Been sewing, not blogging!

My road trips are over for the time being, my dear family is all in place, and I can begin to concentrate on my sewing again!  I have actually been in my sewing room, but have not have time to blog and to share with my sewing buddies.  So here we have it, one of my latest projects! I love this Pattern from Children's Corner;  I think I will make it for all the girls! I made view B for Issa,; it has long sleeves and a dropped yoke. I will make view A for the younger girls, I think

.  I have pretty much decided to just stick with Children's Corner patterns. They just FIT.  They are easy to read, they often will teach a new technique, and they are precious.

I bought this fabric last year at Hancock's. I bought it in the blue/brown and a pink/black combination.  I am almost finished with Maes little dress, and then I am on to one for Katelyn.

I envisioned this dress worn with white anklets and English Sandals, but I am getting used to my sweet dresses with cowboy boots and converse tennis shoes.

Heal the Brokenhearted

Faith is what makes life bearable, with all its tragedies and ambiguities and sudden, startling joys. 

    ~Madeleine L'Engle

O Christmas Tree...

The perfect Christmas tree? All Christmas trees are perfect!

~Charles N. Barnard

I wanted to do something a little different than the usual red and green this year for my girls. My little kiwis are in white batiste from Christmas Past, so I just had my two Birmingham sweeties to sew for.  I let the design from Applique Corner dictate the colors.  The tree was whimsical, so I used lime green and red on a blue corduroy.  The little hanging star was embroidered with Gutterman gold metallic thread.  I slowed the machine down and didn't have a problem with the thread breaking.

For some reason both my Ipad and Iphone photograph the tree's fabric as yellow, when it is really a pretty bright green.

Happy Christmas sweet Katelyn and Sarah.  I hope they fit!

STAY is a charming word in a friend’s vocabulary.

 ~ Louisa May Alcott

The time in New Zealand is coming to an end, and Mandy needed some parting gifts for a few of the many kind people she has met along the way. 1.  Lilo's linen napkin with the brown ribbon comes from Embroidery Arts.  I couldn't find a font that I liked in the software, so I took the Middle M from the Empire font, then reduced the size of the other letters, using the middle option so that they did not lean.  She uses four letters, so I had to do a little research on ways to do a four letter monogram.  2.  Toni's towel is from Williams Sonoma, and I used a soft cotton on the bottom border.  The font is Art Deco from Embroidery Arts and is accented in bright blue and black.  3.  Jodene's towel is linen with a simple manuscript font from the Artista software.  I used a step fill on this one because of the size of the F.  4.  Hope's black linen towel is Empire, a long time favorite.  5.  I had to play around with the circle monogram.  Lorna is the her friend's  first name, but the L  did not look right on the left side of the circle.  I put her husband's name first, and the final effect is much more pleasing to the eye.

  I hate to see their adventure end, but I am so glad that they will be home soon.

Sewing Under the influence

When the wine goes in, strange things come out.
            ~Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller, The Piccolomini, 1799

 

I am not going to complain about being to busy to sew, because I am grateful for a full and happy life. When I get up in the morning I have every intention of finishing just one little project, but life seems to get in the way.  But Christmas is coming, and even though there is not time for 4 little smocked dresses this year, I can at least do little lined jumpers.

I wanted to do something a little different this year, and Kathy suggested I try turquoise and red; it is in many of the stores this year for Christmas.  I was in a rush, so Fabric.com was my answer.  I ordered a cute little snowman print for the lining and a soft pinwale corduroy for the body of the dress.

Long story short,  I was tired, I had a glass or two of wine, but I am getting worried about getting the dresses in the mail.  Nothing was on TV, so even though I usually sew in the morning, I went up to my little closet at 8 this evening.

My first problem was the lining. The little snowmen on the back lining are right side up, but the poor little guys on the front are all standing on their heads. I don't think Sarah will mind too much if her ling is upside down, so I forged ahead.

I sewed back to front, and as I began to attach it to the corduroy, I notitced I had SEWN UP THE WRONG SIDE.

I have learned that I am an early morning sewist rather than one who sews at 8 in the evening.  And from now on I will sew after a cup of tea rather than a glass of Kendall Jackson.

Happy Birthday to Evelyn...

So mayst thou live, dear! many years,

                        In all the bliss that life endears,..
                            ~Thomas Hood, "To My Daughter, On Her Birthday"

This little Kiwi Girl has a birthday in April,

but Issa's little Kiwi Girlfriend has a birthday in November, and this is part of her present!  I knew that she liked pink, so I started gathering fabrics.  I liked the lacey pink pattern, and found a pink and white stripe to put with it.  Instead of a third fabric to accent,  I used a bit of preruffled eyelet from my stash in between the two fabrics. Baby rickrack in pink completed the gift.  The key to making this pillowcase is lining up your fabrics and trimming them to exactly the same size. 

