The Old Fashioned Baby Sewing Room: Teaching

Fine Heirloom Sewing, Smocking and Hand Embroidery

Showing posts with label Teaching. Show all posts

Thursday, September 29

Saga 2016 - Fine Hemstitching on a Daygown

I love this Daygown with a contrast sleeve band attached with the Hand Hemstitch.

Last Thursday at the Saga Convention I was teaching this class.

The pattern is Baby's First Daygown.

If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see where the Bias Neck Binding is stitched to the Daygown using the Pinstitch. It's another pretty stitch with many applications.

In this Bonnet you can see the Hemstitching. Click to enlarge. The front band and also a tuck is attached with the Hemstitch.

The Bonnet is a reproduction of an antique.

There is a kit available so you can make it exactly like mine.

The pattern is Miss Bufords Bonnet.

This Baby Gown is from another class.

The pattern is Baby Layette. But I don't have the class instructions as a kit.

Sorry.

Lace has been attached to the yoke using the Hemstitch.

At the bottom of the Gown, there is Hemstitching which is pretty and old fashioned.

Hemstitching is something I love to do.

It's relaxing to stitch and beautiful to look at.

Keep the Needle Arts alive!

Wednesday, September 28

Saga 2016 - Fancy French Yokes

On Wednesday we had our first Convention Class.

I taught Fancy French Yokes.

It was a class on how to design your own yoke and the Machine French techniques needed to do this.

We talked about a Lace Design on the Yoke.

And how embroidery needs to be balanced.

The embroidery on the dress above is the same design as the picture before it. But with an added technique. Hemstitching. The lace in the center was hand hemstitched to the yoke. Some of my students continued on in my class the next day where they stitched the Hand Hemstitch. It can also be Machine Hemstitched if you have the sewing machine to do it.

We talked about stabilizing the yoke when it is made with lots of lace.

In the above dress (Antique Toddler Dresses pattern) the yoke is a square yoke. The ruffle has been added to it to create the look of a round yoke.

I love designing and I was pleased with the designs my students came up with!

I hope they learned lots.

"A Lovely Yoke will bring a persons eye naturally up to the childs sweet face. And this is where it should be. The garment should not overshadow the child but rather enhance and flatter the one wearing it. The rest of the garment can take embellishment cues from the techniques stitched on the Yoke but should never outshine the Yoke."

Jeannie B. 2017

Tuesday, March 17

Sunshiny Day for Stitching.

Such a nice day to embroider the sample Pillowslip for my Farmhouse Fabrics class.

Working on the Old Fashioned Double Featherstitching.

I learned this from an elderly lady in South Lousisana.

It's just like the Featherstitching you see on those antique garments. Unbelieveably lovely!

Although the focus of the Class is the construction techinques used on the Toddler Summer Dress, embroidery is an important part of the class.

Fun, fun and more fun…..

Saturday, February 28

Antique T-Yoke Baby Gown - Teaching

This is the gown in my "Antique T-Yoke Baby Gown, Dress and Christening Gown" Pattern.

I am teaching a class for the Smock Shoppe in Dothan, Alabama in a couple of weeks.

There is a choice between making the Baby Gown…..

…or the Baby Dress. The only difference is the length and the choice of sleeves.

Both are beautiful garments…with a history.

See this Post to read about the History.

Wednesday, February 25

Stitching by The Fire

It has been pretty chilly lately although I know I have nothing to really complain about, living in south Louisiana as I do.

I have been stitching on an Antique T-Yoke Christening Gown.

I am getting ready to teach for the Victorian Smockers-

Smocking Arts Guild in south Florida (yeah!).

We are having a 3 day workshop and are making a Christening Gown in addition to a choice of Baby Dress or Gown.

Stitching pretty Angel Lace edging to the sleeve.

Although it's too late to join us in Florida (don't you wish!!) you can come to Alabama to make the Dress or Gown.

What I'm reading - an Aunt Dimity book.

Later...

Friday, March 29

Teaching at Farmhouse Fabrics....Two!

I am continuing my posts about teaching at Farmhouse Fabrics.

We tucked our fabric before cutting it out using OFB Baby's First Daygown pattern.

During our lunch break, Sally, owner of Farmhouse Fabrics took us on a tour of the shop.

It is really a warehouse of fine fabrics, fun fabric, useful fabrics....fabrics, fabrics and lots more fabric. Plus trims, notions, buttons and lace. I'm sure I left something out!

The tour helped us know where we needed to find just what tickled our fancy.

We all went home with packages!

After lunch, it was back to stitching.

Ahhh, what good days they are when your sewing.

theres more to come.....

Thursday, March 28

Teaching at Farmhouse Fabrics

I always bring little garments I have made with me for show and tell.

