A Splendid Gift . . .

came in the mail today.  Sherri (www.littlecabincreations.blogspot.com) read my post about Isabelle and my intentions to sew for her.  She left a comment that she had two new patterns she would like for me to have if I wanted them.  Of course I said YES!  The patterns have a good selection of styles to choose from and I'm thinking the first thing I will make is a pair of springtime pajamas.  Now I need to put away the quilt block sewing and sew for Isabelle.

I think you would enjoy a visit to Sherri's blog; she makes sweet, sweet cloth dolls and beautiful clothes for them, all by hand I believe.

Thank you, Sherri ~ aren't blogging friends nice!

Charlotte

Hope Chest Addition ~ two

I can't think of anything more comforting on a cold night than a soft, warm pillow. The second addition to the hope chest is a pair of pillowcases made up in a soft-as-suede, 100% cotton flannel, purchased from Connecting Threads.  The color is called Honeysuckle, a cheerful, bright yellow.

I found this, "Easy Tube Pillowcase Tutorial", on YouTube:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrYWCma9wgm

They were very easy to make and are a good, generous size; most pillowcases that come with flannel sheet sets are so small I have trouble getting  pillows inside them.

Have you started a hope chest?  Are you making things to put inside?  I'd like to see them.

Think about it,

Charlotte

Washday at Sam and Sue's

In the weeks before our rain shower, I took refuge in the sewing room to look at something other than dried up flowers and dust.  There was this sweet pattern I had printed off the internet, called Washday at Sam and Sue's Wall Hanging; I don't really know who designed the pattern, but the name, Adrienne Franklin was under the title.  Also, it may have been printed by the Cranston Print Works Company; a lot of Wal Mart's fabric comes from this company.

Now I'm not real fond of wall hangings for my home, so I have in mind this piece would make a cute baby quilt; it seems more suited for a baby girl, thus the light green border.

The clothesline was made by couching with a zig- zag stitch over blue worsted weight yarn.

This was the first applique work I had done using the blanket stitch on my new sewing machine.  I did o.k. with it until I came to a corner, then I usually made a small boo-boo, and now I realize I should have practiced with the machine stitch on a larger piece first.

Of course there had to be quilts to wash and hang!

The clothes are pinned with embroidered pegs and really they just gave life to the piece.

And doesn't every clothesline have to be a fly-over for a bird or two?

After this top is quilted I'll put a hanging sleeve on the back just in case the person who gets it might want to use it as a wall hanging.  It would be sorta cute in a laundry room wouldn't it?

Charlotte

It Was Like Christmas in July

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine brought several pieces of fabric that she didn't think she would ever use.  It was like having a Christmas gift in July!

  

I pressed them and sorted them into stacks of solids and prints.  Most were at least one yard in length, one even being five yards long, and as you can tell, several still had the paper wrapped around them.

My thoughts were whizzing!  Aprons?

Backings for baby quilts?

No gift could have pleased me more, so I gave one of my full aprons to her.

Isn't it nice when people share!

Charlotte

New Stitches

I got a new sewing machine in December as an anniversary/Christmas present.  The Singer I have makes nice stitches but it gives me fits coming unthreaded so much of the time, and with my aging eyes and fumbling fingers, threading the machine is a chore.  The new machine is a Brother from Wal Mart, not a fancy expensive machine, but it has a needle threader! and a button for raising and lowering the needle so it doesn't come unthreaded!  And -- it has a buttonhole foot, another great thing for me.

Another of its features is a multitude of decorative stitches, and of course I wanted to see how they look when put to fabric.  So I made some little crazy patch blocks and added some of these stitches to the seam lines of each piece.

Not all the stitches appeal to me, but I especially like the cross stitches, little hearts, flowers, and leaves.

The machine automatically sets the length and width of the stitches, but as I became more familiar with them, I began to make them longer and wider which gave a different look; I like them better this way.

Now I know these are no where near as pretty as hand stitching and I don't plan to use them much, but for a little doll quilt or doll clothes they can add a sparkle of interest.  It's been fun playing with the machine.  Now it's off to feed cattle -- after I clean up the mess; threads everywhere!

Charlotte

February Apron

February's apron is a child's apron, size 7-8.   After all, no one said all the aprons had to be for Grandma or Mommy.  It is made by a Simplicity  "It's So Easy" pattern, number A2319 which was only 97 cents at Wal Mart.  The fabric was purchased online from Connecting Threads.

Teddy just had to sit next to the apron so you can see the size of it.

I don't have any little granddaughters who could wear the apron, but someday there might be a great-granddaughter I could give it to and she could say, "Look, Mommy!  Mama Charlotte gave me an apron!"

Charlotte

January Apron

Last year, Teddy and I had a different doll quilt for each month of the year.  My quilting is at a standstill right now; just can't seem to get into it, although I do have a big quilt in the frames.  This doesn't mean I've lost all interest in quilting, but taking a rest from it. 

I've always liked to sew, and this year I think I will try "an apron a month" project, beginning with this ripply apron made from an online pattern.

I ordered this book from Connecting Threads for Christmas.  It has pull-out patterns for five full-length aprons, six half aprons, and four kitchen accessories (pot holders, place mats, table runner).  With the patterns I already have in my collection, I believe I can have a different apron for each month.

Charlotte

A Warm Weather Wrap for Baby

Although summer is almost over, this is a good project to make ahead for next year.  A baby needs a little wrap for sleep time whenever the air conditioner is on, and a blanket seems too fuzzy and hot for covering during summer months.  This warm weather wrap is made from a fabric with crinkle; we always called it "plisse" and it was used a lot for summer pajamas or gowns.  I like it because it can be washed time and time again without needing to be ironed, and stays soft and cuddly.

