picking buttons

I sewed a couple of bishop dresses over the summer to learn this wonderful sewing pattern.

Then I promptly left them laying in my sewing room waiting for hems and buttons.

I recently went and got buttons for this one.

It is late enough it can no longer be a Christmas dress so we can go for Spring!

I'll post one of my girlie wearing it later but for now you can have this little peak.

Lady bug fat quarters

I purchased a darling fabric fat quarters bundle when I was pregnant.

Playing around with them I had a t first thought to make a little quilt top.

But then I just couldn't resist the ladybugs being a little dress.

I did a little smocking in the center.

i was so proud of myself for finding floss that matched so well
then when I was done wished it hadn't matched so well
because you barely see it.

Instead of running it through a pleater I did the dot pleat method on the back of the fabric.

It was such a small area so I thought it wouldn't be too bad.

Made me glad I have my mum's pleater for big jobs though, smile!

In the back I left the skirt open and turned the edges under.

I wanted to ruffle the bum area and be able to see it.

I ran 1 1/2 inch strips through my serger to do a bound rolled edge.

Then I gathered, pinned and sewed them  across the bottom.

It turned out pretty cute and my baby looks darling in it!

Easter Ensembles

Easter Ensembles
Started to make these dresses for the Christmas season.
I finished them in time for Easter instead.

It's crazy how that works out. This time it was great!
The green smocked Dupioni works just as well for the spring.

My little man looked dashing in his new sweater vest that I knitted too!

I'm on a Treasury!

super fun stuff!
my gingham dress was selected for this cute treasury! It is only up for a limited time so go check it out on Etsy!
This dress is a size 4 for a dress but can be a girls blouse for older girls!
cute as a bug smocking

Peek at my Sails

Working on a panel for my little boy. This one has sail boats done using a picture smocking technique. I am liking it!

boy blessing ensemble

All finished! Made up in white striped pique and piped in aqua birds eye pique 100% cotton. These fabrics are so nice and the luster and sheen is gorgeous!
I decided to line the jacket with the aqua birds eye so I could make it reversible. That way he can wear it again as a Sunday jacket. I plan to make smocked pants out of the remaining aqua cotton.
The bonnet pattern I created myself. It has a faux folded brim that is piped in aqua and I put piping around the back where I gathered the body of the bonnet to the back.
Here it is modeled by my angel son.

In progress

Working on a blessing ensemble for W.
Here is a sneak peek showing the smocking panel.

I made the tiny piping with a cord and bias strips of lt. aqua birds eye cotton.
The white striped pique cotton fabric is gorgeous.
I purchased the fabrics from Farm House Fabrics.
I definitely recommend them. Lovely quality, worth the money!

a little heartbreak

Sometimes us moms get a little heartbroken.
My eldest daughter loves to write. So for Easter I included 3 composition notebooks in her basket.
One she promptly turned in to her diary. she was so excited to write in it her most private feelings and thoughts that she came and showed me her first entry.

she wrote (it is even hard to write it because it made me cry, deep breath)

"Easter is su post to be a fun halladay for everyone on the earth every were but it is not at my house at this year. My mom will not let me chose wich dres to weir.
I do not like the dres she put on me today."

oh it broke my heart.
Now she didn't think of that when she showed me this. She was just so excited to show me she was writing in her new diary.
I asked her why she didn't like her dress and she said that no one told her it was pretty in her Sunday school class.

I remember telling my mom, when I was 10 or 11, that I didn't want to wear a dress like my sisters (who were babies ages 6, 4, & 2) one Easter. So she didn't buy me a dress. That made me mad and so I went down stairs and sewed myself a dress. A yellow and white plaid dress. I even made bias tape to trim the neck edge and armholes with matching bias strips of yellow. I sewed it with black thread because I didn't know how to re-thread her serger sewing machine.
Eventually mom figured out I did want a dress, and she even bought me one. I just didn't want to be like the baby, because I was older.

