Lu's pink organdy heirloom dress.

This is my very favorite dress from Lu's closet.

The pictures just can't do it justice, it's such a beautiful dress and a large part of its charm is the colors and textures that I think are better displayed in person. (I also had pitiful indoor lighting today since it started to rain just as I was preparing to take pictures!)

Can you stand the cuteness that is little Lu & G-man in 2004??


(G helped make his shirt, picking out all the "Mad Scientist" machine embroidery designs from...?? Lordy I'm getting old because I can't remember the name of this embroidery design artist! Threadsketches! SUCH cute designs. Alas, my kiddos have long since outgrown her.)

The bodice of the dress is white Italian organdy, embellished with a machine embroidery design I combined using Embird. I don't remember the card with the floral oval, but the fairy alphabet was a freebie from several years ago. I don't even have it on this computer to look it up. It's saved on a backup disk somewhere...


The bodice has puffing strips and beading lace, and every seam, including sleeves, is joined with pink entredeaux.


The white organdy sleeves have a shaped lace loop, pinstitched in place by machine...


Sleeve beading and lace ruffles:


The rest of the dress is a pale pink over-embroidered organdy. I had little more than one yard of the pink, and I saved it for a few years until I had the skill to design the perfect project. The skirt is almost entirely made of the pink, except for the shaped loops in the center front; each features machine embroidered white organdy center.


I used the same design card for the florals as the bodice, and added two of the fairies from the freebie alphabet. Here is a closeup of one of the side loops. All of the fairy wings and the "wing needle work" below is stitched with silver thread:


Here is the entire skirt front, flat:


The hem has a ruffle edged in lace, joined to the skirt with pink entredeaux.


This little dress is a size 6 and was Lu's Easter dress in 2004. Lu, age 6:


And one of my favorite photos of the 3 of us, all in pink (I must have really planned that year):


I wanted to show this dress because by this point in my sewing experience, I had enough skill to tackle the machine embroidery, the lace shaping, the fancy color entredeaux and expensive organdy fabrics. Sometimes as a beginner, you just KNOW you aren't ready for a project.

I had had the pink fabric from the time Lu was a small toddler, and I kept it stored safely away until I knew I was ready. And this turned out to be the perfect project to showcase it!

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! I'm going to try to concentrate my next sewing adventure on fall things for ME. I'm participating in Self-Stitched September and, well, I have nothing to wear! Yikes.

Happy Easter!

For all my friends who celebrate, I hope you all have a beautiful holiday!

and for all of my friends who don't...I hope you have a wonderful rest of the weekend!

Easter & a New Project

I had a couple of requests for the Easter outfit actually on Lu, and she was such a cutie in it, I'm obliging!



And because the G-man was looking mighty sharp too (not to mention Oscar the Pom, who always looks cute) here's a group shot!


Time to move on to a new project! I also started back to school today, so my nerves are somewhat frayed, LOL. A cutting session tonight in front of the tube will be a nice cool down. I'm planning on these pants (my fave drawstring easy pant), Simplicity 5074. I haven't decided about whether I want to do the drawstring or not, but I have decided on the fabric, this black rayon print with hot pink & lime swirly dots!



To match, I'm making this top, Simplicity 3790, View E, in a solid hot pink interlock:



Should be an easy and fairly quick project!

Flipped

Easter skirt is finished! Just take a lookie!


I used one of the Durham Quilts rose prints for the skirt, with the coordinating stripe (as shown in my little Easter plan last week.) I don't know if you can tell in the pictures, but the pink Nelona is an exact match for the light peachy-pink roses, and the darker coral pink in the bullions also match the darker pink in the print.

The top is so pretty and rather elaborate, I didn't want an over-the-top skirt. The skirt pattern is the simple flippy skirt from Simplicity 4104. (I used straight ruffles instead of the circular ruffle in the pattern since my fabric was a stripe.) The ruffle is edged in lace rather than hemmed.


Of course the focal point of this really adorable skirt is the flip-flop lace shaped bow on the front! I really love heirloom techniques and I've been wanting to include them on more types of fabrics (not just fancy dresses.)


I removed the fabric from behind the lace bow and replaced it with pintucked fabric. I pintucked 2 squares of fabric using the smallest twin needle I had and a 1.0 stitch length. I just used the edge of my presser foot as my stitching guide (I don't have a pintuck foot for the Bernina!) I also used a wing needle and pinstitched around the entire lace bow. The only time holes in my fabric make me happy!


And here is the completed Easter outfit! (Sorry for the shadows! It's so windy, I had a hard time finding a place to photograph!)

Happy Easter everyone!!

Fairy Stuff

You just have to love Nelona. It's gossamer sheer and has a pretty sheen; reminds me of fairy wings. This little top has turned into one of my favorite projects in a long time. I'm almost glad I got sick & had to change my plan!

Here's the finished top, in all its pink & lacy glory.


I added a French lace fancy band at the hem, made up of 3 different lace insertions and a lace edging. I tried to take it outside for pictures so you could see just how yummy the colors really are, but it was so windy! I love how pretty it looks backlit on my porch though!



