St. Anne Quilting and Sewing

Smocked Bishop Dress

2012-02-20T22:46:00.000-06:00

Another PhD, Project Half Done, is finished! This is Ellen McCarn's Bishop pattern in a size 3 month. The fabric was in my stash from many years ago and I think it is cotton with some spandex. I remember that the label at the store read "cotton lawn" and that is why I bought it, but it isn't cotton lawn. I like it anyway.

The smocking design is "Evelyn" which I developed a few years ago. You may see the original dress on which it was used by clicking here. My floss choices weren't the best on this dress because the design gets swallowed up by the printed fabric. There is always something to learn. A smocking buddy "auditions" the floss by stitching a few inches on the fabric before making up her mind to use it. I should do that, too!

2012-02-20T22:30:00.000-06:00

This silk gown was made for my sister and her family. It is a size 6 Month and was inspired by Nancy McEvoy's "Divine Blessings" in Australian Smocking & Embroidery Issue 82. My sister is a sweetheart; she has patiently waited a long time for me to finish this gown!

Nancy's gown did not have smocking on it, so I adapted the bodice to include smocking. This silk is made of two colors: a green and a rust color. When the fabric moves, the light catches the colors in wonderful patterns that constantly change.

I used Nancy's embroidery pattern and stitched it using Madeira silk floss. Her design used lace sewn into scallops, but I used a feather stitch instead of applying lace. This is part of the center front at the hemline. The embroidery starts at the left neckline, goes down the left front, along the hemline, all the way around the back hemline, to the front, and back up the right front to the neckline.

A slip was made using Imperial batiste with a touch of embroidery at the center front neckline. Along the hemline, I used a machine embroidery pattern to stitch oval frames. My sister can embroider the names and dates of the babies who wear the gown in the frames.

Finally, a garment bag was made for the gown and slip. Silk organza and machine embroidery were used. The garment bag is intended to be used to carry the gown from home to the location where the baby will wear it, not for storage. An archival storage box will be provided for storing the items when they are not in use.

It was fun making this set and I learned a lot. Now, on to another project finished from my PhDs!

Love of My Life Quilt

2012-02-20T21:58:00.000-06:00

It's still Valentine's Day, right? I finished this quilt a couple days after Valentine's Day and gave it to my husband. He looked at me kind of funny...

The inspiration came from a BHG American Patchwork & Quilting magazine, Aug 2004, Issue 69, and some embroidery designs by Val Laird. You may visit her blog at http://val-laird.blogspot.com/. I don't think she has the heart designs up anymore, but she has other lovely designs.

The fabrics were purchased locally and prewashed twice before I cut out the blocks. In the washer, I threw in a couple of "Shout Color Catchers," and they helped attract the red dye so the quilt did not turn pink.

My goal when beginning this quilt was to use embroidery stitches I had not done before. They included some variations of the chain stitch and my favorite was the "crested chain stitch." Others were the "Pekinese stitch" and "coral knot." Fun! There were four large blocks like the one above, each having a different word: Family, Faith, Hope, and Love.

There were four blocks like this one ...

...and four blocks like this one. The stitching was not necessarily the same on all blocks, except for the "buttonhole shell stitch" borders and the running stitch.

Making the label was fun. My husband is the "Love of My Life;" hence, the name of the quilt.

The back shows some of the feathering design. The blocks were "stitched-in-the-ditch," and the hearts outlined. The larger blocks also had some cross-hatching in the background. The placement for the feathering designs was marked with blue "pounce" chalk and the feathers were quilted free-hand. I had trouble removing all the blue "pounce" chalk and am not sure I will use that again. When I washed the quilt to remove the chalk, I stuck in another "Shout Color Catcher" to see if the reds would run and they did. I really like the Color Catchers!

We have the quilt hanging in our kitchen now, and I like looking at it throughout the day. It reminds me to pray for Bob, too. He is a Blessing and truly is the Love of My Life!

My Stash is Dwindling for Wee Care

2012-02-12T16:13:00.000-06:00

This "Wee Care Gown or Sacque" is a size small, supposedly for a 3-4 lb. preemie. I'm not sure if I'll donate this because the fabric a a bit rough to the touch. It may be used for a doll gown, we'll see. The sleeves are edged in narrow lace, and the hem is a traditional turned up hem hand stitched in place. If you are interested, the pattern is part of the SAGA Stitches Program and you may order it by clicking here. Scroll down until you reach "Wee Care Gown or Sacque by Nancy Newell."

The smocking design is from Australian Smocking & Embroidery, Issue # 53, "The Godchild." I used rows 6 through 11 of the smocking plate. The neck binding had to be pieced, but I think it will do okay. For the closure, instead of a ribbon to tie, I sewed on a couple of buttons and made button loops to go over them.

This gown is the "Grady Gown" in size small. My smocking is a bit too tight; the neckline wants to fall into a "turtle neck" instead of lying nice and flat! I will work on that. The sleeves were finished with a machine shell stitch, and the hem was turned up and stitched by machine; very simple. The puppy at the center front hem is a shadowwork pattern described below.

This smocking design is one for which I did not write down the source. If anyone knows the designer, please pass that on to me and I will give proper credit! I like this design and had a little boy in mind for this gown. The smocking is done in a couple shades of brown with one row of back smocking to keep the pleats in place.

This cute li'l guy is printed in Sew Beautiful, Issue # 98. It is called "Isaac's Puppy" by Nancy McEvoy. The shadowwork embroidery was done with one strand of DMC embroidery floss in the same colors as the smocking. The eyes are colonial knots and the tongue and gold medal are satin stitched.

Some people have asked for a back view, so here you are. This shows the back of the shadowwork embroidery.

Our local SAGA chapter, the Prairie Belle Smockers, will be hosting a "Wee Care Workshop" at our next meeting, February 20. We will be using the Grady Gown pattern published as a "SAGA Stitches Program" for SAGA. To order a copy of the program, click here. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to find "Grady Gown."

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day coming up!

Another Scrappy Quilt by My Mom

2012-02-12T15:37:00.000-06:00

Mom has made another happy scrappy quilt! This time, she sewed strips together and set them on point. I like the movement!

This quilt will go to one of Mom's great-grandkids for a high school graduation gift. It takes a bit of self-control not to tell my great-nephew it belongs to him!

The quilt is about 62 inches x 91 inches. Mom made it that long thinking that it might be used in a dorm setting where the beds are longer than a regular twin size. We used Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 batting and A & E 100% cotton variegated thread.

Jodi Robinson's More Quilt To Fill Ideas is the book I used for the quilting design. It has a "Southwest" flavor. I know Mom likes the quilting to cover all the seam lines, so this design fits that requirement.

The design resembles a sunburst and can be seen on the blocks...

...and even more strikingly on the back. It makes a lovely pattern.

And here is a close up shot. It was fun to quilt; after getting into a rhythm, I prayed for Mom, my great-nephew, and his parents. Who knew quilting could be meditative!

Wait until you see the next quilt Mom has done! I have a few more quilts in the queue before it gets done, but I hope you check back in a couple of weeks. It is a stunning scrappy quilt!

Tea Towel with Mountmellick Stitch

2012-02-02T15:23:00.000-06:00

My efforts to reduce the stash of PhDs (Project half done) has made a bit of headway. This is a large cotton tea towel on which I practiced the Mountmellick stitch. This is my interpretation of the stitch, anyway.

Mary Corbet at Needle 'n Thread has a great library of video tutorials on many hand embroidery stitches. Check out her website here to learn more about hand embroidery. Another good source is a book called Erica Wilson's Embroidery Book which you may find at used book stores or other places that sell out-of-print and used books. The illustrations in the book are excellent, but I found the index to be less than adequate. You have to skim through the book to find the stitches you want.

This is my first attempt and long and short stitch using DMC and Anchor embroidery floss. I'm happy with it. In real life, this violet is about 1 inch diameter

And here is the completed design. The teapot is about 8 inches across. It took many hours to complete this teapot, but I like the end result. I stitched at night when I couldn't get to sleep, which is not a good thing to do. Seeing progress made gets one excited, which wakes one up, then one can't get to sleep, and the cycle continues!

The Mountmellick stitch is easy to do once you get into a rhythm, and it gives great texture. I will definitely use it again in another project.

Contemporary Quilt in Browns and Aqua by SB

2012-02-02T14:39:00.000-06:00

SB made this gorgeous contemporary quilt with coordinating fabrics featuring floral designs and dots in browns, greens, white, tan, and aquas. Beautiful! It measures approximately 60 inches x 84.5 inches. We used Warm and Natural cotton batting and Perma Core Thread in white.

In this close up, you can see the quilting design we used: Sharon Spingler's "Wandering Daisies" pantograph. This quilt was inspired by Kari Nichols pattern, "Arcadia."

Here is one block...

...and another. SB used the dotted fabric fort sashing between each block. She set the blocks in a certain direction to get the effect she wanted. I love this quilt!

The back of the quilt was made from the same fabrics as the top. This could be a reversible quilt.

Civil War Pillow Top by SR

2012-02-02T14:15:00.000-06:00

SR made this pillow top to go with her Civil War Quilt that you may see here.

She backed the pillow top with muslin and we used a remnant of the batting from the quilt. It has been a few months since the quilt was done, and we wanted the same quilting design. Having photos of the quilt helped a lot! The figures in the main picture block were outlined.

The flying geese blocks and corner blocks were marked with chalk and a geometric design was quilted. The outside border was left unquilted. SR does a very nice job of piecing and this was a quick project to do. It will enhance her quilt nicely!

T-Shirt Quilt by KL

2012-01-20T10:27:00.000-06:00

KL made this T-Shirt quilt for her granddaughter, who was active in sports and other activities in high school. It measures about 57 x 87 inches.

The quilting was a combination of free hand quilting around the T-Shirt motifs, and using a template to stitch a chain design in the sashing and borders. Every block was stitched down, stitching in the ditch.

The chain design shows up well in the borders. KL's granddaughter will cherish this quilt because it comes from her grnadmother's loving hands.

Sweet Pea Smocking Design for Wee Care Grady Gown

2012-01-11T17:59:00.000-06:00

This Wee Care gown is smocked with an original plate, "Sweet Pea," designed especially for the SAGA Grady Gown. I used floche and DMC stranded cotton to complete the smocking.

It is a simple design that works up pretty quickly and you are invited to use it for personal items or items donated to a program such as SAGA Wee Care.

Click here for a copy of the smocking graph and instructions.

Please do not sell the pattern or sell garments made using it. Thank you!

It is assumed that you have some smocking experience. If you need to learn how to smock, contact SAGA to find a chapter near you. Also, check out the various You Tube tutorials on smocking, or look for books on smocking at your local library or book store. The A - Z series published by Country Bumpkin are excellent.

Scrappy Apple Core Quilt by GK

2012-01-11T12:14:00.000-06:00

Mom has done another scrappy quilt using the Apple Core Block. When you think of the time involved in completing a quilt like this, it boggles the mind!

The quilt is approximately 78.5 inches x 87 inches. Mom has her methods of quilting and I don't fully understand them. However, I watch and learn every time I visit with her about her quilts and quilting in general. She has fabrics sorted into colors on bookshelves in her sewing room. When she gets an idea for a quilt, she takes her time in cutting the pieces for it, separating them into piles of lights and darks, as used in this Apple Core Quilt, for instance. Then she stitches the pieces together into blocks of the chosen pattern.

For this Apple Core Quilt, Mom used a cardboard pattern and traced the "core" pattern onto the wrong side of the fabrics. She cut them out individually. Each piece was marked at the center point on each of the four sides. She hand-basted the pieces together, "for accuracy" she told me, before stitching them by machine. She matched up those marks she made and that helped her get accurate seams. That is mind-boggling! You can see that she alternated lights and darks, and that not very many fabrics have been repeated in this quilt!

You can see in the photo above that the edge of the quilt was left in the wavy shape made by the apple core pieces. To anchor this quilt on the longarm frame, I carefully basted the top edge following the wavy edge, then did the same along the sides for the section exposed in the work area. It took time, but I'm happy with the results. The quilting pattern is a simple medium meandering stitch.

