Help Tornado Victims

Recently while doing my regular scrolling through Pinterest, I came across a pin that could make a difference in a young child's life.



"Sewing to Rebuild" is an effort by several handmade businesses to clothe the children that have been affected by this terrible tragedy brought about by the recent tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. Being a hurricane Katrina survivor, I can well relate to no electricity, water or readily available food. I cannot, however, imagine what it would be like to exit a storm shelter or worse yet have hidden in a "safe" area of the house to see my worldly possessions tossed around like matchsticks.

By utilizing your sewing skills these businesses have made it possible to contribute handmade clothing that will be distributed to the young victims of this terrible storm. Once you visit the link, you'll see all the necessary information regarding the distribution and all the instructions to get these items into the right hands. They have even provided free PDF patterns to get you started if you need help with younger sizes.

For my local readers, I am planning on sending a box by the end of the week with a few items I have appliquéd as well as a stuffed animal or two. After all...these children might need a little extra TLC after what they've been through!

Check it out and make a difference in a child's life!

Happy Stitching!

Renee

Antique Sewing

I can remember seeing my "Mammaw"'s treadle sewing machine in the back bedroom of her home.  As I laid in bed, giggling with my sister, the value of all the "old" things and quilts surrounding the machine wasn't appreciated.   The summers I visited her in Bedford, Indiana I always learned something about sewing as she worked on doll clothes for a bisque doll-maker.  I remember her lining one of my bathing suits as a pre-teen with an old slip she had because we discovered it was see-thru when wet!  Her patience as she allowed me to jam up her machine numerous times as I sewed on the un-airconditioned "back-porch".    Now, as an adult, I appreciate the articles of times past and  I have begun a quest for all things vintage and dealing with sewing.

Remembering that machine in her back bedroom made me want an antique treadle sewing machine.  My children have been with me on numerous antiquing and flea market trips (they appreciate the old....maybe I influenced them??) as I hoped to find the "perfect" machine.

After a day of antiquing with my daughter, the  car was packed "to the gills". Our last stop was an antique mall on  Hwy 280 in Birmingham.  I FOUND IT!!!!  A Singer Treadle Sewing Machine that looked fantastic!  I have to admit, I don't know much about them, just my memories spurning this desire to "find" the perfect machine to remind me of my Mammaw and her love for sewing.



We quickly paid for the machine and wrote down the serial number, eager to do some research about the "story" of this machine, and promised to come back the next day with an empty car.  That night, I got on the internet and went to a site that could identify my machine.  My machine was a 1920 "66" model produced in Elizabeth, NJ on April 28.  My mammaw was born in 1911, so, that means my newly acquired machine was produced when she was 9 years old.



After reading up on some sewing machine history, I learned that there was a patent war between Isaac Singer and Elias Howe and Singer ended up losing and having to pay royalties to Howe.  Singer's machines were the first to sew front to back instead of side to side and had the treadle to power it instead of just a hand crank like Howe's.  Interesting, huh?  But back to my machine....

I've ordered a belt and need to find a bobbin case (anyone that has advice on getting an antique machine to work is appreciated) . The hand-wheel will move the needle and feed dogs so I'm in hopes that it will work!

I also picked up a few antique buttons and hankies that day in hopes of embellishing a sweetly smocked dress.



As Mother's Day approaches, I'm very thankful for the love of sewing I inherited from my grandmother and her daughter, my mother.  Now, when I see my "new" antique Singer treadle sewing machine sitting in my sewing studio, I smile and appreciate the "old" things sitting over in a corner.

Happy Stitching,

Renee

 

Picture Smocking for a Boy

It seems like lately all the babies being born that I know are boys!  So....have been doing a little planning and sewing boy clothes.

For my latest project, I used Michie Mooney's Jon-Jon pattern, which is SO easy to follow!  My first step is always to trace the pattern pieces onto lightweight interfacing.  I keep them filed in my pattern notebooks by size.  (If you'd like to learn how to organize your patterns, check out my blog post on Pattern Organization.)

One of the best parts of planning an outfit is selecting fabric!  I have PLENTY of fabric in my stash to choose from, but for this project, I let my daughter pick.  Since the outfit is for one of her friends, I texted pictures of various fabrics and smocking plates to choose from.  We started with ginghams and progressed thru corduroy and finally settled on Robert Kaufman's Remix Ovals in navy blue.   The recipient lives in Florida so this weight will be great for all year.  We also decided to make a 12 month size since most babies receive lots of "little things" and this will be ready for later!

[caption id="attachment_516" align="aligncenter" width="300"] S.S. Noah by Little Memories and Robert Kaufman Remix fabric[/caption]

The plate she chose was S.S. Noah by Little Memories.  I've had that particular plate in my possession since my daughter was little but I never got to make it for her.  It would be so cute done in pastels or brights for a little girl!