A close up of the finished embroidery:


The back closes with mother of pearl buttons, and the straps are buttoned onto the back as well.


Now it's on to the skirt!

Easter Update

Thank you for the well wishes! It seems to be working, so keep thinking those feel-good thoughts! I've been upright ALL DAY! This has been a very weird week for me, since I've basically been in bed (or on the couch) unable to really do more than wipe down a counter before I have to take a little rest. I guess it's a blessing I'm off for spring break (although this irritates me at the same time. I'm sure you can relate.)

With almost no sewing machine time available to me thus far, I ended up altering my Easter plan for Lu just a bit. I may not be able to sit at my sewing machine for an extended period of time this week, but I got to thinking...I could be doing some handwork! So I pulled out this book. Lu & I are both in love with the sweet cover top (and several other things inside.)

So I tore a strip of beautiful pale pink Nelona Swiss batiste. Yum. Then I rested. (haha. Except that I did.) I attached a scrap of pale pink entredeaux and tiny French lace from stash, and pleated (and then took a little rest.)

THEN I pulled out some pretty floche and just cuddled up in my recliner and smocked while I rested! What a concept! Here's a peek at the pretty entredeux and lace that will be the yoke edge of the front:


And here is the completed smocked front (except that I forgot an entire row of cables along the bottom. Can't decide if I want to fool with going back and doing them now that I'm way into the embroidering.) It is really turning out SO pretty...


Close up of the pretty bullion roses (not quite finished, but I should be by bedtime.) I also learned a new embroidery stitch, the Brazilian Cast-On stitch. The book has minute instructions, but I needed more help (blame the fever. Or maybe the meds.) I understood this site's picture tute the best.


That's as far as I've gotten! Well, the little skirt is cut out and on my sewing table, and should go together quickly. Hopefully I'll have a completed top picture for you tomorrow!

Spring, please!

Breaking from my normal flailing around from project to project (& in general avoiding my Wardrobe Plan) for the time honored Easter Sewing. I'll admit I've missed a year or two along the way, but by and large, most of Lu's Easter finery has been handmade by me since she was 18 months old. Bless her for letting me continue the tradition one more year.

We flipflopped with indecision for a few days, both of us preferring something dressy and smocked (one last time!) but the reality is that I don't have enough time for that kind of labor intensive project. So I chose this sweet spring suit for "big girls" from OOP Simplicity 4104:


I will be making View D, the long sleeve jacket and View B, the flippy skirt. I was thrilled to find my local quilt shop (now under new owners) is carrying some WONDERFUL new fabrics, including Lecien Durham quilt fabrics! For those of you unfamiliar with Durham prints, they are beautiful, shabby rose prints (Lecien is a Japanese company I think.) They are a little pricier than your average quilt fabric, but hey...it's a holiday!

Here are the 3 prints I chose:


I'm using the aqua rose as the body of the jacket, which I will be underlining with white batiste. The tiny rose print will be the collar and the main portion of the skirt. The rose stripe will be the skirt ruffle. I also want to crop the sleeves of the jacket so that they are 3/4 length, and add a striped ruffle here too. Here's a preview:


I have oodles of lace trims (some vintage) and antique mother of pearl buttons too, so I will probably further embellish where I can with little touches of lace and possibly some embroidery. Since the jacket is raglan sleeve, and the skirt is just rectangles, construction should be a breeze and I can spend a little more time on "special".

Stay tuned! :)

Easter Morning!

Whew the dress got finished :D


But the jacket did not. Sigh. I only need to set in the sleeves...but we spent 30 minutes this morning looking for the brand new pair of tights I bought last week! I had put them in my FABRIC CABINET. That's what I get for "cleaning house". hehe. So she wore a cute little bolero sweater and it worked out fine!

The pattern is Butterick 4385. Fairly straightforward princess construction.

I'll review over at PR, but here are the highlights: It ran a bit big through the "bust". Lu measures a perfect size 12, but she has no "bust" to speak of. Soo... I had to decrease the curve in that area twice for it to fit her nicely. It was also big around the chest and after attaching the lining, I had to alter the side seams (enclosing that band at the top). That wasn't especially easy, but I think it actually worked out better in the long run, because it will hold the band in place.

Last thing I wasn't thrilled about with the pattern was the strap attachment. The back straps are sandwiched between the band and lining, then stitched. The front straps are just tucked in place and "slip stitched" to the lining in front. Um, that's not incredibly sturdy, especially not for the front! And, it causes the band to pull away from the dress. See below.


Now, I'll probably go back and fix this with a closer, tighter slipstitch later. But of course being as I was on a deadline (and she's wearing a sweater over it) I left it. There's got to be a way to sandwich both front and back straps between band and lining. Right?

And here's a great shot of both of them in their Easter finery (note the G-man's awful shoes, which I did NOT notice until picture time right before he got into my dad's truck to go to church.)

Oh, and they love each other. Really.

Just Say No

It's that time of year again! Evil Reese's people anyway.

Have to finish an Easter dress! Nothing says the holidays like procrastination!!

Easter Funny :o)


Back with pictures of Lu's dress later!