A Beautiful Bookmark.....

My Emily was very kind and generous in her gift giving this past Christmas.  Not to mention that she made all of the gifts that she gave.  She was a busy girl!

She made me two of these beautiful and delicate-looking hand crocheted bookmarks!  I love them!  I think I will put one in each of my two favorite Bibles.  She got the pattern from here, if anyone is interested in making a few for gifts this year.  They would make wonderful gifts for anyone on your gift list though out the year!!!

We are hibernating inside awaiting bitter cold weather the next few days.  Brrr!!!  I'm thinking about what projects I'm going to work on if the opportunity presents itself.  Probably my next quilt assuming we have power as I am still piecing it.  And if we are without power I am thinking I could work on my next hand embroidery project.  It's always good to have a few projects ready for any given situation. That's my philosophy anyway!

Keep Stitching and Stay Warm!!!!  xoxo!!!

My Emily is Making and Selling 18" Doll Clothes Now.......

My Emily is taking an entrepreneur class and she was challenged to come up with an idea/item to sell.  Since she loves making 18" doll clothes she has decided to start right there with what she loves.  She has one item on Ebay right now that ends tomorrow night, and here are a few more items she's about to add.  We are discussing whether to put these up on Ebay or Etsy.  But one way or the other, she is in major cut and sew mode.  

This sweet little hat she crocheted for the 18" dolls.  I love how colorful it is!  And a flower is always a nice surprise!  This is her own design/pattern.

She stitched this adorable jean skirt too.  Love her straight topstitching!!!  She has partnered with Liberty Jane Patterns and has been given the ok to use their patterns as long as she gives them the proper credit.  That's so fun!  This is one of their patterns.

And so she isn't sewing alone, here is a sneak peek at a historical dress I made this week.  I'm waiting for the sun to come out so I can take better pictures.

And this cute dress that I showed you before is the one up for auction right now.  If you want it you can follow this link.  The auction ends tomorrow night!!!  So go take a look!!!  Please??

I've actually been sewing so much this week that it seems that all I've done is re-fill my bobbin.  I guess that's a good thing!!!  Back soon with more fun sewing projects.  And I have an idea for something really fun here.  I'm going to think it through a bit more and then I'll share.

Enjoy your weekend!!!!

My Emily.....

My Emily has been keeping herself busy lately.  She has been doing her "have to's"...that would be school work and chores around the house.  And she has been doing the fun and relaxing stuff.....which for her, are sewing, needlepoint, and crochet.  Yesterday she stitched this adorable dress made from a Liberty Jane Pattern.  It reminds me of a pillowcase dress and it would also look lovely in batiste with a bit of lace and a bottom hem tuck.

I've been keeping myself busy with all my "have to's" as well....plus a bit of fun stitching thrown in.  I've been working on some Wee Care gowns and also a shirt for Elisabeth.  Oh, I've also been crocheting some more cotton dish cloths.  I find them so addicting and mindless, which makes them wonderful to work on while I'm listening to a podcast or an audiobook here and there.

I hope you are fitting some stitching into your days too!!!

Wee Care Delivery.....

A few weeks back my local Smocking Guild delivered another batch of sweet little Wee Care gowns. I always enjoy collecting them from various members beforehand so that I can admire them as I iron them in preparation for delivery. I made a good many of the gowns this time because a lot of our older ladies have retired from our Guild this past year. The above gown is my favorite to make. I love white smocking on a white gown. Then I add some sort of bullion rose to finish it. I also like blue on white with a blue bullion bow which is good for a boy.

On this sweet pink one I did pink on pink with a bullion rose.

And my Emily crocheted and donated 14 more preemie hats of various sizes.

I have had a lot of people contact me about Wee Care gowns and how to make them. I am thinking of doing a multi-part tutorial about them. I use my own pattern for the gown so I think it should be fine. I will start working on it and let you know more soon. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask them!

Sewing....How I Miss You.......

Unfortunately, for the past few months, sewing has been pretty scarce around here! And I really miss it. It is my therapy! My sanity! A few weeks back I pulled out this cotton fabric I purchased this past spring to make myself a skirt. After one night cutting it out and one night at the sewing machine it is finished except for a hem. I am really hoping to get the hem completed tonight if all goes well. I really enjoy wearing long skirts in the fall and winter months....maybe no one will notice that it is so spring-y looking!