This is the back of the quilt. True to form, Mom used up some of her fabric stash to complete the backing!
We used Hobbs Poly Down Plus batting and A & E Perma Core thread. I'm curious to see how she binds this quilt. Mom intends every quilt she makes to be used and loved. Her term is "used up" and I'm sure the lucky recipient of this quilt will do that with much appreciation! Thanks for all you do, Mom!

Benedict's Log Cabin by MV

2012-01-06T10:37:00.000-06:00

MV made this Log Cabin quilt for her son, Benedict. It is 69 inches square. We used Warm & Natural batting and A & E Perma Core thread. The quilting design is a simple meandering design.

The black, red, and white color palette is always striking, and I think Benedict will enjoy using this quilt made by his Mama! Click here to view a quilt MV made for her nephew.

Starting the New Year with a Springtime Quilt by EH

2012-01-06T10:28:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! This Springtime Quilt helps set the mood for a joyful 2012!

Made by EH, it measures 64 inches x 82.5 inches. We used Hobbs Poly Down Plus batting, A & E Signature QT thread, and Patricia Ritter's pantograph, "Poppies."

The large blocks are comprised of basic 4-patches and rectangles. EH used up some scrap pieces in a lovely way, don't you think?

And this is the back of the quilt! I love this! It reminds me of my mom's quilts and I just love looking at them. I think this quilt will be used lovingly with great appreciation!

Smocked Christmas Ornaments

2011-12-16T11:10:00.000-06:00

One of the smocking classes I teach occasionally is this smocked Christmas Ornament. These modeled here are leftover kits from past classes and were just finished within the last week or so. The basic stitch is a 1/2-space wave. Styrofoam balls, 2-1/2 inch diameter, were used as the base.

Even though the basic design is the same, each one can be embellished to make it a one-of-a-kind ornament.

This fabric is a polyester silky type fabric, very inexpensive, stitched with DMC rayon gold floss and finished with a frou-frou of ribbons and a Christmas pick. (My apologies for the poor photography again!)

The pick was set in place by plunging the wire end into the Styrofoam ball.

Beads and 1/8-inch ribbon woven through the stitches dress this one. The number of pleats is planned to be sure the design can be smocked in the round. You should not be able to see where the seam is.

Looking like a candy cane at a Christmas recital, this one features 1/16-inch ribbon woven through the stitches. I found this narrow ribbon in white and red at the local Hobby Lobby store.

Gold and ecru make this ornament ready to welcome the royal Christ Child, the One whose birth we anticipate with excitement and celebrate with joy! These ornaments will be given away this Christmas as gifts to my daughter's music teachers and to friends who have supported me in more ways than I can acknowledge this past year.

Christmas Blessings to all who read this post!

I finished a skirt!

2011-12-05T14:12:00.001-06:00

I'm so excited! I finished a skirt for myself! This is one of those UFOs or PhDs that has been lying around for a couple of years. (Okay, okay, I need to lose weight...I've been trying forever, will continue to try, and will let you know if I ever reach my healthy weight! But these UFOs? I'm finishing some of them and wearing them in spite of my weight!)

Just look at the skirt, not the rest of the photo! The skirt is a tan, cotton, crinkle-gauze fabric purchased locally. (The top was purchased at a local clothing store on the sale rack this summer.) I have an idea in mind for a more flattering top to wear with this, but that's another UFO!

It was inspired by Jennie Victorsen's “Au Chocolat," in AustralianSmocking & Embroidery Issue No. 79. Her version was made in cotton lawn and was shorter. I like longer skirts, so adjusted the dimensions to suit myself. This is the third skirt made in this fashion. I made a navy blue lawn one and a green gauze one for two of my daughters. That was a few years ago.

The smocking design developed as I went along. Here is a closeup of a section. The smocking design uses a surface honeycomb/3-cable combination, beads, 3-step trellis and 7-step trellis. The floss is in two colors, tan and brown, or a light and a dark. The beads are 4 mm Tiger Eye beads I purchased at a local Hobby Lobby store. This skirt used about 8 packages of beads and since it took me forever, I used the 40%-off coupons that Hobby Lobby puts in the newspaper a few times to cut down on the cost of supplies.

Here's the design roughly drawn out. After making the skirt, there are a few things I would do differently. One is to pleat the fabric with 1/2-space rows. The top two pleater needles would be threaded with water-soluble thread. The top row, row 1/2, is a holding row. Row 1 is the first row on which the smocking stitches fall. When the smocked tier is sewn to the bottom of the middle tier, the two rows pleated with water-soluble thread would be used to help position and stitch the tiers together. The water-soluble thread would magically disappear when the skirt is first washed!

If you use this smocking design for any of your projects, will you share photos? What fun!

Wee Care Gowns

2011-12-03T22:54:00.001-06:00

Yay! I used some vintage fabric in my stash to smock some Grady Gowns for the Wee Care Program for SAGA. It is a type of seersucker, I think, and pleated up well. It was easy to smock.

Here are the six gowns made from the SAGA Stitches Wee Care Series Program 5, Grady Gown, size preemie 2 - 5 lb.. The necklines are smocked in sweet designs that come from many different sources, or are original designs.

These three gowns were made identical with triplets in mind. The smocking design is a simple pattern of diagonal smocking.

The first row is a row of cables. The diagonal smocking fans out from the center front. Smock two lines, skip two pleats, and continue.

This design consists of a 1/4-space baby wave on row 1, then three rows of a 3-step trellis. Each rows covers one full space, and they are separated from each other by 1/4 space. I used two shades of lavender with the darker shade on the bottom row. The center row of the 3-step trellis is green. At the center front, a small bullion rose was stitched below the smocking

Two shades of pink, and a touch of yellow and green accent this "plaid" smocking design. Stitches used are the cable, 2-step trellis, 3-step trellis, 5-step trellis, double flowerette, and lazy daisy for the leaves.

Hearts are formed using a 3 cable, 2-step trellis combination with 7-step trellis. Bullion roses with lazy daisy leaves embellish the center of the hearts.

During construction and before the garment is pleated, a row of stitching about 3/8 inch from the folded neckline edge anchors the facing around the neck and forms a casing. That row of stitching keeps the neckline in place. When the smocking is finished and the garment has been constructed, a narrow ribbon is fed through the casing with tails long enough to tie in a sweet bow in the back. The ribbon is anchored with a few stitches where the sleeve meets the garment back at the neckline. That keeps the ribbon from getting lost, and allows for some adjustment round the neck for Baby's comfort.

Making these Wee Care gowns is so satisfying. The hospital personnel are always grateful to receive them. If you've never given it a try, I encourage you to do so!

One Patch by friend of PP

2011-12-02T12:20:00.001-06:00

This one patch quilt in browns, tans, and white is simple but charming. PP's friend made it. This is the only good photo I got of it. I like how the quilter used the narrow strips of green in the border. It adds just the right touch of interest to set off the quilt.

Size: 74.5 inches x 93.5 inches
Batting: Hobbs Poly Down Plus
Thread: A & E Perma Core
Quilting Design: "Rose Vine" by Norma Sharp of Simple Quilting Stitches

I need some instruction on using the camera before the next few projects are posted. I have some Wee Care gowns to show you, a smocked skirt, some smocked Christmas ornaments, and a red work quilted wall hanging almost finished. Fun, fun, fun!

Catching Up

2011-12-02T11:59:00.001-06:00

The past several weeks have been busy as I try to finish up some unfinished projects lying around my sewing studio. I have a couple of quilts to show you. This first one is by AC for a niece's wedding.

Size: 86.5 inches x 106.5 inches
Batting: Hobbs Poly Down Plus
Thread: A & E Perma Core
Quilting Design: "Swirl" by Norma Sharp of Simple Quilting Stitches

AC always does such a lovely job with block patterns and color. I really like her combinations! In the photo, the red pops out, but in real life, it isn't quite as prominent. I hope the niece and her future husband will appreciate this quilt.

Here is one block. AC showed off the print fabric to good advantage in the way she cut a long rectangle and two squares to make the center cross. Nice! It probably saved cutting and stitching time too.

We chose a simple quilting design, a swirl design that covers well and is easily seen on the back of the quilt. Nice work, AC!

The second quilt will be featured in the next post.

RH Blue and Beige Quilt

2011-11-02T20:07:00.000-05:00

RH made this blue and beige quilt. I do not know what the name of the block is, but I like how RH put it together. The quilt is about 87 inches x 106 inches. We used the pantograph "Narrow Allover Hearts" by Keryn Emmerson.

The batting is Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 Natural and the thread is A & E Perma Core. This quilt will look nice in any room.

Strip Quilt by TS

2011-11-02T19:38:00.000-05:00

This strip quilt done in pinks, reds, blues, and purples was done by TS, the quilter featured in the previous post. This quilt measures about 65 inches x 86 inches. The batting is Warm & Natural and the thread is A & E Perma Core.

As in the previous quilt, a meandering design was used, but this time, the stitching lines were closer together. TS backed this quilt with muslin, as she did the previous one.

TS Brown Quilt

2011-11-02T19:29:00.000-05:00

This 87-inch x 100-inch quilt was made by TS. She used a variety of brown, rust, and beige fabrics to complete it. The batting is Fairfield Poly-Fil polyester and the thread is A & E Perma Core.

The quilting pattern is a free-hand medium meandering.

Backed in muslin, the quilting shows up well on the back.

Quilt with Fabrics from Africa

2011-11-02T19:21:00.000-05:00

AC made this quilt for her daughter and future son-in-law. Many of the colorful fabrics came from Africa. The quilt is large: 108 inches x 126 inches. We used the pantograph "Wandering Daisies" by Sharon Spingler. The batting is Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 and the thread is A & E Perma Core.

This shows the block design; it is a great pattern to showcase your favorite fabrics! The block measures 18 1/2 inches square. The colorful block in the upper left corner features one of the African fabrics.

Here is another of many colorful fabrics from Africa featured in this quilt...

...and another one. AC chose a green, blue, and aqua batik fabric for the backing. What a beautiful quilt! I'm sure AC's daughter and son-in-law will treasure this gift!

Scrappy Quilts for Sewing For Babies

2011-11-02T12:45:00.000-05:00

October was a busy month with trying to catch up on quilting for customers, family, and Sewing for Babies. The two quilts featured in this post are made from 3-inch squares that my mom had cut and in a tub ready to use. My goal was to use up some of the batting end pieces in quilts for Sewing for Babies. These were inspired by Bonnie Hunter's scrappy quilt method. They are only about 36 inches square. Can you see the "stars" in this one? It ended up with less contrast than I imagined, but it will do.

The backing of flannel shows off the free-hand quilting design. The batting (Hobbs Heirloom 80-20) was three pieces hand basted together. This quilting design should hold it very well.

"Trip Around the World" piecing was used for this quilt. It, too, is about 36 inches square. The batting in this one is two pieces of Hobbs Thermore, When I baste the pieces together, I lay the edges on top of each other, then cut using a rotary cutter in a serpentine fashion. The scraps are thrown away and the curved edges will meet. I hope that makes sense! Then, I use a large herringbone stitch to join the curved raw edges together, just butting the edges with no overlap. I'll take pictures for the next one I do.

The quilting design was done freehand, using the blocks as guidelines, and making a continuous line of stitching across the quilt and back. The stitching lines eventually look like intersecting circles. My mom, bless her heart, hand stitched the binding on the back of this quilt for me.

These quilts will go to Sewing For Babies at some point in the near future.

Gloves for the Bishop

2011-11-02T12:27:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine was asked to make some white gloves for the Bishop to use when he visited the seminary nearby. In the photo above, the gloves on the left are an old, professionally made pair. The goldwork embroidery is lovely!

The gloves on the right are what my friend came up with. She had very little budget to work with. She purchased some stretch white gloves from a tuxedo shop, some brocade with metallic threads in the design, and some satin to line the cuff. She asked me to help her put the gloves together, so we used the original set as a guideline to make a pattern for the cuffs. We ended up cutting off the original hem of the gloves and opening the outer side seam about 1 inch. This allowed us to make a short placket using the satin lining cut 1 inch wide on the bias. This was inserted by hand using a back stitch; it was easier than trying to get that tiny seam under the presser foot of a sewing machine.