I have been busy this spring with classes.

I enjoyed a nice Teaching Experience at Farmhouse Fabrics recently.

I was teaching a Construction/Technique class that featured a Daygown.

The Daygown had "under tucks" which is an old fashioned way to add fabric to a garment without bulk to the design. I will be showing this technique again for the Saga Retreat in PA next month.

We also made my Fancy St. Louis Snail Shirring Bonnet using matching fabric. This bonnet gave us the chance to learn and practice our embroidery.

I will be teaching this Bonnet for the Saga National Convention this fall in Frisco, Texas.

One student actually finished her bonnet!

I love three day classes. It really gives you time to learn and stitch the techniques.

Happy Sewing Ladies!!

You would love to take a class at Sally's Farmhouse Fabrics. The classroom is bright which makes sewing much more pleasant and easier to see your fine stitching too!

We were fed great meals at lunchtime.

A person needs to be nourished to find sewing energy!

More about my fun at Farmhouse next post....

until then....bye!

Thursday, January 3

I'll Be Teaching in Dothan, Alabama!

This beautiful Blue Linen dress will be our two day Class Project.

I will be teaching at The Smock Shoppe in Dothan, Alabama the weekend of February 22 and 23.

It will be a weekend filled with learning to improve your stitching skills and adding new ones as well as....well, just alot of fun!!

I hope to see you there!!

Mary, owner of The Smock Shoppe, holding one of her lovely creations.

The Smock Shop is a really nice place to be. It is filled with everything you could ever need for creating special projects as well as fun play clothes for children and babies.

And if you don't have a clue when it comes to deciding what is the best pattern, fabric and trim for your project, it's not a problem. Mary has the skill, knowledge and passion needed to help you. As well as classes that will teach you how to achieve your stitching goals.

I wish you all had a store like this in your neighborhood!

Saturday, September 29

Jeannie Teaches Baby Layette Class in Louisiana.

In November, I will be teaching a class in Youngsville, Louisiana for It's Sew Heavenly.

I will be teaching three garments used in a Baby's Layette.

A Sacque is one of the Garments we will make.

A Sacque is really just a pretty little covering to keep Baby's little arms and chest warm. In the South where I live, it can be used year round because some people keep their air conditioning on a cold setting! And in the North, it can probably be worn almost year round because the nights can be cool even in the summer (in some places). And in the winter it will make baby snugly in the chilly house.

Or, you might want Baby to wear it when visiting, just because it's so pretty!

We will enjoy stitching the lovely embroidery that embellishes it. And the feel of the wonderful Silk Satin Batiste it is made from.

With a pretty lace to finish the edges. And Silk Ribbon to tie it up with.

A matching Bonnet is included, of course.

And we will learn the old fashioned technique of Snail Shirring the Ruffle to the Bonnet.

Very interesting and pretty.

Finally, we will make a Daygown for Baby, using my newest Daygown Pattern "Baby's First Daygowns".

It will be a treasured heirloom ensemble for many generations to come.

To find out more about this 3 day workshop, visit Brenda's wesite It's Sew Heavenly.

This is my Pink Saturday post with How Sweet The Sound.

Tuesday, September 25

Day Two in New Orleans with Jeannie's Class

Class - Day Two:

Hem tucks are done and we're sewing our Swiss Edging to our skirt.

We stopped for a tea break in the morning.

Yummy cookies and wonderful hot tea.

Just the thing for a pick me up!

May brought a few of her tiny, tiny dolls from her collection to show me.

They are so cute. I love them.

May's Tiny Dolls (and gowns) will be a future post!

Can you believe this dress was almost completed in class? She just needs to finish the embroidery and the buttonholes. Everyone got way more done then they thought possible!!

Way to sew!

This picture is of the hem on my sample dress.

Featherstitching and Rosebuds!

And surprise! I am standing with Wendy Schoen.

We had the class in Wendy's classroom!!

Her shop is amazing!

And I covet her toys (that's bad, isn't it?).

I'll show you next post.

You'll understand.

Sunday, September 23

A Group of Cheerful Sewing Ladies

Aren't we a happy bunch?

This is the GNO SAGA group in New Orleans. I was teaching a class for them over the weekend.

We were happy because they did such an excellent job stitching the class project!

Finished the tucks and Fancy Yoke band.

Nice!!

Now, to stitch the Fancy Band to the yoke piece.

She is weaving 4 strands of floss through the "entredeux" holes of the Swiss insertion.

This is my sample.

We are making Toddlers Summer Dress.

The Tucked version.

Jane is the nice lady who I am staying with. She has a fantastic button collection. And amazing antique needlework tools. And a really cool sewing room. More on that in a future post!

Next time: Day Two with GNO Smocking Arts Guild!