And I know I say this ALL the time...but I can't wait to share Emily's latest project with you all. It is adorable!!!

Back to Business.....

Yeah, it's time to start stitching Ean's Easter outfit. I've spent the last week editing our church cookbook and not only did it consume all my time....it made my eyes sore. I'm hoping I can smock tonight once I get all the house chores completed. After I post this I am going to start on a big pot of minestrone soup for tonight and some yummy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies too. Then I'm going to do a quick clean up around the house. Then, hopefully, I'll be able to smock a bit. I find that sewing or hand stitching is so therapeutic for me. Do you find the same? I know sewing frustrates some and therefore that can't be relaxing for them. But I do love it and it relaxes me.

Today is my Emily's favorite day of the year, I think. April Fool's Day. She spends her entire year thinking about various pranks to pull on us. This morning was funny though because she had one pulled over on her. She loves the Jumble in the daily newspaper...and she has gotten really good at them too. Well today it said they were going to discontinue the Jumble effective immediately. I heard her yelp across the house. It was funny when she realized it was an April's Fool joke. She is a funny girl.

Oh, and that funny girl has been busy. I can't wait to take a picture and show you what she has been working on. She has more tenacity than some adults I know. You just wait...you won't believe it either.

Ok, must get busy chopping veggies and making cookies!! My smocking is calling me!!!!

Baby's New Wardrobe.......

Emily (my 11 yr. old) has been having so much fun dressing this 5" baby doll of hers!!! I think she has 5 outfits completed now. I mentioned another one a bit ago. Today I jokingly asked her how long it takes to complete an outfit...."1 day?" She quickly corrected me with......"no...2 days!"

And so there are no concerns...baby has all her proper undergarments on too. Isn't she adorable? Emily uses size 10 crochet thread in various colors and a size 6 crochet hook to complete these little gems. She also has one or two that she knitted with size 3 needles. I'll try to get photos of the rest of the fun little outfits in the next few days or so.

In the meantime, I am thinking on a new tutorial. Hopefully I will get it started and finished in the next few days. It's been awhile since I've added any tutorials to the blog. It's not for lack of ideas but rather a lack of time. Ean is very mobile now and as a result my sewing time has come to a screeching halt. I'm hoping he'll slow down and become interested in his toys at some point...and then I'll be able to sit at the machine and sew again. Right now if I want to sew I have to wait until everyone is tucked into bed and hope that I am not completely exhausted...which is usually the case. I am smocking though, whenever a few random minutes come my way. I'm really curious to see how this dress is going to turn out for my Elisabeth.

Alright...time to finish dinner and get this family fed!

Week in Review.....

I don't know how this can be but it seems I blink and another week quickly passes by! This appears to be the norm around here lately. So for those two loyal readers still here I thought I'd share the highlights of our week with you.

Wayne was out of town all week which always makes for a hectic week. He is so good to help out around the house, especially around dinner time when things can get chaotic. I've mentioned before that I cook almost entirely from scratch so I always allow an hour for dinner prep each and every night. It is wonderful when Wayne is home and is able to be with the little ones during that time. They find all sorts of fun things to do together! However, this week I was on my own and I still managed to put nourishing meals on the table, and for that I am grateful!

Emily delivered both of her custom-ordered baby blankets this week. The purple one you see above was for a sweet baby girl that has already been born. Emily decided she liked this particular stitch and then just decided how big she wanted the blanket to be. Finally she experimented for days to find an appropriate edging for it. She finally decided on this loopy edging that I think fit the open-ness of the blanket well. She wrapped it up in a piece of lavender lace and delivered it. No word from the mom yet, but I am sure she will love it!

The second blanket was for a baby boy that has not yet been born. The baby shower was actually today and the guy that asked Emily to make it called her tonight to tell her how much the mom loved it. We delivered this blanket yesterday and forgot to take a picture before we left home. Emily took this quick picture in the car. I wish we had a good picture of it though because it was really pretty. It was basically a large granny square because the guy that ordered it wanted her to use both green and yellow for the colors and we thought this would work out well. And it's interesting but both blankets were custom-ordered by guys for friends of theirs. I think that is kind of neat! And Emily really came through and did a great job. I am continually amazed by her abilities and her tenacity!

