A Finished Preemie Gown...

Yesterday I cut out six preemie gowns to start working on. This one went together so fast and turned out so sweet I couldn’t wait to share it with you!!! 

This precious little pattern from 7 Pine Design is a sweet A-line gown with no pleats or smocking, but it is fully lined and goes together quickly. It is available for free here. And I embroidered this little boat on it using 1 strand of light blue floss and a simple back stitch. 

The rest of the gowns I cut out will be pleated and smocked. I’m considering putting together a video tutorial at some point to show how I make them. If I do, I will let you know and share the link. 

What are you stitching these days? Do you feel better when you have a needle in your hand? I sure do!!! 

Happy Stitching!!!

Cindy

Preemie Gown Finished - 31 Days of Creating...

 

It was another gorgeous autumn day!  I was able to sit down and work on this sweet preemie gown.  I finished the smocking and then sewed the side seams with French seams.  I decided to hem the gown by hand.  I find hand sewing so relaxing and enjoyable, and often I pray for the recipient.

I usually finish about 10 preemie gowns and then donate them to our NICU.  But as it turns out, I just learned that a dear friend has a family member in our local NICU.  I am going to get this gown to her hopefully tomorrow.  I am thrilled that I am able to be part of God's plan for that sweet baby to have this gown.  You just never know when or how God will use you!!!  

Blessings!

xoxo!
 

Smocking a Preemie Gown - 31 Days of Creating...

It was a beautiful fall day today!  After a refreshing walk I carved out some time to sit and stitch.  I worked on this sweet little preemie gown.  I recently pleated it and today I was able to enjoy smocking it.  I am using a medium blue DMC floss.  I can't find the label for the floss number - I must have thrown it away - so I can't share the actual color number.  I posted a video on my Instagram account (sewblessedcindy) of smocking the first row, which is a cable stitch.  So if you are curious what smocking looks like in real time go take a look.  The first row is always a little bit fiddly for me, but with a little patience and perseverance it always works out. I am not quite finished with all the smocking, but when I am I will share a picture.  

Were you able to take a few minutes today to ground yourself by doing something you really enjoy?  I hope so!  

xoxo!

Hand-Stitched and Hand-Embroidered Handkerchiefs...

Not too long ago I decided to make a few handkerchiefs as a special gift.   I thought I could purchase some nice ones and then add some hand embroidery on them.  I had the hardest time finding any that I liked the feel of the fabric.  So I ended up making handkerchiefs.....and then I stitched on them.  The handkerchiefs were 7" x 7" finished and I used some nice batiste fabric that I already had.   I was very pleased with how they turned out.  

I flipped through various embroidery books that I have to find small design options.  And of course, I could have reduced larger images to make them the right size, too.

And I used my favorite floss colors again.  Sometimes I wonder if I use them so often just because they are easily available - meaning that I use them the most often so they are the easiest to find when I go looking for floss.  Speaking of which,  I am still using my fabulous and fun sewing pouch that I made many years ago!!!  I still love this bag!!  I usually keep a preemie gown in it that I'm working on, so if I am heading out the door I can grab the sewing pouch and have a project to work on if I have to wait while I am out.

I love how these handkerchiefs turned out.  I need to make a few for myself.  I love the idea of a cloth handkerchief.  The kids and I have embroidered many handkerchiefs over the years for their Dad.  They are a super simple project and a lot of fun!!!  I hope you will consider stitching one for a special friend and/or yourself!  

Happy Stitching!!!

P.S., I just remembered that I made another handkerchief years ago that I stitched into a cute little bonnet.  So I guess this wasn't the first time I stitched a handkerchief from scratch.  And for this one I put precious lace around the edges.  

My Favorite Wee Care Gowns.....

I have no idea how many Wee Care gowns I have stitched and smocked over the years.  And I rarely follow smocking patterns when making them.  Generally I smock them like the one above.  I like the look of white floss on white fabric, which I think is timeless.  For the girls I add a simple bullion rosebud using two shades of pink and simple green leaves.  For the boys I make a classy blue bullion bow.  So sweet!!!

Wee Care Delivery......

Long time, no write!!!  I actually have been stitching a bit here and there - Just not taking the time to post, I guess. Our local SAGA Smocking Guild has been busy the past few months.  We were finishing up our Wee Care gowns for delivery. 

