Category Archives: techniques

Baskets of Roses

Posted on May 9, 2010 | Leave a comment

“It will never rain roses. When we want to have more roses, we must plant more roses.“George Elliot

 

basketofroseswhole2Brite

 

I’m having a hard time getting out of the potting shed and into my sewing room. Today, Bob and I relocated 3 dogwood seedlings from beds around the dogwood tree to an azalea bed. Almost 3 dozen cuttings of coleus, impatiens, Swedish ivy and purple sweet potato vine were potted up.

 

basketofrosesnetting2Brite

 

From the side yard rose garden, where an oak tree has grown so tall that it casts too much shade,  the first of many rose bushes was transplanted to a sunnier location. And what seemed like miles of wild blackberry vines were dug up from all over the yard…”and miles to go before I sleep.”

 

basketofrosescornerBrite

 

Most of my rose cuttings have rooted and I hope we can get a few planted tomorrow, because according to George Elliot, when we want to have more roses, we must plant more roses. And I always want more roses.

basketofrosescan11

 

Which is why I took the photo of this tabletopper in the potting shed. Continue reading →

Leave a comment

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

Study in Stippling

Posted on May 4, 2010 | 2 comments

26 x 28″

When I saw the tiny 1″ square pattern advertisement in a quilting magazine, I just had to have the pattern for this wallhanging. When it arrived, I was not disappointed.

I’d like to share the name, but the pattern seems to have disappeared from the “quilt patterns” box. Maybe some day it will turn up in my “purses and accessories” or “home dec” box, but for now, it is MIA.

The only modification I made to the pattern was the floral border. This was to be made of 3 pieces of fabric, a stripe, then floral and then another stripe. Instead, I used fabric that included all three, making construction quicker and easier.  I had only to mitre the strip into a rectangle.

Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in home dec, quilts, techniques

Babylock Christening Gown

Posted on May 2, 2010 | 3 comments

gown all

This christening gown was the main project for the Babylock school I taught at Martha Pullen’s school in Huntsville, AL, a few years ago.

The ecru and white combination has always seemed the height of elegance to me. Also, since photos had to be posted on the school web site, the ecru embroidery showed up much better than if the embroidery had been white on white.

 

bodice center

 

It seems to me that anytime Swiss batiste, imported trims and heirloom sewing techniques are combined, the result is likely to be something beautiful. In this case, the classic christening gown is a melange of Swiss batiste, French lace and entredeux.

 

full bodice

Elaborately embellished, it includes classic details such as point de Paris, Madeira appliqué, shaped French Val lace, feather stitching, pin tucks, twin needle shadow work, and delicate embroidery. Also incorporated into the gown’s design is Lace Tape, a recently rediscovered heirloom trim, applied as a shadow appliqué on the wrong side of the batiste.

 

back

Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in clothing, heirloom sewing, infant clothing, lace tape, machine embroidery, Madeira applique, techniques

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Pretty in Pink

Posted on April 26, 2010 | 5 comments

Some time ago, Mildred Turner and I did a series of doll dressing schools around the country. Each student adopted a 20″ porcelain doll, made by my mother, and proceeded to spend 4 days making a wardrobe. Garments included an heirloom sewn dress–always Mildred’s assignment, a bishop dress and/or nightgown–my assignment, and undergarments, or “unmentionables” we called them.

Each doll came with a biography, much like the American Girls dolls, and the wardrobe reflected the lifestyle and time of the porcelain character. In Atlanta, we dressed Melanie, a 20th century Southern Belle. In North Carolina we dressed Millie Lavonia, modeled after Mildred Lavonia Medford Turner herself.

 

Another time it was a fictional mountain girl, Daisy Renee, named for country flowers and the daughter of Capitol Imports vice president. The Mary Elizabeth doll was my Glenwood home town gal, said to have lived the life of Miss Alice’s sister, circa 1915. Continue reading →

5 Comments

Posted in doll clothing and accessories, heirloom sewing, smocking, techniques

Antique Lace Bonnet

Posted on April 23, 2010 | 1 comment

 antlacebonnetside

Antique laces have so much detail and intricacy.  Today, few laces are made with the cordonnet outline  threads, the elaborate patterns and the variety ofbackground textures that you find in so many antiques.

If you are fortunate enough to have custody of some of these pieces, deciding how best to use them is often a dilemma. After purchasing several yards of a gorgeous, French, ecru galoon, I chose to use some for a baby bonnet. My goal was to make an heirloom piece that would not see heavy use, though the lace is very sound. One of my vintage McCall’s layette patterns was used, chosen for its simplicity.