Let's see....there has been NO sewing this week since I wrapped up the halloween costumes. It's not that I did not want to sew....but that the time just hasn't been there this week. Although I am working on the program for our November Smocking Guild meeting. I am hoping to get the prototype finished up in the next few days so I can write up directions and such before our next meeting.

While pleating the sample I had quite the run-in with my pleater. It was acting very cantankerous and that did not please me at all! And then it had the nerve to break a needle! I was not a happy smocker at that moment. But after I completely dis-assembled the pleater, found all three broken pieces of the needle, removed the fabric that was partially pleated and completely mangled, and re-assembled the pleater, I decided to persevere and try again. Fortunately luck was on my side the second time through! Thank you Lord for caring about the little things as well as the big things in my life!!!!

Baby Blanket by Emily.....

I told you Emily had several projects she has been working on. Here is one of the other projects....a baby blanket that a friend ordered. A friend of ours needs a baby gift for a shower and he asked Emily to make a blanket. This has started a trend of somewhat because today another friend asked her to make another baby blanket for a shower he needs to attend next month.

Emily picked up this lilac yarn and then started experimenting with different size needles and stitches. She finally decided on this stitch and was able to work up this blanket in a week or so. She still hopes to put a border around the edge but she hasn't decided how she wants to do it yet. As of right now the blanket measures 26" x 34". We think it is a good size for a snuggly new baby.

Today the owner of our local heirloom shop saw Emily's baby doll dress and asked Emily if she would make a dress for a little doll of hers. I think she is going to be a busy girl this Fall!!!

I, on the other hand, have not touched a needle, thread, yarn or other for the past two weeks. I really need to make Sweet Ean some long pants....and Ethan is begging me for some jon-jons with a John Deer tractor on them. I am hoping to finish up a few things so I can get busy on new ones!!!

An Outfit For Emily's Doll....

I mentioned that Emily had been hard at work on another project. I have received several emails and phone calls from sweet people wanting me to post the projects already because the suspense was getting to them. I promise I haven't been withholding pictures just because...but rather this past week has been busy and I honestly just haven't taken the time to do so. But at long last...here is one of her recent projects.

For her birthday a few months back, Emily asked for one of these cute little dolls and a book of crochet patterns for outfits that fit the doll. We got the book with no problem but the doll was back ordered. (Emily wasn't too upset she also asked for a new violin and that was her main gift.) So she started crocheting this little outfit and had it finished in about 3 days...really! But we still did not receive the doll. Finally the company sent me an email telling me they could not get the doll in. So I found another company to order the doll from....I really should have been a researcher....I love it!!! The doll finally made its way to our house and Emily was so excited to dress it up. It is so adorable!!!

I am amazed that Emily really needs no help interpreting patterns anymore. She never asked me for help and she was increasing, decreasing, picking up stitches and the like. She really just has a way of working with yarn. Incredible!!!

So here is her sweet baby doll in her fun little outfit. She has already started working on a couple more outfits but has them on hold right now because she received a custom order that she is currently working on. I'll show you that next.....

My Sweet Emily......

A sweet little girl that lives in my house was featured in Martha Pullen's weekly newsletter today!!! The ladies tonight at Smocking Guild knew before I did and they were teasing me like crazy. Then one of them (Thanks Ann!) pulled out her iPhone and pulled it up so I could see it. Emily was grinning from ear to ear when I showed it to her after we arrived home.

When we bumped into Martha last month she was amazed when she asked Emily if she could sew. After further talking she asked if I would send her some additional information about Emily so it may encourage other moms to teach their children these almost lost arts. What a surprise to see she really did put the information in her newsletter. These truly are fun times!!!! What an exciting day for a sweet little girl!!!

Pintucks and Praise.....

I have started working on the sweet baby girl dress. I put in a few rows of pintucks this morning. For me, the hardest part of pintucks is finding 2 spools of matching thread. I also went ahead and traced off the front bodice. I did remember to add in the seam allowance for the top and bottom so I can accurately center my embroidery. But now I can't decide what embroidery design I want to create. I must think tonight....think, think, think.

