Heirloom Baby Apron

What a thrill it was to see this sweet Baby Apron#122 in the newest Creative Needle Magazine! The process from an idea to appearing a magazine can be a long journey. I stumbled up on an similar antique dress several years ago at a local antique store. The dress was white, in very good condition, and was priced at just $8.00! It appears to be from the late 5o's, when these little dresses were readily available for about $2.00. I was so intrigued by the tiny embroidery and the simple application of the Madeira hem, that it had to come home with me so that I could try the techniques! After it hung in my sewing room for about a year, I knew that it couldn't be put off any longer. I love the challenge of making a garment from remnants. I call those my "free" projects. I barely had enough ecru Swiss Nelona for the dress and a scrap of pale blue for the collar and sleeve binding. It only took a little lace for the collar and the right shade of embroidery thread. I knew this would be fun, but also knew that when working with remnants there is no room for error! Handwork is my favorite, so I really enjoyed every moment of the project.

After completing the dress and submitting it to the magazine the wait begins. The staff at Creative Needle is kind enough to let me know right away when something has been accepted and which issue they plan on it appearing in. I'm then given a deadline to send in the garment, descriptions, and instructions. There is about a 6 month time frame from submission to having the magazine in hand, so when the garment appears in the magazine it is almost like seeing the garment again for the first time! My first reaction when I opened the magazine was, "Isn't that the cutest baby you have EVER seen" and "Wow, the dress photographed great!"

Creative Needle Magazine

It is hard to describe how exciting it is when an outfit is featured in Creative Needle Magazine. So, I can not possibly describe how exciting it is be on the cover for the first time! Also, since I had not submitted the outfit, it was a total surprise! I was looking at the Creative Needle website the other evening when I made the discovery. The whole family joined in the excitement and phone calls were made to let the adult kids in on the news.

The pattern used on the front cover and in the table of contents is Sunsuit/Sundress #132. What a treat it always is to see how someone else has used one of my patterns. I often look at these wonderful creations and wonder why I didn't think of that! All past issues of the magazines are carefully stored away, but you can guarantee that this issue will always be special to me!

Fall Sewing!

Fall is here and the holidays are getting close! If you are like me, this is the time of year for simple sewing projects. I went through my fabric stash the other day and was inspired! Both fabrics are from Fabric Finders and the pattern is Classic Dress #131. I purchased the fabric several months ago, not having a clue what I would do with it. The only thing that mattered was, that I loved the tiny floral print and the green twill was a perfect match! The dress was quick and easy, but it needed something else...matching buttons! Of course, I had not purchased buttons with the fabric, so the search began. We all had a good laugh at Barb's Sewing Center when I walked in with fabric scraps looking for green buttons to match the twill. I got lucky and found the perfect size and perfect color IF the buttons were turned to the wrong side! What a sweet dress this will be for our mild fall days in Alabama and then again for spring. If sewing is your "stress reliever" take time for a fun and simple project during the holidays!

Michie'