The brocade was interfaced with a sew-in stiff interfacing, then sewn to the satin lining right-sides-together. The cuff was turned right side out and carefully pressed. The right side of the cuff was sewn to the right side of the glove by machine. The satin lining was finally stitched down on the inside by hand using a tiny whip stitch.

My friend will hand embroider a simple cross centered on the top of the glove and they will be finished. They are not as elaborate or as fine at the original, but will do the job!

Log Cabin Quilt by GK

2011-10-01T09:36:00.000-05:00

My mom, GK, has created another stunning scrappy quilt! This log cabin quilt is designated to go to a grandson for his high school graduation gift next May.

Mom chose a variety of colors for the darks, and shades of white and ecru for the lights. I love it!

For the quilting, I chose a free hand design based on Jodi Robinson's "Quilt to Fill" ideas. The design is a fern leaf shape with the leaf tips squared off. The chosen threads were A & E Perma Core ecru on the top and tan on the back. The batting is Hobbs Poly Down Plus.

The center motif where four log cabin blocks come together show Mom's use of her various dark fabrics. There are fabrics used more than once, but they are hard to spot!

The backing shows off the quilting motif. This design was easy and quick to do.

Mom has made so many quilts for her grandchildren! They each have received one as a child, and a second when they graduate from high school. Her quilts aren't hung in museums or art galleries, but are lovingly used and appreciated by those who love her. I like to think of them in a family "gallery of the heart."

Thanks, Mom!

Embroidered Stars Quilt by JH

2011-09-30T08:52:00.000-05:00

JH's mother embroidered the blocks for this star quilt. It measures approximately 78 in. x 98 in. We used Hobbs Poly Down Plus for the batting, and a burgundy colored A & E Perma Core thread for the quilting. My husband saw this quilt and commented on its beauty. I like the simplicity and organization of the design. Using just two colors, burgundy and rose, with white makes it very pleasing to the eye.

The blocks were printed with quilting lines and those were followed without any additional embellishment. Each block was stitched-in-the-ditch, and with the embroidery design of the cross-stitched squares, it made an attractive frame around the star. A template was used to mark and quilt the sashing.

To quilt the border, school chalk was used to mark even spaces and registration points. Eight-pointed stars were quilted free hand. In the center of the side borders, two diamonds were added to fill up the remaining space.

The backing is white muslin and with the plush Poly Down Plus batting, the quilting design shows up very well. JH's mom will enjoy her beautiful quilt!

Sewing for my family and "Sewing For Babies"

2011-08-29T11:12:00.000-05:00

My daughter is tall and thin and needed some slacks for a job at school. She is not a fashionista by any stretch of the imagination, so that makes it easier to sew for her...I think. She was happy looking through my stash of ancient patterns and chose this old Burda 4601. We made it in 100% polyester gabardine. The alterations I made for her included adding 3 inches to the length, and about 1 inch to the side backs to allow for ease. She is happy with them, and that makes me happy! We also made a black, long-sleeved shirt from Imperial broadcloth, and typical of my chaotic system, I can't find the pattern we used to show you. It was Butterick 4609, and again, the alterations included adding lenght to the sleeves and taking out a bit of fullness.

Sewing For Babies always needs items, so the last time I went to their studio, I brought back six bolts of flannel to make into receiving blankets for them. The six bolts made 44 blankets about 42 inches square.

Their method of finishing the edges is to serge around them with a balanced blanket stitch. These are nice, large blankets.

(If you click on the link for Sewing For Babies, it will take you to their Facebook page. You will find that it isn't kept up to date, but the contact information is still current, and they are active.) So, cutting, marking the curved corners, serging the edges, washing the blankets, and touching up with an iron, took about 7 hours for these 44 blankets. They will be distributed to various hospitals and agencies in Nebraska who use them in serving new moms and babies. It is good work they do!

Embroidered Blue Birds by PP and DW

2011-08-29T10:14:00.000-05:00

Made by PP and DW for a church fundraiser, this embroidered quilt measures about 113 in. x 114 in. DW embroidered the blocks and PP pieced the quilt top. We used Fairfield Sew Perfect 100% polyester batting and A & E 100% cotton variegated thread.

The pantograph "Poppies" by Patricia Ritter was chosen for the overall quilting design.

I'm happy with the results. The large embroidered squares set on point made the quilt act weird in places, and the quilting design helped keep it more stable. Nice work, PP and DW!

Quilt by SR

2011-08-22T10:44:00.000-05:00

Every quilt I work on quickly becomes my favorite and this one by SR is no exception! I love her design, the fabrics she chose, and the way she fussy cut the center squares for each block. Her border treatment is beautiful, too; she cut the borders so the hearts in the fabric design are exactly spaced on all four sides. Nice!

SR made excellent fabric choices to complete the blocks. She chose fabrics with colors from the focal print fabric and that have some texture but do not overwhelm the entire quilt. I think her choices make this a balanced quilt that is truly pleasing to the eye.

The batting choice is Hobbs Heirloom 80/20, the thread is A&E Perma Core, and the quilting design is "Tanya's Trellis" by Donna Reinarts. The floral pattern in this pantograph complements the fabric choices very well.

Star Quilt by FM

2011-08-20T12:25:00.001-05:00

FM made this quilt using both cotton and cotton/polyester blend fabrics. It measures about 104.5 inches square. We used Fairfield Polyester batting and A & E Perma Core thread in white.

For the backing, FM used a soft, snuggly flannel. You can see the quilting design, Linda Taylor's "Stars and Loops" pantograph.

Lavender Embroidered Quilt by GK

2011-08-10T10:57:00.001-05:00

My mom, GK, put this quilt together. The blocks were embroidered by my grandmother, Ruby Boyce, approximately 20 years ago.
The quilt measures 79 in. x 100.5 in. We used Hobbs Poly Down Plus batting and A & E Perma Core thread.

The blocks were quilted with a spoke design in the center, outlining of the embroidery design, and a cross hatch design in the background. The sashing was stitched using the stitch-in-the-ditch technique between the strips of fabric. The border was marked in two-inch sections, then stitched with a freehand design inspired by Pam Clarke's books on border designs.

The quilting designs show up well on one of the sections on the back.

It always gives me such joy to work on my mom's quilts, and even more so when Grandma's embroidery work is included. I love everything about this quilt from the colors to the setting, to the wonderful memories it evokes when I look at it!

Baby Quilt by Pius X High School Student

2011-08-10T10:12:00.001-05:00

At the local Catholic high school, Pius X High School, the seniors have to complete about 36 hours of service, some for the community and some for the Church. They have the opportunity to perform their hours of service during the summer before their senior year if they so choose. One student, MF, worked with me to make this baby quilt for Sewing For Babies. He used fabric scraps from my stash.

Have you ever had the experience of teaching quilting techniques to someone who seemingly had done everything before? That's how it was with MF. He understood and followed directions with such accuracy, it seemed he had sewn all his life. With very few problems or questions, he finished the quilt top on his own after a few simple directions in measuring, cutting, pin basting, and sewing. He did a great job!

For the batting, he used a remnant from my stash. He helped pin the quilt onto the Gammill frame, and after practicing moving the machine in a meandering pattern before actually stitching, he declared himself "ready!" It takes a young person accustomed to modern technology to be at ease with any type of machinery, and this was no exception. It was a pleasure to watch MF do the free-hand quilting and appear to enjoy the process.

It was a delight watching MF have fun quilting! Here you can see his crativity on the back. Can you see the frog? MF finished the quilt binding after a few directions and simple demonstration. He was a pleasure to work with!

Reflections on Project First Day by Susan Stewart

2011-08-06T16:22:00.000-05:00

In July, I told you about Susan Stewart's Project First Day. My intentions are always more grandiouse that what I actually accomplish, and I ended up sending only the sundress, a skirt and top, and this shirt paired with purchased jeans. Lezette Thomason from the Children's Corner donated patterns to participants and this boys' shirt pattern, Kwik Sew #2951, came from her. Thank you, Miss Thomason! To honor her donation, I intend to make more shirts and donate them to my church's mission to distribute to local children. Pray for me that I will follow through on these intentions!

EM, a member of the local Prairie Belle Smockers, and a friend of hers, MW, also made garments for Project First Day. Together, we sent eight outfits. Here EM and I pose with the garments before they are sent to Susan. EM made the smocked Bishop at her right elbow, and the two dresses with the striped bodices. Her friend, MW made the flowered dress in from of EM and the plaid dress in the lower right corner of the photo. EM and MW, thank you sooo much for helping out!

Bow Tie Baby Quilt by MS

2011-08-06T16:10:00.001-05:00

MS made this bow tie quilt for her grandbaby at her daughter's request. At first glance, the colors are an unusual choice for a baby, but after a while, they grow on you and they are okay! MS told me this is her first bow tie quilt and I think she did a fabulous job!

Keryn Emmerson's pantograph, "Narrow All OVer Hearts" was chosen for the quilting. The hearts look a lot like leaves, so have a dual purpose, I think. One, while looking at the design as leaves, it can be used for any gender and any age. Then, as a nana-to-be, one can look at the hearts as surrounding the baby with Nana's love. Yep, I like it!

Here's a closer look at the hearts on the back. They look like they're dancing, don't they! Nice work, MS!

T-Shirt Quilt by EC

2011-08-06T16:02:00.000-05:00

I didn't get very many shots of this T-Shirt quilt by EC for some reason. This shot shows how EC and her mother put the quilt top and backing together so it is reversible; T-shirt blocks cover both sides. That made it a bit challenging to try to match the blocks top to bottom, but I think it was successful. The batting is Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 and we used a simple freehand meandering design over the entire quilt.

EC and her mother made the quilt for EC's son who recently graduated from High School. I hope he likes it as much as his Mom and Grandmother do, and appreciates the love they show for him; what a great gift!

Winter Wonderland by PC

2011-08-06T15:51:00.000-05:00

I'm finding out that I really enjoy working with flannel and this quilt is no exception. PC made this 55 in. x 55 in. quilt for a wall hanging. The quilting consisted of some stitch-in-the-ditch, and some custom designs working holly leaves into the plaid squares and the dark squares. The holly vine in the border was outlined, then echo quilting finished it. We used black cotton batting and a cotton variegated thread for the quilting.

PC is one of a few quilters I've worked with who designs and stitches her labels on the backing before the quilting is done. The quilting in the border can be seen on this attractive label. This holiday quilt will liven up PC's home this coming Christmas season!

Library Quilt for Marie by DS

2011-08-06T15:35:00.001-05:00

DS made this intriquing quilt for her daughter, Marie, who is a librarian. Each of the appliqued blocks features a book that inspired Marie at some time in her life. It measures 84.5 inches by 106 inches.

Images of teapots and books were quilted in the solid blocks, and the teapot image was worked into the border design.

"Stitch-in-the-ditch" was used around each block, then the image quilted in the center.

On the appliqued blocks, the main figures were outlined with quilting. It was very interesting to see the variety of books chosen for this quilt, and the creative ways DS designed the blocks.

Lace, ribbon, and a glove embellish this block featuing "A Lady of High Regard" by Tracie Peterson. This quilt makes me want to go to the library to check out all the featured books to read! I think this quilt would make a great display in any library to entice patrons to try a new book!

Brown and Blue Quilt by MC

2011-07-03T20:43:00.000-05:00

My photography does not do MC's Brown and Blue quilt justice! The colors are much more vivid than in this photo! It measures about 105 inches square.

Ahh! These colors are closer to the real thing! The quilting design was simply "bubbles" quilted in a free-hand style.

MC used some of her fabrics to create an attractive panel on the back of the quilt. Very nice!

The batting we used is Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 and the thread is A & E Perma Core.

Fallen Heroes Quilt for Nebraska

2011-07-03T20:38:00.000-05:00

Along with the "Lost Heroes" quilt display at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum was this display of "Fallen Heroes" from Nebraska. This display represents those soldiers from all military branches who have died in the Afghanistan/Iraq war.

