Bibi gardens, too

I don't know if she remembers it or not, but my sister Lynn told me, when I was in my early twenties, that I would make a great grandma. I liked to bake, enjoyed African violets, and made lots of my own clothes. (yep, I was a drag) But now I hope she was right. This photo has nothing to do with sewing, but it reminds me of my Grandma Albin, who lived in Gulfport, Mississippi. She had a carport full of flowers in odd pots, and one of them was a night blooming Cereus. I remember visiting in the summer and staying up late at night, sipping unsweetened iced tea and waiting for this strange flower to bloom. Sure enough, around midnight, the most magnificent bloom appeared. We all marveled at its beauty, went to bed, and by the time we checked the next morning it was hanging sadly from the big green leaf on an otherwise kind of strange looking plant.

As I passed by my back door one night, I saw the moonlight catching these 2 gorgeous blossoms, and I was thrilled to see that my Cereus was actually blooming. It is one of those plants that you can put in a pot and ignore, and if you keep a sharp eye and stay up late, you will be rewarded! Here's to Grandma!

It is good

These photos kind of say it all about Mae Mae. Life is good and there is not too much that worries her these days! She thinks she takes ballet with Issa, but actually dances in the room next door to Issa's class in front of the big mirror and has a great time. The little t shirt was done with a Band to Bow cd around the lettering. I used a cut away stabelizer with solvy on top. I hate to see carefree days fade away as she grows older; I wish I could take a page out of Mae's book and relax like she does.

Bows on her shoulders

This applique was fun to do and it made a cute little jumper. The design is from Sew Many Designs; the appliques are quick and easy to do. I think I have finally mastered turning this Martha Pullen jumper pattern. My instinct is to want to turn it at the shoulder, but you actually sew the lining and jumper together, leaving a side seam in jumper and lining, then sew the side jumper and lining together in one seam and turn it through an opening you have left in the lining. I don't know why this was so hard for me, but I think it has finally stuck.

As little girls tend to do, my Issa is growing taller, and getting a bit leggy for these easy jumpers. She will be pass it on to Miss Mae Mae.
They look so cute on round little bodies. (gets me to thinking...would this look work for me?)

Mae's little skirt

 
I copied this little skirt from one that had been purchased for Katelyn. The original was very much the same, three fabrics, one of them is an eyelet trim. I bought a yard of this green eyelet in the drapery fabrics at Forsyth Fabrics a few years ago, and have used bits of the edge because the scalloped edge was so pretty. The floral is a one of sample fabrics that a friend gave me. I have really used them alot...with such tiny little bodies a small bit of fabric can make a skirt! The bottom trim is just a little polka dot cotton that I had left from another project.
My sewing room is filled with soft colors and lots of pinks since that seems to be what the girls are showing a preference for now. Mixing and matching is not so much of a problem. Who knows what they will like as they get older?
I measured the bottom of the original skirt; it was about 35" around, then measured the length of each little section and added seam allowances. I made a casing at the top, measured my elastic around Mae's tummy and VOILA! A sassy little skirt for Miss Mae. The hardest part was getting her to hold still while I got elastic around her waist!

Issa bear

Now you would think that embroidering a little bear on a onesie would be easy as pie. Not True! Pour a glass of wine before you do this one; it was a real bear to do. First of all, you HAVE to remember to use cut away stabelizer on T-shirt fabric, and solvy on top. Hooping a little onesie is easier said than done; to center it and get it tight in the hoop without stretching it was a real problem for me. Once all of that is done, you can do the fun part, and have your glass of wine, but whew, this will wear you out.
I have to admit, though, little Issa bear looked pretty cute in it!

Are You a Celine fan?

 
I had not been, but she has a beautiful CD of lullabies, Miracle, that Mandy got after Issa was born. You can rock a sweet baby for a long time, and some of the lyrics will bring tears to your eyes. One little lullabye, A Mother's Prayer, is just wonderful and Mandy loved it. I decided to do something special with the lyrics, so I used a piece of white fabric, bordered it with some leftovers from Issa's drapes, put a little batting in it and attached a polka dot ribbon. Mandy hung it on a shutter that is in Issa's room where she hangs bonnets, a little china plate, some lavender and some other keepsakes.
The verse says:

Lead her to a place,
Guide her with your grace,
To a place where
She'll be safe.

I guess that is probably a prayer for all mothers and grandmothers for their little ones. (and grown ones, too)

Nap time on Lake Martin

Now this was a fun project. I got the wicker sofa at MY FAVORITE PLACE, a junk store on Peachtree Industrial. Junque is really cheap there and sometimes you can find some good stuff. The cushion is a little worn, but I decided to just give it a new cover. I took several samples of some fabrics that a friend gave me, then just started piecing them together. When it was large enough to cover the cushion, I used the original for a pattern and added some braided trim. When I find the time, and have my sewing machine at the lake, I am going to go back and do a feather stitch on the seams to give it some added strength. I think I can safely say that no one will have a sofa like mine.

It is a great place for a nap in the afternoon, listening to the cicadas.

Here is little Mae in a favortie dress of hers; I think she likes it because she can twirl around in it! I love it because it has gotten lots of wear; it was made for Issa, who wore it for 2 summers, and this is Mae's second summer in it. The pattern is from Children's Corner, I think it is Mary De, and it sews up so quickly. I piped it in white premade piping, and used white rick rack to separate the blocks of color. The fabric is the fabric that I can't use up; I must have bought a bunch of it!

