Summer Sewing and a Birthday Boy.....

Sewing seems to have taken a back seat to everything else this summer.  Maybe the heat is draining all of my energy so that I have none left for fun things.  Maybe the kids bickering is distracting me too much.   I don't know what the cause is....but I sure haven't been sewing much lately.  I did manage to finish this Children's Corner Lillian for Elisabeth.  I used a pretty pink floral fabric that I had in my stash, and I lined it in white. 

I think it will make a sweet little dress for this crazy summer heat we're having and Elisabeth really likes it, so that is always a plus.  And if you've ever made a Lillian before you know how fast it goes together.  I love that!!!  

And my Sweet Ean celebrated his third birthday a few weeks ago.  Such a sweet little boy.  He brings such joy into our lives.  For his special dinner I made him his favorite meal:  pinto beans, rice, steamed broccoli, avocado, and apple slices.  Then we topped that off with egg-free chocolate cake and easy banana ice cream.  Yum!!!

Spring-y Skort.....Coming Up......

(This picture doesn't do this fabric justice. It really is pretty!!!)

I am scheduled to teach an A-Line Ruffled Skort class at a local sewing shop this coming weekend. So I thought I best stitch one up so it is fresh in my memory. Plus Elisabeth has about outgrown all the various skorts she already has. So I let her pick out some fabric for a new one. I like this combination that she found. I am noticing that she picks teal colors pretty often.

I like how spring-like the fabrics are. I am SO ready for spring. Even though we have had a mild winter....I am ready for the bright, warm sunshine again. My Vit. D levels are still WAY too low....so some sunshine would be very welcomed here about now!!!

What are you stitching on this week?

Christmas Eve.....

I still can't wrap my brain around the fact that it's Christmas already. I always vow to start preparations earlier each year...but the fact is...I never do. I can't seem to get motivated to work on Christmas stuff until after Thanksgiving...but somehow by that time I am already behind. One day I will be prepared...I hope.

In the meantime, I did finish the two full-size quilts I mentioned before. I was happy with the final products. If you remember a friend from church asked if I could take her deceased grandmother's shirts and make them into two quilts that she was going to then turn around and give to her mother and aunt for Christmas. Most of the shirts were of the sweatshirt variety which at first caused me concern. But with my trusty walking foot on the machine I did not encounter too many problems. There was some stretching that occurred...but not enough to bug me. Not everything matched up as a result...but again, I was still happy. She also supplied with me her grandmother's sheets to use as the backing and she picked out what color she wanted for the bindings. My friend seemed happy with the end result, and I was happy to have been able to use my talents to minister to this family.

I also was able to sew one small little gift for my Elisabeth. I won't post pictures until after she opens the gift tomorrow though. I am happy with the outcome though. Let's see...I also started a cute little Christmas jon-jon for Ean. But I am still not quite finished with it. I'm not sure if I'll get the opportunity to finish it up tonight or not. We'll see.

My four little ones have been taking their turns having a little bug going around. Basically it's a fever, headache, sore throat and stuffy nose that lasts anywhere from 1 to 3 days or so. Sweet Elisabeth is in the midst of it now. I'm hoping she feels fine by tomorrow. She was sick last year on Christmas day too. This same sweet little girl also had the nerve to turn 9 last week. They are all growing up WAY too fast!!!

I'll leave you all with one of my favorite songs (it has nothing to do with Christmas though.) If you have ever heard of the videos by Homestead Blessings then you know the West Ladies. I just love this song written by Ce Ce, one of the daughters (the one playing the guitar in the video.) Whenever I need a smile I just listen to this song. The video is even better though. I bet you can't watch this video without smiling! Enjoy!!! Oh, and Merry Christmas!!!

Easter Frocks, Part 1....

I hope you all had a fantastic Easter weekend. We sure did. So much fun in fact, that it seems like it has taken me 2 days to recover. Actually that is probably because I stayed up late for so many nights sewing. So I guess it is time for me to post some pictures.

First up is Elisabeth. She is wearing a dress made out of periwinkle blue Imperial batiste. She picked out the fabric and I picked the pattern.

The pattern is Larkin by Maja's Heirlooms. I have wanted to make this dress for years and now I have. It was a lot of fun to put together and smock. It seems to appeal to the older girls because it has some shaping with darts and a little different silhouette. But it appeals to the mamas because it is still modest and sweet. Plus we get to add a bit of smocking and embroidery to it. Oh, and some beautiful lace too!

Even the sleeves are sweet. I am crazy in that I enjoy stitching bullion roses. I had thought about stitching them completely around the neckline, and I still may. But I also like just a few in the center front and then on the sleeves.

Overall I thought the pattern ran pretty true to size. I did measure the pattern pieces before I started and compared that to Elisabeth's measurements. I tend to do that all the time now when I use an unfamiliar pattern. It can really save some grief later on....especially since I do most of my sewing at 11 pm. Elisabeth loves the dress and says she can't wait to wear it again. That makes it a winner in my book!

Garden Delights.....

Look who I found in our blueberry bushes yesterday!