Lost Heroes Quilt by Julie Feingold

2011-07-03T15:11:00.001-05:00

The International Quilt Study Center and Museum in Lincoln, NE was fortunate to have Julie Feingold's tribute to our country's fallen soldiers on display for a short time. Julie's "Lost Heroes" quilt is on a tour of the USA and will end up in Washington D.C. on September 11, 2011 on the tenth anniversary of the attack on the Twin Towers.

Every element in the quilt holds symbolic meaning for the valor and patriotism of the soldiers it represents. All fifty states are represented by at least one fallen soldier. The quotes, the colors used, the crosses, the quilting, all hold meaning and give honor to those who lost their lives in protecting the freedoms of the rest of us.

This is the theme of the quilt and is found at the top center in the border. Julie's goal for all who see this quilt is to take one name found on the quilt, and remember that soldier.

On the bottom border of the quilt are more quotes from the letters Julie received from the families who sent her information about their loved ones who died in the line of duty. These families are the "Gold Star Families."

Sergeant Wayne Richard Cornell represents the soldiers from Nebraska who have lost their lives fighting for our country. Julie chose to use photographs of the soldiers when they were children to convey the idea that they each had a dream for their future. So many of the families wrote to her saying that their children/soldiers had a dream to serve their country from the time they were children. Many of the soldiers, especially the boys, played with the GI Joe figures when they were children. Because of this, Julie spent a couple of years collecting jackets made for the GI Joe figures to use in her quilt.

Julie worked a code into her quilt. The crosses you see between the blocks for the soldiers are red, white, or blue. Begin with the first cross representing the letter "A" and so on. Reading the red crosses first, then the blue crosses, you will figure out the message. It reads, "A Destiny of Valor."

Seing this quilt, attending the opening ceremonies for its display at the Quilt Study Center and Museum, and meeting some of the Gold Star Families really moved me. It wasn't just those families who lost someone special; every single citizen of our country loses something special when a soldier dies for his/her country. Thank you, Julie, for your tribute to our Fallen Heroes!

Project First Day by Susan Stewart Designs

2011-07-03T10:22:00.002-05:00

Susan Stewart of Susan Stewart Designs has started "Project First Day" to help out the families in Joplin, MO who were affected by the tornadoes this past spring. This is an effort "to provide new, hand-made, first-day-of-school outfits for children whose lives have been turned upside down by the devastating tornado...We are working to make the start of school a happy and hopeful new beginning for them."

So, the size 8 girl's sundress above is called "Flights of Fancy" and was designed by Connie Moses for Australian Smocking & Embroidery magazine, Issue 93. The fabrics I chose are from the Krakow collection by Mark Lipinski. It will be donated to "Project First Day" at the end of the month.

The smocked insert shown above is a simple design of trailing wheat stitch and cast-on flowers. There are a few rows of backsmocking done to help hold the pleats together. I should have chosen a plainer fabric for this insert because the flowers on the fabric "fight" with my cast-on flowers! Another lesson learned!

This closeup photo is a bit washed out, sorry, but shows the wheat stitch and the cast-on flower in more detail. It was fun to make the flowers and my technique improved as I went along. The flower centers are a light yellow satin stitch. The darker inner petals are bullion stitches, and the lighter outer petals are the cast-on stitches. Fun to do! Issue 93 of Australian Smocking & Embroidery has a tutorial on how to make the flowers; I highly recommend it!

A few months ago, I took a class from Gail Doane in which she taught her method of making narrow piping. I used her method for this sundress; there was about 7 yards of piping! Here you can see it framing the top of the ruffle. It was also used to frame the smocked insert, and to edge the straps and bodice.

Always trying to use projects to improve my skills, the vertical seams in the skirt tiers were sewn together with a narrow French seam. The tiers were then sewn together using a four-thread balanced overlock seam on the serger.

One of the design features that Connie Moses included in this sundress is the finishing details for the front lining. The lining covers the inside of the smocked insert. This is a good idea becasue it keeps any itchy threads from irritating the wearer. Instead of just turning the hem of the lining under, Connie's instructions had the sewer applying an edging of cotton lace to finish the lower edge. Then, to make sure it stayed in place, I hand-tacked it to the skirt seam. Because of the thickness of the waist seam with the smocked insert, piping, and gathered skirt, the seam was pressed down toward the skirt instead of being pressed up toward the bodice as is usually done. Hand-tacking the lace-edged lining to the seam line actually helps keep the waist seam in place, too.

I really like this design and want to make it again. It is a great canvas for trying out all those pretty fabrics that we see in stores today!

I add my thanks to Susan's to whomever participates in her "Project First Day." Thank you!

Quilts by PD

2011-07-03T09:51:00.000-05:00

Blogging got pushed aside the month of June. I worked on mundane things like mending. Few quilts I did get to were done by PD. This charming wall hanging would brighten up a kitchen, hallway, or entry very nicely! The appliqued figures were outlined and the background was stippled. The border was quilted in a flower pattern. It measures approximately 37.5 x 44.5 inches. Hobbs Thermore 100% polyester was used for the batting.

PD made this sampler quilt from the 30s reproduction fabrics. It is approximately 65.5 x 82.5 inches. A pantograph, "Wandering Daisies" by Sharon Spingler was used for the quilting. Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 was used for the batting and A & E Perma Core thread in white was used.

I think one name for this block is the "Ribbon Star." (Fons & Porter. Quilter's Complete Guide. 1993.)

This is a "Friendship Star" block and I like the way PD dressed it up a bit with the 4-square patches in the corners. Nice work!

Appliquéd Four-Patch Quilt by SS

2011-05-31T20:40:00.000-05:00

Do you remember an appliquéd quilt by SS? She has done another fabulous quilt using a similar appliqué pattern! Isn't this beautiful! The 4-patches are in reproduction fabrics and I love the way SS used the solid blue broadcloth to frame the center squares. It sets off her lovely borders, too!

We used a combination of custom quilting and a pantograph. The appliquéd designs were outlined, then echo quilting was used to enhance them. The blue inner border was not embellished with quilting; we just stitched-in-the-ditch on both sides of it. In the center and in part of the borders, we used the pantograph, "Narrow All Over Hearts" by Keryn Emmerson.

Here you can see the quilting on the back in one of the borders. We used Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 batting and A&E Perma Core thread.

The pineapple is a symbol of hospitality and means, "Welcome." What a great quilt for SS to give to someone special!

Just for Fun!

2011-05-31T19:46:00.000-05:00

Taking some of the lessons learned lately, here is a size 2 Toddler dress, the Primrose, from Sew Beautiful Magazine, Issue #65. I made it "just for fun" after a colleague gave a shadow work embroidery presentation at our local Prairie Belle Smockers meeting a few months ago. This collar has always intrigued me, and this was a perfect excuse to try the pattern! I adapted the long sleeves and made them into short sleeves, smocked, and with a lace edging.

After tracing the collar pattern onto a piece of heavy white paper, I traced a few of the flowers from the tissue linen fabric, placing them around the hem of the collar. The entire collar with flowers was then marked onto the linen with a water soluble blue marker. Using the "block method" of constructing the collar, I stitched around the cutting line with the sewing machine, but did not cut the collar out. After stitching the flower design with Shadow Work embroidery and a running stitch, the blue water-soluble marker was rinsed out. The linen was then pressed, and a light-weight woven fusible interfacing was applied to the back. I remarked the seam line, then stitched the collar to the collar facing, rinsed the blue marker out again, repressed, then finished the collar, attaching it to the dress bodice. I'm happy with the way it turned out!

The Shadow Work embroidery took longer to do than the rest of the dress, including the smocking. This smocking design is adapted from Sue Johnson's "Baby's First Easter" bubble in Sew Beautiful Magazine, Issue # 105.

The floral fabric is "Darling Clementine" cotton lawn from Fabric.com. It is pretty light-weight, so I took the advice of my smocking friends, and backed the fabric for pleating with Tender Touch, a light weight interfacing, before it was pleated. This helped "plump up" the pleats, and to stabilize them. I also backed the front and back bodice pieces with the Tender Touch. This stabilizer is meant to back machine embroidery so the wearer's skin will not be irritated by the embroidery.

French Seams have been one of my favorite ways to finish seams in light weight fabrics, but this is the first time I tried the technique on a sleeve seam! I used Martha Broyles' tutorial as a starting point, and am very pleased with the results; I didn't have to take out any seams! In the above photo, you see the tiny French seam and the bodice lining tacked down.

The hem is finished by machine, incorporating two growth tucks. Easy! I'm very happy with this dress, and will make a second one with the same fabric, since there is enough to do so. The collar and smocking will be a bit different, so we'll see what ideas pop up!

Alb with Filet Crochet

2011-05-24T14:48:00.000-05:00

My dear friend, Mary Lou, made the filet crocheted lace for this alb. The alb was made for a newly ordained priest in the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP), Rev. MMcC. This order trains Roman Catholic priests to say the Mass in Latin. One of their seminaries is in Denton, Nebraska, near where we live. It has been a privilege to get to know some of the seminarians and help them with their liturgical garments. This alb was made of 100% linen. Mary Lou's lace is sewn to a strip of snap tape, and the matching snap tape is sewn onto a hidden pleat at the hem of the alb. Attaching it this way makes it easier to clean and care for the alb and the lace separately.

Rev. MMcC selected the designs for Mary Lou to use on his alb, and she combined them in an attractive array. The symbols are all common in Christianity.

These details of the Lamb of God, ...

grapes and the cross,...

and "IHS," the monogram for the Name of Jesus Christ, all show Mary Lou's excellent work.

I didn't get photos of Rev. MMcC wearing his alb on ordination, but was honored and humbled that it was a part of this auspicious occasion. He is now a part of my daily prayers for his vocation as Priest.

Quilt Repair

2011-05-19T19:30:00.001-05:00

N&RS brought this quilt to me to repair a hole that looked like some scissors may have kissed it! They told me the quilt was given to them by their son, who purchased it on a Reservation in South Dakota. The fabrics are all solid colors and I think they are a cotton/poly blend in broadcloth. The backing is a white muslin and the batting appears to be a cotton or cotton/poly blend batthing. It is hand quilted with white or ecru quilting thread in a design that reminds me of a sunrise or a sunset...or maybe that is the colors themselves! Regardless, I like this quilt and N&RS do too! So, here's what I did to cover the "kiss"...

On the front, I appliqued a rectangular piece of black broadcloth over the hole. On the back, I appliqued a square of white muslin. Then, some of the quilting was taken out so I had threads long enough to tie knots and bury them. I tried to follow the original stitching pattern to redo the quilting that was removed, and you can see it going over my applique...the blacks don't quite match in this photo, but in real life, the difference isn't as noticeable.

To the quiltmaker in South Dakota, your work is beautiful, and I hope my repair of the "kiss" gives you honor.

Wedding Quilt in Batiks by EH

2011-05-18T11:36:00.001-05:00

EH made this colorful quilt for a grandchild in anticipation of his wedding. All fabrics are batiks and the color play, the lights and darks make this quilt sparkle! The idea came from a quilt called "Tropical Breeze" in McCall's Quilting magazine, June 2005.

EH's version is 99 inches square. She supplied the Quilter's Dream 100% cotton batting, which was like butter to quilt. When using Quilter's Dream, it is imperative to check the batting each time the quilt is advanced on the frame, and that was done with care for this quilt. The thread used for quilting is A & E Superior variegated 100% cotton.

This close up photo details the quilting design. Linda Taylor's "Simple Feather Meandering" pantograph was used in the center of the quilt over the blocks. It was adapted slightly at the ends to finish the design in a pleasant manner. The borders were done separately. The blue border was stitched in a semicircle design that was marked with chalk using a circle template. The second border with blocks was stitched using a "line dancing" pattern that allowed the entire border on one side to be stitched without stopping and starting repeatedly. The larger outer border was stitched using an adaptation of Linda Taylor's "Curly Feather" pantograph.