Like I mentioned before, I am using a gorgeous 100% cotton Japanese Lawn. It has such a great feel to it. In the above picture you can see my ironing board cover peeking though the white fabric....it kind of makes my fabric "water-marked" looking.

And for the best news of the day.... Emily had her 6 week follow-up chest x-ray this past Monday. Our pediatrician's office called today and told us that her x-ray was normal. Praise Jesus!! She does still have a residual cough when she eats something hot or cold and just every now and then in general. But we are still thrilled that she is recovering so well!!!

Emily's New Skort....Stitched Up A Notch....

My sweet Emily continues to improve. She tires easily....but her smile is back! While she was snuggling with Ean the other day, and wearing her new skort, I realized I had never shared her most recent embroidery project with you.

A month or so ago she asked me to make an A-line skort out of this wonderful lightweight denim fabric. (The shorts are made out of quilting cotton from Moda. I love Moda fabrics because they are so soft and pretty!!) Her goal was to have a blank canvas in which to work some embroidery magic. And that she did.

She hand-drew this cute floral design on tissue paper and then basted the tissue paper to the skort. Then after making her floss color choices she stitched these flowers in about 30 minutes. She wore it several times before she got sick, and she always received such thoughtful comments from others. She says it is very comfortable so I'm sure she'll get lots of wear out of it this summer. Now she is on to stitching a sampler. I need to take a picture to share.

Emily's Easter Dress.....

Emily completely designed her Easter dress this year. She sketched it out and picked the fabric and I drafted it and sewed it for her. It has a square-neck and is sleeveless. And it also has her favorite skirt option.....a 3-tiered skirt. She also picked out a pink ribbon to tie around her waist. I think she did a nice job.

While I was sewing it I kept calling it "pink cotton candy" because that is what it reminded me of. The fabric is all the same color even though the photo above makes it look like it is variegated. It is a nice light pink and it was the only piece of fabric (imperial broadcloth) that she found that she liked for this particular dress. I tried to talk her into letting me hand embroider something on the bodice....but she wanted it without any embellishments. Who am I to argue?

We are thankful she is continuing to feel better. We had another check up today with her doctor and he is still pleased with her progress. Thanks again for all the continued prayers!!!

She's Home!!!!

(Emily and Cute Puppy)

That would be Emily is home...not the cute little puppy that came to visit her yesterday while she was still in the hospital. She was released this morning and was very anxious to get home. Her color looks so much better and she is my same sweet girl...just a little weak and tired.

(Puppy, Puppy Volunteer, and Emily)

Of course, her sister and brother are so jealous that she had a visit from the cute puppy, the Easter Bunny, and was given several crafts and toys while she was there. I think she would have passed it all up to not have been sick.

She is so much better though. She has a follow-up with the pediatrician this Friday and then she will have another chest x-ray in 6 weeks. In addition, she has 11 more days of antibiotics to take. She has followed me around all afternoon and I am so thrilled to have her back so I can enjoy her presence. She is such an amazing girl!!!

I prepared her some lunch and then encouraged her to take a nap. Right now she is sleeping soundly. I have learned over the years not to take my health for granted....now this was a good reminder to do the same with my little ones.

Thank you all so much for the prayers, notes, and words of encouragement. I cannot tell you how much it means to not only me, but the entire family. Emily's face brightened each time I told her about someone praying for her. We are all so grateful!!! Thank you again!!

Quiet Easter.....

Our Easter is pretty quiet this year. Some of you already know this...but my Sweet Emily woke up Thursday morning extremely sick. A doctor's visit later and it was thought she had the flu. Unfortunately she just wasn't getting any better and actually started getting worse. We took her back to the doctor on Saturday morning. A flu test came back negative but a blood test indicated she had a bacterial infection of some sort. She had a really high fever, neck pain, back pain, weak, coughing uncontrollably etc. The doctor prescribed antibiotics and sent us home. After one dose of the antibiotics she started getting even worse and her breathing was fast, deep, and labored. After another call to the doctor he told us to take her to the ER.

