Fun With Retro Fabrics

Sometimes you just absolutely fall in love with a particular fabric. That is exactly what happened when I ran across this retro cotton print! Retro fabrics are cottons prints with an old-fashioned look. I used pattern #118 Diaper Shirt & Shorts for this little boy outfit. This is just the type of outfit that I liked to sew for my baby boys. The cotton fabric washes and wears well, the colors are masculine enough to suit dad, and what can be more comfortable than a shirt and shorts? I also discovered that while our little ones can outgrow a bubble quickly; they can wear an outfit with separate pieces a little longer.

Outline Stitch

I think that the very first embroidery stitch that I learned was the Outline Stitch, also known as the Stem Stitch. This is one of the more popular embrodery stitches. In the previous blog the Outline Stitch was just what was needed to embroider the lettering. Two strands of DMC floss and tiny stitches are usually best for a delicate look. The Heirloom Embroidery Book has clear illustrations and directions, along with many embroidery designs for your sewing projects. When I teach the Outline Stitch, I remind students to keep their stitches small and neat, but more importantly, the stitches should be consistent in size. Embroidery is like your handwriting, everyone's is different, and that is what makes your handwork unique!

Adapting a Pattern

I love taking a favorite pattern and changing it slightly to achieve a new look! For this project, I used Baby Daygown #128, white flannel for the gown and pale blue Imperial Batiste for the bias binding. A few simple steps are all that are required to adapt the pattern. After tracing off the pattern onto light weight paper, I used a red pencil and marked 3/8" from the neck edge and the front edge of the gown. I also marked the gown back neck edge 3/8" from the edge. Using a 5" embroidery hoop as a template, I drew a curved edge on the front neck edge and on the bottom front of the gown. I then cut out the new pattern for the front and back along the red marks. I then lengthened the boy's sleeve pattern 1 1/2". I cut the bias band 1" wide and stitched it in place with a 1/4" seam, then on the wrong side, I turned under 1/4" and slip stitched it in place by hand. After the gown was completed, I then added the embroidery using a design from the pattern. This was a fun project for these cold winter evenings and will be a great gift for a January or February baby!

Chain Stitch Embroidery

Need a quick and easy embroidery stitch for your sewing project? The chain stitch was just what my daughter, Anna, was looking for when making the Christmas stockings and tree skirt mentioned in the previous blog. For the beginner, this is a quick and easy stitch and still looks great. Four strands of floss were needed to get the effect on the corduroy that she wanted. The lettering was first traced onto the fabric with a wash-away marker, then embroidered over. Instructions for the stitch are in the Heirloom Embroidery Book along with 16 other embroidery stitches.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Alabama!

Since my daughter, Anna, is back in town and newly married she has been wanting me to help her make her first tree skirt and stockings. The stocking she grew up with was one that my mother made her when she was a baby. Although she loves this stocking, Anna thought it best to have her and her new husband's stocking match. The day after Thanksgiving Anna started looking at magazines and picking out what she wanted. For the stockings she chose a simple white corduroy stocking with a pointed elf toe, red and white fabric yo-yo's, and a red corduroy cuff with her name embroidered in white, Jason's was the same except the colors were reversed. As for her tree skirt Anna liked mine that I made at the end of last year from a vintage tree skirt pattern that I borrowed from a friend. The tree skirt is a simple white corduroy with a scalloped edge and binding in the same red and white print fabric that is also used as accents in the stockings fabric yo-yo's. At first Anna had decided to put yo-yo's on the tree skirt also, but after thinking it over she decided to embroidery "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. " on the tree skirt instead.

It has been a fun project for us to work on while it is so cold outside. We have even had weather predictions of snow flurries for the last couple of days. So while all cozy in the house, the wives were sewing preparing for Santa Claus.

Baby's First Christmas

If you have a new baby for Christmas, what could be sweeter than a simple daygown trimmed with holly embroidery? The pattern used is Pleated Daygown #119. The daygown is made from satin batiste and the collar is piped with red and white gingham. The embroidered berries are twice wrapped bullions using three strands of DMC floss and the leaves are filled in lazy daisies using two strands of floss. The embroidery stitches are some of the basic ones that we learned as girls. If you are new to embroidery or need a refresher course, the stitches are in the Heirloom Embroidery Book, with clear directions and illustrations.

Snowflakes!

Snowflakes! We all laughed last night when the weatherman predicted snow flurries for North Alabama on the first day of December. We never see snow this early! In fact, we get so little in our area that we get really excited over a flake or two. Much to our surprise, it has been cold and flurried off and on all day. At one point they were even BIG fluffy flakes. As I watched the snow today, I remembered the new apprecitation that I gained while drawing the snowflake embroidery design for the romper and dress. I never dreamed that drawing a snowflake would be so difficult! Drawing the snowflake took most of an evening, while doing the embroidery took less than an hour. The snowflake embroidery makes both the Toddler Romper #113 and the Classic Dress #131 suitable for the winter, not just the holidays. Both outfits are made out of featherwale corduroy and are easy projects.