Two Blue Dresses

Spiritual - Did you ever notice that no matter how hard you work on accepting responsibility for your own actions and owning your own faults, we can still  want to blame someone else or something else when we err or fail. It is because of pride.  Adam and Eve did this after their sin and is instinctive for just about everyone who has faults and commits failures.  It takes great courage to look at this self-love head on and to blame only ourselves.  Excusing our faults may satisfy our pride for the moment.  If we are sincerely working at correcting our faults, this will eat away at our soul internally.  Dealing internally with a situation in which we "saved" our pride is not enough.  We must repair the bad example we have set before men, confess it, and accept correction humbly.  Interior and exterior acknowledgment must be there before spiritual advancement will occur.  This is a great cross of mine.

 

Sewing -  A friend of long ago called to order two simple vintage style dresses for two babies she loves.   She wanted blue and needed them "soon!"  The one on the right is a 3-6 mo. dress with a machine embroidered yoke.  The middle of each sleeve was treated the same way.  Lace was added to the neckline, sleeve band and yoke.  A growth tuck was added at the hem.  The one on the left is a 6-9 mo. dress with a tucked yoke and white piping at the yoke and sleeve bands.  Hand embroidery was added to the center of the yoke and on the growth tuck at the hem.  Both are in blue imperial batiste and very simple - just what she requested.

All Designs Are Copyright Protected copyright 2011

 

Why handsewing as a first lesson???

Students often can't wait to get to the sewing machine, thinking that things will go faster and easier. They sometimes have the misconception that EVERYTHING can be done on the machine. But, on many projects, hand basting is needed to manipulate the fabric to make the project easier to sew with the machine, eliminating mistakes and frustration. Ninety-five percent of the time the last stitches on a project or garment will be handsewing - bias bands, sleeve bands, hems, buttons.

Embroidery is a wonderful embellishment on garments, baby clothes, bonnets, hair accessories, felt animals or dolls.

To many sewists, handsewing is a curse instead of being a pleasurable experience. Handsewing can be very relaxing, calming, and fulfilling. I think the problem is that many sewists didn't learn to enjoy the process and only thought of it as a means to "complete" the project. Learning to handsew first, IMHO, will help to alleviate many frustrations.

What do you think?

Beginner's Handsewing Class

Spiritual - What happens when women give their lives over to God? They become vessels of grace, bearers of healing, consolation, encouragement and strength to a troubled world. Far from being passive, the woman of grace will actively embrace God's will, actively seek out the suffering and lost, and actively bring God's healing love to others. Johnnette Benkovic, Full of Grace

Sewing -  Create one of these lovely hand stitched pincushions in which you will learn 4/5 stitches in this lesson - the back stitch, lazy dazy, french knot, running stitch, and the blanket stitch.  These are made of wool blend felt, embroidery floss, beads, and polyester fill,  It will be completed totally using hand stitches.  This is a wonderful "take anywhere" project and makes a very nice gift. 

  

All Designs Are Copyright Protected copyright 2011

SewHealing Sewing Studio is legal!

Spiritual -  Lord, help me to know and do your will and not mine alone.  Give me the grace of humility to remember that the talents I have and works that I do come from you.  Let them reflect your glory and aid in the service of others.  Help me, Lord to love you more.

Sewing -  I've been wanting a sewing studio/school for a long time and I think that it just might begin this spring.  I now have my federal and state id #s, a bank account, and business cards.  I'm working on business plans, lesson plans, and ordering materials I need to get started.  This is all a lot of work and takes a lot of time.  I'm home quite a bit taking care of a grandchild three days a week and my mother-in-law, who is ill.  So I do have spots of time in the sewing room and at the computer.  I am having fun and looking forward!   As soon as the details of the classes are worked out, I'll let you know.  Pray for me.