Our wonderful group of ladies really out did themselves this time around!!!  Just look at all these adorable gowns that are now ready and waiting at the local NICU to bless families going through potentially rough times!

I love seeing the creativity and individuality of the ladies.  All gowns were made from the same pattern but yet were all so very different.  Thank you to all our wonderful members that made this year's delivery a huge success!!!  Are you interested in making these precious gowns for your local community?  You can check out SAGA's website here and see if there is a local guild near you.  They would be thrilled to have you join in the fun!!!  And blessing others is always good!!!!

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!!!

Little Boy Shorts.......

Today I spent a few minutes cutting out some shorts for Sweet Ean. To make the process a bit faster I took the pattern I drafted for the shorts and cut it out of poster board. Then I was able to quickly trace the pattern onto the fabric with a blue marker or chalk, and then cut them out. I personally find this goes so much quicker. I also do this when I cut out Wee Care gowns. Hopefully tonight I will be able to find a few more minutes to stitch these four little pairs of shorts. As an added bonus, I shopped in my stash pile to find these fabrics.....so technically they will be free...with the exception of the elastic for the waist. Bargain!!!! What are you stitching these days???

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!

Wee Care Workshop.......

Have you all been wondering if I've fallen off the face of the earth? Sometimes I start to think that myself. However, I have been stitching a bit here and there since halloween. This past Saturday a couple of ladies from our Smocking Guild and I got together and constructed some Wee Care gowns. All was going great until we ran into pleating issues. I am telling you, sometimes pleating is almost effortless and other times.....well let's just say this was one of the other times. We had three pleaters and until we found our groove we had lots of problems! But we were finally successful and pleated 13 gowns. Now comes the fun part....the smocking!

I've also been working on a few crochet projects for a friend of mine. Her mom passed away and was in the middle of about 8 crochet projects for various family members. Emily and I agreed to finish them for her. So even though I've been quiet....I've still been quite busy. I hope you all are enjoying the fall and stitching a bit here and there as well!

Smocking Plates....

As much as I love to smock I have very few smocking plates. So when I stopped by my local heirloom sewing shop the other day I made it a point to glance at the smocking plates in stock. I'd really like to work on perfecting my picture smocking so I decided to purchase the above plates. I think the two "boyish" ones will look adorable incorporated into outfits for Ean. And I honestly just thought the duck one was too cute to leave at the store. I can definitely see it on a sweet little bishop for a precious little girl.

When I smock little wee care gowns I have a tendency to make up a pattern as I go. However, if you prefer more directions, you can go to the SAGA Cactus Cabler's Chapter website. There are many different smocking plates to choose from just for these precious little gowns.

As a side note...thanks for the well wishes for my sick little ones. The fevers have all broken and now they all have runny/stuffy noses. Hopefully they will all be back to normal soon!

Wee Care Sleeve Changes.....

I mentioned before that I like to tinker with the Wee Care gown patterns from time to time.

So I thought I would mention it again for anyone that may be interested. In the photo above you will see the finished version of my most recent "altering." It has to do with the sleeves. One day I was wondering what these sweet little gowns would look like with a more "angel sleeve" look.

So I took the sleeve pattern and curved the bottom edge slightly as you can see in the above picture. The white paper is the original sleeve pattern and the yellow paper is the revised sleeve pattern.

In this picture I put the new sleeve (yellow paper) on top of the old sleeve pattern (white paper). Can you see the difference? It is a very small change. The gown is assembled the exact same way as before....just using the new sleeve pattern.

I think it looks more like an angel sleeve. And I like it enough that I think I am going to make the gowns like this every time now.

Sweet Little Wee Care Gown.....

In my spare minutes today I have been working on this sweet little Wee Care gown. I modified the Grady Gown pattern a little and I am anxious to see how it turns out. And since I could not manage to dig up any lace when I assembled it....I added entredeux on the sleeves instead. That way I can crochet a delicate little edging where the lace would have been. I enjoy having little projects like this so even if I only have two minutes here or there I can pick it up and stitch or crochet a little. If I did not utilize these little pockets of time I would not get much completed.

