A Look at Christmas Past

I always go back and take a look at what I have made previously for Christmas before starting new creations. Here are a few of my favorites that I would like to share with you. Most of these were for Sydney, but last year, I did alot for customers. It was fun, but boy, alot of work to get them all out in time for their Holiday pictures. I was very pleased when I would open their Christmas cards to see a little dress I made for their special little ones.
These first two are for the cutest little blonde sisters. This was featured on the cover of one of the last Creative Needle Magazines. It was designed by my good friend, Bridget.

These were their more formal look that they wore for Christmas that same year. This is an old Children's Corner Claire pattern. I just loved making these. I embroidered holly leaves between the red covered buttons. Very simple but what a great impact these had.

My little one gets lots of fun comfy jumpers. This one I used a new jumper pattern and I forgot to lengthen it. So I ended up making her leggings to go with it. She loved it. She is dancing here like Santa.

This next one is my Grinch creation. I used this same dress for two years in a row for a silent auction. It always gets a great bid and he is just so much fun to make.

I made these two jumpers last year for a mother who wanted something festive for her twin two year olds but didn't want them to just scream Christmas.

Lastly, I will share with you something a little different. I had a call from a customer who was taking her 2 year old son and 4 year old daughter on the Polar Express. The children are to wear pajamas. I chose some ticking fabric in red and white flannel. She loved it and it is still one of my favorite Christmas cards I recieved. Something about children in their pajamas is so sweet!


I have tons more, but this way I can make it last all month long. Now, to get back to my smocking. Have a great day. I hope you enjoyed this little look at past Christmas creations.

Baby Rattle

Here is another one of my new little ones little daygowns. This is, of course, from Old Fashioned Baby patterns. This is the Raglan sleeve day gown. I love that this version uses bias. I have tons of it in different colors and this is a great way to tie it into my design.
I did a very simple rattle for my shadow work and on the hem I did a long running stitch and then went back with my floss and used those stitches to weave my floss through.

This is just made from Imperial batiste. I love the 100% cotton as much as anyone does, but sometimes the idea of just out of the dryer and hung up is nice.

I really want to do another one of these. I love the fact that there is all this room in front for whatever I want to design or copy on there. I might go cut out one of these today. I could have it done by Monday if I just get busy!

Turkey Girl

Sydney requested orange and khaki for a Thanksgiving dress.  Right now, she loves a Lucy the best.  She told me that it isn't too much fabric on her legs and it swings.  I have to agree with her.  Those cute legs need to be seen!  So I used a very girlie looking turkey on a beautiful stretch poplin fabric I had in my stash.  I have yards and yards of this glorious fabric.  I bought it last year when I was making uniforms for Sydney in Williamsburg.  I did this jumper reversible in the same fabric.  The other side has her monogram in brown. 

I love making matching blouses with jumpers. I love how it pulls the whole outfit together. I used the orange microcheck on Miss Turkey's body and made her a button up the back blouse to match. Sydney picked a smocked sleeve. So glad my 6 year old appreciates smocking and still wants it. I asked her, "Do you want a piped cuff for the sleeve or a smocked sleeve?" She looked up from her coloring and said, "Smocking! Smocking! Smocking!" I was pleased with that answer as well!

Now, I need to get out my Christmas fabrics and start on some holiday things. I have lots of fun ideas this year I can't wait to make.

Sweet and Simple in lawn

This is my newest Sweet and Simple day gown. I told you I loved this pattern!  This one is from stash completely.  I love that even more!  This is a lawn fabric in a pale green.  I used the embroidery pattern right from the pattern itself.  Sweet and simple!  And these are really pretty mother of pearl buttons.  I am starting to have a love affair with mother of pearl buttons!  I just love the depth of them. 

This lace is about 5/8 of an inch and a little larger than the other lace I have, but I just loved it so much I had to use it. I think it took me longer to hand whip that lace than it did to actually put the whole dress together. But I didn't mind one bit!

I loved the embroidery and doing the featherstitching and tiny bullion rose buds was so much fun, but I wonder how my tracing got off. If you look carefully, you can see how after the first button, my embroidery is off to the left. (I know, if I didn't point it out, you might not have noticed it, but just in case you did and thought I would bring it up.)

