Baby Alyssa Ensemble

I've been so looking forward to sewing some little GIRL ruffles - and baby Alyssa,my sister's granddaughter born May 23 is just the excuse...

This little Sun Suit from Sew Beautiful, current issue No.137, 2011. Vol. 25, No. 4.

First, I show folding the back ruffles as directed. I KNOW my ruffles are cuter because I cut them on the BIAS rather than on straight grain as directed.







This is the back for Baby's bibbed sun suit. It has you hand wind elastic thread (without stretching) onto the bobbin, then stitch. Oh - and once you do this stitching as directed, it is important to hold a steam iron over it to make it all pull up as you see here. I don't like this technique - never have, as it doesn't hold up. I would rather advise to line with a soft fabric - even in this area only, sew casings, and run 1/8'' elastic through the casings. You'll be happier.


This is the sleeve ruffle - cutting an arc at one end, then using that as the pattern to cut the arc at the other end. I used fabric cut on the bias, and folded for the ruffles instead of eyelet trim or lace.







Here are my finished straps. See my gathering technique on You-Tube. Search for Londa Sewing...









Cloth Baby Booties
These are adorable Robeeze copy fabric baby booties. I found the pattern on a blog - www.stardustshoes.blogspot.com.

Here you see I have pulled the 9'' length of elastic through the Heel casing, and the wrong side of the Top through the slits, pulled to 7'', stitched, then the excess cut off. Note that the sides of the heel are NOT stitched to the sides of the Top/Sole seam. This took me a bit to figure out.

















Ahhh - too cute! Now, I've trimmed the Sole to Top and Heel seam by pinking with pinking shears. I honestly think this is preferred to serging because tiny toenails could get caught in serging threads/loops. This makes it nice and soft inside, and solves the notching that is necessary to remove some of the bulk of the 'outie' seam allowance because when it gets turned right side out - that exterior most seam edge becomes an 'innie' curve as I say - needing less space. Understand?







Elastic joining scootched around so invisible. This shot shows the inside of the bootie really well.

Cute or what? Needs a bonnet....























Back View ...I just had to add the yellow ribbon on the straps and down the center of the butt ruffles.








Londa's Heirloom Bonnet  -Kit 
SAVE on my combo of the pattern seen below, silk organza for back pouf lining, elastic, baby piping cord, safety pins. 


Creating the Fancy Band for the Baby Bonnet. Here is the first step of the Colonial or Candle Wicking Knot - I"m using 1/8'' wide silk ribbon. The white is adorable,delicate tatting I bought at the Martha Pullen Arlington Market I did in late June, 2011.













Next step in those Candle-Wicking Knots.












And...the last step in the decorative knot. I let my silk ribbon travel from one knot to the other on the back side of the Fancy Band as my pattern directs you to line this Fancy Band any way - covering it up.Note here you can see that I staggered the loops of the double rows of the tatting when I applied it. I carry the itsy bitsy piping cord at my website. You can see it at both edges of the Fancy Band. Yellow was obviously the 3rd, and accent color of this ensemble.

Just enough tatting left to put into the front edge of the front Ruffle on the Bonnet. Yeah!










Stitching the 'lining of the Front Ruffle - from the side where I can see the stitching of attaching the tatting - stitching just a needle width to the left of that stitching.












Cutting the arcs at each end of the Front Ruffle.











Using my gathering technique to attach Front Ruffle to Fancy Band. Note the threads figure 8'd around that right most pin. My You-Tube video can be found with all the rest of my how-to videos HERE.








Ahhh - too cute! I LOVE sewing ruffles. Dear Lord, send me a Grand Daughter to join my #1 grandson! Now to line the Fancy Band.








Sandwiching the Fancy Band/Front Ruffle unit with the Front Band Lining as per my really good directions in this pattern - my very first - done way back in1988!!!









Flipping Fancy Band Lining to the inside. See how nicely that baby piping just adds the little touch of color at each long edge of the Fancy Band - which, by the way sizes the bonnet. You just take earlobe over head to other earlobe (bottoms of each) and add 1/2'' for how long to create the Fancy Band - and approx 2'' to 2 1/2'' wide.




Drawing in side bonnet casing lines as per directions - on OUTSIDE of the Pouf.










At this time - I realized I hadn't cut a Pouf Lining (duh - I didn't have enough fabric!), so I went to my STASH and found the perfect silk organza for the ling - which is over the top of all this - the elastic pieces as directed, are secured. The left one is for the back pouf circlet and the right one (duplicated at the other end of the Pouf) is to pull the bonnet in at the bottom, neck edge. The Silk Organza was perfect because it is lightweight and ads just the perfect crispness to the bonnet.

This shows ripping a little hole at the X as at the top of the 2nd side of the directions in my pattern. This is the ONLY thing in these - my very first directions ever, that I would improve on - you can't really see the X in the diagram. It is at the left end of the Back neck Crown Edge - right above the words 'Center Back'. It is through this hole that the back crown elastic will exit. That gets anchor stitched, and eventually covered with a ribbon/button unit as you'll see.


