Busy Stitching!

The Elegant Stitches Retreat is coming up soon and I am busy.

I am making the bonnet in White Nelona Swiss Batiste and I am liking it. 

I think my students will like this fabric and lace too!!

Yummy to work with! 

But I keep thinking..."What little dress do I want to make to go with this bonnet?" 

Hemstitch Baby Gown/Class Sample

This is my Class Sample for "Hemstitched Baby Gown".  The class is SAGA approved.

I have been showing you snippits of the article I am doing with hemstitching, but can't show you the dress!!  So I thought I would show you a different dress with hemstitching so you can see the beauty of hemstitching as it is incorporated in a garment.

Another cold day in front of the fire.   I began my day with oatmeal (Old Fashioned, of course), Cranberry juice and Tea!

Good thing I have lots of hand work to do or I would not be able to indulge myself with such wonderful days in front of the fire.

What I am stitching.

Close up of my Hemstitched Baby Gown class sample.

Hemstitching lace to fabric.  On my Lessons for my Sewing Room list of to do's!

Close up of part of the hem.

One of the neatest stitches on this gown is the flower I have named the Irish Rose.  It is an eyelet surrounded with Bullions. You see it on each side at the bottom of the design. I did not invent this flower.   I found this flower on an antique dress, figured out how to do it and wrote the instructions for it.  You can find stitch instructions for these embroidery stitches in my Embroidery Book.  The hemstitching will be in the book I am working on.

White Wednesday Featuring French Acadian Christening Gown

Pretty hand hemstitching on the yoke.  

 French Acadian Christening Gown made by Susie!   

I am participating in "White Wednesday" with Faded Charm Cottage!

French Acadian Christening Gown.

Susie sent me pictures of this gown she made.  She took the French Hand Sewing  class I taught at a SAGA convention and this gown was the project.  Didn't she do a fabulous job?  It's a wonderful picture too, with the back lighting.

Susie's  Embroidery is so prettyl!  

Notice all the Featherstitching!! And most of it is the Antique Featherstitch.  Ooo Laa Laa!! I love it!!

A Program with the French Hand Sewers

Learning how to work the Snail Shirring on Swiss Edging.

A Happy Group!

All the ladies in my SAGA guild are nice.  And enthusiastic too!  It was fun teaching my Snail Shirring Bonnet class to them.  We have split the class into two  programs.  This is very good because they can go home and work on their bonnet and be ready for the next step.  My guild likes to learn things progressively.  I think it is a good thing because you really get to learn a technique instead of just try it.

Snail Shirring Bonnet Class

Snail Shirring Bonnet

This cute  little Bonnet features the unique method of gathering fabric that I call "Snail Shirring".  I named it Snail Shirring when I needed to call it something for an article I was doing for the  Creative Needle May/June  issue in 1992.  It was the second article I did for my column "The Old Fashioned Baby" (named after my business).  I named it Snail Shirring  after finding it in an old sewing book.

Swiss Batiste, Baby Entredeux, Silk Satin Ribbon, Mother of Pearl Buttons and fine Swiss Edging.

Ready to  go into the kits.

Getting the kits ready  to teach the this Bonnet Class for the French Hand Sewers SAGA guild.  You can see more of this stitch by visiting the pretty things on The Southern Matriarch blog.

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Baby Bonnet Class for Elegantly Stitched

Bonnet that my class will be making at "Elegantly Stitched -an Heirloom Sewing Event".

I am excited about teaching for Elegant Stitches in North Carolina.  April will be a wonderful time to be in North Carolina and the event is being held in a beautiful Hotel.  It will host three teachers and each student will have a full days class with each teacher.  The bonnet above is the class that I will be teaching.  It is my copy of another creation of   Alice Virginia Gordon, Jamie's talented late Mother In Law and it is beautiful!!   For Information, go to Elegantly Stitched.

Circa 1920 Baby Gown by Martha

Martha's Lovely Circa 1920 Baby Gown. Photo courtesy Southern Matriarch.

Isn't this a beautiful Baby Gown?  Martha was in my two day French Handsewing Class at the SAGA 2009 National Convention, where she began this gown.   She has finished it in record time (especially for a class project)!   Her work is fine!!   I hope she inspires you to finish your class projects too.

She will be the first  to receive this Certificate!

 

Yeah Martha!!! 

Read more about it!

Teaching for the Seaside Smockers/T-Yoke Gown

The Sea Side Smockers!

What a wonderful group of  ladies.  I had a great time teaching for them.

Learning.

And aren't they good listeners?

We worked on the gown on the left.

I am looking forward to seeing all the little T-Yoke Gowns made by the Seaside Smockers on display at Show and Share next year at the National SAGA Convention which will be held in Norfolk!

My Bags are Packed for Norfolk/T-Yoke Gown Class

Old  Fashioned Baby T-Yoke Gown, Dress and Christening Gown Pattern.

 I love the class I am teaching for the Seaside Smockers.  It is the "T-Yoke Baby Gown" class. A two day class (one thing I love about it!).  This class has some very useful techniques that look difficult but are not.  You just have to know how to do them! As my students follow along in class, stitching, they are amazed at what they can do.   I love the happy look on someones face when they are pleased with their accomplishments.  That's the best part of teaching.  See Martha's finished gown at Southern Matriarch.

Getting ready to teach the T-Yoke Gown class to the Seaside Smockers.

I have started this gown in Green Fairy fabric so I can show the steps as we progress in class.

 

Little pink Bullions Roses on the green sleeve.

  I am also making a dress from the same pattern with the Green Fairy fabric (are you thinking I love this lovely green?) but I am going to eliminate the ruffle on the dress to change it up a bit.
One of the neatest things about going to teach this class for the Seaside Smockers is that one of their members is the reason this pattern exists.  Jamie has shared many of her wonderful garments with me, allowing me to copy and be inspired by them.  More on Jamie and the history of the T-Yoke Gown another time!

SAGA Class "Circa 1920 French Handsewn Baby Gown"

Gown from SAGA French Handsewing Class.

Click on Photo's to enlarge.

This is for all you ladies in my  two day class French Handsewing Class, who wanted close ups of the Baby Gown we were making.

This gown was stitched entirely by hand.

Didn't we have a real good time?

Embroidery on Yoke. Closeup of where yoke is attached to gathered skirt.

Skirt

 

Hem embroidery and Snail Shirring Ruffle.

The lace on this gown  has been Pinstitched to the Snail Shirred ruffle.

Genuine Certificate you will receive if you complete your gown byApril 1.

Same goes for Antique Bonnet Class!

If you have any questions, leave a comment for me and I will get back to you.

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?

 

 

Antique Christening Bonnet Class

One of the classes I'm teaching for the National SAGA Convention this year is "Antique Christening Bonnet".  I've decided to make up the bonnet in the same materials I will be using in  the students kits for this year and I  couldn't help myself, I re-designed it!  Well, I drew up a new embroidery design, anyway.    I am now ready to cut out the pattern and begin stitching.  I can't wait...my fingers are itching to get going on it.

  Before I print out the pattern for the entire class, I want to see it finished to make sure I still love it as much as I did on my  design board.  I think I will, I like it even better than Bonnet #1. I will give my students both designs.   It's a pretty design and the antique lace is lovely.  The fabric is a soft ecru Swiss Batiste.

Lovely Antique Lace for Kits!