What made this quilt especially pleasing to work on are the finishing techniques EH incorporated into her piecing. Her blocks were pressed well and squared up as she stitched them together. Her pressing job was exceptional in that there were no points on the quilt that had too many layers of fabric. This quilt was truly square, well pressed, and cleaned of thread tails; that made quilting it a dream! Nice work, EH!

Appliqued Flower Basket Quilt by BM

2011-05-07T11:23:00.001-05:00

Isn't this a lovely quilt? It was pieced by BM. There are a couple of different styles of applique and that makes me wonder if the blocks were done by several different people. I'll find out! It's just so cheerful! I like that each basket is different from all the others.

The quilting incourporated a few different techniques. The appliqued flowers were outlined. "Stitch-in-the-ditch" was used around the blocks and the baskets. Free hand small meandering was done in the blocks around the baskets and flowers. A Dritz template, NO 3294 Leaf Design, was used on the sashing and inner border to mark the stitching lines. Designs from Pam Clarke's book, Quilting Inside the Lines, were used in the setting triangles and in the outer border.

Here you see my interpretation of Pam Clarke's design in a setting triangle. This was so much fun to quilt!

It's difficult to see against the flowered fabric, but another of Pam Clarke's designs is featured in this outer border.

This is the back, and you can see the border design a bit better here.

BM's quilt measures 90 inches x 91 inches. We used Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 batting and A&E Perma Core thread.

Linen Alb

2011-05-03T09:08:00.000-05:00

Another linen alb was finished this week. This is a "surplice style" alb and is relatively easy to make. The only pattern pieces are the shoulder piece and the sleeve. The bands at the chest and the front and back pieces are rectangles cut to the persson's measurements plus seam allowances and hem. The pleats in the front and back are evenly spaced from the center out to accommodate the width of the fabric.

The linen used is a medium weight "European" linen. A flat felt seam was used to attach the sleeves to the garment, and the side seams are French seams. It was prewashed in a gentle cycle, cold water wash, and tumble dried on a low setting until almost dry. I think this will be the way the garment is cared for by its owner.

Mary's Easter Dress Vogue #8382

2011-04-29T12:40:00.000-05:00

Mary selected this Vogue pattern and the fabric last summer for a dress. As usual, I procrastinate, and we didn't even get this done for Easter this year! Vogue #8382 is a very easy pattern to make up.

This polyester chiffon-like fabric has "ribbon" stripes and a gold metallic thread running through it. We lined it with a silky polyester crinkled lining and the effect is very nice.

You can see that we altered the neckline. Neither Mary nor I were comfortable with her wearing the dress with the original plunging neckline, so we closed it up and raised it according to Mary's taste. I am pleased!

Since the top fabric could be seen through, we did some clever manuevering of the fabric and lining to avoid having any seams show through, including the darts in the bodice and skirt. We hand basted the fabric and lining together, sewed the darts, then did the seams. Most seams are a tiny French seam, so no raw edges are showing anywhere. (The zipper seam is overcast with the serger.) When the bodice was sewn to the skirt, all layers of the seam except the skirt lining layer were trimmed to about 1/4 inch. The skirt lining layer was folded over the trimmed edges and hand stitched down, making that bodice seam finished very nicely on the inside.

My favorite zipper application is a lapped zipper, and to make that work with this fabric, we hand basted the lining and fabric together and treated them as one fabric. To mark a consistent 3/8-inch seam for the outside stitching line of the lapped zipper, I took 1/2-inch Magic Scotch tape, cut off 1/8 inch, and taped it to the basted seam on the side needed to stitch the zipper down. From the right side, stitching along the tape guideline gives a very nice, even finish!

The hem remains to be done, and I plan to do a simple narrow hem on both the lining and the dress. Mary loves color and with her green eyes, she will look gorgeous in this dress!

Aggi's Easter Dress Kwik Sew 3634

2011-04-29T12:17:00.000-05:00

Aggi does not like to wear dresses, and for the last three years or more, she has chosen two patterns that she allowed me to adapt in very limited ways. This year, I told her she had to choose a new pattern! Not one to like a lot of embellishments, she settled on this Kwik Sew dress, pattern # 3634. It has a lot of potential! I was very pleased with her choice!

Aggi chose View B to make, lenthened about 5 inches. We both decided the neckline was too revealing for a young lady her age, so adapted it to fit Aggi's modest requirements. (Mine, too!) She chose a stretchy white poplin as the primary fabric, and a quilting cotton in a blue/aqua for the contrast. The poplin was not my first choice, but since Aggi hates dresses to begin with, I went along with her choice! So she wouldn't have to wear a slip, she wanted it lined, and we used a cotton batiste for the lining.

After attending Gail Doane's workship a few weeks ago, I really like using piping! The contrast bands on this dress are a perfect place to add this detail. One of Gail's tips is to use Aunt Lydia's #3 crochet cotton for the piping cord. That's what I used here, and I like the effect.

Aggi asked for some simple embroidery around the neckline and sleeve edges, so she chose a stitch on my sewing machine, which we did in a very light blue. I was surprised she wanted it and was delighted to add it! The stitch has swirls in it that echo the swirls in the blue quilting cotton; she did a great job of selecting an appropriate pattern!

Members of our family have "skeletal issues." Aggi is one of them. Her left side is significantly larger than her right side, and the bodice needs alterations to fit her. In the photo above, the bodice pattern pieces are situated as though you would be facing Aggi wearing them. First, we eliminted some of the extra fabric designed for a larger bust by splitting the pattern from the bottom dart to the upper shoulder seam and moving it toward the center. (This actually took out too much over the upper chest, and I will be taking the sleeves out, moving them over to give her a little more room.) Then, for the left bodice, we added 1/2 inch in length at the shoulder seam. This had to be done on both the front and back left bodice pieces. Since that made the armsyce larger, we added 1/2 inch to the top of the left sleeve, too, to make it fit. It worked like a dream!

Aggi looks nice in this dress and I think she made a good choice! Now, to make it for her again in a yellow linen with white contrast fabric...there's a sale at Hancock Fabrics in town!

Kwik Sew Skirt # 3794

2011-04-28T19:10:00.000-05:00

Soon, I will be teaching a basic sewing class at Sew Creative in Lincoln, NE using Kwik Sew #3794. This is a cute gathered skirt with a waistband. There is 1 1/4-inch elastic in the back waistband only. This pattern gives an easy way to make a waistband with elastic!

One goal of the class is for the student to become more familiar with her sewing machine, so all stitching is done on a sewing machine, not by serger. A serger could definitely be used to make this skirt, but this class focuses on using a sewing machine.

The above skirt is a View A size 34 waist in Moda's "Oh My" fabric by Sanae, #32450. It measures 22 inches long from the waistband to the hem. (All sizes are 22 inches long on the master pattern.) The hem is turned up 1 inch, raw edges tucked under 1/4 inch, and blind hem stitched by hand. The hem could very well have been stitched by machine.

The seams were finished with a zigzag stitch.

This version is a size 22-inch waist, View B. It is shorter than View A, measuring 16 inches from the waist to the hem. (All sizes in View B are 16 inches on the master pattern.)

The three fabrics used are Moda's "Dilly Dally" by Me and My Sister, the flowered fabric, #22142, Moda #32235, the wavy stripes, and Moda #19457, an orange with blue dots used for the mini piping.

The pattern was adapted to finish the hem with a coordinating fabric. The hem band is about 6 inches deep, and the fabric was cut so that it forms its own facing. It is hemmed at the mini piping, covering the seam on the back. Here, you can see the mini piping accenting the hem band; no blue dots show up, though!

To show my students another way to finish seams on the sewing machine, the raw edges of the seam allowances were turned to the wrong side of the fabric and stitched. You can see that here, as well as the finished hem on the wrong side of the garment. I like the blind hem stitch by hand, and used that technique here, as well as on the first skirt. There are no raw edges showing!

When I delivered this skirt to Sew Creative to display for class, an employee had used this Moda flowered fabric to make a pillowcase for her mother. She had included a band made from a bright green with tiny checks. There was a white band about 1 inch in depth separating the two fabrics. She embroidered her mom's name on the green band. It was gorgeous!

This is a version of View A in a size 34 waist. The fabric is Moda's "Oh My" by Sanae, #32450. The finished length from the waist to the hem is 22 inches. The skirt front and back pieces are simple rectangles, so it would be very easy to lengthen this pattern if desired. The hem is turned up 1 inch, raw edge tucked under 1/4 inch, and blind stitched by hand. It could very well have been done by machine.

Maple Leaf Table Runner by YA

2011-04-25T17:46:00.001-05:00

YA made this Maple Leaf Table Topper in these wonderful fall colors. The maple leaf shapes were "stitched in the ditch" and the large center leaf has extra stitching in it. The borders were done in a maple leaf design.

The batting used was Warm & Natural, and the thread was A&E 100% cotton variegated "Woodlands."

Here again, is another great label! YA centered this on on the back of the quilt, so to be sure it was centered, I basted the three layers together with safety pins before attaching it to the leaders on the quilting frame.

Baskets and Bunnies by YA

2011-04-25T17:36:00.000-05:00

YA did this cute wall hanging. I believe the bunnies and baskets will be embellished with buttons for details. The quilting was done free hand and consisted of outlining the appliqued figures, meandering in a loopy design in the solid squares, and a "line dancing" design in the 9-patches squares.

The batting used is a remnant of Hobbs Thermore 100% polyester, and the thread used was A&E Perma Core "Naturaline."

YA designs clever quilt labels, and this one is no exception. I love it!

What a makeover!

2011-04-18T18:09:00.000-05:00

Do you remember this Bishop dress? Look at that HUGE neck binding! You'd think that after sewing for so many decades, I would know better than that! This dress has been hanging in my studio waiting for a makeover and last weekend Gail Doane's workshop in Boonville, MO gave me the impetus to get it done. The Show Me Stitchers chapter of SAGA hosted Gail; thank you ladies! We learned about bias bindings, piping, and cast-on stitch designs. Gail teaches a lovely way to apply bias bindings to neck edges and I redid the neckline on this Bishop using her method. It looks much better than the original, don't you think?

This is the wrong side, and yes, I need a lttle more practice, but I am happy with this and will leave it as is. Thanks, Gail, for sharing your expertise!

MV's Blue and Yellow Quilt

2011-04-07T14:06:00.000-05:00

MV's "Bue and Yellow" quilt was made as a wedding gift for a nephew. It is approximately 75 inches square. The batting is Warm & Natural, the thread is A&E Perma Core "Lucerne Blue." The quilting technique is a simple, free hand, medium meandering pattern.

Nice work, MV!

2011-04-07T13:53:00.000-05:00

PH made this gorgeous scrappy quilt. It measures 90-inches x 110-inches. Adding interest, PH inserted a band of appliqued poppies towards the top of the quilt. When a bed is made up with this quilt, that band will cover the pillows. Gorgeous! My regular "quilt holders" weren't available to help, so no shot of the entire quilt is available, sorry! There are two quilting techniques used on this quilt: one uses the pantograph "Stars and Loops" by Linda Taylor for the scrappy blocks, and the other is free hand echo quilting around the appliqued poppies. The batting is Warm & White. The threads are A&E 100% cotton variegated "Woodlands" and Perma Core "dyed natural." Here you can see the echo quilting. I think it turned out very nicely! PH will enjoy this quilt!

TS's Grandson's Quilt

2011-04-01T11:45:00.001-05:00

Aren't Grandmothers special! TS make this quilt for her grandson. I love the way the lights and darks play with each other, and the way the blue pieces peek at you with joy! It measures 81-inches x 97.5-inches. TS provided the batthing, Fairfield low loft 100% polyester. We used A&E Perma Core thread in brown. The quilting was done using a pantograph called "Sports" by Dave Hudson. The backing was a solid color and the quilting design shows up well. TS's grandson will like this quilt!

