Knick Knacks On My Shelf

Sisters - me on the right.

Mother when she was a little girl. 

Grandparents.

Antique Christening Bonnet Class Sample

I wanted to show my completed sample for  SAGA French Handsewn Bonnet class I am teaching at National Convention.  I am well pleased!  It needs a gown to be complete.  What gown to make?

 

 

The History of the Pricilla Daygown

I thought you might be interested in the history of the Daygown we are making from the pattern, "Priscilla's Layette".  This  pattern was inspired by an antique Daygown.  The original, View 1 - Classic Style was made for baby Priscilla, born in 1909, by her mother Maude.  The  hand worked stitches were fine, the hand made tatting was tiny and the love and care stitched into the little garment is apparent.  It was, of course, styled for a boy or girl baby.  This was a time before ultrasounds.  The only way to find out if baby was a boy or girl was to have  someone tie your  wedding ring on to a string and let it swing over your tummy.  Everyone would watch  to see the direction it spun.  " If a wedding ring or needle suspended over your belly moves in a strong circular motion, you’re having a girl. If it moves to and fro like a pendulum, you’re having a boy"  excerpt from an article on Amazon.com.
The drafted pattern and embroidery are my own but the inspiration came from the creation of Priscilla's Mother.  The daygown was shared with me by Maude's Grandaughter (Priscilla's daughter), my friend, Ann.

Picture of Ann as a little girl.  Sewing, of course!

  When you make this little gown, think about Maude and baby Priscilla.

Baby Gwen in Pretty Dress

Baby Gwen, what a doll! (click to enlarge photo)

Beautiful Baby Gwen is wearing an Old Fashioned Baby Dress made by her Mother, Wendy.   Wendy wrote  about making Gwen's dress on her blog Ivoryspring   and I thought you might want to vsit her and see what she did.  The dress is "Baby's Smocked Layette".  It has just a wee bit of smocking at the front and sleeves so it sews up quickly.  It was fashioned after a Vintage Dress I found.  It took some time before I was able to get the design just right, so it was pleater compatable but still retained the old fashioned look of the original.  I think I did it.

A September Morning In My Garden

"And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." and it was so.  ......And God saw that it was good.  Genesis 1:11,12

click on photos for closer view

 

 

Miss Eula and the Wonderful Featherstitch!

 Jeannie and Miss Eula, September 2009

My friend Bunny and I had  fun today!  We went to visit Miss Eula.  Miss Eula is the fine lady who taught me the Old Fashioned Double Featherstitch.  This is the Featherstitch often found on antique baby clothes.  I have never seen instructions for it in any of the old needlework books and I have never seen it stitched on anything except antique clothing, that is, until I met Miss Eula.

 Miss Eula does the Featherstitch.  Notice how she holds the fabric over her finger.

The wrong side of the gown.  See the back side of the tiny stitches.

When I asked her what advice she would give stitchers, she said "You have to have patience".  She was very patient with me as I learned how to make this stitch.  It took me several visits with her before I learned it!!     She is showing Bunny.

Miss Eula told me she learned this fine sewing when she married in 1943.  Her Grandmother-In-Law wanted  her daughters (including her Mother-In-Law) to get together with her and sew.  She joined the sewing circle as a new bride and just about every day they went to each others home and made pies, tarts and sewed.   They sewed baby clothes for the New Orleans shops.  They made money to supplement their farm income and had a fine time together.

  Miss Eula holds a copy of her Mother-In-Laws design they sewed for shops.

The Featherstitch is such a unique stitch.  Every person works it just a little bit differently.  As Miss Eula says "It's like a signature, no two people did the same Featherstitch".

The Christening Gown she is sewing.

The handmade baby clothes are part of  the history of South Louisiana.

They are the treasures made by creative and skilled needlewomen.

Miss Eula is one of them.

Miss Eula holding up a Christening Gown.

I love the Featherstitch.  It is on most of the embroidery designs I do for babies.  The Old Fashioned Double Featherstitch has come alive from the past, to me.  I teach it in some of my classes and you can find it in my embroidery book.  All thanks to this woman, who is such an inspiration to me.

Cheryl made Priscilla's "For A Christmas Baby" Daygown.

Cheryl  from time-really-does-fly  really did it.  And she did it so well.

She has made the little Priscilla's Layette daygown for A Christmas Baby. She went right to the finish!  It is lovely and I am so pleased to see it.