I have a slip cut out to match this dress. I have a doctor's appt. that I think I will take it along and do all my shell stitching then.
Sydney is feeling a bit neglected so I think I might work on a couple things for her next. She needs some cooler weather things. You know for those days when it is in the 70's here instead of the 80's! Have I mentioned how much I love this Florida weather? Well, I do!

Baby bishop

I love bishops on little girls.  They just frame their cute adorable faces.  I have done lots of them and each time I get excited to see the finished product.  I thought today I would show you some of my favorite bishops I have done in the past for Sydney and for others and then show you one I have recently finished for my new baby.
This first one was a copy from an old AS&E smocking pattern.  I worked on it entirely while Sydney played in the bathtub.  It was so much fun trying to see how many roses I could get done before she was ready to get out.  She was about 3 at the time. 

Here is a close up of all those roses.

I don't mind spending so much time doing bishops because they can be worn for so many years. They are a true labor of love. Also, they are the reason I started doing smocking in the first place. I just loved them in boutique's but we just didn't have the means to dress my little one in them all the time. So I became obsessed in learning everything I could about smocking so that my little one could be in them as much as possible. Here are just a few of my favorite bishops I have smocked. Each one has special meanings or were for a special occasion. I have saved these for my new little one. They are already hanging in her closet just waiting for the day I can pull them out and dress her.



As Sydney got a little older I made her a bishop as a top instead. She loved this outfit and wore it to death. It was made from a wonderful Heirloom Imports brushed twill.

These next two are for the cutest little blonde beauty of a child you have ever seen. I was blessed enought to make these for her. Her mother is one of my best friends and she loves a little one in bishops too.


Okay, enough of the past, here is one I have recently done for my new bundle of cuteness. It is a Children's Corner Missy pattern. I used the same diaper cover from Michie that I did on the last post. This is a pink dot on white pique. I love the weight of this fabric. I made this one short so those cute little legs will show.

Okay, I am off to smock. I am inspired to work on the one I started the other day. I think it might be what we bring home our newest little one in. But knowing me, I will probably have a couple options for that day.

Tiny inspirations

Today I will show you a cute little diaper shirt and cover I made.  I was inspired by these cute 1/4 inch buttons that Jan sent me.  When an order is placed at Bessie Mary she sends with them little swatches of her beautiful fabrics.  It's a nice way to see scale and exact colors of fabrics as well as the lovely hand these heirloom fabrics have.  Sometimes in these little packages come needles, buttons or trims.  Well, these wonderful aqua buttons came in mine one time.  I received 5 of them.  Just enough for a daygown, but I happen to have a gingham in my stash that was the exact match!  How lucky is that?
Creations by Michie makes this cute little diaper set.  I love the way the diaper cover buttons on the sides.  The cute top has three views.  I chose a view with puffed sleeves and it uses up three of my cute little buttons.  I happen to have purchased white 1/4 inch buttons from Jan at an earlier time so they were in my stash waiting for this.

I love doing shadow work too. On this pique I decided on some tulips. Because my little one will be wearing this in the springtime I thought they just said spring.

One of my favorite things about this pattern is that it will work if my baby is short or long. I love bubbles but I find that little ones outgrow them so quickly.  With this cute outfit hopefully we can wear it longer.  I made this outfit in a size 3 months just to be on the safe side.  I can see more of these in my future.  It went together really quickly and looks so sweet. 
So, that is what inspired me to make this outfit.  Sometimes it's a pattern that I just MUST make.  Other times it is a beautiful or fun piece of fabric.  What inspires you to make a certain project? 

Priscilla's Daygown

I have to say, this was my first introduction to daygowns.  Priscilla's Daygown was the first of many daygowns I bought from The Old Fashioned Baby.  I have since fallen in love with the embroidery that can be done and sweet trims and lace.  It is like a whole new world and I am completely smitten.  Unfortunately, Priscilla's daygown is discontinued but luckily I got one from Bessie Mary.

I love babies in blue. It is something about their cute pink skin that just works with it. This is just blue imperial batiste that I found in my stash. I love the shade and putting little pink flowers made it so feminine. Batiste is so soft and I can just see a litte one squirming around looking sweet and cute as can be wearing this.  My bonnet needed some matching embroidery and some sweet mother of pearl buttons too.

