Heirloom Sewing and More ...

Around the first of the year, I wanted to make a little boy's baptismal outfit for a friend. I am new to Heirloom sewing but I wanted it to be extra special. I bought Creations by Michie' pattern #107, Banded Boy Bubble. The fabric that I used was a light blue cotton sateen. I went to the Lace Cottage and bought several yards of a tiny ecru edging lace and several yards of an insertion lace. I made view C from the pattern and learned a lot as I progressed with this project. I made a 6 month size. I learned how to apply edging lace to pintucks, made a faux waistband and suspenders adding the insertion lace down the center of the suspenders. I made the bottom of the bubble and learned how to add elastic around the leg/crotch area plus used snap tape. I referred often to my sewing books for help in making this bubble. Everything was done except the buttonholes when I didn't set the machine properly and ended up messing up the top buttonhole. As I took out the stitches, I made a mess of the fabric. Instead of starting over, I carefully unpicked the back and cut away the damaged fabric. Then I created a placket and did the buttonholes over again correctly. I added the placket to the back of the pants and embroidered his name onto it. I was very concerned that it might not fit the baby. However, it fit perfectly. His baptism was on July 20th and his mom was thrilled. Now I'm making a wedding dress for a friend. I'm trying not to go crazy over this ...
Happy Sewing!!!

Sewing thru Summer

Over the past few months, I have been teaching and sewing a lot ... just not for myself. Our ASG chapter sews training dolls for St Jude Children's Hospital. I just finished up 12 dolls and turned them in. Our chapter's goal is to sew 50 dolls each quarter. It is very simple sewing. Here's a pic of what the dolls look like when done.

 

Also, I am making a little girl's baptismal dress and a little boy's baptismal bubble. The patterns are from Creations by Michie' "Infant Tucked Gown #108" and "Banded Boy Baby Bubble #107". The instructions are for a more advanced sewist but the outfits are very cute. Pictures will follow when I finish the details. My big project this summer is sewing a wedding gown for a friend at church. We will have a fitting of the muslin this evening and the completed gown will be made up by this coming weekend. She will send the gown out to be beaded at that time. The wedding is Aug 23rd. I am keeping very busy with sewing like a madwoman. Once these big projects are finished, I'm taking some time to sew Great Copy's Sedona Skirt for me and will be purging my sewing supplies, fabrics and notions. It will be a long process as I have 40+ years of accumulation of which a lot of it has been over the past 14 years. I realize that as hubby and I grow older, we need to downsize and not leave a huge mess for our daughter to handle.

 

Our daughter, Sarah, is in grad school at Wesley Theological Seminary. She is starting her 2nd year of working on a Master's of Divinity degree and is on track to become an ordained Deacon in the Methodist church. Her focus is on children and youth ministry. We are so proud of her and the young woman that she has become.

 

 

 

Happy Sewing Everyone!!!

My Sewing Corners

These are pictures of my living room and my sewing stations. The top picture is my Horn cabinet with my Ellisimo and Pfaff 4874 serger. Under the living room window, in front of the china cabinet, is my new mahogany table with my Babylock Melody sewing machine. The next picture is a close up of the table with the drawer opened. The drawer holds my manual, bobbins, sewing accessories, scissors, and other little sewing tools. It makes it very convenient. There is a shelf under the table which is perfect for holding the quilt extension table to my Melody. It fits perfectly in the little corner of my living room. The last photo is a view of my living room from the doorway to the bedrooms by the side of my piano (not shown). Our home is small but I love that I have space to be creative. One of these days, I'll have a sewing studio but this has worked for the past 30+ years. Happy Sewing!!!

Christmas 2013 ... A Little Bit of Embroidery

Christmas sewing was done within 10 days and almost everyone had their gifts by Christmas Eve. Here are some of the projects that I did over Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were so much fun to do and I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I do believe that my family loved their gifts and I now have over 4 million stitches on my machine. I do love sewing and embroidery.

Happy New Year!!!

 

My Pfaff 1371 Died ...

When I took my Pfaff 1371 in for servicing, I learned that the mother board, circuit and display boards had died. It was 25+ yrs old and I was going to let my daughter take it to school with her so she and her friends could do some sewing. Now, I don't have a sewing only machine. After looking over the Babylock website, I fell in love with the Babylock "Melody" sewing machine. It comes with an extension table, over 180 stitches, loads of presser feet and other nice accessories like a carrying case and a supply of tools. However, the MSRP was $1799 which was well above my budget. I looked at the "Rachel", the "Molly", and the "Amelia" machines which were more in line with what I could afford. While hubby talked to my dealer, I was looking at all of the machines. Then they came up to me and told me that there was pre-owned "Melody" that had just been serviced and had all new inside parts since the previous owner's home had been struck by lightening. My dealer and hubby thought that I would like and it was just a little over my budget but hubby would get it for me since he knew how much I wanted it. I am so blessed. So my early Christmas gift is the "Melody" ... I am thrilled beyond belief. I've already taken her for a test run as I work on a Christening/Baptismal gown.

Set-Back ... Best Laid Plans

Once my broken foot healed, I really started sewing. A young military mom contacted me about sewing for Threads of Love so we met and made a stack of baby blankets and she bought fabric for the little gowns to go with them. I finished up some alterations and was looking forward to making some gowns and a few baptismal outfits when I slipped and dislocated my right shoulder. Can I say "ouch"!!! I cannot sew for the next 4-6 weeks as my right arm is in an immobilizer. I'm biding my time by reading sewing blogs, sewing books, and watching Sewing DVDs plus home renovation shows on TV. My husband had injured his neck and left shoulder at the end of July and he still cannot drive. We are depending on friends, neighbors and our faith family to get to the store, grocery shopping, doctor appointments, etc. We would be lost without them as they are indeed a blessing to us. I'm hoping to hurry up and heal because I have been asked to design and create a wedding dress. The wedding is not until August 2014 but I want to get started on the muslin and get the fit issues settled before cutting into the satin fabric and tulle overlay. The groom has asked me also to make a dress for his mother to wear to the wedding. I have lots of things to do and need to heal quickly.
Happy Sewing Everyone!!!

Sewing in the Summer ...

Still doing lots of hemming and repair projects for church members and teaching sewing classes. I have started on a Christening/Baptismal dress for a friend and it will be gorgeous when finished. I am using Creations by Michie's Infant Tucked Gown pattern. By the way, for style inspiration, be sure to check out Mimi G's blog at mimigstyle.com. Her hashtag is #mimigstylegiveaway. She has some great sewing tips and makes fantastic clothing. Also, don't forget about Thread's magazine. It is one of the best sewing magazines on the market.
Happy Sewing!!!