Bullion Duck Daygown

Need a daygown for cool weather? This daygown is made from pattern #101 out of satin batiste and would be just as pretty made out of flannel. I used whipped stitched piping for the trim and a Bullion duck design on the yoke. If you have not quite mastered the Bullion stitch, this is a great project for beginners. These Bullion stitches are not complicated and it will not matter if one baby duck is slightly different from the others! All of the stitches can be found in the "Heirloom Embroidery Book." Bullion Ducks

Milliner Needle- size #3 or #5

DMC floss - 726, 209, 368, 722, 157

Two strands of floss for all Bullion stitches.

One strand of floss for all Straight and Lazy Daisy stitches.

One strand of floss, wrapped twice for the French Knot eyes.

Purple flowers - Bullion Loop Stitch

Stems, beaks, and feet - Straight Stitch

Leaves - Lazy Daisy Stitch

*The numbers indicate the number of wraps for each Bullion stitch.

*Bullion stitches with 11 wraps or more will need to be tacked in place with a straight stitch.

Boxes from Home

Once again we have a kid in Iraq. Between two of our sons, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law this is our fifth deployment during the past 8 years. From all of this we have become really good at sending boxes to the military! Although our soldiers are well supplied, those boxes from home are special. They usually ask that we send their favorite deodorant, shampoo, or shaving lotion. But sometimes the requests get a little odd. We have sent boot scrapers, women's hunting socks, the best severe weather hand lotion we could find, and Charmin toilet paper. We always send individual size packs of lemonade mix, hard candy, trial mix, and favorite magazines. Last week I was told that the weather is now cool enough to send chocolate. Candy bars are now arriving IN the wrappers!

What is appreciated the very most are the boxes that say "home." Our daughter-in-law told us that keeping them feeling part of the family while they are away is the most important thing we can do. Besides sending weekly e-mails with the boring details of our lives we try to send a small box about twice a month. Because they are able to watch some of the college football games, we recently sent a "ballgame box." It had all of the shippable food that guys like to eat while watching football. The next week the request was for caramel apple dip since apples were plentiful at the chow hall. I was puzzled for awhile when the two younger boys kept asking for Twizzlers. How could it be their favorite candy and I not remember? It turned out that it reminded them of going to movies with their oldest brother!

Last week while on the phone with the son in Iraq, I had a first hand glimpse of how fun the boxes can be. He had me hold on while he answered his door. I heard him say, "Sure, just a minute" and he came back to the phone laughing. One of the guys was going door Trick or Treating with the little pumpkin that his wife had sent. Can you guess what the friend was dressed as..........a soldier!

DMC Reference Book

Some of you have had trouble finding the DMC reference book that I recommended in a previous blog. I have found it online and want to share the information. Go to http://www.dmc-usa.com/ , click on Shop Online, and then click on Specials. The book cover is different from mine, but it does state that the book has the actual floss samples. The product number is #w100ncs and the price is $24.95. The reference book is still one of my most useful embroidery tools!

Those Halloween Costumes...

Most of us have made more than our share of Halloween costumes! With four kids under 10 years old, the three oldest being boys, and Halloween being my husbands birthday, things could get a little complicated. I never had the time to make elaborate costumes, but did end up with a costume box for them to choose from. I would start praying in September that the majority would pick something already in the box. Fortunately, they were a pretty easy bunch to get along with, so we tended to see Superman, Batman, G.I Joe, and a pirate year after year.

After her first trip to Disney World, Anna came home with Minnie Mouse ears and I knew I had the beginning of a costume. I couldn't believe my luck when I stumbled across the red and white fabric on the clearance table at Wal-Mart. It was a stiff nylon fabric that I couldn't imagine what it could be used for and it was marked down to $2.00 a yard! I used a basic yoke dress pattern that I already had on hand, serged the seams, skipped facings, turned under raw edges, and used Velcro in the back. The pantaloons were made from white broadcloth and a shortened pants pattern. We already had the shoes, tights and gloves. This was her all time favorite costume and she won first place at the school costume contest!

I could post many great pictures of "costumes past", but this was the only one that I had permission to use. I respect the kid's privacy and live in fear that if I make them mad they will refuse to help me with computer or camera questions.