Wee Care Delivery....

(A sampling of the 54 gowns the ladies in our local chapter made.)

Yesterday several ladies from our local SAGA chapter and I delivered Wee Care gowns to our local hospital's NICU and Labor and Delivery (L&D). I had the privilege of preparing and ironing all of the gowns the night before. I enjoyed seeing all the stitches made with love from the sweet ladies in our group for the precious babies and their families. As I ironed each and every gown I found myself praying for the baby and the family that would be blessed by this small gift.

In addition to meeting with some of the NICU and L&D nurses to deliver the gowns, we were also given a tour of the NICU facility. This was my second tour of the facility and I am always so struck by how tiny the babies really are.....and how incredible the nursing staff is with the babies. I feel so blessed to be able to make this tiny contribution. And it never fails to inspire me to get busy making more. This afternoon found me leaning over the kitchen table cutting out yet more....lovely little Wee Care gowns!!!

Floss Favorites.....

I have found that I can go into any store that sells DMC embroidery floss and within seconds I can find my favorite colors, without even looking at the numbers. I have used these same colors for several years. I use them for any heirloom embroidery, as well as Wee Care gowns. I thought I would share the color numbers with you just in case you are ever looking for colors that work well together. For my bullion rosebuds I always use the darker pink for the centers and then the lighter pink for the outside.

White....Blanc

Dk. Pink.....#761

Lt. Pink.......#818

Lt. Green...#369

In other news...the sweet little baby day gown is finished. Now I am pondering either a matching bonnet or a diaper cover. I do not have much fabric left so that will be the deciding factor. I hope to deliver the gift later this week. I hope they like it as much as I do....I realize I am slightly biased though.

We had our monthly Smocking Guild meeting this week...and it was fantastic!! One of our members shared with us how to sew little girl jumpers in 20 minutes....start to finish!!! Plus she also showed us similar techniques for short john-johns and long johns-johns. It was a wonderful meeting!!! And it is always great to visit with the lovely ladies...one of the highlights of my month!

I had my crown "seated" today at the dentist. Nothing like being in a dental chair at 8 am. But they were fast and I was on my way back home by 8:45 am. Good thing because Wayne and I played tag team, and then he was off to the airport for a business trip. Later today I am hoping to work on finishing a few more Wee Care gowns for delivery this Saturday. Plus, I am planning on trying a new muffin recipe!!!

Stay cool in this hot summer heat and keep stitching!!!!

Pleating Wee Care Gowns.....

Last Sunday evening found me pleating Wee Care gowns. Our Smocking Guild meeting was Monday so I wanted to have some gowns available for members that might want to take some to smock. I noticed after I pleated some 15 of them that the pattern that the pleating threads made reminded me of salt water taffy. I lived in the Gatlinburg, TN area while I attended UT graduate school. Some of the various candy shops made salt water taffy while you stood there....it almost makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Anyway, our local Hancock's had their quilting thread 50% off a few weeks back and I picked up 8 spools just for my pleater. I always try and stay away from bright thread colors because I don't want the colors to bleed on our precious gowns....but I did not realize I had such beautiful pastel colors until I got home and threaded the pleater. I hope our Smocking Guild ladies do not have a hard time with these light colors. But I love them!

We have been on tornado watch all day. Plus Elisabeth found herself at the doctor this morning. It appears she may have a case of strep throat. This has been the year of sickness for our family. We usually get sick 2 times a year...tops! But these past few months have been crazy!!! I'm praying no one else in our home gets this.

I hope you all are well. Try and grab a few minutes of stitching this weekend!!! It is great therapy!!!

Just a Peek......

I have had this sweet little dress finished for Elisabeth for a week or so now. It is so cute...well, I think so anyway. I am hoping to get a few pictures of her in it in the next day or so. For now....here is a peek at the smocking. I really enjoyed the lines of the smocking plate. And the colors took me quite awhile to pick out...but I am thrilled with the finished product.



Last Sunday afternoon Emily and I sat in perfect quiet and stitched together. Everyone else in the house was napping and so it was just her and me....and our handwork. She worked on some fabric yo-yos and I put a hem in this dress. I like taking a little more time and putting in a hem that is almost invisible.

