Baby Slips

I'm working on another article for Classic Sewing Magazine, a cute baby dress with fine embroidery, lace insertions, entredeux and gathered lace. The lace insertion is stitched down the dress front thereby showing what is underneath the dress because its', well, LACE: open, airy, beautiful and very special. My hand shadow's through the laces.

 Now some folks may think it's crazy to put a slip on a baby. Why bother?? Well, let me give you some reasons.....

The slip fills in the area behind the lace. I've matched the slip color (white) to the lace and the center embroidered motif of the pink gingham dress. This is the dress with slip underneath it.

The slip fills out the dress, not like the old crinolines (heaven forbid!) but it does make the dress look prettier and shows the design(s) better. These dresses are the same pattern as the pink gingham one.

The slip covers up those patterned diapers! There's nothing more distracting to whomever is adoring the baby than to see those awful designs shadowing through the beautiful baby dress. In the photo below you can see the back placket showing through. Just imagine a patterned diaper: very distracting.

What type of slip is the best for each particular dress?  One that's made from the same pattern as the dress. It's easy to do: just eliminate the dress sleeves and use the same skirt and bodice patterns for the slip. Cut the seam allowance off around the armholes and neckline. Cut off enough of the skirt bottom to make sure it doesn't show beyond the finished dress skirt bottom. If lace, etc, is going to be added to the slip bottom, cut off a little more from the slip skirt pattern. Construct the slip in the same order as the dress. Use a hand shell stitch to finish the neckline and armholes.

     And there you have it: 

the perfect little slip for your perfect little baby dress.

Sewing Room Chaos!

 Chaos...yes, it's that time of year when I have WAY too many projects going. Just look at my desk: gift tags out of old Christmas cards in the white basket (saved from a strawberry picking excursion...love those baskets!), a baby Children's Corner Jeffrey in blue with smocked wagons and bears for my new great-great nephew, a large Jan Kerton UFO in the plastic container, the start of another Classic Sewing Magazine article, mending over the chair and a pile of books on quilting that someone gave me. Does your sewing room look like this??

Don't even mention the paperwork and reading to the left of the computer. Never ends.

My article for the Fall issue of Classic Sewing will feature this beautiful Liberty Lawn (Lillibet B: love the colors). I purchased it from The Sewing Room in Birmingham, AL. It's been pre-shrunk this afternoon so I'm ironing it out to get ready to lay out the pattern. 

Good thing, too, since I noticed the print is a one-way design! The project and write-up is due 1 April....folks don't realize how early these articles have to be submitted. 

As soon as this one is packed up and sent off I have to start thinking about the Christmas submittal....in April!! Never a dull moment around here. Maybe I'll have enough time to clean up my sewing room before starting that article. Happy Stitching and Sewing everyone!

Lace Fabric

Work has begun on another submission for Classic Sewing magazine...possibly the Holiday/Winter 2022 issue. Yup, I have to think "Christmas and Thanksgiving" holiday ideas. Ir's kind of hard in May and 90 degree weather, particularly when the air-conditioning is out in the upstairs of the house (my office/sewing room) while we wait for the new unit to come in....supply chain issues.

I can't tell you what the project is.....then it wouldn't be a surprise! But I can show you some of the techniques and trims I'm using for this special holiday "thing". Here's one photo with some trims and lace sewn together already.

It's fun making "lace fabric" although intricate using tiny zigzag stitches that go in and out of the entredeux holes, or sewing two trims together over their headings. I prefer to use 80 weight cotton thread and a small machine needle.

This is similar to Normandy lace pieces of old made from the gorgeous lace cap circles and other bits and pieces that were hand sewn together.  It's a lace quilt, if you will, where ladies sewed their saved bits and pieces of laces and trims into useable doilies, mats and other accessories. I'm fortunate to have some old examples of it.

The center of this oval lace mat has some gorgeous needle lace in the center of each large flower.

This rectangular mat stays safe on top of a small chest where I can see it.

There is a small amount of needle lace on this piece. The "mount" around the circular center is unusual and interesting.

The fun for me is choosing the beautiful cotton laces and Swiss embroidered trims for the project, and then sewing them together into a meaningful, beautiful project. Happy stitching!!

Jelly Roll Jacket and Dress

I just love it when I complete a big project...such a good feeling of accomplishment.

This is the Gail Doane project that is on the Summer 2016 issue of Classic Sewing Magazine. I was fortunate to take Gail's workshop in June at Chadwick Heirlooms in Richmond, VA. I figured I would make this for our younger granddaughter who would enjoy the whimsy, colors and style of the jacket and dress ensemble. This would be for her birthday...this September 5. Oops. I had put it aside to complete the Elegance Christening Ensemble and some other projects so it was time to "get hot" on this one! And I did...just in time to mail it to her for that special day.

One thing I had to keep in mind is our grand daughter's favorite color: yellow. Yellow and more yellow.  I chose this Jelly Roll (what you use to make all of the beautiful colored strips on the jacket and on the dress) because it had a prominent yellow fabric. So I used that yellow fabric down the center front of the jacket and down the sleeve center....

and across the back, which really highlighted her favorite color. The jacket lining is a yellow floral. So much fun for her!

Here's the matching dress.

It's so nice to have it done....now it's on to the next project: a lattice smocked black velveteen children's hand muff. But more about that later......