Going Crazy with Color!

I can drive myself crazy trying to choose the right color embroidery floss to match the fabric! The problem was finally solved after a friend recommended the DMC reference book. The book can be found at most stores where DMC can be purchased, and is worth every dollar.

The book has fold out pages which have actual samples of DMC floss in every color that the company makes, along with the reference number next to it. I use the book for every single project to satisfy the nagging doubt, "Is this color floss the closet match to the fabric?"

I spread the book out in good lighting and lay my fabric next to the floss samples to find the best match. About 50% of the time I discover that I do not have the needed colors on hand and I then have a good excuse to make another trip to the fabric store!

You may notice that there is not a blue floss in the picture. That is because I discovered that there is not a DMC shade of blue close enough to suit me. Having the book on hand has also encouraged me to use a wider range of colors with my embroidery instead of using the same favorite ones over and over!

"Duck and Bee" Receiving Blanket

Every baby needs receiving blankets and this is one of my favorites to make! This is a great gift when you are wanting something special, but don't have a lot of time. You will need 1 1/3 yards of good quality flannel for the blanket, and less than a yard for the bias binding. The blanket is a 36" square and the corner piece for the embroidery is a 18" triangle. Complete the embroidery on the triangle first, then add the bias strip to the top of the triangle piece. Pin and baste the triangle to one corner of the blanket and machine or slip stitch the bias binding to the blanket. Make and stitch the bias binding to the outer edges of the blanket. You can refer to the "Bias Bound Collar" blog if you need instructions for making and stitching bias binding.

Feel free to print the "Duck and Bee" embroidery design and enlarge or reduce it to the size you need. The instructions for all the stitches are in the "Heirloom Embroidery Book."

DMC Floss: Black, 598, 611, 646, 722, 743, 772

Use 3 strands of floss for all stitches

Outline Stitch- Duck's Body, Collar, Grass, and Antennas

Back Stitch- Beak and Feet

Lazy Daisy- Wings

Running Stitch- Bee's Trail

Bullion- Bee's Body (Number of wraps: 5, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 5)

Bias Bound Collar

Now that we are officially into Fall, it was time to get busy on that corduroy fabric that I purchased several weeks ago! This cute knicker is made from pattern #103 and is made from a dusty green feather wale corduroy, and a white pique' collar which is trimmed with a bias binding.

Here are the basic directions for adding a bias binding to any collar. This is the same technique that quilters use to finish their quilts.

With wrong sides together, baste the collar lining to the collar. Using the seam allowance that the pattern calls for, stitch along the outer edge of the collar. Cut along the stitching line to eliminate the seam allowance.

To make the bias strip, fold the fabric making a 45 degree angle. Press and cut along the fold line.

Fold the fabric a second time to a 45 degree angle to the width you would like the bias binding. The width of the binding should be 4 times the desired amount of binding showing on the front of your collar. My collar has a 1/2" binding showing on the front, so the bias binding strips were 2" wide.

Measure around the outer edge of the collar to find the length of the bias binding. With right sides together, pin and stitch the strips together using a 1/4" seam to make one long strip.

Press the strips open, pressing the seam to one side.

Wrong sides together, fold the bias strip in half and press.

With the right side of the collar and the binding together, open the bias binding out and matching raw edges, pin and stitch the bias binding to the outer edge of the collar. The seam allowance will be the depth of the binding that will show on the front of the collar. For this collar a 1/2" seam was used. When stitching around a curve, ease the binding around the curve and pin and stitch in place. To turn a corner, stop stitching and back stitch the depth of the seam allowance from the edge of the collar.

Raise the presser foot of the machine and turn the collar. Fold the fabric back at a 45 degree angle to the back stitching.

Extend the fold of the binding all of the way back to the raw edge. Place a pin where the two seam allowances intersect.

Begin stitching where the pin was placed.

There will be a loose fold at the corner. Press the fold to one side.

Press the binding to the wrong side of the collar. Turn under the raw edge to the stitching line. Pin in place and slip stitch by hand.

After the slip stitching is done, you collar is completed!