Edges are finished with a 3-thread wide serge.  We didn’t worry about the wrinkles as the blanket was soon be packed tightly into her over packed suitcase for the trip home to Indiana.

 

The embroidery is Applique Market’s College Double Applique Alphabet.  As you can see, Rheeta used only the outline.  I love this versatile collection which comes with letters in

Since her acceptance letter,  Alexa has dressed her 4 lb. dog in a tiny, maroon, Texas  A & M shirt.  Certainly, she will be pleased with this fleece blanket.

 

Rheeta's granddaughter is, indeed, Princess of Quite a Lot of Laundry!

Rheeta’s granddaughter is, indeed, Princess of Quite a Lot of Laundry!

Continue reading →

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Posted in bags, home dec, machine embroidery, serger

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Down the Mountain~Sewing Store

Posted on October 23, 2013 | Leave a comment

At the last minute, I decided to join my darling daughter Rebecca on her trip to our family cabin in the mountains of North Carolina.   We loaded the car with her  four year-old Alastair, 9 month old Vivian Rose and the children’s  great Auntie Jeannette who is younger-than- springtime even though she is almost my age.   We  drove through the night while the children slept.

Amid the glorious fall colors, we are enjoying fabulous fun and quality family time.

When we arrived, I was pleased to see this  fall pumpkin pillow nestled on the couch,  announcing the season.

fall pumpkin pillowLW

I’ve managed to get a little smocking done but will share that project with you later.  Meanwhile,  I came across this post draft  written earlier in the summer and want to share it with you.  This shop might have something you’ve been looking for.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After several days of quiet at the cabin, we drove down the mountain and into Boone, about 10 miles away.  I always like to stop at the only sewing spot in the area, a great shop called   Sew Original.

Quilting seems to be their main focus, but they also have have lovely heirloom fabrics and smocking supplies.  There were racks of new patterns but also some old classics that I rarely see in other stores, like Sarah Hoard Stone’s Basic Yoke in every size.  This is one which I have used very frequently, for Rebecca years ago and recently for granddaughter Laurel Cade.

Sew Original also has the optional pattern packages for her second book, French Handsewing for Infants.

I treasure these patterns.

Continue reading →

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Posted in home dec, machine embroidery, uncategorized

Shadow Embroidery by Embroidery Machine

Posted on July 20, 2013 | 26 comments

Catching up with my must-do’s so that I can write a new post has been nearly impossible. I won’t bore you with ALLL the details, but one obstacle is time spent supervising 7 year old grandson Robert as he works on the book he has written, Football Frenzy (which soon I HOPE and expect to be for sale @ $7, at least until Amazon or BooksAMillion pick it up ;-)). After I printed up two copies for his perusal, he decided that it is too short. So he is back to composing, adding a chapter on recipes for football watching snacks and more.

Roberts book cover

Additionally, I have been substitute teaching Sunday School for 1st-5th graders, a satisfying but time consuming task.

So until I finish the little popover pinafore (Pini-4) which is almost done, I resort yet again to putting up a post from the past.

Shadow embroidery by machine continues to be of great interest. Though you probably have a greater chance of winning the lottery than of laying hands on any one of Suzanne Hinshaw’s to-die-for collections, you just might get lucky. There are other designers mentioned below with sets or individual designs.

So here is the old post, with a few photos of projects done since putting this one up. A real, new, fresh post should be up very soon.

grandson's Easter outfit with shadow embroidery from Southern Stitches’ Shadow Work Baby Collection

grandson’s Easter outfit with shadow embroidery from Southern Stitches™ Shadow Work Baby Collection

Continue reading →

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Posted in heirloom sewing, home dec, machine embroidery, techniques

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Grandchildren’s Bedroom Redo

Posted on November 6, 2012 | 2 comments

 

DSC05400

 

My cup runneth over with grandchildren.  Whew!  It has been non-stop fun here at Nana’s house for the past 10 days. Granddad and I have read stories, said prayers and tucked in one, two, or all three grandchildren every  night before and after some exciting events (Halloween, county fair, Gator football game and more).

That’s why there has been no time for blogging.  Of course, I’d rather spend time with these precious children than blog, but I hope to be more regular from now on.

2 beds

I’ll prattle on and on about these fun happenings in the next post.  For now,  in order to get back on track to the topic of sewing, I will show pictures of the big kids’ bedroom redecorating, though it is not yet done.  Because the room is shared by both Robert and Laurel, it couldn’t be too frilly or too masculine.  Another consideration is that we often use it for guests. Continue reading →

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Posted in home dec, Nana fun

Fabulous Nursery by Kathy Dykstra

Posted on October 24, 2012 | 8 comments

I love writing this blog.  Aside from the satisfaction of  recording my sewing projects and learning from readers, I have met so many new sewing friends.   Seeing pictures of your projects and hearing about your sewing makes my heart smile and my face grin.

Kathy Dykstra is one of these treasured new friends.  Her projects are seen frequently in Sew Beautiful  magazine and also have appeared in Australian Smocking & Embroidery which featured her extremely popular and highly sought after pattern, Temily. (If anyone has a copy of this issue with the pattern intact, I would LOVE to buy it from you.)   In fact, the current Sew Beautiful, Vol. 26, #6, features her pattern Wrap it Up! in sizes 4-10.

 

 

 

Her projects are Pinterest  pinned and repinned again and again.

Kathy shared these photos of the absolutely wonderful nursery she and her daughters made for little Olivia.

 

 

 

They began with Plan A, painted the walls bright turquois with lime green for trim.  When it was apparent that this baby was to be feminine little Olivia, Plan B was initiated and pink was added to the color palette. Continue reading →

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Posted in baby accessories, home dec, machine embroidery

Ho-hum Sewing

Posted on July 9, 2012 | 3 comments

 

At one time or another, every needlework blog waxes eloquent on the joy and satisfaction that we all get from sewing.  I absolutely love it and I know you do, too.

 

Fun!

 

Good news caption for this photo:  Sewing also one of the hobby.This hobby is usually for the girls and for the woman,but we can see that mostly housewife will do it.If the person do not know how want to sew but have the interest,they can learn it from the book that are provider for them.If we the person know how to sewing and very good in it,they will normally sew many things such as baju kurung, kebaya, punjabi suit, blaus , pants,gowns, curtain , bedsheets and many more.By sewing also we can do a great business because we know to sew many things so that people will come to us for the help and we help them to sew what they want and they will pay us,so by it we also can earn some money.We also can save our money without buying at outsider.Sewing is a relaxing hobby and now it is considered as a great hobby also.

But it’s not all fun and punjabi suit,  embroidery blanks and bana kurung,  heirloom lace and kebaya, quilting cottons and blaus.  Sometimes, sewing is just ho-hum, practical and necessary.  There are projects which generate little enthusiasm but still need to be stitched.  That’s pretty much what I’ve been doing lately.

 

 

These last few days, the fabric that has passed under my presser foot is so vanilla  that I haven’t even bothered to take pictures. Continue reading →

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Posted in Basic no-embroidery Machine Projects, home dec