Eldon's Ties by SF

2011-04-01T11:20:00.001-05:00

My aunt, SF, made this quilt from her husband's ties. It measures 73-inches x 90-inches. We used Hobbs Poly Down Plus for batting and A&E Perma Core thread in white and brown for thread. Stitch-in-the-ditch quilting was used to tack down the ties. There is no other stitching on the ties themselves except for the center. That is quilted in a feathered wreath design.

To quilt the white part, I drew shapes and a cross-hatching grid with a blue water-soluble marker. Free hand feathers were stitched within the drawn shapes and the background was stitched with cross hatching.

There were two borders along the sides of the quilt and SF defined them with piping made from more of Eldon's ties. The quilting went up to the piping on both sides.

My husband told me that this is one of the most beautiful quilts I've done. He's sweet!

When I put the quilt in the washer to soak out the blue water-soluble marker, some of the red dyes used in the ties bled onto the white cotton fabric in two places, turning them pink. After trying two methods of dye removal that failed, a product called "Carbona" finally worked. Carbona is a color run remover containing the salts sodium hydrosulfite and sodium carbonate. I did not soak the entire quilt in this solution; rather, a small amount was worked up and applied only to those sections affected. It worked! When the pink spots were once again white, those sections of the quilt were rinsed under warm water for several minutes to remove any remaining Carbona solution. The quilt was then put on top of a clean sheet on the living room floor to dry.

Whew! I'm glad I didn't ruin my aunt's treasure!

Working on this quilt brought back good memories of my aunt and uncle and cousins. I hope it brings SF and her family much comfort and many good and peaceful memories of Eldon.

PH's Floral Quilt

2011-03-05T10:42:00.000-06:00

With the economy being what it is now, many people are going to their own fabric stashes for inspiration for making new quilts, and PH followed that trend with this one. She chose all floral fabrics and set the 6-inch squares on point for this stunning quilt. My photography doesn't do it justice; the colors are vibrant and joyful!

It was quilted from edge to edge using the pantograph "Poppies" by Patrica Ritter. This block shows part of the pattern; the thread we used is A&E Superior 100% Cotton in "pastels" variegated tones. PH likes thin batting so we used Hobbs Thermore 100% polyester.

The quilt measures about 87 inches x 104 inches. Around the outside edges, PH used a series of 4-patches to form an attractive border. Her use of one solid fabric for the smaller squares, and the same floral fabric for the setting triangles really sets this quilt off. I love it!

Quilt for Carson by KM

2011-03-05T10:27:00.000-06:00

KM made this colorful quilt for a grandchild. It is about 40 inches x 52 inches. The original pattern is in an "Art to Heart" book by Nancy Halvorsen and is called the "Pipsqueak Baby Name" quilt.

The blocks were treated individually for quilting and these photos show some of the designs that were stitched.

The batting used is Warm and Natural, and the thread is A&E Superior 100% cotton in "peachy" variegated tones.

KM appliqued the name "Carson" and embroidered the cute sayings using three strands of floss and the stem stitch. Her work was very well done and a pleasure to quilt!

Mauve Handerkerchief Quilt by MH

2011-02-11T15:33:00.001-06:00

I am going to miss MH and her kindness. This hanky quilt features 12 relatively plain handerkerchiefs. Most have some type of edging, either lace or crocheted edging, and a couple have machine embroidered designs in the corners. Since the sashing and border fabric features a profusion of roses, I found a coloring book rose that was used to quilt the center of each hanky. The satin blocks were stitched-in-the-ditch, and the hankies themselves were stitched down close to the edging on each one. In the sashing and borders, the template, "Judy's Roses 3 1/2-inch Border" was used.

This was the only colored hanky MH used in this quilt, all the rest were white. It doesn't look out of place, though, because it picks up the light yellow background in the sashing and border. So, this is a coloring book rose with a few leaves added for interest. One of the hankies had a few tears in it, so I found a fabric in my stash that was close in weight and fiber content to the hanky, made a couple of appliqued hearts, and hand stitched them to cover the tears. Those do look a tad out of place, but the tears are covered.

This quilt is about 57 inches x 73 inches. I like to think that one of MH's grandchildren will receive this quilt one day and remember her with love.

MH and all our loved ones who are with the Lord, may you rest in His peace.

Brocade Butterfly Quilt by MH

2011-02-11T15:22:00.001-06:00

Here is the second of three quilts by MH. What do you think of the butterflies? I think they look more like beetles, or maybe moths. Regardless, I know MH had fun shaping and embroidering around them for this quilt. The fabric is a slippery, silky, home dec brocade that frayed a lot. Before putting this quilt on the frame, I serged the raw edges to prevent it from fraying any more. The quilting was done by outlining the butterflies and stitching a large free-hand meandering over the rest of the quilt. Some of the seams were a bit thin because of the fabric fraying, so extra attention was paid to the stitching over the seams. No stitching was done on the butterflies themselves.

This quilt is about 66 inches x 80 inches. We used the Hobbs Poly Down Plus batt again, and it makes the butterflies stand out.

Close up, you can see how MH folded the handkerchiefs to shape her butterflies. She hand embroidered the heads and antennae, and used a blanket stitch around the shapes to attach them to the quilt blocks.

Brown Scrappy Quilt by MH

2011-02-11T15:10:00.001-06:00

This was one of three very difficul quilts to work on. The quilter, MH, passed away a few months ago and her husband asked me to do the quilting on these. MH has beeen a frequent quilter, and doing these quilts reminded me of her generosity, ready smile, and positive outlook. She is a tresure and is greatly missed.

We used Hobbs Poly Down Plus batting and "Swirl" by N. Sharp.

"Swirl" is a very simple edge-to-edge design and when paired with a fluffy batt, it hides some puckers and extra fabric very well. This quilt is 71 square inches and will work well for a lap quilt or a child's quilt.

Hand Embroidered "Chicken Scratch" or "Gingham Lace" Quilt by DS

2011-02-02T23:07:00.000-06:00

My photography does not do this quilt justice. DS used perle cotton to hand embroider these blocks in what is called "Chicken Scratch" embroidery or "Gingham Lace." Each block is 12 x 12 inches, so you can imagine the hours it took to complete all twenty blocks!

You can see the patterns more clearly in these blocks...

...and in this single block. Isn't it lovely!

DS asked for maple leaves to be quilted in the sashing, and provided a photo of one she liked. I resized it, and made a template with three images of the leaf. The template was centered in each section of sashing, and the laser light used to stitch the design. That's 147 small leaves on this quilt!

Stitch-in-the-ditch was used around each row and column of sashing. Straight lines were stitched in the borders from the sashing to the fabric edge, and an enlarged maple leaf stitched in each corner. That brings the total number of leaves stitched to 151!

DS will do some handquilting around the "gingham lace"" shapes to complete the quilting.

The batting used is a hi-loft polyester and the thread used is A & E Perma Core in white.

ABC Animals Quilt by DS

2011-02-02T23:00:00.000-06:00

DS has been busy! This quilt is a colorful child's quilt, measuring about 51 x 60 inches. DS provided the hi-loft polyester batting. Stitch-in-the-ditch (SID) was used around the large squares, then the animal squares. A template design was used in the inner border, and cross-hatching in the outer border.

Here you can see some of the stitching. This is a very soft quilt and the child who snuggles up in it will feel loved, indeed!

Midnight Garden by DS

2011-02-02T22:50:00.000-06:00

This quilt was featured in the April, 2009 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting. DS did a nice job of putting it together. The quilting in the borders was done in a crosshatch design, and Stitch-in-the-ditch (SID) was used around the stars. The black sashing had a gold line running through it, and the quilting followed that line.

The batting is Warm and Natural, and the thread is A&E Perma core in black. I enjoyed working on this quilt and hope DS enjoys displaying it in her home!

2011-01-29T16:57:00.000-06:00

Measuring 40 1/2 inches by 57 inches, this flannel quilt was made by my mom, GK, for my sister, J. J bought the kit at a store in Kalispell, MT. The blocks to the right and bottom of the center panel are not true blocks; they are also from a panel. An end piece of Hobbs 80/20 Heirloom batting and A & E Perma Core thread were used.

Wanting to do something with teddy bears in the borders but not having a template or pantograph to use, here's what I came up with...

Finding a coloring book figure of a cute teddy bear, I made several copies, cut them out, sprayed the backs with a temporary spray adhesive, and placed them on the border where they looked nice. The quilting was done by outlining the paper bears and stitching a free-hand scroll design to get from one bear to the next. The details on the drawing were ignored, so it looks like a "cookie cutter" bear...using a cookie cutter would have worked, too!

Mom had pressed all the seams open, so stitching in the ditch (SID) would not work. Instead, a gentle serpentine stitch was used just inside the border, and the green sashing pieces.

The figures in the blocks and center panel were outlined and the scroll design was repeated between the figures.

J has grandchildren in mind, I think, for this quilt. It's nice and cuddly; they will love it!

More Wee Care

2011-01-28T16:11:00.000-06:00

This has been a slow month for getting things done! My sewing room has seen action with finishing up linen albs, a cassock, some hand embroidery, and these Wee Care outfits.

This first outfit was intended to be used for a little boy. The top is a diaper shirt using the Grady Gown pattern from SAGA. The footed pants are from Diane Butcher's "Round Yoke Smocked Dress" pattern. This is the first time I made them and I found the directions a bit lacking. I guess I like more specific directions than this pattern provided. The front and back pattern pieces didn't match up very well, either. I will definitely touch up this pattern if I use it again.

My judgment on the sizes is lacking! Both are "Preemie," but the diaper shirt is for a much smaller baby than the footed pants! I think I will make another diaper shirt in a larger size to put with this set of footed pants.

The footed pants went together okay in spite of the pattern pieces being off a bit. The instructions suggested using a tiny French seam, and that is what I did. I like it; it will be gentle on Baby's tender skin with no coarse threads to irritate him.

Sewing the soles onto the pants this tiny size was a bit taxing. For the next set I make, I'll try sewing them on using a set cut out of freezer paper as a guide for the seam allowance. The soles are lined; the lining pieces attached by hand. Using the freezer paper and a quilting hand-applique technique might be a good way to sew these on.

This Grady Gown features a hem treatment that I haven't tried before. The machine embroidery insertion was done using a pattern on Martha Pullen's Vintage Baby Disk 2. My machine embroidery skills aren't the best, and not having software to match up one pattern with another, the pattern joins can be spotted by those who know what to look for. You can see one such spot in the photo below.

In spite of the quality issue, I like this method and will use it again. Here's how I did it:

1. I measured the width of the garment to ascertain the length of the insertion I needed, planning for about 1/2-inch extra on each end for a narrow hem.

2. (Prepare your fabric and select the design you want to use. Follow your favorite way to plan, mark, and hoop the fabric with appropriate stabilizers for the machine embroidery steps.) I used water soluble stabilizers because I didn't want any left after washing the garment.

3. This design had a built-in entredeux stitch. I trimmed the fabric from the embroidery very close to the entredeux on top and bottom of the design.

4. Using the heirloom "Lace to entredeux" technique, the lace was sewn to the embroidery insertion.

5. The water soluble stabilizer was removed by soaking the piece for about an hour and rinsing it well. It was pressed dry.

6. For the hem, I measured up two inches and pressed, then pressed the raw edge to that fold. Using the folded hem as a guide for placement, the embroidery/lace piece was stitched on with a straight stitch through the heading of the lace on both the lower and upper edges, not catching the hem. The fabric between these lines of stitching was carefully cut down the middle (on the wrong side of the garment). These cut pieces were pressed out of the way.

7. Using a short, narrow zigzag, the pressed cut pieces were stitched down directly over the line of straight stitching that attached the lace the garment in step 6.

8. I used my blunt tip sharp scissors to cut away the excess fabric from behind the gament.

9. I stitched the two ends (remember that 1/2-inch extra?) with a narrow hem.

10. The hem was finally hand stitched on the wrong side of the garment.

That's it! Now to get some quilting done for customers who are very patiently waiting!

Starting the Year off with Wee Care Projects

2011-01-12T11:46:00.001-06:00

Smocking and sewing Wee Care garments has to be one of the most satisfying types of sewing I do. Here is another batch that has been sitting in my sewing room, ready to be pressed and sent out. These will be donated to the local Sewing for Babies organization for distribution to hospitals in Nebraska.