Next the fun part begins!  Pleating and smocking!!!  I adapted the pattern to fit a smaller insert so I eliminated 2 rows.  I figured the birds could fly a little bit lower in the sky and it wouldn't look odd, so here we go!  I also changed the colors to suit a primary palette.



My favorite time to smock is at night after supper with a cup of coffee while my husband "surfs" through his tv programs.  (I hate to admit it, but I don't even know which channels are which...he always handles that!:))  I only allow myself to smock until around 8 or 9, otherwise, my brain keeps smocking and creating and I can't sleep!!  The other favorite is in my studio sitting in my cozy chair!  When my children were little, I used their nap time for my sewing time.



So... on with the project!  I usually back smock after I picture smock. (Unless you accidentally leave the template at home and need something to do on a road trip :/)  I have a tendency to smock "tight" so this procedure works best for me.  There is nothing wrong with backsmocking first then doing the picture smocking.

Make a copy of the template on your printer (the reason the template was left at home in the afore mentioned paragraph) and put it with your project.  I use a metal board with magnet strips to keep up with where I am on the project.  If your template doesn't have a numerical count, take the time to count the rows and write the numbers in.  It saves tremendous time and having to rip out stitches later!

As I smock, I use a highlighter to mark out the completed row.  Then I move the magnetic strip down, hang the marker on the metal board to indicate whether I'm to start upside down or right side up! This procedure keeps you on task and also allows you to mark on the template, then throw it away keeping the master intact!

Make sure to keep the rows aligned as you smock, and as I tell my students, each row should KISS the next!  Also, I thread all my needles with all the thread needed for the project and stick in a pincushion.  That way they are handy as I do color changes.



If you didn't backsmock first, backsmock the areas that aren't picture smocked.  (Another reason I wait until after to backsmock...I don't have to do an area twice)



Then construction, complete with lining and cute buttons( I used two together-an orange and red) and VOILA! Cute baby boy Jon-Jon!

The finished project and baby gift ready to be mailed!  Boy's clothing can be just as fun to sew!



Where do you like to smock?  When?  Do you backsmock first or last?  I'd love to hear from you!

Happy Stitches!

Renee

 

Sister, Sister

Well, I've definitely neglected my blog the past few weeks.  I have been sewing and traveling so on my tick list of things to do, the blog fell to the bottom.



I did complete a "sister" dress to one I previously used in my Scalloped Hem Tutorial.  Let me share...

Here is the "older" sister dress, size 4:

[caption id="attachment_422" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Front of Pink Pascale.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_423" align="aligncenter" width="199"] Back of Pink Pascale[/caption]

I used the Pascale pattern purchased from Sew Beautiful Collection at Martha Pullen.  The fabric is actually quilting fabric.  The pink dot is by Moda and the paisley I've had in my stash waiting for the perfect dress!

Now, the "little sister", size 12 months dress:





I chose to make the dresses similar but give each little girl her own identity.  After all, the "little sister" always gets the hand-me-downs.  It is important that she not have to wear the same dress twice!



I created a smocking template to match the colors in the dress, but not overwhelm it.  After all, the request was "pink".  I think I covered that!

I used the same bias on the sleeve edge as the scalloped hem.  The smocking design is also made to imitate the insert.

Good thing I saved some dotted fabric.....just learned sister #3 will be here late summer!

I've decided that with any orders, whether custom or pre made, if you send a picture to me of the child wearing the outfit, I will give a 15% discount on the next order placed within 9 months!  You can send the pictures to nnstitches@gmail.com.  Check out the gallery tab for ideas or my Etsy shop for purchases.

Happy sewing,

Renee

Perfectly Pink

I recently finished a "perfectly pink" bubble for a baby gift.  Is it possible that my son's high school friend and buddy could be getting to be a parent already?

Just yesterday he and my son were playing pranks on me ("oh, by the way, put the buoy back in the lake where it belongs....not in my swimming pool") and creating a "ruckus" in the yard with their motorcross bikes.  Not to mention all the good times we had bringing him along on road trips and church camp!

[caption id="attachment_480" align="aligncenter" width="300"] They look innocent....[/caption]

So it was only appropriate that I make a "perfectly pink" smocked bubble for his first baby girl!



I used Miche Mooney's Classic Bubble pattern, which is a favorite of mine and SO easy to assemble!  The smocking plate came from Australian Smocking Issue 91 "Babe in the Woods" and I modified it just a tad.  The "perfectly pink" batiste is from Martha Pullen and the citron green dog print fabric actually came from a grab bag at her School of Art Fashion!  It is from Anna Griffin's Fifi and Fido Collection.  I made the piping from some black microcheck bias I had in my stash.



