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.

Good Morning Sunshine!

I had a little tea party
This afternoon at three.
Twas very small,
Three guests in all,
Just I, Myself and Me.

Myself ate up the sandwiches.
I drank up the tea.
Twas also I who ate the pie,
And passed the cake to me.

I made this second tea cozy using the Bernina Circular Tool.

  I didn't have a pattern , so I just measured the length and height of my teapot , then made a guestimate.  I knew I wanted a big sunshine on the blue polka dot , so I used a bright yellow cotton to accent the blue , cut a square large enough for the sun, and attached the tool to the freearm of my machine.  You almost don't need to look at the directions.  You stick the center of your fabric through the pin, put the plastic top on it so you don't stick yourself, and choose a decorative stitch.  IT SEWS IN CIRCLES!  Perfect little circles.  It reminds you of using a compass like you did in Jr. High. 

After I had done my sun, and cut it to the size I wanted, I attached it to the blue usinig a little blanket stitch. I used pieces of rick-rack for the rays of the sun, and decided to let them go wild and not attach the ends.  My cloud is a biece of batting.  Now I was ready to cut out the cozy.

I just drew the shape out on tissue paper, folding it in half so it would at least be symmetrical.  I cut two blue polka dots, two bright yellow linings, 2 layers of Insul-Brite, 2 layers of Warm and Natural batting.  You layer the insulated Insul-Brite on the bottom  (it will be closest to your warm object), then a layer of batting, then the blue polka dot on top.  I basted the layers together because they were so bulky, then sewed  the two sandwiches right sides together, leaving the bottom open.  I put a little piece of yellow and white ribbon inbetween the layers.  Now sew the lining, right sides together leaving about 2 inches open to turn it, and stuff it inside the cozy, right sides together because you haven't turned your cozy yet.

Stitch the circle around the bottoms of the cozy and lining, pull the lining out and turn it through your opening.  I stitched in the ditch after pressing the cozy on my ham, and left a half inch trim along the bottom.

I fancied up my napkins a bit by lining them, monogramming, top stitching and addig some baby rick-rack.

Voila!

Time for a tea party!

September Song

There are flowers enough in the summertime,

More flowers than I can remember—

But none with the purple, gold, and red

That dyes the flowers of September!

                     ~Mary Howett  1799-1888

      It is hard to believe that September is already here.

      I spent the weekend with my little Birmingham girls, and Rachel had a PLAIN white t-shirt in Sarah's size.  We certainly couldn't have that, so I brought it home to jazz it up a little.

      The design of the little Teddy Bear came from a Sew Many Designs CD.  I moved the leaves around a little bit; there were 4 in the original design and they were spaced further away from the bear.  I deleted one with my Artista software, then scooted the remaining leaves a little closer to the bear so that the design would fit in my medium hoop.   I had to add sarah bear under the design in Child's Play; I heard that little endearment more than once this weekend from her Daddy and Mommy.  The design took a little while to stitch out; I had reduced the size and so the applique was a little more difficult to trim.

I used polymesh stabilizer behind the t shirt, added a layer of tear-away under the hoop, and solvy on top of the shirt.

My September Song this weekend turned out to be Twinkle,Twinkle Little Star, Sarah's current bedtime lullaby of choice.  And I can't imagine a more wonderful way to spend a Saturday night.