The Old Fashioned Baby Sewing Room: 12/1/12

Fine Heirloom Sewing, Smocking and Hand Embroidery

Sunday, December 30

Emma's Smocked Baby Dress is Dotted Swiss

This is Emma's Smocked Baby Dresses pattern.

The collar and cuff design are from an article I did for Sew Beautiful magazine. May/June 2010.

Guess who made it?

Suzette!!

Saturday, December 29

A Very Good Idea!

Suzette is working on this dress.

This is Baby Daydresses View 3 in progress.

The fabric is Swiss Batiste (Nelona weight).

This is the embroidery on the dress. It's beautifully done.

You can see the blue marks where she traced off the dress, if you look close. But she went a step farther. She machine stitched along the "lace placement line" and the front neck line of the dress. The machine stitching gives the fabric extra support when embroidering, especially if you like to use a hoop.

A very good idea!

Wednesday, December 26

The Day After Christmas

I love my Spode Christmas China... settled in on my French China Cupboard.

I am being totally lazy today. Not even dressed at noon!! But I do have fabric drying right now in preparation for cutting out a daygown.

I'm going to let it stay there awhile and continue to use and enjoy it.

I will love beginning the Daygown (actually I am preparing fabric for three different Daygowns!)

And I have ordered a Stock Pot for soups (on sale - free shipping) that I have been dying to own for months.

So that is something productive!

This ornament was made by my sister and is a picture of my parents taken in the war years. They were newly married during WW2. Notice my father is wearing a Army Air Core uniform.

I have a toasty fire downstairs in the fireplace and I look forward to stitching Tucks as I sit near it.

And I wish to all my Sewing Friends much Joy in this coming year.

"Rejoice in the Lord; again I will say, rejoice!"

Philippians 4:4

Saturday, December 22

Redwork Embroidey on Old Fashioned Baby Clothes!

Suzette made this cute Brother/Sister set of garments from my Baby's Summer Clothes pattern.

She did the embroidery in Redwork (which really just means embroidered with red floss).

I love them!

In this picture you can see both outfits completely. The Diaper Shirts are made from white Finewale or Babywale Pique. The under Bubble is red gingham.

Too Cute!!

And the close up of the sleeve shows you how Suzette used a Swiss Edging that has entredeux trim to finish it. Then she wove red floss in and out of the entredeux holes.

The boy sleeve (and collar) is trimmed with a red gingham piping.

She also made my Redwork Bubble from Best Embroidered Baby Clothes 2.

This is a garment that I made for Sew Beautiful Magazine. See here for a post about it.

I love it when I see my garments made up!!

Thursday, December 20

Three Things I Love

I Love Christmas Tea in my Sewing Room.

With a Friend!!

I Love watching Midsomer Murders on my (apparently dirty screened) IPad in front of the fire or anywhere else! (Thank you Suzette for the suggestion)

I Love my Brown Dog!

He is sooooo funny!! This is the exact step on my staircase where the cats like to sit and look out the railing to see whats going on. They are usually hiding from my Brown Dog. He wants to be just like them and do everything they do but he sure looks ridiculous!!

I keep telling him he's a dog but he doesn't get it.

That's why I send him to Doggie Play Day on occasion. He needs dogs to play with!

Have a happy day!

Tuesday, December 18

Cute Baby Summer Clothes

Suzette's cute creations using my Baby Summer Clothes pattern.

Straight Sleeve for a Boy on the left.

And a puffed sleeve and lace trimmed collar for a girl!

Complete with the bubble underneath it.

She used an outline and backstitch for the little Chick instead of Shadow embroidery.

It's very cute!

Friday, December 14

Suzette Sews Best Embroidered Baby Clothes 1

Suzette finished this Class Project.

Kinda cute, I think!!

Thanks Suzette for letting me show off your little dress!

The class featured hand stitched Whip or Overhand Tucks (seen below the lace insertion) and machine stitched 1/8" tucks.

The Whip Tucks were even done on the hem in a curve and accented with Bullion Rosebuds.

When I reprinted the Best Embroidered Baby Clothes One pattern, I included the design in my pattern. You can see in the illustration that I used a different sleeve, but the puff sleeve is also in the pattern.

Sweet and Old Fashioned!

Thursday, December 13

What I'm Reading... Have Mother, Will Travel

"Have mother, will travel" by Claire and Mia Fontaine

This is a good book for anyone who likes to travel and (or) especially for anyone who has a grown daughter. Funny, touching and spot on in many ways, as far as mothers and daughters go together!

Click to Enlarge this list from the front of the book.

On the left is the Mom's (mine!) to do list before the trip.

On the right is the 25 year old daughters list!

Bon Voyage!

Tuesday, December 11

Stitching by the Fire

It was cold this morning and I had a cozy fire to stitch by.

The first stitching fire of the season.

I am finishing up a slip, needed for a class this spring.

I have been embroidering old fashioned Bullion Roses along the hem.

Using two of my favorite Anchor floss colors.

Pink #48 and Green #1042

Of course, I haven't been sitting here alone! My Brown Dog is never very far from me.

And don't you think his color goes very nicely with the room?

I am enjoying my tea in my little Spode Christmas Teapot.

If you notice in the picture before this one...the Pot sits on top of the cup. Then, you just take the pot off the cup and pour yourself a cup of tea!

This cup of tea smells like Christmas, too.

Enjoy your morning!

Sunday, December 9

Baby Layette Daygown - per Suzette

Baby Layette Daygown

Suzette made this Daygown using a design I did for my Old Fashioned Baby column I wrote for Creative Needle Magazine (March/April 1998).

It is just sweetness in a baby gown!!

The yoke featured tucks with lace insertion positioned between them. On either side of the lace is Featherstitching and the embroidery is Pinwheel Posies. Pinwheel Posies are an easy alternative to Bullion Roses and also can be considered a more tailored flower.

Suzette's work is lovely.

The sleeve is my favorite part of the gown.

It is a pretty little touch that I had seen in an old daygown.

I had given my Daygown away and forgot how very pretty it is.

I need to make another one, I think!

Thursday, December 6

Baby Layette French Gown - per Suzette

Old Fashioned Baby Layette Pattern , French Gown View 4

A friend, Suzette, came to visit me.

And she brought several garments that she had made using my pattern.

Her work is exquisite and it was a treat for me to see them!!

The French Gown features Tucks and Embroidery.

I love that she tucked the sleeves and repeated the embroidery from the yoke.

The pattern includes the template and instructions for the Scalloped Hem. You don't see scallops on hems as much as you used to.

I absolutely love them. Very old fashioned baby!

Suzette also made the matching Bonnet from the Pattern. She used the hem template for the scallops on this bonnet. And she took the time to make the fabric ties, which are so sweet.

Many of the garments Suzette brought were class kits that she was inspired to complete. Let her be a good example to all of you with lovely garment just waiting to be completed!!

Wednesday, December 5

Baby Emma with Long Sleeves!

I love the long smocked sleeve!

Emma's Smocked Baby Dress

Sharon B. from Heirloom Creations in Lafayette (materials available from Heirloom Creations) used a sleeve from my Smocked Baby Clothes pattern to make this cute long sleeve dress for winter.

Hmm, I would love to see how this looks in yummy Swiss Flannel!!