Of course I got carried away with the dog and perfectly pink theme, so I made a burp cloth with matching fabric ruffles and pink rick-rack featuring an embroidered pink poodle.  How much more appropriate for the whole perfectly pink theme?  A matching monogrammed bib using my Brother fonts just made the whole collection complete!



I can't wait to meet the new baby when she arrives and hopefully the bubble will suit her personality.  After all, she can be "perfectly pink" and  still create a ruckus and learn to play pranks on her dad, right?

Happy Sewing!

Renee

Bishop Babbling

I'm sure you've heard the saying "if walls could talk"...If the smocked bishop dress I recently completed could babble it would have a lot to say!  This bishop, if it could talk, would have many memories to share, or as my son says "makin' memories".  When I look at this dress, I don't just "see" the craftsmanship, I see all the places I worked on it to complete it or rather the memories made while it was being constructed.

 

Daisy Mae, the name of the dress, was actually born at Martha Pullen's School of Art Fashion back in July while I attended Gail Doane's workshop.  The smocking wasn't even started when I left the school, but construction tips and techniques had been thoroughly covered.

 

So the bishop babbling begins as I feverishly tried to get the holding row completed in a hotel room the night before a flight so that I could smock while flying. I was able to remove the bishop from my blocking board and pack the dress into my carry on bag and stick the board in my parked car before heading to the airport. (Yes, you can carry needles and "kid" scissors-I didn't want to risk losing my expensive embroidery scissors) As I smocked on board a flight to NYC I had many question my craft.  A good way to share the art of smocking! Needing a break from all the site seeing ,  I continued to work on the dress in my daughter's apartment in Chelsea while waiting for her to finish work.

If the bishop could babble, it would also tell you that it visited Tennessee, my childhood home, and sat and looked at Old Hickory Lake in Nashville at my in-laws  home.  Riding in the car was a common occurrence and could be pulled out of the sewing bag only if the road was straight and not bumpy!

 

Most often, though, the bishop would tell you if it could,  that most evenings were spent in the hands of a woman with a passion for smocking.  Curled up on the couch with coffee and a fire, my "babies" on one side and sewing bag within reach.

Once in my sewing studio for construction, I remember the rainy day I worked on the garment construction, hearing the rain pelt the roof.  Or the squirrels running across the roof on a beautiful, clear winter day.

 

 After completion, the bishop could babble about being the star of a recent trunk show at the American Sewing Guild in Macon, GA.  The babbling of this bishop will continue once it finds a home with a special little girl to live with.  Maybe a future client? Perhaps my own grandchild a few years down the road?  A special Easter dress for that precious someone?  A Sunday dress that will attend Bible class?

Do you get "emotionally attached" to your projects?  When I see my creations, memories flood back of all the places I worked on that particular garment, who I was making it for, if it was a gift or custom order and the life I gave a piece of fabric.  A bishop can babble...just ask it's creator.

Sew happy,

Renee

 

Pinteresting Projects

 

 

 

My husband accuses me of being addicted to Pinterest.  Anyone else have the same issue?  It is a great resource for anything from sewing, which I utilize the most, recipes, home decor, education, gardening....and the list goes on and on.  It is really easy to sit at the computer instead of getting projects completed.

Recently I used pins from my sewing board to reproduce AND complete two projects.  Since my daughter just moved into a new place, she pinned curtains and asked me to make them for her.  So, I deviated from my normal niche of smocking and dove into home decor.

http://besserina.blogspot.com/2012/01/tutorial-ruffled-pleated-curtains.html

Here's the link to the tutorial provided for Anthropologie style curtains.

I found my project to be very easy and inexpensive--great for rental property!

[caption id="attachment_433" align="alignleft" width="300"] Lots of ironing and folding.[/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_434" align="alignleft" width="300"] Now to stitch![/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_435" align="alignleft" width="225"] Now to steam and scrunch.[/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_436" align="alignleft" width="199"] Finished and hanging![/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My niece also pins on Pinterest and recently showed me an ipad cover she had found.  After she sent me this link, http://craftsanity.com/2010/05/craftsanity-on-tv-make-an-easy-fleece-ipad-cozy-tutorial/ I set to work on her project.

This is how it turned out!

[caption id="attachment_437" align="alignleft" width="300"] Ipad Mini Cover[/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_438" align="alignleft" width="300"] I used a template from the internet to size the cover.[/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, yes, I guess you could say I'm addicted to Pinterest.  I do spend a lot of time on the computer "researching".  Just remember to put those pins to use in a project!

Sew Happy,

Renee