Last Year's Blanket Project

I wrote some posts last year about our local sewing guild's community service project.  We made blankets for the infants, children and teens at our local hospital.  I thought it was worth posting about the project again because it keeps continuing!  The sewing community has got to be one of the most generous groups of people out there.  If you read the link above, we did exceed our goal of 500 blankets several months ago and like I said, that number has continued to grow into this year--we are at 599 now!  This project didn't even begin until June 2010 so it hasn't even been a year yet.  One member brought 49 blankets to me this week (and that doesn't count all the others that she did prior to this). 

Sorry for the lack of pictures, but blankets take up a LOT of space!  I'm sure you understand that as soon as I get them, they go straight to the hospital.

Sewists are amazing!

Embellishments

I sent some blog pages of ideas from other people to dd the oldest a few months ago of t-shirt upgrades.  She took a plain t-shirt and added some embroidered stems with DMC floss, silk ribbon petals and Swarovski hot fix crystals.  It was a quick project that she did freehand and I think it really turned out very well.  I particularly like the colors, although I had a very hard time getting the whole shirt photographed (a recurring theme).  I think the pale aqua shirt did not contrast enough with the white background to allow for focusing.  The close up shot shows it much better.

Easter Dress Pictorial

Happy Easter everyone!  I didn't do Easter outfits for anyone this year, but I thought it would be fun to photograph (apparently very poorly!) some of the things I've made for past Easters.  Sorry again about the poor photography.  Anyway, this is an entirely random pull and doesn't include everything.  It does include things I've made for both dd's and only 1 thing for ds.  I assure you I made more than that for him, I just didn't see them when I was doing this!  And, after he got older, he wore his father's (very vintage!) bow ties.  Cute--no pics of that.  Here you go!

Brother/sister outfits with silk ribbon embroidery based on an old Sew Beautiful magazine.  Girl's dress is smocked (and pleated all by hand because of the gingham!) and really could've used some tatting or lace around the collar.  I didn't have any and couldn't afford to buy any either! 

Detail view of the silk ribbon embroidery insert on ds's romper.

Basic Yoke Dress with smocking, hand embroidery on collar and sleeve, with tatting around collar, sleeve, and tuck at the hem.

Detail view of the embroidery and smocking.

This really didn't photograph well at all!  It was also WAYYYY out of my comfort zone to do a loud, bold floral.  I didn't have much fabric at all and it had a flaw in it so I had to be creative, hence the eyelet around the bottom, sleeve, and neck.  The smocking about killed me as it is layered and I reduced the usual number of threads down to 2 strands (I think??).  That smocking plate was pulled rather sorta, kinda, in a way from an old issue of Sew Beautiful magazine.

Bishop dress in ivory Imperial batiste using a smocking plate from Original Designs in Smocking by Jenny Bradford  that mil gave me many years ago.  I have used that book more than any other source for smocking plates!



Bishop dress from last year.  I think this is smocked with an Ellen McCarn design.



I loved this dress!  It was featured in Sew Beautiful magazine several years ago.  I think there's was blue.  Anyway, I bought the fabric and laces while at a Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion and saw their sample dress.  It's made from silk dupioni and heavy cotton laces attached together to make the bodice.  It's hard to see the 'ribbon' along the waist here--this pic is really bad! 

Detail view of front of dress.

Back of dress.  It is closed by snaps which you then cut out motifs from the ribbon and sew on top so it covers up your stitching lines.  I thought that was a neat feature.

Basic Square Yoke Dress made in a very soft, barely pink corduroy.  Smocked in an equally pale pink with irridescent beads which was yet another plate from the Jenny Bradford book

I think you can see the beads better here!

End of pictorial!  Happy Easter!

Mini Bow Tucks Bag Questions

I thought I'd answer the questions I received about the Mini Bow Tucks Bag in my last post.  Thank you for posting comments!

First, from Homemade Pineapple Marshmallows who asked, "Did your sweet daughter ever finish up hers?" 


No, the dd has not finished hers yet.  She has mentioned finishing it.  Does that count?

Next, from kbenco, "Do the ties at each end hold the folded bag ends together? It looks to be a clever design. I hope you get lots of use from it, they look very complicated to sew. "

Here's a better picture of how the tie ends work:

Untied and unfolded.  You can see how the opposite side is folded in.

All tied!

So, yes, they do hold the folded ends together.  It wasn't very hard to sew at all.

Thanks again for the questions!

Mini Bow Tucks Purse

I've dropped out of the sewing world!  No, not really.  I have yards of fabric to show, but for now here's a small project that I completed recently:

Min Bow Tucks Pattern

Outside of completed bag, using fabrics purchased from a local quilt shop last year

Inside of bag and all the pockets!

These bags have been the 'thing' to make with our local sewing guild members.  I think I'm probably the last person in the guild to have made one!  I like having a custom handbag to carry but I this one needs some adjustments for the next time I make one.  The handles need to be longer and some of the inside pockets need either a zipper or velcro closure to prevent everything from falling out when the bag tips over!

Now, back to my other project:  painting!