Look what Mandy made! A dear friend of Mandy's just had her 4th precious daughter, and Mandy went to the hospital with these. The Britton burp cloth has embroidery from Martha Pullen's Sweet Baby cd. It has the large pink rick rack across the bottom. The second burp cloth has Britton's monogram using an Embroidery Arts cd. Do you recognize the fabric across the bottom? It is a scrap from the little dress I made in Nashville shown in my first "Singing Girl" post. She did another one for a little boy with his name in the blackboard font, put a little football from the Artista software under the name, and embellished it with a little black/white ribbon. A little Georgia fan.

We have loved this little Bernina 200 sewing machine/computer. Mandy had never sewn a day in her life until I got this machine, and she is really enjoying using it as much as I am.

Make it Looooong Bibi

This is Issa's first design; and I am pretty sure she loves it. She asked me to make a nightgown, and to PLEASE make it long. I took the easy way out, bought a t shirt, and after much study of embroidery pictures, she chose a patchwork teddy bear. The ballerina bear ran a close second. It is a Husquvarna disc. She then chose the polka dot flannel from my stack of flannels, and we made a looong skirt. I think she likes holding it up when she walks, but believe me....this flannel gown is plenty warm this time of year. I think the feather boa is a nice touch!

Flea Market find

You may need to click on the photo is really see this monogram, but I think it is a pretty one. It is an embroidery arts disc; the Gothic monogram. The towel is a flea market find. I couldn't pull up the text telling me how to do it, so I just blindly forged ahead. I think I may have done the initials backwards. G is my last initial and it is behind the D. I have just had it hanging on this firescreen in my bathroom, but I think I am going to put a pocket in the top, put it on a tension rod, and hang it in the little window in the ORANGE bathroom at the lake. (the first owners had to be Auburn fans) I wonder if I could paint orange laminate counter tops RED?

When I was ironing this, I sprayed it with 505 adhesive instead of spray starch and couldn't figure out why the iron wouldn't move!

My Birmingham Sweetie

Just how cute is this little one? She is a new big sister and so so precious.
I made this dress from a pattern that I made from a purchased dress. It was really so simple. I just laid it out flat on tissue paper, drew out the 3 pieces and added 1/4 inch seams. Because I am a little slow with these things, turning it with the straps was a challenge, but with my neighbor Lin's help we got it figured out. If I did it again I would line the grosgrain straps and use some stabelizer in them. The original had buttons on both sides and was reversible, but I did not go quite that far with it. I made one for Mae in the pink and a green lining.
Yet again, this is more of the fabric that will not be used up.

Summer T's

These little t shirts came from Target and were just screaming for a cute applique on the front. I did one for Katelyn in blue, but it got away to Birmingham before I could take a picture. The font is curlz and the applique is a CD that is fun and easy to use. This fabric is the fabric that won't die. I have made 3 dresses out of it and still have lots left in the sewing room!

more baby stuff

This little gift is for a friend who is a veterinarian. The polka dot burp cloth has a little puppy dog on it, the second one is applique with Rachael embroidered across the applique. I used 505 spray and a simple zigzag around the flowers; I am going to try a paper backed sticky stabelizer next time. The changing pad is just a white hand towel, backed in the floral fabric, embroidered with Rachael, with a grosgrain ribbon tie. I hope she likes it!

A baby is God's way of saying the world should go on. -Doris Smith

Sweet babies and sweet baby gifts. The first 2 burp cloths were made with a simple initial and decorative ribbon. They were made for my twin great nieces in Texas. The second photo is a good example of a Don't. I cannot believe how much it bothers me that the the names aren't level. But more than that I can't believe that I gave them away! I hope the crooked name doesn't bother the mommy as much as it bothers me!

Tailgating in (gag) Auburn

Oh NO! Blue and orange! I am surprised that my poor Bernina didn't need service after these 3 little dresses. I used the old Martha Pullen pattern, lined them in some orange gingham, embroidered them with a program that I got online and put those ugly orange bows on the shoulders. These girls need a little red and white in their wardrobes.

Late summer cutie

Another little outfit sewn in Nashville at Children's corner. This little set was also designed by Lizette. The top is seersucker and embellished with pearl cotton. The pants were designed to be cropped, but I got them a little long, I bet next summer it will all fit just fine. The pants are from the little Charlotte Revised pattern and also have the pearl cotton embellishment on the ruffle, but it is hard to see. Again, the 3 days in Nasheville couldn't have been more fun. Spending the time in a room with like minded women, doing what you love to do, just couldn't have been more enjoyable!

By the way, this little girl was sent home from her preschool class for wearing this. I never quite understood that...the straps are wide, double straps with a large knot at the shoulder.

gardening cousins

This sweet blue sundress was made in Nashville at a Children's Corner workshop last fall. It was designed by Lizette Thomason; if you love to sew little girl's dresses this is a workshop to take.

Singing girl

I began sewing again because of this precious singing girl! Actually, when her mother, my daughter, was pregnant I purchased a Bernina Artista 200, and have spent hours sewing for her and little sister Mae and cousin Katelyn. Sarah has recently joined the group of granddaughters so I have 4 little girls to sew for. Being Bibi to them is the joy in my life, and I hope this little blog is a way to share and remember the fun things we have done together.