I hope I can get over my heartbrake...
perhaps I just need to figure out my daughter's mind.
I think Hannah Montana needs to have a Heirloom style dress!

Vintage Baby

I have always loved vintage baby designs.

The more Old-fashioned made with love and by hand the better.

Here are some cute things I have spied...

Sweet & Simple Bubbles and Bonnets pattern.
Sew cute!

This Little Lord Fauntleroy outfit is angelic.
So is this delightful pram cover.

This embroidery design is very vintage and makes me think of my grandma.
When I was a baby, she made me (I'm her 1st grand child) a quiet book using embroidery designs such as these.
I still have it even though it's seen better days.

This blessing suit is very sweet and I really think it has a lot of love sewn into it too!

Click on the pictures for links to sites where I found these fabulous vintage baby items!

How to Smock!

I love smocking! I remember watching my mom prepare her fabric and roll it onto a broom handle. I also went to college for Fashion Design and took fine sewing classes and Heirloom sewing classes. I watched a Martha Pullen video on smocking once.... I vaguely remember it.
Once I had little girls of my own I deeply desired to smock for them. Then after that I subscribed to Sew Beautiful Magazine which has many smocking plates-stitch patterns in them so they are worth the money for that and the patterns inside them. Plus invaluable How To instructions!
My first dress I made is pretty poorly done. But after practicing and just doing it... I feel like I can smock anything I want to. I still need fine tuning of course. In fact I finally figured out bullion rose stitches, those are tricky! I love taking my freshly pleated fabric off the pleater. This is the exciting moment when I see the fabric and all the millions of possibilities of what I can do float through my mind. It is the same when I lay out a piece of fabric to cut it! Weird I know... I must be a fabric junkie, getting high on it! LOL
I found some places where they have tutorials.
the first one is Hot Mama's House, with a step by step on pleating. I usually follow the step by step in the pleater instructions, these are similar I think.
This site Creative Keepsakes has individual stitch directions. The key to smocking is the stitches catch the tops of the pleating and snuggly hold them together in a design.
They also have a No Pleater project Smocked gift bag pattern which could be a fun beginning get you started project. Since a pleater is a big investment starting at over $100.

I also collect all Vogue little girl patterns that have smocking. They include a dotted iron on to pleat by hand and step by step instructions that are really great.
My Pink dress has smocking adapted from a Vogue smocking plate.
Maybe I will do my own step by step in the future... until then I hope this is helpful and inspiring to you. You can do it too!

Sneek peak!

I am inspired by my recent SEW Beautiful magazine!
Little heart of Mine dress.
They have a cute and simple dress featured and I wanted try my hand at it!
My sneek peek is of the smocked bodice.
I have this vintage gingham and decided to create!

Pretty in Pink Batiste

all finished and church ready

i love how it turned out!
what do you think?

Pink Batiste Embroidery

This dress is coming along!

I love how the embroidered bullion roses are turning out!

I used to hate them because I had no Idea I was doing them totally wrong before!

Here I have roses blooming down the middle of the lace insertion and it really is pretty!
Here I created a cluster of roses a sort of medallion on the bodice yoke. I am having so much fun! Some things we have no control over, but creating something, that I can have control over! I get to choose the colors the shapes the way the lace goes on. I can feel happy when it goes right and I love to embroider and smock! It is a therapy!!!

I Love to smock!

This is where I was on April 7th. I can really listen well when I have something to occupy my hands.  So Conference this year was great to rejuvenate my soul and great to get my fingers sewing.  Here is the smocking complete on the bodice.  I will post more on the dress as I go along

Secret Garden Trellis

Working on a smocking design.

My inspiration is from the 'Sound of Music'
Remember the play cloths from drapes? This dress isn't from drapes.
But the green vest with the faux lacing down the front
give this feeling to me of that type of dress.

The skirt and the sleeve are in a floral and check print.
I have quite a lot to do left.
I will update on my progress!