I traced off a pattern earlier today for one of the baby girl gifts I am going to make. I think that will be next on my sewing table. Plus I need to sew and pleat up a few more Wee Care gowns.....I am completely out and I love to have one to carry with me for when I have just a few minutes to stitch. Have a great day my friends!!!

New Ideas....

I think I might have shown a picture of this sweet little Wee Care Gown a month or so back...but I can't remember. But I am quite sure if I did...that I did not mention anything about the way I smocked it. I saw a ready-to-wear dress (in a larger size) that was smocked similar to this one. The front area of the smocking was back smocked in order to create a stable area on the front to put a picture smocked design.

This is one reason I love the Wee Care Gowns...they are the perfect canvas to try out new ideas and designs without investing much time or money, and in the end...they bless another family. It just all adds up perfect for me!!!

Anyway...this is my attempt to re-create this idea. Once I took the picture I noticed that the gown was not flat so that is why the smocking looks all wonky on the left side of the center. It really looks fine if you could see it in person...promise. I put a heart on the center area...because the size was perfect...but I think any other small design or bullion design would be splendid as well. I really like trying new ideas...especially when they come with a little personal challenge for myself!!!

A Little Update......

Just like most people....my life seems to get more busy this time of year. I think I have skipped over some things lately so I thought I'd mention them now:

* We had a fantastic Thanksgiving. Just the five of us, as usual, as none of our family live in the same area that we do. But we always make a yummy meal and then start decorating the Christmas tree.

* My SAGA group visited the local NICU and delivered several bags/boxes of Wee Care gowns, blankets, knitted booties, etc. I had never toured the facility before and I was amazed with the current technology. I was able to stand right by the babies (in their incubators, of course) and really see how small they are. I also was able to talk with one of the neo-natal doctors. The statistics he gave, in favor, of our NICU were staggering. And coincidentally enough, he was the same doctor that was present for Ethan's c-section birth (no, the c-section wasn't planned...but we all ended up healthy so it was worth it!)

* Over the weekend my girls had their Christmas ballet recital. They (and all the girls) were so cute!!! It's amazing what they have learned in just three months time.

* The girls and I went to see the Nutcracker. It really inspired Emily to continue with ballet and eventually move into pointe ballet. However, I did not finish the coordinating dresses for the girls that I had hoped to. The girls did not seem to mind.

* I have finished the Christmas nightgowns for the girls. Now I need to focus on pj's for Ethan. Another post will follow soon.

* Still no Christmas pictures to send out with our Christmas cards. Hopefully one night this week we will make the time.

* Our Christmas shopping is almost finished. (I do 98% of my shopping on-line). Now to get all the gifts wrapped and sent around the country to various family and friends...not to mention the gifts for the four sweet ones I live with.

* Emily has been sewing....that will be another post soon.

* We went to our local cake/candy decorating store today so Elisabeth could pick out the "horses" that she wants me to put on her birthday cake this week. I still can't believe she is almost six years old!!!

* And the picture above is of a Christmas tree each of my girls made last year. (They both made one....but only one is shown.) We stacked up wooden abc blocks and glued them together in a tree shape. Then the girls picked out various small ornaments and trinkets to glue around the tree. We keep these on our kitchen table during the holiday and the girls love them.

Ok....I think I am back up to date now. I hope you all are well and enjoying this special time of year with your loved ones!!!

What's On My Ironing Board.........

Even though I've been neglectful of posting here....I have been working on some projects here and there. First up on my ironing board is this lap quilt. I went to the quilt store a few days ago and picked out border, binding, and backing fabrics. I am really looking forward to having it finished. It's home will be in our den....the colors will coordinate perfectly and the evenings are already getting chilly.

Next up....three Wee Care gowns that I had to iron and turn up the hem. I will hand stitch the hems during the girls ballet classes or a good movie. I think these are the last gowns I have pleated up....I need to put a few more together and start smocking.

And lastly, a skirt I made for myself for these cool days and nights. I really dislike pants (because they never fit right) and prefer skirts, dresses, and jumpers as much as possible.

My pretty ironing board cover was purchased from Cheryl M. I have had it for quite some time now and it always makes me smile while ironing. Cheryl's work has great attention to detail and is just beautiful!!!