My directions do instruct you to secure tiny safety pins onto the ends of each piece of elastic, so that you can easily pull the elastic through after the Pouf Lining is attached.









Oooo - I need a manicure! Anyway - securing the end of the elastic with machine stitching. Do at both 'sides' or bottom edges of the POUF.








Attaching Pouf to the back side of the Fancy Band. The pattern calls for a Back Ruffle as well as the Front Ruffle, but I just didn't think this bonnet needed the Back Ruffle. What fun is sewing...YOU are the designer!







Now it is time to stitch across each of the lowermost ends of the Fancy Band, securing the Lining to the outer Fancy Band. I designed an absolutely adorable technique to attach the Ties on the outside. See next steps!







How the bottom-most edges look all finished off.











1/4'' folded in on both sides of each tie. At the machine, finger fold in the little bit of extra. Establish where under the presser foot the right folded edge will be guided, and WALA, a beautiful, double folded and stitched edge! Do one side of each Tie.











Fold one end at an angle as shown. Now,stitch across this double layer at the other long edge, along the pressed line from the opposite side you see here.








Trim excess, turn right side out, pull out corner crisply with a pin and press. NOW finish the other long edge with same technique used on first long edge,but stop at this cross stitching.

Fold 3/4'' down to the wrong side at the other end of each tie. THEN fold it as shown.









Attach folded end with machine stitching as shown, then pull center fold down as you see here. Add a decorative Candle Wick Knot or French Knot inside for that special little touch.












Hand crocheted thread loops close the back of the Bonnet - at both the back crown elastic edge, and the lower edge. Ribbon streamers make it very 'girly'. I need to add my hand crochet method for thread loops to my YouTube Videos...











Finished ensemble. Now to wrap it and send it off. She's just a month old now - so this will be perfect for NEXT spring and summer. Can't wait to see baby Alyssa - my Grand Niece - first GIRL of the GREAT Grand Kids for my folks in it!

Londa's Heirloom Bonnet  -Kit 
SAVE on my combo of the pattern, silk organza for back pouf lining, elastic, baby piping cord, safety pins. 

Use for sweatshirt neck band!

A creative student proved me wrong....I always say I've never found a use for the neck ribbing of the sweatshirts as I create my Creative Sweatshirt Jackets. Well...while presenting a seminar/workshop at Fabrics Etc. 2 in Bensenville, IL last weekend, a clever student came to me with this rose!
1. Cut off the neck band from the sweatshirt.
2. Rotary cut off the seam allowance.
3. OPen it up so you have double the width.
4. Set a serger for a wide balanced stitch with decorative threads in upper and lower loopers. This was done with the WAVE STITCH on a BABYLOCK serger - which is a new wrinkle to me since my days of selling machines/sergers ended almost 8 years ago now!
5. Gather remaining end and twirl and stitch into a rosette.
WALA....... WAY TO GO!
Sorry I forget the name of the student who did it - Cindy perhaps?

Had lots of fun at this candy store of a quilt/machine shop! What a nice owner - Mary Forte, and her helpers/associates. If you're ever in Chicagoland - don't miss Fabrics Etc. 2 in Bensenville!

Puppet Theatre Creation

Recently, I got to escape to play and create with #1 Grandson! DD had torn out a page from a magazine on a 'hang in the door' puppet theater, so that was our project. Here we are having a great time sewing it...which he LOVED being artsy-craftsy as he is. The machine is one I gave my daughter at the end of my shop days - a Brother - which is a GREAT machine. I got it 'out of the closet' and gave it a good run - since it never sees the light of day otherwise...
Maybe SOME day!

Anyway..... he had a great time deciding on the ribbons to create 'stripes' on the theatre. And he was just pretty durned right one when it came to 'if that color matchded the other ones' or not! That's my Boy!!!! He actually wanted to paint on the stripes - but I convinced him that then it would have to dry and we wouldn't be able to finish.

The heavy denim was a great background. On the magazine version, the curtain was gathered along the top - ughhhh - it would have to stay tied back for the 'show'. So I engineered this so the curtains could easily be opened and closed...
It is heavy piping cord knotted and stitched onto the outside stage 'frame', and then plastic cafe rings stitched to the top of the curtain. For that I used that 'button-sewing-on' stitch that is on so many machines. You can also see here how it is hung 'taut' inside the laundry room to the family room/kitchen area so that he has a ready 'audience' . Ahhh - and see those kitchen cabinets in the background...I claim transforming those from mediterranean dark wood to current light colors. After that painting/antiquing, I decided NOT to do my own cabinets! They do look good though...

Sew.... here's the end result. Lamb Chops there on the right - a gift to daughter from my very creative and clever Sister-in-Law retired Kindergarten teacher who does great things with puppets and plays...and on the left - a puppet 'creature' that Grandson created from the goodies his great Aunt had provided - starting with a green sock.

Back to hopefully the last day on re-working and adding to my own book on Creative Sweatshirt Jackets, as current inventory is about depleted. Tuesday next finds me on a plane to Puyallup, WA for the Sewing & Stitchery Expo... and the beginning of a VERY busy month of travels around the country.