Only 3 1/2″ wide, the lace was too narrow to meet the required width from front edge to the horseshoe back. So the shortage was made up with 1 1/2″ French ribbon inserted between the body of the bonnet and the front ruffle. Continue reading →

1 Comment

Posted in antique textiles, baby accessories, heirloom sewing, techniques

Sunshine on My Shoulders

Posted on April 23, 2010 | 5 comments

 

zSunshinefrontwhole

This spectacular sundress was made by my friend Judy for her granddaughter. The pattern, Sunshine on my Shoulders, is from Kari Mecca’s very popular book, Sewing with Whimsy. Judy, of course, varied the embellishments somewhat to suit her personal taste.

The little ladybug button, the pearls and beads she nestled into the rick rack flowers on the bodice as well as on those that hang from the rick rack bow, add to the charm of the rick rack flowers.

 

zSunshinefrontclose

 

The pattern is unfamiliar to me, but whether or not it included an embellished back yoke, Judy’s trim and cluster of flowers make the dress almost as lovely from the rear as it is from the front.

 

zSunshineback

. Continue reading →

5 Comments

Posted in clothing, girls, Judy Day's creations, machine embroidery, techniques

Tagged , , ,

Yellow Rose Heirloom Pillow

Posted on April 22, 2010 | Leave a comment
zyellowrosewholeBRITE
 
It’s hard to predict just what sort of things will speak to a child. From toys to food, their tastes differ and often surprise both parents and grandparents.
 
Laurel loves this pillow. It is her special treat to sleep with it when she spends the night. Frankly, neither side pressed against the sweet cheeks of a 5-year old would seem to make for pleasant dreams. With a galaxy of French knots on the front and pearl buttons on the back, it would be far less comfortable than the pima cotton pillowcases in the children’s room.
embclose

 

But she loves it and asked me if she could have it when she is grown up. I expect she will own it long before that.

Featured in an article in the Heirloom Quilting series I wrote for Creative Needle magazine. Portions of that article are included in this post. In order to keep this post to a reasonable length, I have left out detailed instructions for piping, sharks’ teeth and the ruffle. Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in hand embroidery, heirloom sewing, home dec, quilts, techniques, Tutorials

Tagged , , , , ,

“In the Pink of Life” Quilt

Posted on April 16, 2010 | 12 comments

NOTE: This post is from an article I wrote for Creative Needle magazine some time ago. Made for my daughter Rebecca, this is one of my favorite projects.

French ribbon, Swiss basket embroidery, Grannie-made tatting

Heirloom Sewing Goods and Techniques~~~Long identified as the preeminent tone of femininity, pink is often the color of the daygown, embroidery, hair ribbons and other loving embellishments in a girl’s life. The pieces used for the crazy patch squares in this quilt include pink remembrances of my daughter, Rebecca, as well as other gourmet leftovers from earlier projects.

Chinese tatted medallion, pink lace tape, silk rosebud, antique lace

The pink damask napkins represent adulthood–the pleasures and responsibilities of hospitality, graciousness and family celebrations.

antique lace, Swiss butterfly, drawn thread napkin lined with pink batiste

The quilt shows extensive lace-to-lace joining, tucks and other techniques long-practiced by heirloom stitchers. Bits of leftover handlooms and embroideries from baby dresses, lengths of tatting from Easter dresses, pieces of a fancyband of champagne laces and pink lace tape used in a pillow, and salvaged pieces from Grandmother’s cutwork tablecloth are joined in crazy patch harmony, much like crazy patches of memory. The resulting patchwork creation is of a very different genre than the countrified bed coverings shown in living color in quilt magazines.

Continue reading →

12 Comments

Posted in antique textiles, Binche Lace, heirloom sewing, home dec, lace tape, machine embroidery, quilts, techniques

April Showers

Posted on April 13, 2010 | Leave a comment

 

UPDATE:  While perusing my antique needlework magazines, I came across an article about embroidered parasols.  Does anyone know of a pattern or source for the hardware?  See article below.

I think this is so neat.  Judy Day monogrammed this umbrella for her granddaughter.  Whether or not she is the first to do this I can’t say, but I have never heard of it.  Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in machine embroidery, techniques

Strawberry Sundress

Posted on April 11, 2010 | Leave a comment

strawberrysundressBrite

With the sweet spring weather we have had these past few weeks, I have had sundresses on my mind.  I came across pictures of this little sundress that I made for Laurel the summer that she was two.

Many such sundresses had been made for my daughter Rebecca from that age on, from a pattern that my friend Mary Hale Hoffmann and I made up.  Smocking this garment brought back sweet memories of those days.

Our daughters were the same age and we smocked around the clock for them.  This pattern was so easy and economical that our girls wore them like school uniforms.

We used the armhole curve from Katina, a Children’s Corner sundress pattern with a narrow yoke.  We added the width of the yoke to the armhole curve and voila’ we were in business!

 

strawberrybloomersBrite

Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Posted in clothing, girls, machine embroidery, smocking, techniques

Tagged , ,