For an accent to Evelyn's name, I put the little hearts. 

I wish lots of sweet Birthday dreams to little Evelynl!

Boy, n.: a noise with dirt on it. ~Not Your Average Dictionary

Kathy made this beautiful quilt, blanket and burp pad for little Tony's soon to be here little brother, Carter.

It is made out of the most beautifully soft fabrics;  they will feel so nice next to baby soft skin.  The blanket above is a quilted blanket with flannel on one side, and Minkey on the back.  Her bias bindings are always so neat.  The burp bad is edged in the flannel, with the boy definition  embroidered on it in matching thread.  These are really cute, but the fun part is this quilt! 

The fabric on the top of the quilt is a soft polka dot, and she appliqued a "to do" list for a new baby boy!  She added his initials in the top right hand corner.  Again she has a perfect binding, and the quilt is backed with a soft dimpled orange Minkey.  Kathy used the Crown Jewel to quilt her little blanket, and she used a new swirly design that you just can't see in this photograph.  Lucky little Carter James!

New Zealand is not a small country but a large village.        ~Peter Jackson

I think I'm in love.

I love the scenic beauty,  I love the fresh food that you can get in all the tiny restaurants and coffee shops,  I love the people, I love the ocean with all the little bays,  I love the solitary feeling you can get strolling on the beach, and I love the ice cream.  It is like nothing I have ever tasted.  I loved the south island with it's mountains, lakes and sheep.  I love the fresh air and the wind.  I do love New Zealand.

Today we took the ferry from downtown Auckland to Devonport and did a little shopping.  I should say I did some shopping;  the rest of the family did some sightseeing, then went to the playground and the library.

In Cushlas's Village Fabrics in Devonport, I found the most beautiful selection of patterns and fabrics.  It was difficult to make a selection and be on my way.  I finally settled on the cute little sheep for pillowcases for the girls.  Mandy snapped this photo as I entered the shop ; I think they all knew that I would be occupied for awhile.

This country is only missing the rest of my family, my friends, and my Bernina.   Give me those, and I could be perfectly happy here.

Kathy's Spooky towel

From ghoulies and ghosties

And long-legged beasties

And things that go bump in the night

Good Lord, deliver us!

                            ~Scottish saying

Bibi isn't sewing these days, but Kathy is sewing up a storm!  She has been on a search for weeks for black kitchen towels, and I believe this one was the last one from her stash.  So kind readers, if you know where we can find them, please let us know!

Her design came from Embroitique, one of our favorite sites.  Every time I see one of these, I think it would be so much fun to make one through my Artista software, but when it gets right down to it, it is a dad gummed whole lot of work!  These designs are digitized so well, and stitch out so nicely, I am afraid I could not get the same result on my own.

Her last touch was to add a cute polka dot grosgrain ribbon along the bottom of the towel.

And if you think about it, it is REALLY spooky that she can stitch this towel in Atlanta, and send it to me on the other side of the world, and I can put it on a blog!

Its time for tea!

           A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.

~Eleanor Roosevelt

I have finished Mandy's second tea cozy.  Those Kiwis have morning and afternoon tea, so she needed a morning and afternoon tea cozy.  This cozy was made from a pattern called  Tea and Cupcakes,  and it included the pattern and instructions for the oversized Cupcake Tea Cozy.  The pattern is from Tique Productions in Arizona.The finished size is about 10" by 13", but you can use it for fancy, regular, or Brown Betty tea pots.  I think the girls will like the cupcake!

The directions are easy to follow, and they even give you instructions for preparing a proper pot of tea!

           

                                                                                                                                           

I did not line these napkins, I used a rotary cutter to cut 13 " squares, and then did a double hem with mitered corners.  You just cut the corners off at a 45 degree angle, and then fold the corners so that they meet, then topstitch.

My last little touch was to add a YoYo to the top of the cozy, where the pink ribbon is attached.  You just cut a circle, larger than the size needed for your yoyo, and do a running stitch by hand about an eighth of an inch from the edge.  I did not turn the edges under because  I knew the button was going to be on top.  After you do the running stitch, just gather it up and flatten it into shape.  If I were doing lots of yoyos, I would do a basting stitch on the machine.  Before too long, I will be having morning and afternoon tea with 2 precious girls with Kiwi accents.