These two gowns are the same size, fabric, and smocking design and could be used for twins.

Sorry about the poor photo quality! Here is a fun way to finish off the sleeves and hem with ribbon to coordinate with the smocking.

This tiny bonnet was made with a very precious, tiny little girl in mind. I like to think of each smocking stitch as a prayer for the babies who will wear these garments. Lots of prayers are offered for these precious little lives!

Alb for Seminarian

2011-01-12T11:26:00.000-06:00

Lately, my sewing time has been devoted to catching up on jobs for liturgical garments.

This alb is a very simple, plain alb with fabric content of 90% linen and 10% cotton. The seminarian for whom it is made asked that a lot of the extra width be eliminated, so you won't see as many gathers at the neckline and shoulders that you see on other albs.

Crocheted lace was stitched to the inside of the collar and to the outside of the neck opening to help reduce wear to those areas. Openings in the side seams allow the person to reach into trousers pockets.

The sleeves and hem were turned under and stitched down. Another seminarian showed me an alb he liked with this shape of sleeve. I used that idea on this alb and think it will do well. It allows for a good range of movement, which is needed by a priest when saying Mass. It also allows for easy alterations to accommodate lace on the ends if desired.

All seams were done with a narrow French seam.

I also made a cassock for this young man from black cotton twill. Another cassock and another alb with crocheted lace on the ends of the sleeves and hem are coming soon. No, I do not crochet! A very dear friend has made the lace. Watch for photos to come!

JO's Quilt for her husband

2010-12-27T20:24:00.000-06:00

My daughter's friend, and mine, JO made this quilt from scraps. Her goal was to use all recycled materials, and she pretty much accomplished that. The only new material was the quilting thread used on the top. The batting is a used mattress pad that she cleaned up very well. I don't normally allow others outside of the family to use my Gammill, but since JO is my "fifth" daughter, I let her do the quilting after showing her how. She did a loose freehand meandering, and did a very nice job for her first try on the Gammill. JO will give this to her husband for a lap quilt.

Baseball Quilt

2010-12-21T09:04:00.001-06:00

Continuing to reduce my stash, these fabrics actually came from my mom. Someone had given them to her and she didn't want to work with flannel, so I got them. The pattern for this Basebal Quilt originally came from the Fall 2009 issue of Fons and Porter Baby Quilts. In the magazine, it is called, "Out of the Blue." I followed the directions in the magazine for cutting and piecing, and found that some of the measurements were off. So if you do this quilt, be sure to check your measurements before cutting! The finished dimensions of the quilt are 37 1/2 in. x 49 in. It makes a great baby quilt, but we are using it this winter to snuggle up when reading or watching TV. I found that I really like working with flannel and look forward to doing more quilts with it. There is a significant difference in quality of flannels; the red in this one was much thinner than the rest of the pieces and I will watch it to see how it wears. For quilting, I used a template to mark clamshells in the six blocks, and stitched them in one continuous line. Stitch-in-the-ditch was used around the blocks, cornerstones, and borders. The borders and sashing were measured and marked for a freehand design that imitates the stitching on a baseball.

You can see the quilted clamshell design in this block. I was very pleased with the outcome; the clamshells look like a pile of baseballs. The batting is an end piece of Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 and the thread is a 100% cotton variegated thread.

Note added later: We gave this quilt to my mother-in-law when she came for a visit.

Bear in the Woods by SF

2010-12-02T11:34:00.001-06:00

My aunt, SF, made this quilt. It is 55 1/2 inches x 74 1/2 inches. We used Hobbs Poly Down Plus battting and A&E Perma core thread in Java Brown.

The quilting all around the center panel was done freehand in a meandering design of pine cones.

The black border around the panel was marked off in segments, and a squiggly cross-hatch design was quilted.

All the borders were stitched-in-the-ditch. The bear figures were outlined, as were the "sticks" in the frame around the bear.

Batik Quilt by PP

2010-11-28T23:20:00.001-06:00

Don't you just love the play with darks and lights in this quilt by PP? The fabrics are batiks of all colors. It took me a couple of days to "see" the pinwheel design made by the light fabrics, and that inspired the quilting design. This quilt measures about 80 x 98 inches.

Freehand feathers were stitched in the spokes of the pinwheels. A meandering ribbon was stitched in the dark background. We used Hobbs 80/20 batting and A & E 100% cotton variegated thread in "Victorian."

Whichever quilt I'm working on quickly becomes my favorite, and this was no exception. The colors and the play with darks and lights is beautiful!

More Angel Wing Wee Care Gowns

2010-11-26T23:43:00.001-06:00

Another tiny Angel Wing Wee Care gown and bonnet were completed. This set will fit a very tiny baby.

This lawn fabric was in my stash, too. These gowns will fit a larger preemie baby than the aqua gown. The roses may be a bit much for a tiny infant, what do you think?

I like this smocking design and the row of hearts it makes. The hearts are symbols of the love put into making these gowns, and the prayers for the families of the babies who wear them.

For more information about the Wee Care program, visit the Smocking Arts Guild of America at www.smocking.org.

Angel Wing Wee Care Gown and Bonnet

2010-11-26T23:29:00.000-06:00

SAGANews Volume 31, Issue 2 featured this pattern for a Wee Care gown. It was designed by Terri Kilgore and Connie Ravey. It takes some time to put together when using lace around it as seen here. The lace is applied before pleating. The neckline is folded under about 3/4 inch, stitched down, then pleated. This batiste is from my stash and is perfect for these gowns.

Sometimes there is enough fabric to make a matching bonnet.

There are no side seams, and the back edges are turned under twice and stitched down.

Smocking around the neckline includes a top row of baby waves so that a narrow ribbon may be woven through the stitches. It is long enough to be tied into a bow at the back neckline.

Christmas Wall Hanging by MPM

2010-11-23T21:41:00.001-06:00

This playful Christmas wall hanging was done by MPM. The batting is Hobbs Thermore, the thread for quilting is A & E 100% cotton variegated "Holiday," and the pantograph used is "Poinsettias with Holly Leaves" by Debra Geissler. It reminds me of peppermint candies and other delicious Christmas treats; it will definitely add a festive air to MPM's home this Christmas season.

K's Quilt by MPM

2010-11-23T21:30:00.000-06:00

MPM made this quilt for her daughter. The bright colors on a white background make me happy! I like the way the dark bands of fabric connecting the blocks make it look 3-dimensional, almost like you are looking through a fence at a beautiful flower garden. Nice!
The batting is Warm and White, the thread is A & E Perma Core in light pink. The quilting was done using the pantograph "Poppies" by Patricia Ritter.

Here you can see some of the great fabrics MPM used. This looks like it was a lot of fun to make, and I know a lot of love went into it. K will enjoy it for a very long time!

2010 Smocked Christmas Ornament

2010-11-16T14:35:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I taught this 2010 Smocked Christmas Ornament class at a local store, Sew Creative. This finished ornament will go to my youngest daughter. The fabric is a quilting cotton purchased at the store. It is smocked by hand "in the round," which means there is no visible seam. The smocking stitch is a baby wave using DMC cotton floss in white. Every other diagonal row is threaded with a strip of 1/8-inch ribbon. The center is a 2-1/2-inch styrofoam ball. The "frou-frou" on the top and bottom are made with ribbon and corsage pins.

Here, the intent was to show you the top "frou-frou" to better advantage, but my photography isn't the best so you'll have to use your imagination! The hanging loop of ribbon is set onto the corsage pin first, then all the other ribbon is added until it looks like you want it. The intention with the red fabric and white floss and ribbon was to have it look like a peppermint candy. Hmmm, I wonder if it could be scented with peppermint? I'll have to give that a try!

Noelle's Quilt by GK

2010-11-16T09:08:00.000-06:00

My Mom, GK, made this quilt for her youngest great-granddaughter. It reminds me of being a child again, and playing with colorful beads and buttons, scattering them around to see the designs they made, like a kaleidoscope. I love it!

The batting used is a hi-loft polyester. We recycled some end-pieces for this quilt. Here's one block with the sashing shown. The quilting is a very simple, large meandering. which covers the seams in the batting very well. The pieces are secure and won't separate.

The meandering stitching can be seen from the back. After getting the batting ready, this was a quick quilt to finish. Noelle will enjoy looking at all the colors and snuggling up with it!

Colorful T-Shirt Quilt by PC

2010-11-11T23:37:00.000-06:00

Isn't this a fun T-shirt quilt? PC did this for her son and used a window pane setting for the t-shirt blocks. She had backed the t-shirts with a woven interfacing and I like how this quilt handled because of that. The blocks were very secure and did not pucker very much at all.

It measures 85 x 98 inches. The batting used is Hobbs Poly Down Plus. Two threads were used, King Tut variegated, and A&E Perma Core.

There were a few t-shirts with designs by "Harrison" and they are just too cute! This one was my favorite. For the quilting in the blocks, the main figures were outlined, and in the white space, a meandering scroll was done. The borders and window pane sashing were done in a freehand meandering leaf and scroll design.

PC's son will love this quilt!

Smocked Dresses Finished

2010-11-10T15:29:00.001-06:00

Since attending the SAGA convention in Norfolk, VA in October, I have been inspired to finish some UFOs. Here are two dresses made from the "Seaside Dreams" pattern by Sue Forrest found in Australian Smocking & Embroidery (AS&E) Issue 76. Adaptations were made to both dresses. The smocking patterns are different, and the smocking goes all around the dress, making the front and back the same. This is called "Smocking in the Round."

The fabrics for these dresses are from the Brother Sister line made for Hobby Lobby and purchased locally. They were intended to be used to sell at a fundraiser event, but that never got off the ground. Good thing, since they weren't done in time, anyway!

This first one was cut to a size 4 and was smocked in a diagonal cable-wave combination, stitched from the bottom up. This may not have been the best choice for a size 4 because it is pretty loose. No one has tried it on yet, so we have yet to see how it fits a size 4 person! To make it "in the round," a few inches had to be trimmed off to get the smocking pattern to fit in an uninterrupted pattern.

This close up shows the diagonal smocking. I like how the pattern made by the pleats and the pattern of dots on the fabric play together. That wasn't planned, it just happened!

This dress is a size 10 and was smocked on every other row with an alternating cable. It was backsmocked on the unstitched rows. This took a few tries to do correctly. It would help if I would read some instructions first!

Don't look too close! There are a lot of mistakes. Fortunately, they aren't too noticeable unless you are looking for them!

I'd like to see these dresses go to two sisters who like to wear pretty clothes!

Next on my "to do" list for UFOs are coordinating barrettes for these dresses. Take care!

Alb with Filet Crochet

2010-10-22T16:32:00.000-05:00

Rev. RC commissioed me to make this alb. His mother did the gorgeous filet crochet lace on the hem and the sleeves.

Isn't this stunning! Mrs. C did a fabulous job! The top of the lace was sewn onto snap tape. The hem of the alb has the matching snap tape sewn onto it. Applying the lace this way enables it to be removed to be washed and blocked, and the alb to washed as needed.

Lady Bug and Friends Baby Quilt

2010-10-21T12:39:00.000-05:00

Trying to use up my batting end pieces can get me into trouble! I saw this Brother Sister fabric at a local Hobby Lobby Store and "had to have it!" The batting is a Hobbs polyester that was pieced. There is enough quilting on it that I think it will be secure, even after several washings.

The quilting was done free hand; the bugs and horizontal stripes were outlined, and the border was divided and stitched with a flower design to mimic the flowers in the stripes. That blue vertical piece was treated like piping. It is loose, just sewn into the border seams.

YA and her classy labels inspired me to work up one of my own using my domestic machine embroidery function.

This quilt will be donated to the Blue Valley Quilt Guild to sell at their craft table during their show this weekend. May the recipient enjoy it!

Amish Quilt by YA

2010-10-17T15:53:00.000-05:00

YA made this 43 x 43 inch quilt for a friend. The blocks were quilted with a feather wreath design. The yellow sashing features a diamond design, and the outer black borders features a design with ovals and diamonds.