Houston Creative Inspiration - 11/3/10

The inspiration we see as gals stop by our booth #717 here at the Houston Quilt Festival 'Preview' night was AWESOME!

Look at this top - on a sheer knit black base. My super dooper assistant Carol eyed this jacket and broughtd her over to me and my camera! She's sitting here with me in our motel room at 12:30 am 1 1/4" folded strips (ala Clover 3/4" wide Bias Tape Maker), then folded wrong sides together a bit less than half and stitched with white thread to the black base. Marking it would be interesting, but certainly possible: right sides together of the black base, with 2 layers of dressmaker carbon, right side out slipped inbetween.

At the top of my thumb nail, that is a folded edge, as the edge I'm holding.

An ETSY buy - this customer's fabric coiled necklace drew our attention. It was cotton, straight grain cut and folded strips, somewhat twisted here and there, but not twisted at the very center, with also just folded edges showing at the center. No stitching at all - all glued onto a base. Carol and I think trying this or a lighter weight fabric - on the bias and doing an ODD number of 'roses' would be a very inviting creative task. Gee - I can even see this done out of an old flannel plaid shirt! Chain was attached to each end to complete the necklace. She shared she thought it was still on ETSY (I'm too tired to look right now), just search there for 'coiled fabric rose necklace' and we think you'd find them.

I taught my first class yesterday - a 3 hour class on my sweatshirt jackets...starting out with my 'Frumpy to Wow' Design Principles class, then my Creative Journey program where I walked them through several jackets' design inspiration and construction. My students called it a 'sleeper' class - explaining that they loved it all and got so much more than they expected. That was great to hear - and a wonderful way to start this last show of the year for me. Their feedback also has led me to conclude that I will propose a hands-on all day class for next years' Festival. It was wonderful to have Carol in the class to help out too - and the wonderful staff in the Faculty Center are amazingly helpful and a great, safe place to keep teaching supplies.

We had a lazy start to this long day because we were lucky enough to get in quickly yesterday and got in 4 hours' work after my morning class. We finished setting up the booth from noon to 4 when the 'Preview' hours started and went til 10...!!!!

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to my Trunk Show class from 2-3 in the ballroom! Reporting more tomorrow......

HUNT for reversible knits!

One of the most fun parts of doing the Sewing Expos is seeing all the neat clothing on our fashion-conscious customers! Often self-created, but also store-bought (RTW = Ready-To-Wear). I always keep my camera handy and when I ask permission, most often the wearer is flattered and I get to take pictures. This is really where I get lots of the ideas that end up in my Creative Sweatshirt Jacket Talking Patterns™. I honestly forget if this gal was at the Novi or the Chantilly shows I just completed, but the 'dust has settled' and I'm wading through ideas I got at those shows.
Check out this jacket - it is a single knit - meaning that the crosswise edge WILL curl - usually to the right side - and that means also that the knit itself looks like stockinette stitch on one side, vertical, and horizontal ribs on the reverse side. That being said, this jacket was made of one of those knits which, in addition, had a different character on both sides - dark grey heather on one side and lighter grey on the other. Anyway - FIRST- a straight UN-pleated strip of the same fabric, with the opposite side up - about 1.5" wide was stitched down along the hemline, stitching about 3/4" from the top raw edge. . (To keep the knit body from stretching out of shape ala 'roller coaster' look, I would advise STAYING where you are going to stitch, on the INSIDE with Straight Fusible Stay Tape.) Then - kinda like all the rag quilts, the 3/4" edge above the stitching was simply cut into every 1/2" or so perpendicularly TO the stitching.

THEN - the box-pleated row ruffle was added on top - opposite side of the fabric 'up'. The 'ruffle' was really box pleated row of trim - cut about 2.5" wide, cut edge 'finishing' both edges. If I were going to mark and stitch all that, I would certainly make use of the Simflex Gauge to do the marking - as this wonderful crazy tool automatically evenly spaces things. It appeared to be stitched about 1/2" from the top edge, right on top of the other trim's stitching, and then the opposite side flopped down over top of the stitching creating the 'double' row of light colored fabric you see. Remember- raw edges everywhere, as knits do NOT ravel!

Look at the collar - it appeared to be a double layer - with 'wrong' or light sides together, simply stitched about 1/4" away from all the edges.

Next, check out the little gathered ruffle, raw edge, stuck into the top of the sleeve cap seam. Then, the diagonal row of embellishment down the center fronts appeared to be a hand-whipped strip of rolled fabric.

Finally, up the Center Back, it was stitched wrong sides together, seam allowance exposed on the right side to emphasize a nice slimming vertical line. RAW edges again!

So thanks - whoever you were - I lost your name, sorry! But be sure we appreciate your great taste i RTW!
If you find a great reversible knit online, post it as a comment for the rest of us here at this post. Remember, I must approve all posts before they show up - so feel free to send me a quick email alerting me that you posted. londa@londas-sewing.com.

Sew.........beware when you visit my booth - I just may photo and 'pick' at your great clothing!