Flower Fairies

Cicely Mary Barker was the illustrator that created the famous flower fairies. Michael Miller fabrics came out with a line using her illustrations. They are very beautiful. I wanted to make something with this fabric but I wasn't sure what. I decided on a smocked bishop style dress. The thing about this style dress is that it needs to be partially constructed before going through the pleater. The edging on the sleeves (in this case lace) and the pleating on the sleeves if any also have to be done before pleating the main dress. The seams make the pleating a little more challenging. I will document the whole process the next time I do one. This fabric is a heavier weight cotton which just added to all the pleating fun. By that I mean I had to do it twice. Smocking was also not as nice as when done on a fine cotton batiste because there was a lot of friction on the threads when passing through the fabric. This required that I keep my thread lengths relatively short to minimize fraying. I can't say the process was a fun one and I even considered tossing the whole thing but I pushed on. Here is my smocked flower fairy bishop dress.

Honey, I told you so.

A couple of days ago I walked into my husband's office to use the computer. I immediately stopped short because while working at his drafting table, he placed several building plans on the floor in one of Miss L's "favorite" spots.

Me: Honey, you put paper on the floor where Miss L likes to lay. This is one of her "favorite" spots.

Honey: It's only for a short while...she has at least 2 other "favorite" spots in this room alone and 6 more throughout the house.

Me: Honey, I'm going to be in here and she likes that spot when I'm reading email.

Honey: It won't be for long and there are plenty of other places for her to lay.

Me: Shrug.

Fast forward approximately 2 minutes into the future.

Crinkle, crinkle. Crinkle, crinkle.



Me: Honey, I told you so!

Laundry 101

My young (well, compared to me) friend Allie is off to Loyola College in Maryland this fall. She's extremely excited. I decided to make something for her as a "Congratulations" present...a personalized laundry bag. We moms think of all the important things in life. :) I used some Amy Butler Midwest Modern fabric from my stash. Of course it didn't make a dent in the stash but it was nice using some of this very fun fabric. Anyway, here are a few pictures of Allie and the bag of course.




Wait, is that a dirty sock I see under that table?


Allie, good luck, have fun, work hard, call often and please get an A+ in Laundry 101!

Can a person have too many bags?

Apparently not, especially if you look at my collection. I do love bags! Here is a very cute bag I recently did for summer. I quilted the outer fabric and put a binding in one of my favorite Amy Butler fabrics. Actually, the whole bag is done in Amy Butler fabrics from her Midwest Modern collection.


Check out this little halter shirt I made for a young girl. Now tell me, what would a very cute top be without a matching bag?


On another note...a couple of friends and I attented the 3rd Annual Rhode Island Sheep and Wool festival. It's a great festival even if you don't knit, spin or weave. There is a kids craft tent where they can try all these things as well as a sit and knit area where you can park yourself and knit. Great way to meet new friends. And of course there is the shopping. My friend Lisa brought her camera and I'm sure she'll be posting soon. I'm a little worried since I let myself be photographed with a donkey. Anyway it's a great festival in a beautiful a setting.

It's been a while

I know it's been a while but you know how that goes. Anyway, I have a BOM update. The twelvth and final block arrived last week. I need to sew that one as well as redo 3, 4 and 5. Almost there. I hope to have the top pieced together by the end of June and at the machine quilters shortly after.
Block IX - Pinwheel Wonder by Deborah Schoof


Block X - Steppin' Up by Camille Roskelley


Block XI - Anka's Star by Heather Peterson

Spring Flowers

I'm not sure if non-sewers know who Karri Mecca is but she is one of my favorite children's clothes designers. Her designs are always gorgeous and beautifully embellished. She recently came out with a book called Sewing with Whimsy. There was a beautiful dress that I really wanted to make. However, I would have to make approximately 16 flowers from rick rack trim and attach them to a floating trellis hem detail. I could hear my friend Maria asking me what the heck I was thinking but what the heck...I like a sewing challenge. It took many hours to complete but was so worth it. Of course I'll never make another but it was a fun process. Here is the finished dress with a couple of close ups of the flowers. The pictures were taken by my friend Helen. Thanks Helen!

A Finished Machine Applique Project

I made a bag for my daughter with my first finished applique block.
Front:

Back:

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, this is very addicting. I wanted to do more so I made a block for a friend at work. She has 2 very cute Boxers. I made the block and sent it along with some leftover fabric that she really liked. I'll have to post a picture of whatever it is she comes up with.

The block is still wet...I couldn't wait to take the picture. Very fun.