Stockings Were Hung...

It is a tradition at my house to hang a stocking representative of the owner's personality. Hubby has wrangler jeans with a pocket, son has camo style hunting boot, etc. I needed to add one suitable for that "techy" guy that always, even at his young age, seemed older than his age. 

The perfect solution was to recycle one of my husband's dress shirts that was headed for the discard pile.  A little embroidery on the collar, a new "bow tie" from my stash of Christmas fabric 

, recycling the cuff for a loop and a pen in the pocket suited his personality perfectly!

What are some of your Christmas traditions? 

Homemade stockings? Pj's?

Now to contact Santa to make sure he knows to fill ALL these stockings hanging from my mantle!

Merry Christmas!

Renee 

Gingher Gifted

I recently was told to meet a particular lady outside after worship services, she had a gift for me.  She didn't know anything about sewing or the "tools" required but knew that this gift was well taken care of...

Her mother had passed away a few years ago and while going through her things had kept her  Gingher pinking shears, that were in the original box! I know her mother was a quilter and these shears must have been well loved and had many miles of fabric cut by their edges.  What a precious gift!!!!

It means so much to me to have them to continue the mileage and memories that can be made with sewing notions.  I have a jar of my grandmother's buttons, I still have all the patterns I used to make my daughter's dresses 20 something years ago as well as the Gingher appliqué scissors and shears I used to cut all her fabrics.  I have added several other Gingher scissors to my collection recently and know that they, too, will give me many miles of sewing pleasure.



What is your favorite pair of scissors?  What brand do you use?

Happy Stitches,

Renee

Christmas Memories

As Christmas approaches I hope you have your sewing projects completed, shopping done, gifts wrapped and groceries purchased! Since my children are grown and I'm still a few years away from grandchildren, our Christmas traditions have changed since little feet pattered into the room to see what Santa brought. We still gather, eat, exchange gifts and play games with the emphasis more on family time since my children live in another state. Christmastime brings memories of times past as the ornaments made with once tiny hands are placed on the "family" tree as well as the hanging of Hallmark ornament representative of each personality.

Christmas sewing was always a big deal for me and my daughter. She always selected her fabrics and would look through my magazines, books and patterns to find the "perfect" dress that no other child would have for the school Christmas performance and church services throughout December. Oh the memories involved in the creative process!!!

[caption id="attachment_973" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Double collared smocked bishop on a basic yoke dress-short sleeves for Southern Christmas temps.[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_979" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Smocked clothing can be worn anytime![/caption]



Merry Christmas and many happy memories!
Renee

Fired Up!

Typically this time of year you have to be "fired up" to get everything done...this week I have literally be "fired up"!

As I approached my studio Monday afternoon, I smelled smoke but thought maybe the neighbors were burning trash. As I opened the sliding glass door to enter, I saw SMOKE! Thank goodness hubby dear was working at home so after a panicked run back to the house to get him, we quickly shut everything off in the fuse panel and I started grabbing projects needed for Christmas orders! I called 911 and my neighbor (so she wouldn't freak out) and then she arrived and suggested we start pulling fabric outside. Ignoring the dispatcher's advice to stay out of the building, we pulled "big mama" (my Brother 600 PR) and the other 3 machines outside. Then with another panicked thought, I grabbed my smocking templates notebook and started to retrieve all my Australian Smocking magazines before my husband stopped me when the fire chief arrived. After finding no hot spots (they used this machine to do this, was interesting to watch) he suggested I call an electrician. My sweet neighbor and dear hubby helped carry all the machines and fabric inside the house. Husband took down the twin beds in the guest room (they only had box springs anyway, the mattresses went to the duck camp) and temporarily set me up to work on my projects in the guest room.


The next morning electrician declared the window heat/air unit the culprit. (I was concerned that I had too many machines plugged into the same outlet/s. Although I use serge protecters on each outlet I use a lot of electricity between the coffee pot, radio, iron and typically 3 machines going at a time.) Today dear hubby has already bought and replaced the window unit. Did you know bowls of vinegar will remove odor? Thanks sweet neighbor for that suggestion!

Hopefully will move back in the studio on Saturday and regain the momentum lost this week! Check your plugs....don't have too many things in one outlet, especially with all the Christmas sewing done this time of year. I've literally been "fired up"! Hoping all your Christmas projects are going smoothly!

Merry Stitching!
Renee

Sparkling Snowflake Smocked Ornament

Have you ever had one of those creative moments when things just come together?  Well, I did last week while preparing for my smocked Christmas ornament class at Couture Sewing Center in Macon, GA.  Yes, I had everything completed, packed in my bag and my list of "to-do's" completed. Then that lightbulb went off  and off course I went!



This was the proposed and advertised project.  All I needed was some foam board to make something for my students to block their project on.  A trip to a local Hobby Lobby was required...that's when I totally veered off the chosen project.  I found some cute glass Christmas beads that are strung for a bracelet. Not for me...I wanted to use them as "Dingle Danglers"!  As I told my class my story of inspiration and the cause of a different project from what they signed up for, a definition of a "dingle-dangler" was needed amidst a few confused looks.  You see, a "dingle-dangler" is something that dangles from the end of something.  So I swiftly came up with a new smocking template, instruction packet and more kits for this new project.  Lynn, owner of Couture Sewing Center, and all my students LOVED the new project complete with my new "dingle-dangler"



See the snowflake dingle-dangler?  What do you think?

Kits for both projects may be purchased from my webstore on my site for $14.  If you'd like a completed Sparkling Snowflake Christmas Ornament or the Tartan Christmas Ornament they will be available by the end of the week for $24.  Supplies are limited so place your order soon!

Happy Stitching,

Renee