Elisabeth loves to be outside, so after church and lunch it was no surprise when she went out to explore. All the kids love to check the progress of our four blueberry bushes we planted last fall. They should yield fruit this summer and we are thrilled!

Elisabeth is wearing her Easter dress from last year. It still fits her perfectly and is wonderful for the hot weather we've been having already.

New Project......

I think I have decided on one of my next projects.......a sweet little dress for my Elisabeth. The pattern is Larkin from Maja's Heirlooms and I am going to follow the variations that were in issue #105 of Sew Beautiful magazine back in 2006.

Thankfully my Elisabeth is still ok with smocked garments. I was thinking she might not care for another bishop dress so I started looking at Maja's patterns. She has several that are adorable. This particular dress I remember seeing in person at Maja's booth at the SAGA Market in Atlanta a few years back. It is beautiful!!! I tried so hard to talk Emily into letting me make it for her at that time...but she was already past wanting smocked dresses at that time.....(sigh). But...like I said, Elisabeth is anxiously looking forward to wearing this dress.

I've never used a Maja pattern before...so I figure I'll be doing some pattern measuring to try and make sure it fits well. But I think it's going to be fun! Now to get the pattern cut out and started!!!

Sewing For Elisabeth......

Sewing for Elisabeth is always a treat. She is very easy to please and likes just about anything I make for her. So imagine my thrill when she told me a few weeks back that she would like me to make her a new jumper....{insert scream here!}

My "go-to" jumper pattern is almost always Libby by Children's Corner. I have made this pattern so many times I could probably make it in my sleep. I had Elisabeth look through my fabric that I had and she pulled out this piece of floral corduroy that I've had for a bit over a year.

I asked her what she thought about putting her monogram on the bodice.....and she agreed....{insert another scream here!}.....and so I did!!!

I love little girls in jumpers! I think they are just so sweet and innocent looking in a jumper.

And if you look really close you will see that I put in a growth tuck as well. This way as she grows I can drop the hem down a bit so it will fit longer. Jumpers are so much fun to sew, but even better is seeing a sweet little girl wearing the jumper!!!

Still My Favorite.....

(photo recycled from 2009)

This spring bishop I made for Elisabeth last year is still one of most favorite creations!!! I love this dress. It's one of those things that brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. I had seen something similar in a magazine but no pattern accompanied it. So I sat down and figured it out.

(photo recycled from 2009)

Then I went to the local heirloom shop in search of perfect fabric. Barb, the owner, picked this out for me...but I wasn't 100% sure. I got it anyway and headed home. By the time I arrived home, I loved it!!!

(photo recycled from 2009)

I dug through my smocking plates (all 4 of them....really!!!) and found one that was perfect. Next I searched for matching floss and started stitching. It all came together fantastically. I could not have been happier with the end result. And I still love it....and just thought I would share it again!!! Don't you all have a favorite item you made that just makes you smile??? Do share so I don't feel so alone!!!

Simple Joys.....

I love when the flowers start blooming. It seems like every afternoon now I am given a fist-full of beautiful flowers. I dutifully fill a vase with water and carefully squeeze in each and every stem. Then I place the vase in the center of our kitchen table so we can enjoy the beauty as we go about our routines. I am finding that life is all about discovering the simple joys....children with handfuls of flowers are definitely on that list.

Elisabeth's Easter Dress....

Today we had our Easter do-over since Emily was sick and in the hospital last Sunday. We had our traditional yummy meal, the kids hunted for Easter eggs, they got to wear their outfits for the first time, etc. It was a delightful day.

As promised, here is Elisabeth in her dress. I think she looks so ready for Spring in it! And I, of course, have pictures of Emily too. I'll be back to share those next time.

Easter Outfits....Part 2.....

Since Emily is home from the hospital and is continuing to improve, I find we are slowly getting back into our normal groove. So I thought I would show you pictures of the girl's Easter dresses. Today I'll show you Elisabeth's dress.

I love the overall look of this dress. I drafted it to have a boat neck and be sleeveless. And it has a full skirt with ties in the back. I really like this floral fabric....to me it says "Easter!!!" For the bodice lining I used a purple and white gingham.

I thought the top may need a little something at the last minute, so I made this quick little rick rack flower and put a covered button in the center. I used this same idea when I made the flower pot pin cushions last year for one of our SAGA workshops. I attached it from the inside with a safety pin, so it can be removed or placed elsewhere on the dress.

I also added rick rack to the two tucks on the front. I normally would have used smaller (regular-sized) rick rack but Elisabeth really wanted purple rather than pink and this was all that I had in purple.

And it is kind of hard to tell.....but there is a tuck towards the bottom of the skirt. This tuck also incorporates the hem and it works up so fast and easy and clean!!! I love it. I would have added some more rick rack here.....but unfortunately, my local heirloom shop ran out. So I may order some (if I can determine what color of purple it is) and add it. I think it would balance the dress out...but until then, I am fine with it. Hopefully I can get a picture of Elisabeth wearing it soon. But today is rainy and windy....so I think we will stay inside....and eat brownies!!!!