I buy about two yards of fabric if I want a 36 inch square cover, two and one half yards if I want the cover to be 40 inches square, and enough eyelet to go around the entire wrap.  This allows me to double the fabric, enclosing the eyelet around the edges.  I baste the eyelet to the right side of one square, raw edges even, with the eyelet turned to the inside so it is caught inside the seam when the second square is placed, right sides together, onto the first square.  I sew around the square, following the basting threads, and leave a few inches open for turning right side out, then sew the opening.  Rounded corners make for an easier finish.

 

This wrap is made from double fabric and the edges are enclosed with bias tape.  Both of these just happen to be prints suitable for a baby boy.

 

These make nice shower gifts for a mother-to-be who appreciates home made items.

 

Hope my instructions made sense; pictures of each step would have been helpful I know.

 

Charlotte

A Petite Apron

While we're talking about things that would make cute additions to a shower gift, why not whip up a petite apron. Heide at http://apronhistory.blogspot.com has a great tutorial for making an apron, similar to this one, for a dish soap bottle. It adds a little sparkle to the kitchen and the pocket could hold your rings or watch while you have your hands in the water. Check out Heide's blog and have a go at it.

Charlotte

My Applecart's Been Upset !!

Last December, for our anniversary, Popa brought this rotary cutting machine home to me. I had seen it in Wal Mart one day while we were in town and said something about how nice it would be for cutting long binding strips; I didn't ask for it. Now there are things I ask for, many,many times before getting it, or maybe never, but this was something he thought I wanted.

I finished my quilt this afternoon and was ready to cut the binding strips, so I opened the box for the first time. To make sure I understood how to use it, I watched videos online.

There are two blades for the machine, one that cuts like pinking shears and one straight cut blade. So I put in the straight blade and got some scraps for practice. The instructions had told me the machine might not cut the first time because the tension would need to be set. So I piddled with that and this was the result: a mess!!

First of all, I couldn't hold the fabric so that it would go through straight. There was no pulling the fabric out to start over; it had to go all the way to the end to remove the fabric. After several attempts, with a heavier fabric, it finally cut, but it wasn't cut all the way through. My applecart was upset and since I wanted to get the binding ready today, I simply picked up the apples and carried on the old way,

with hand-held cutter, mat and ruler! I'll try again; perhaps it's just hard to teach an old dog, I mean an old woman, new tricks!
Charlotte

Bringing the Old Singer Out of Hibernation

This was the first electric sewing machine my mama had. I learned to sew on her old treadle machine, which was traded in on this machine. Popa says these machines were built like "tanks", meaning they were good, reliable machines, with no plastic parts, but rather all metal.

Several years later, Mama bought another Singer and rather than see this one leave the family, we bought it from her. It is housed in a cherry cabinet made by Daddy's brother. I already had one just like it, so I let the youngest daughter take it to use. She had trouble with the tension and brought it back to me. The last time I tried to use it, there were lots of skipped stitches.

Google research tells me most skipped stitches can be solved by changing needles. So, after a good dusting with "canned air" (now who would ever have thought we'd be buying canned air!) I'm going to put in a new needle and see what happens. I have a little quilting project started and need to machine quilt since I'm using a thick fleece, and this machine has a walking foot for quilting. Wish me luck, and I'll show you what comes from it all.

Charlotte

Little Things Stuffed Away

Sometimes it's nice to find a box or jar, filled with little things I've stuffed away, and spill them out for a look. For instance, this jar held marbles from my childhood, jacks, a rolling pin from my girls' play set, a little top from an unknown source, and a sweet, tiny doll in a little metal bed.

This old canning jar was filled with antique sewing supplies: wooden spools still holding thread, several packages of needles, old buttons and thimbles, wooden cases filled with machine needles, small balls of crochet thread, and two, slighted rusty crochet hooks. Don't you wonder what was made with these items?

Do you stuff things away?

Bibs for Baby

If you enjoy doing cross stitch work, but don't want to commit to a big project, a bib for a baby might be just what you're looking for. My bibs are made from a washcloth with the cross stitched panel attached at the bottom, and backed with a soft, absorbent cotton. Then I encase the entire bib in bias binding. This bib is to be tied; however, I prefer to fasten bibs with Velcro for ease in fastening around a squirming baby. Most layette patterns will have one for bibs, or you could trace around a purchased one to make your own pattern. These are two booklets I have; as you can see, there are lots of designs, simple ones and some more difficult. I haven't tried cross stitching in several years, but if my eyes are still "bright" I may just make one this winter.

Happy stitching, Charlotte

Sunbonnet

About fifteen years ago this old sunbonnet came into my possession, faded and torn, too fragile to be worn, so I tucked it away, it being a reminder of days gone by. Mama and I wore bonnets and I always found them to be hot and confining, but they were more lady-like than a hat for a woman to wear. Every now and then I would take the old bonnet out, look it over, and think about making one like it. The bonnet is a very simple one, made from one flat piece of fabric with the tail snapped to the front sides. The actual bonnet part had a lining but the tail was bound in bias. So over the weekend I put it on a piece of freezer paper and drew a pattern. Instead of binding the tails, I cut two entire pieces from separate fabrics, sewed them together, turned them right side out, top stitched around the entire thing, and put four snaps on each side to give it the bonnet shape.

Pattern with two fabrics cut out

This was the end result, very easy; the most difficult part for me was sewing on the snaps by hand. I'm getting clumsy when it comes to holding small things.

I may wear the bonnet when I work in the garden, but not while driving the tractor; bonnets always seem to cut off peripheral vision and I want to be sure I know what is on all sides when I'm operating machinery.

Have you ever worn a bonnet?