Jeffrey Completion

 I haven't made a Children's Corner Jeffrey boys' button-on in a long time. It's amazing to me how quickly all the little ins-and-outs of the construction came right back to mind. Like the 90 degree turns in the stitching at the front and back of the outfit that require precise stitching and clipping. Memory cells are still working!😀

The smocking design is an old one: Teddy's Wagon Ride designed by Bonnie Lynn Suddath which is described as a beginning picture smocking design. I changed it and used 4 strands of floss for the wagons and Teddies, and enlarged the little guys. I also added bowties to each Teddy. 

Six buttonholes are required for this one. I don't mind doing them because my old 7570 Pfaff makes really good ones. Since this Imperial Batiste is rather thin I use a piece of plain tissue paper on the wrong side when stitching. It tears away easily when completed and gives a little extra support when stitching the buttonhole.

I do have a trick for opening them up easily: I 'sew" a pin on the inside of the bar tack at the end before I use the seam ripper to make the cut. The pin stops me from cutting thru the bar tack.

 

I've been using goodies from my stash whenever possible which gave me the chance to use this unusual striped piping for this project. The blue matches the fabric perfectly!

This button-on suit is for my great great nephew born a few weeks ago. A little white t-shirt will work for this since it's a 12-month size: he'll probably get to wear it this summer. It's so much fun to make something for a little one!