Maggie B’s Ode to Joy Dress

Posted on May 26, 2017 by | 10 comments

 

 

Maggie Bunch has created a new classic with her Ode to Joy pattern.  I love everything about this dress–quick smocking, easy construction, use of coordinating print and the comfort of a pull-on dress or playtop with no buttons to fuss with.  It is smocked front and back with only about 90 pleats sleeve to sleeve.

 

 

Ode to Joy was first taught by Maggie as a class project at Sewing at the Beach and she is now offering it as an on-line sew-along class.  She has given several sew-along, smock-along classes, reasonably priced at $25.  They are a bargain at any price.

Step by step, Maggie sews along with you and posts even more detailed photos in the process.   She is also  is available to answer questions.  The class begins mid- June.  Registration is limited so if you are interested, check it out ASAP on her website here.   

Continue reading →

10 Comments

Posted in Basic no-embroidery Machine Projects, girls, smocking

Tagged , , , , ,

Opinions Change–Hurrah!

Posted on May 22, 2017 by | 16 comments

Children’s Corner Gwen with lengthened sleeve ruffles.

 

Granddaughter Vivian Rose, 4 yo, has always had strong opinions about her wardrobe.  Her taste in fashion has been less than classic, requiring bribes  for her to wear many of the garments I have made her.

But now she has changed her mind!!!!  She is asking for more Nana dresses!

It’s like she is recognizing her femininity, the flip side of her (Tarzan’s) Jane or Moana Strong Female persona.

 

 

I love this picture, taken when the family was on a camping trip last weekend. She looks like an Amazon girl, bringing home the 5 yo “man” she bagged! Continue reading →

16 Comments

Posted in girls, heirloom sewing, Second Time Around, smocking

More Harry Potter

Posted on May 17, 2017 by | 13 comments

Harry Potter Gryffindor crest on shirt and Hp golden snitch on shorts

 

Grandson Alastair, 8 yo, is still enchanted with the Harry Potter series.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, prior to HP, this 2nd grader was a good but unenthusiastic reader.  Now he can’t put the books down and is an excellent reader with a greatly enlarged vocabulary.  This college English major Nana couldn’t be more pleased.

 

reading Harry Potter while waiting for  his orthodontist appointment

 

So I’m feeding his literary enthusiasm with HP embroidered items, like the Gryffindor crested shirt and the shorts with the prized golden snitch shown above.  The designs were all found on Etsy. Continue reading →

13 Comments

Posted in boys, embroidery blanks, free patterns and designs, machine embroidery

Tagged , , , , , ,

Free Harry Potter Design

Posted on May 3, 2017 by | 37 comments

free applique’ design 9 3/4, the train platform where students board the Hogwarts Express.  Request the designs by leaving a comment at the end of this post.

LEAVE YOUR REQUEST FOR THIS DESIGN AND THE SLEEVE TEXT IN A COMMENT AT THE END OF THIS POST.

Our daughter and her family recently spent the day at Universal Studio’s Harry Potter World in Orlando.  What a grand time they had!

 

“I don’t want to share with my sister.” “Ok, Daddy can drink it.” “I want to share with my sister.”

 

It’s no surprise that Alastair would be so smitten with Harry Potter.  Both of his parents are rabid readers and great fans of the books and movies.   Before Alastair, their first child, was born they asked me to sew a Harry Potter themed nursery for him. Continue reading →

37 Comments

Posted in boys, free patterns and designs, girls, machine embroidery

Style Conflicts

Posted on April 27, 2017 by | 8 comments

CC Charlotte top and Parker Pants shorts–she likes it!!!!  I love the Confederate jasmine in bloom.  The scent is heavenly.

 

I doubt I’m the only Nana who has issues with what I want to sew and what a child wants to wear. My passion for sewing for my grandchildren and the fashion preferences of 4 yo Vivian have been at odds more and more frequently as she grows.  Even at a very early age she had strong preferences for her outer wear.  As you can tell from the name of my blog, I am an old fashioned Nana.  Vivi is a modern child, 2 generations removed.

 

enjoying Butterbeer at Harry Potter World

Continue reading →

8 Comments

Posted in Basic no-embroidery Machine Projects, girls, Nana fun

Beautiful Easter ’17

Posted on April 20, 2017 by | 13 comments

What a hambone! This little girl in her smocked Swiss voile bishop loves the camera.

I hope you all had a joyous Easter. Ours was beyond fabulous, with a beautiful worship service and all four grandchildren and their parents for the weekend. It could only have been better if our pilot son had not been flying out in the wild blue yonder.

It was a non-stop celebration. Saturday morning a church family hosted an Easter egg hunt for 40+ children. Wonderful as the hunt and the huge bounce house were, the highlight for most of the children was fishing in the pond. Those fish were hungry and hit on every line. Every child caught at least one fish. Grandson Alastair, 8, caught 4! He was ecstatic.