We used Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 in black for the batting. I tumbled it in the dryer for about 5 minutes before quilting to soften it up a bit. That got rid of a lot of stiff wrinkles, making the quilting go smoother.

The plain background fabric really shows off the quilting.

YA always adds a special touch to her quilts. She sews on labels before the quilting is done, so they are caught up in the quilting stitches. (Black lines added to photo only to protect identities.) Nice touch!

SF Scrappy Quilt

2010-10-17T15:31:00.001-05:00

Making scrappy quilts runs in the family. If my mom is the "Queen of Scrappy Quilts" her sister, SF, is the "Princess." I think this pattern is called "Betcha Can't Make Just One." If anyone knows for sure, let me know and I will acknowledge it, or change it. SF wanted a simple quilting design so we chose the pantograph "Swirl" by N. Sharp.

SF sewed the colored strips together on a base of newsprint, then cut the strip to the right shape to join it to the background fabrics. This is an attractive way to use up those colorful scraps.

On the back, you can see the quilting design well. The quilt is approximately 71 x 85 inches. We used Hobbs Poly Down Plus batting and A & E Perma Core thread. This quilt is nice and snuggly!

Star Quilt by KM

2010-10-17T15:23:00.000-05:00

My work lately has consisted of trying to catch up on all kinds of sewing jobs. Here is a quilt by KM. It measures approximately 64 x 80 inches. I love the classic colors KM used: peach and green. The quilting is an overall design featuring cabbage roses, leaves, loops and meanderings. We used Warm & Natural batting and A & E Perma Core thread.

This close-up shows the center star to advantage. A fun quilt!

Embroidered Crosses by BT

2010-09-16T22:56:00.001-05:00

To fit a king size bed, this quilt measures about 100 inches square. Made by BT, it features blocks of embroidered crosses set amid ribbons and flowers. Each bock was embroidered using different colors.

The embroidery is well done and consists of cross stitches, stem stitch, French knots, and straight stitches. If you click on the photo, a larger version will pop up.

On the back, you can see the pantograph design, "Judy's Roses" by Judy Allen, that was used.

BT provided the batting, Fairfield 80/20. The thread used is A & E Perma Core.

Star Quilt by BR

2010-09-14T23:48:00.001-05:00

Isn't this a striking quilt! Made by BR, it measures about 65-inches x 81-inches. I love her choice of fabrics and how she used them for contrast. Very effective!

BR provided the batting. It was Hobbs Tuscany 100% cotton and this was the first time I quilted with it. It is a thin, very soft batting. I had to be careful not to let it bunch up or stretch as the quilt was advanced on the frame, but is definitely one I will use again in the future.

If you look closely, you can see the pantograph we used: "Poppies" by Patricia Ritter. The thread was A&E Perma Core in "camel." This is one quilt the recipient will truly love to cuddle up with, it is so soft!

Mirrored quilt made in Pakistan

2010-09-14T23:33:00.000-05:00

Our friend, IB, from Pakistan introduced us to his mother, SB, when she came to the USA to visit him and his brothers. She gave this quilt to us. I'm not sure if it should be called a quilt because the two layers are not stitched together. It measures 71- x 88-inches and was made in Pakistan.

The beauty of this quilt is shown in the mirrors used, and in the embroidery. SB said that it was most likely made by a group of people who form a cottage industry.

Here you can see the simple stitching patterns. The stitches are long, some more than an inch long. This causes them to catch on things, so we do not "use" this quilt. Rather, we display it in our living room a few times a year. There is a name for the the mirror-work, and when I think of it, I will add it to this post.

The quilt was not signed, unfortunately. Of interest, though, are some numbers written on the back with a ball point pen. Wish I knew what they meant!

I really like this quilt and think of SB and her son with fondness every time I look at it!

"Let's Boogie Woogie" by AF

2010-09-14T23:13:00.000-05:00

"Let's Boogie Woogie" was my youngest daughter's summer school sewing project; she is home schooled. The quilt measures 41 inches wide by 38 inches tall.

The pattern was designed by Karen Bennett and we found it online but I don't remember the source, sorry. Scott Jarrard designed a "Woogie" stuffed doll to go along with it, and that will be AF's next project. We found the fabric at Fabric.com.

Not very interested in sewing and the time it takes, AF did okay in checking her attitude! We worked together; I demonstrated and she copied me. She learned to measure, pin pieces together, use a rotary cutter safely, sew a 1/4-inch seam, and press.

Applying the binding was the most difficult part for AF. My domestic machine was giving us fits and the bobbin thread doesn't look the best with loops every 4 inches or so. She isn't going to like this, but she will be taking out the stitches and redoing the binding. Yes, I'll help her!

This closeup shows part of the pantograph pattern AF chose: "Baby Curls" by Linda Taylor. It mimics the swirls in the fabric. AF used my long-arm machine to do it, with me watching over her! She did a great job for her first try!

This shows the backing. Isn't this fabric fun! For the batting, we spliced two pieces of 11 oz. batting end pieces together in an attempt to avoid throwing it away, and reduce my stash. It was not the best choice of batting for a first time quilt. The loft was very high and caused some problems when AF sewed on the binding. She will use a different batting for her next quilt, which she is already planning!

Wee Care Gowns Finished

2010-08-29T16:53:00.001-05:00

The 2010 SAGA Convention will be held September 22 through 26 in Norfolk, VA. SAGA is The Smocking Arts Guild of America, and one of the features of the guild is their service program, Wee Care. Members make gowns, bonnets, booties, blankets, bibs, bereavement envelopes, knitted and crocheted caps, and a few other items. The gowns, bonnets, and booties may be smocked, or not. Some members use exquisite heirloom machine techniques, heirloom hand techniques, or hand embroidery to embellish them.

The gowns featured here today are smocked Bishop gowns and will be donated to SAGA at the Convention. All the items donated at Convention from members across the USA will then be donated to hospitals in the Norfolk, VA area.

The pattern for these gowns can be found in issue No. 29 of Australian Smocking & Embroidery. This pink one was finished with an angel wing sleeve edged in narrow lace.

The smocking design was featured in a past issue of Australian Smocking & Embroidery (AS & E). It consists of cable stitch, 4-step trellis, 8-step trellis, baby wave, bullion roses, and lazy daisy stitch. The fabric in this angel sleeve gown is a cotton batiste that was donated to me. It isn't the best quality and did not launder very well. It is worth it to spend the money for quality fabrics when making anything you treasure, even if you will be giving it away, as in this case.

My goal for this gown was to make it more appropriate for a little boy, but I'm not to confident that goal was accomplished! To me, the sleeves are still pretty feminine. The pattern is the same one used as the angel wing gown above except for three things: shorter length, long sleeves, and hem treatment.

I didn't keep notes on the source of the smocking design, but it is not original. It probably came from a back issue of AS & E or SAGANews, the magazine produced by SAGA. The design used a cable stitch-baby wave combination, 6-step trellis, and double flowerette. The fabric in this gown is Imperial broadcloth; it is a delight to smock and launders beautifully.

It is a lot of fun to smock these gowns, and it is very satisfying to know that my small contribution will help clothe those special preemies while they are in the hospitals!

Finishing Some PHDs (Projects Half Done)

2010-08-29T16:34:00.000-05:00

Whew! The twelfth of these cute li'l bunnies is finished! All these are for use as door prizes at some meetings that require my attendance at the SAGA Convention. The hand embroidery is done on tea towels purchased locally at Ben Franklin Store. The stitches are primarily a stem stitch or Chinese knot for the outline of the bunny, buttonhole stitch on the flowers, French knot or colonial knot for the flower centers, seed stitch for the ears, satin stitch or granito for the nose, fly stitch for the eyelashes and whiskers, fish stitch for the leaves, and Turkey stitch for the puffy tail.
For a delightful blog and hand embroidery tutorial library, visit Mary Corbet's blog, Needle 'n Thread. Some of her tutorials were used during this embroidery project and they were much appreciated! My skills with the Turkey stitch--those cute puffy tails--visibly improved with each bunny completed. If nothing else, this exercise taught me that "practice makes perfect!" Trying new stitches on the outline was fun, too. The Chinese knot was new to me, and it is one that would would work well to fill in the body of lamb when stitched in rows. The texture would be like that of lamb's wool.

The pattern for the bunny was included among many paper patterns that found their way to me from my grandmother's estate. The original source is unknown to me.

Rocking Horse Baby Quilt

2010-08-26T18:04:00.000-05:00

My "batting end pieces" stash is dwindling little by little. This panel was purchased at Ben Franklin Store in Lincoln. Designs on these panels aren't always on the straight of grain, so this quilt is not centered, but that's okay. Whomever receives it will be encouraged to use it and love it as much as they want to!

The quilting was done entirely freehand. The shapes within the figures were outlined and a swirling pattern fills in the background. My intention was to give it an airy feeling, like you might feel when this Teddy plays with his pinwheel, making it spin.
This quilt was washed after it was completed and the batting shrunk up a little. I just let it go, not blocking it. You can see the texture of the quilting on the back.

Not shown well in the photos, I wanted to get this done with the least amount of time expended. The binding was put on by sewing it to the back, bringing it to the front, and using a zigzag to stitch it down from the front. It won't win any awards, but was finished quickly!

Ramblings

2010-08-26T18:00:00.000-05:00

There are no photos to show with this post. I have been working on special order garments and did not get photos taken. One was a cassock for a priest, one was a set of pajamas for a young man with special needs. They are made so that his care givers can help him easily dress himself. The others were knit tops for myself. In trying to fit this aging body, these tops are experiments in pattern alteration. I have a ways to go and much to learn!

Embroidered Blue Star Quilt by JH

2010-08-26T17:49:00.001-05:00

JH did another hand embroidered quilt, this time featuring eight-pointed stars in shades of blue. This quilt measures 78 x 97 1/2. As in her previous quilt, the quilting follows the lines preprinted on the blocks. In the sashing, a grid was marked and a design that complements the stars was stitched freehand. The light blue border was left unquilted except for stitching-in-the-ditch. The horizontal and vertical locks on the machine were engaged to stitch the outer border.

The 12 oz. batting used really makes the stars pop out, so a few extra lines of quilting were added to the preprinted design to keep the fabric from drooping.

JH's use of the white backing allows the quilting to be seen easily from the back.
I enjoy quilting these hand embroidered quilts. It is always fun to see the ideas and skills the quilters exhibit. Sometimes, the stories behind the blocks are shared and that makes them even more special.

Embroidered Quilt by JH

2010-08-26T17:36:00.001-05:00

This embroidered quilt by JH features blocks of hand embroidered flowered hearts. It measures 78.5 x 99 inches and the dominant color is burgundy, enhanced with navy. Quilting in the blocks followed the lines that were preprinted on the blocks. The sashing and borders were quilted using a freehand vine design and a graphed design where the guidelines were marked with chalk.

The quilting can be seen more easily on the back.

The batting used is a 12 oz. polyester, and the thread is YLI polyester quilting thread.

Noah's Ark Baby Quilt Panel

2010-07-10T11:42:00.001-05:00

Working on these baby quilt panels is fun! This one, too, took less than three hours to complete. I joined two pieces of batting ends to do this one, so wanted to be sure to cover it with consistently spaced stitches. The results are pleasing!

In this closeup you can see the freehand loopy design used for the quilting.

It's easier to see on the back.

This panel was purchased at a local Ben Franklin's Store. The panel, backing and binding were less than $10.00, making this a very reasonable project. It will be used like the previous one: as a baby gift or given to someone who needs it.

Sports Quilt for a Young Man

2010-07-10T11:33:00.000-05:00

BP made this lovely quilt and the photos do not do it justice. The recipient is a lucky young man in her life. She chose a sports theme and combined fabrics with baseballs, footballs, and basketballs with homespun stripes and plaids.

An edge-to-edge pantograph design called "Sports" by Dave Hudson was used. It features a baseball, bat, football, and basketball, perfect for this quilt!

We used Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 batting and A & E Perma Core thread.