Fortunately the ER wasn't busy...that never happens...and within minutes they had completed a chest x-ray and determined she had double pneumonia. They think it is bacterial...but are still waiting for test results. They immediately hooked her up to an IV, supplemental oxygen, and pumped two rounds of serious antibiotics in her.

They admitted her to the hospital from the ER an hour or so later. A Respiratory Therapist is working with her to break up the junk in her lungs and she does not care for that at all. It takes her about 45 minutes to recover from each session. However, as always, she remains in good spirits. She is resting as much as she can. We are not sure how long she will remain in the hospital because she has to be fever-free to leave. Wayne is staying with her while I care for the three others, one of which is nursing. He is doing an awesome job of being the best daddy ever!

So, today instead of our traditional Easter Egg Hunts, Resurrection Rolls, a huge meal, etc....we are just thankful to have our sweet little girl on the mend. We have promised Emily and the others we will have an Easter "Re-Do" next weekend.....full of all the traditional festivities that our family has come to love.

So tonight on this amazing holiday...hold your loved ones close. And if you could offer up a prayer for a quick recovery for my Sweet Emily I would deeply appreciate it!!!

Easter Blessings from our family to yours!!!!

My Sweet Baby......

(This photo was pre-croup.....but he is still smiling some.....)

My sweet little Ean is sick. He has croup. And croup just isn't fun!!! He woke up with it yesterday morning and so we spent the afternoon at the doctor. I thought croup was just annoying and nothing really to worry about....but our very laid-back pediatrician said it can be very dangerous in babies. So, needless to say, I spent the night holding him and listening to his every breath....the barking ones and the non-barking ones. And I've continued to do the same today and on into tonight. They say it's usually the first three days that are the worst.

Then this morning Emily woke up with a fever and a headache.....and so it continues. I am praying the other two manage to stay healthy.

So, needless to say, there won't be a whole lot of sewing going on in these parts over the next few days. I am half-way finished with Ean's Easter outfit and have the fabric and trims for Elisabeth's. I am so anxious to have them all finished and on these sweet little ones. But in the meantime, I will be here holding and snuggling my babies until they feel better!!!

Preemie Hats.....

My sweet little Emily has been quite the busy beaver. She has set a goal for herself to make 1 preemie hat a day for this entire year. She knits some and crochets some.....clever girl!!! And she uses all sorts of patterns we have found on-line and some she has designed herself. She plans to donate them to the local NICU at the end of the year. Have I ever told you she aspires to design modest bridal wear? I think she'll do well with whatever she decides to do. She has also sold 4 custom-order crocheted hats and two scarfs (1 crocheted and 1 knitted). She's working on getting her own blog up and running.....I'll share the link soon!!! She is pretty amazing...especially for a 10 year old....of course, I am slightly biased!!!

A Gaggle of Girls.......

For Christmas Emily surprised Elisabeth and me by making us each a doll. She liked them so well she made herself one too! I think they are adorable!!!! And certainly not bad for a 10 year old....with absolutely zero help from anyone else!!!

December Fun......

This has been a busy month....and so far, we have managed to do our favorite December things.

The gingerbread house is now complete and looking good. Emily orchestrated the decorating of our annual gingerbread house tonight. I built the house and then turned the icing bag over to her. She piped icing and Elisabeth and Ethan strategically placed the candies. Everyone had fun.

Elisabeth made the annual Nativity Scene for us using various baby dolls.

And Elisabeth also had a birthday!!! She is now a sweet seven year old. And somehow Ean turned 6 months old this month. I don't know how because it seems like he was just born yesterday!!!

The girls also had their ballet and tap Christmas Recital. They both did excellent!!!!

Our Smocking Guild had our annual Christmas Dinner....it was a great evening with wonderful friends.

And Emily has had several custom orders for her hats. She bought the yarn, made and delivered this one the same day it was requested. The photo isn't great....but it is chocolate brown with light pink. (I think this one is my favorite so far.) While she was making it a neighbor stopped by and ordered one just like it but with reversed colors. She has quite a following now.

I still have a few gifts to wrap....but I think we are on track for a fantastic Christmas. I hope yours is wonderful as well!!!!