Vivian Rose also caught a fish but she seemed more disgusted than thrilled. She was happy to have her daddy’s help dealing with her catch. She looked so cute and comfortable in her Petite Poche Penny. Continue reading →

13 Comments

Posted in accessories, antique textiles, antique/vintage textiles, girls, heirloom sewing, Holiday Projects, machine embroidery, Nana fun, smocking

Tagged , , , ,

Opinions? Easter Dress in Progress

Posted on April 7, 2017 by | 15 comments

Pink Swiss voile, ivory entredeux, cherub medallion, heirloom laces and bishop pattern from Mimi’s Heirloom Sewing Book Two.

My life is absolutely wonderful but SO busy! These new puppies chew up a lot of time… and a lot of everything else.! They are adorable and we are crazy about them. But they are one of the big reasons it’s been so long since I’ve posted.

Samson and Delilah, each 21 lbs, 10 weeks old

At this late date I am starting on Easter dresses for 4 yo granddaughter Vivian Rose. One, of course, is for Easter Sunday. The other is for the church egg hunt on Sat. But that is on the back burner until Sunday’s dress is finished.

For several years I have had a piece of what must have been an exquisite tablecloth featuring cherubs and roses. You probably figured out that roses are a bonus for anything I make for Vivi.

I’m thankful that someone had the foresight to save the remnants. From the first time I saw it, I imagined one of those cherub medallions in a granddaughter’s dress. Finally, the time has come.

each cherub is 3″ tall

The plan is to modify a bishop with several inches removed from the front. That would leave a flat area on the Swiss voile for the single cherub. As you can see, it is already pinstitched to the voile. I love love love pinstitch and use it whenever possible. This time a #100 needle was used instead of a wing for fear that a wing would cut through the dense portions of the lace.

cherub medallion secured to Swiss voile with pinstitch W 2.5 L 2.5

Continue reading →

15 Comments

Posted in antique/vintage textiles, girls, heirloom sewing

Tagged , , , , , ,

Beauty and the Beast Spa Wrap

Posted on March 17, 2017 by | 2 comments

This cute spa wrap isn’t green, but there is a bit of the color in the trim.

What a fun little project this is!  My older granddaughter loved her monogrammed wrap and those I made for her Spatacular 8th birthday party guests. There was also one for each girl’s American Girl doll (see that tutorial here).

Laurel would love one with the Beauty and the Beast design, available from iBroidery.com for Brother Disney embroidery machines.

She is our little drama queen, but not in a bad way. Laurel has been performing in local stage productions since she was 7 and acting as narrator in Beauty was one of her favorite roles. Continue reading →

2 Comments

Posted in accessories, Disney, Disney projects, machine embroidery, party accessories and ideas, Tutorials, uncategorized

Tagged ,

How good is good enough?

Posted on March 12, 2017 by | 9 comments

children with their teepee bags at my grandson’s 8th birthday party

This is a question I have struggle with frequently. Does EVERY project require or deserve perfection?

Most recently, my struggle focused on the party favor bags for my grandson’s 8th birthday. The party had a sports theme, with a football pinata and soccer field cake. My contribution to the festivities was 12 teepee bags (click here for the post with the free pattern) 3 each from football, baseball, basketball and soccer novelty fabrics. After enjoying the bounce house and the girls swapping clothes and changing again and again with the garments in the dress up box, the bags were stuffed by the children with the spilled contents of the smashed pinata.

Like most of you readers, I am very, very busy. But I am also very, very fussy about my sewing. Often I ask myself, is it better to sew more with a few imperfections or better to sew less and get my projects as close to perfect as possible? In fact, I rarely achieve results even close to perfect. Continue reading →

9 Comments

Posted in bags, Basic no-embroidery Machine Projects, free patterns and designs

Tagged , , ,

Pete’s Dragon Sleepover Set

Posted on February 23, 2017 by | Leave a comment

Part 1 of the 3-part detailed tutorial for the set is now posted here at Brother’s blog, Stitching Sewcial.

What a fun project this was! Disney’s machine embroidery designs at iBroidery.com reflect the awesome and mighty protector Elliot who has greater appeal for today’s action hungry youngsters. While the ’70’s version featured the sweet but goofy purple cartoon dragon Elliot, this 2016 dragon is the real deal. See the trailer here.

The set includes an a stippled sundry bag for his toothbrush and personal grooming items, embroidered shirt and shorts pajamas set, and a pillowcase with a burrito/turn tube hem. A drawstring makes it a tote for carrying all his gear to a sleepover.

You can see that the buttonhole is empty. For the child’s safety, the drawstring must be removed when the tote becomes a pillowcase.

The fun part of this design is the glowing fire spewing from Pete’s angry mouth. After the design was embroidered, I went back over that section with glow-in-the-dark thread. The design is positioned so that as a child lays his head on the pillow, he is looking at the dragon. In the dark, this is what he sees:

Each of my 4 grandchildren are fascinated and delighted by glow-in-the-dark embroidery.  Why not try it on this pillowcase/tote? Part 1 of the tutorial is now posted here at Brother’s blog, Stitching Sewcial.

Leave a comment

Posted in accessories, bags, boys, Disney, Disney projects, machine embroidery