Can't you just see some fat sweet cheeks sticking out? I can't wait to meet our newest bundle to play dress up!

This adorable very tiny lace and entredeaux was a challenge. I felt like a giant working with it. Not to mention I had to hold my mouth just right to attach it. I also took the floss and wove it in the entredeaux for some added detail. I want to do this technique again. I love the effect of it.

I love mother of pearl buttons and placing them on the bonnet was a no brainer. I loved doing the matching embroidery on the bonnet as well. I can see more bonnets in my future. This one went together like a dream.

Hope you have a great day and thanks for looking at my little daygown. Back to the sewing room!

Sweet and Simple Daygown

This has to be my favorite baby daygown I have made. I love the soft pink color and the tatting is so sweet. I can just picture my sweet little one wearing this dress. I can't wait. 

And can I just show you the adorable pleat under the arm? How cute is that? And that adorable sleeve is precious!

And just so you can see all my embroidery handiwork.

And in the tradition of baby daygowns, here is the little rosebud on the back.

Have a great day and happy stitching!

More Fall Favorites

Yesterday I showed you some of my Fall things I have made for my sweet daughter Sydney. Today I thought I would continue my stroll down past fall favorites.
The most versitile items in a child's wardrobe are jumpers. When it is warm they can be worn alone. And when it gets cooler a broadcloth blouse works great. Then when the temperature drops a turtleneck and tights and they are ready to go. I love them. I have had some fun with machine embroideries and fabrics, and have done many of them reversible to work with both Halloween and Thanksgiving. When I started telling other mothers about them, my customer base doubled. Who doesn't like getting double duty out of an outfit? Here are a few of my favorite jumpers.

I also love doing jumpers with pockets and matching blouses under them. Somehow it just makes a complete look. And who doesn't love pears and apples for Fall?


Here is a reversible jumper. I made it out of my favorite royal blue pique and I just loved the way orange popped on it. I let Sydney pick out here favorite machine embroideries and her fun personality really comes thru. This cute pumpkin had her giggling every time she looked down at him. I have to agree that it still brings a smile to my face too.


Then for Turkey day she wore the other side.

I had a customer who wanted a dress for her adorable little 6 month old that would last her all Fall and into winter. I decided an apron dress with tabs would work. So I used a creme colored featherwale corduroy and some brown gingham piping and made lots of tabs. I really want to recreate something like this for my new little one. Milan always looked appropriate for every holiday outing in this number. I made a matching diaper cover for this number too. I wish I would have snapped a picture of her wearing it. She sure was cute in it.

And I can't tell you how many twists were involved in doing this pumpkin in bullions. I think one of them was something like 75! But the effect was wonderful. I drew out these tabs and then just went to work with a needle and thread. It was like painting with thread. I love doing embroidery work.

I did the fall nuts in satin stitches.

And I even got one for Christmas. This is a cute little mouse that is on a bishop pattern I had. But I decided to do him in satin stitches and added some red beads.

And then one with just her name on it for all those other occasions.

These were so much fun to go back and look at again. It has indeed inspired me to keep creating new things.

A Look back at some Fall favorites

I have been sewing for my sweet daughter Sydney since she was 18 months. When we lived in Virginia I used to love Fall. All the leaves changing and the crisp air always brought a smile to my face. I thought today I would share with you some of my favorite Fall outfits I have made for her.

I loved doing this bishop. It actually was the first time I tried doing picture smocking on a bishop. It is still one of my favorites. Needless to say, this one is ready for baby #2. The sage gingham was a great fall color.

That same Fall I used this wonderful featherwale corduroy called Fern. It was a beautiful green. Unfortunately, SV discontinued it. I had a couple customers want me to make this outfit for them and I went hunting on the internet trying to find it only to discover the shade they replaced it with was not a pretty.

I also started doing machine embroidery that year. This little dress with matching bloomers became a holiday staple for Sydney's wardrobe.

And since I really don't like scary Halloween things, my baby needed a jumper with a cute spider with a bow.

For picture day that year Sydney got this very soft royal blue featherwale corduroy dress. I have always loved her in blue.

Okay, tomorrow I will show you some more of my favorite Fall things I have made. Thanks for this stroll down some of my favorite Fall creations. Now, I need to get busy making a Thanksgiving dress for Sydney. My poor little one only has one so far and that just will not do!