You can see it too.  Visit Cheryl's blog.

Lesson 3: Cut out and mark Daygown

It's now time to lay out our fabric, cut it and mark it.  Are you with me?? You can click on the pictures to make them larger.

1. Your Instruction Guide for Priscilla's Layette is the valuable tool that tells you what you need to know to make your garment.  It will tell you the order to put the pieces together and the method that should be used to put them together.   So get your Instruction Guide out. You should have already read the instructions for review.  We are making View 2.  The instructions refer us to View 1 for the layout guide.   You will use the pattern pieces listed in View 2 and follow the layout in View 1.  I am using the shorter (3/4 length) sleeve but if I lived in the North, I would use the long sleeve for View 2.  You need to cut apart the pattern pieces you will use (do not cut around the lines like a paper doll, just separate them).  I like to press mine with a dry iron to flatten them.  Be gentle so the pattern  doesn't tear.

2.  Layout - Fold the fabric as directed with selvages meeting.  Smooth out all the wrinkles.   Lay the pattern on top of the fabric as directed on the Layout Guide. Use pattern weights to keep each pattern piece in place while you arrange them.  When you have them just right, then you are ready to pin them in place.  This saves you the unpleasant task of unpinning the pattern to re-arrange it.

Pattern arranged on the fabric and held in place with Pattern Weights 

 

Vintage Look Pattern Weights

The Layout Guide shows the Bias for the sleeve and also for the Neck.  There is a Bias Sleeve pattern piece, but not a pattern  piece for the neck.  We are told to cut out the Neck Bias  using the measurment in Step 4.  We need to plan for this as we lay out our pattern on top of the fabric.  We need to make sure there is room for the neck bias.

Close up of three of the "OFB Vintage Look Pattern Weights" used to hold the pattern.

3.  Bias Binding - The fabric must be cut on the "true" bias (45 degree angle).  It is easy to do this if you have a ruler with the 45 degree angle on it.

Place the 45 degree line along the selvage of the fabric.  Use a fabric marking pen or pencil and draw the bias line.  Step 4 tells us the Neck Bias should be 12 1/2" long X 7/8" wide.  Draw the line 12 1/2" long.

I like to use my smaller 2" X 18" gridded ruler to trace the width (7/8").  It is more accurate because I can see the line easily. Trace the correct size.  You now have the Bias Neck band on your fabric.  We only need one piece for the neck but it is just as easy to cut two.   Shown here is a Neck Bias that is the same color as the gown.  Mine will be red/white mini gingham so I will use a separate piece of fabric to cut my bias.  It will require almost 1/3 yard of fabric to make.

 4.  Pinning the pattern - We want to make sure the pattern is laid onto the fabric correctly before we pin it in place.  Read the markings on the pattern pieces.  The Daygown Back must be on the Fabric Fold.  The Daygown Front is placed  along the selvage.  We don't want to line the pattern up right along the selvage because the fabric weave is tighter there and can cause your gown to pucker.  We will avoid the edge and move our pattern piece in about 1/2" to 3/4".

The black cutting line of the Daygown Front is placed a short distance from the selvage.

The seam allowance for this Daygown is not large (1/4" and 3/8" in places) so it is important to pin the pattern securely to the fabric.  If the pattern slips while you are cutting, you can change the seam allowance which will affect the garment pieces going together nicely.

Pins are placed along the cutting line, closely spaced.  Take care that corners and curves are secured.

When we pin the sleeve, we need to make sure it is pinned on the straight of grain of the fabric.  This affects the fit and is very important.  Pattern pieces that are not placed along the selvage or the fold usually have a Grain Line printed on the pattern.  It is a straight line with little arrows on either end.  The Grain Line needs to be parallel to the selvage of the fabric.

  

Line up the ruler with the grain line and the selvage.

 Here you see the ruler lined up with the grain line.

Line the ruler up with the grain line.  Both the grain line and the selvage should be straight.

5. Cutting Out - Cut on the outside of the black cutting line.  If you cut inside the black cutting line, you are cutting the pattern smaller than it was designed to be.

I like to use a 7" Scissor instead of the larger, more standard size.  I find when cutting out little garments, I have more control of the scissor when it is smaller.

6.  Marking the fabric -  It is important to mark the pattern before unpinning.  Your pattern guide will tell you what you need to mark.

Insert Pins at the top of the buttonhole and use a fabric marker to mark them.

Do the same to mark the dots that show where fabric will be gathered.

An easy way to mark buttonhole placement is to insert a pin at the top of every buttonhole and mark with a fabric marker .  That will insure that they are correctly and evenly spaced.  Use a fabric marker to mark a dot where the pin is. Later, when you are ready to sew the buttonhole, use the button to get the correct length.  We will mark the entire buttonhole later, when we stitch them.  Use the same method to mark the dots that indicate where the gathering will be.  It is also used to mark the back of the sleeve so you can tell it from the front.  The pin goes all the way through the fabric so you can mark both sides.

Mark the foldline for the front facing at the top and bottom  and use a ruler to trace the entire fold line.  Only the inside fold line needs to be marked (the line farthest away from the edge of the fabric).

Place a piece of masking or painters tape on the wrong side of each piece of fabric.  It is important to know the right side from the wrong side.  If the tape does not stick, use a tiny safety pin.  Keep the pattern piece attached to the fabric with one pin until you are ready to sew that piece.

All ready to begin sewing.

Please let me know if this information is useful by leaving me a comment or a question.  I will answer them as often as I can.

Next Lesson - Begin Sewing.  Make sure your Sewing Machine is clean and in good working order!!

I Went to the Birmingham Creative Needlework Market

This little girl went to Market!! I go as a Vender, showing my Old Fashioned Baby products, but I also go to see what is available, what is new, what the fabric and lace looks  and feels like up close and personal.  I look for fabric, trims and lace that inspire me.  I need things to use with my new designs and like to have beautiful things on hand to choose from!   It was a great market with some new venders, new customers and alot of excitment about sewing  heirloom garments as well as play clothes. Guess who came to my booth??  It was an Old Fashioned Baby!!  And a very cute one too!

 Cute little Baby with her big brother is wearing French Bonnet from Baby Bonnets One  and  Baby Rose Raglan Dresses.

I took a few picture of some of the companies we all know and love, but did not have time to take more pictures and there were tons of companies and designers you would love to visit with.

Ginger, from The Childrens Corner is in her booth showing the customers what is new and just how cute everything is when it is made up!  It is so much fun to see their garments in person and see which fabrics they choose when sewing up their creations.

The Old Fashioned Baby Booth!!(notice they mis spelled my name!! bad!)  All my patterns, Jewelry, Book and tons of Mother of Pearl Buttons!

Jeannie's design with Maline Lace,  featured in Sew Beautiful Magazine

Lace! Lace! Lace!

We all love lace!  And there were three of the Lace companies showing and selling their products.  You would think you'd died and gone to Lace Heaven!!

Here are Cyndy and Moe, owners of Capitol Imports.  They took time during a lull at  market  to pose for me in front of their booth.  They are always working to get  us even more fabric and lace designs in the best  quality and the best  price too! Beautiful Lace - Lovely Lace - Love their Lace!

Bear Threads owners Jim and Sheila Nicol along with Bear Threads namesake were busy showing customers their  wonderful  laces and fabrics.  They even have the hard to find "Handloom"  swiss embroideries available to customers.  Heavenly Lace, Lovely Lace, Love their Lace!

Elizabeth at The 1752 Company was busy every time I made the loop around market so I am showing you one of their lovely  Embroidered Nettings.  They are known for their English Nettings and have more than any other lace company.  They also carry others laces. !!!Love their Nettings!!! Love their Lace!!

What was HOT at Market!!??!!

Besides the new Old Fashioned Baby Patterns, that is.

These Buttons were going like Hot Cakes!!  They look like large M&M candies but are Dot Buttons.  Jeanne Rogers Wamack (of the Smocking Plate fame) had these packaged in bags with tons of different colors.  This is a sample of some of them.  They are so neat because they are NOT shank.  There is a little hole that goes from one side of the button to the other  and doesn't show.  It makes the buttons so easy to sew onto fabric. They are about 7/8" wide. She had cute ideas about how to use them as an embellishment on childrens clothing and other things. I know some of you already know things you would want to use them for, just by looking at them.  Check with your local shop, if they don't have them, call Jeanne at 205 823-1514

This was a Wholesale market and many Shop owners were busy selecting exquisite lace and fabric, patterns and anything a person could want.  Their shops should be loaded with goodies as they put out their precious stock!  Ask your local shop what they brought back from Market??