New Bishops for Gillian

Spiritual -  God, let me be a living sacrifice of praise and example of your glory.  Please give me grace to accept daily life's inconveniences  and chores as your will.  Help me to put my wants and desires secondary to the service of my family and people you put in my life daily.  Only then will I maintain peace and joy.  This I pray, through your son, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Sewing - I've decided to make two new dresses for Gigi to put under the tree - a rust plaid one and a mint green one with a matching swing coat.  The dress & swing coat pattern I used was Gail Doane's wonderful book Sew Cute Couture . The bishop pattern has a slight curve in the center front and back. Plaids must be pleated along the plaid lines. Therefore, the neckline is straight rather than slighted curved when pleated and smocked.  During construction, I accounted for this by placing the the bias neck band  3/8"  lower in the center front and center back.  That ensured that the hem would be even all around the dress.  Is that as clear as mud?  lol.  I machine-embroidered Sandy Jenkin's Nursery Rhymes on the swing coat.  You should see her in this outfit! 

Hand Sewing Pincushion

Spiritual - Holy Images, or liturgical icons, in our churches all principally represent Christ.  Images could not represent God, because of His invisibility and incomprehensible nature.  The incarnation of His Son has brought us a new insight.  These icons express  the same Gospel message that Scripture communicates by words and help to "explain" each other.  All our images, the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, and all the saints are all related to Christ who is glorified in them.  "They make manifest the 'cloud of witnesses' who continue to participate in the salvation of the world and to whom we are united, above all in sacramental celebrations.  Through their icons, it is man 'in the image of God,' finally transfigured' into his likeness' who is revealed to our faith.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, pg. 328

Sewing -  I have a hard time keeping track of the different sizes of hand needles I use when working on a project.  Umm..I thought.  What if I had a pin cushion that had the kind and number of needles written on it?  As I told you before, I love Embird, my embroidery software.  I got busy and I'm quite happy.

All Designs Are Copyright Protected copyright 2010

Christmas Dresses

Spiritual - What we celebrate at Christmas is the incarnation of Jesus.  That opened the floodgates  of grace to be able to live virtuous lives.   In order for us the be virtuous or "do good actions",  virtues must be practiced consistently and with proper disposition.  The more we practice them, the sooner that become habitual or a way of life that  builds and identifies our character.  Our church, as well as early philosophers identified four that have been labeled "cardinal" -, fortitude (moral courage), justice(give God and our neighbor what is his due), prudence (right judgment), and temperence (self-control).  Lord, please help me develop and improve these virtues so that I can give glory to you and that I may bring happiness and peace to myself and those around me.  Amen.

Sewing - This year Jennie chose a silk taffeta reproduction of a Crewcut dress for Audrie and a smocked bishop for the baby.  I found a beautiful light grey (silver) silk taffeta from Fabric.com.  It took awhile to decide what smocking pattern and silk ribbon colors to use on Gigi's dress, but all was finally decided and the smocking began.  Gigi's dress was easy compared to Audrie's.   Several patterns in my stash went together to get the pattern needed to copy the Crewcut dress.  Next, I made a muslin to fit her.  Finally, the dress was completed  and the underskirt was started.  I made the underskirt separate and with several "growth" tucks so she could wear it with other dresses later.  I'm happy with the results.  Gigi got a hair clip and paci clip, too!

A Crafty Lady?

Spiritual - Do you pray everyday? I was thinking about people I know that seem to weather the storm of daily life with a smile and a cheerful attitude and wondered what they all had in common. Then it dawned on me ... they pray everyday. I mean that they have a specified prayer time set aside everyday to devote to God alone. I need that. I try, but am not consistent about it. I really believe it would bring me more peace and trustfulness. Please, Jesus, give me the grace to make a determined effort.

  

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sewing - Did I ever think I would be into crafting? No. Taking care of Gigi everyday has left little time for major sewing. Sooo... I'm getting into FELT and satin crafts and am loving every minute of it. It started with making hair accessories for Audrie and Gigi. I'm afraid I got addicted. Now, it's more hair accessories, felt pincushions, needle cases, and children's softie animals. Of course, these are going to be wonderful projects when I start teaching. I have done a couple of classes with my grandchildren and their friends and they really enjoyed it and made precious projects. I will have a weekly hand sewing class for young children starting in the spring.



 

An Antique Glass Showcase

Spiritual - I had time to read from my favorite daily meditation book, Divine Intimacy, this morning.  I often beat myself up because of my failures, my lack of attention to the development of virtues, the amount of time I spend on my hobbies, etc.  - you know what I'm talking about.  Today I was reminded that no matter how much I try to be better, I may find my hands empty, just like Peter's nets.  I must not be discouraged due to lack of success, but humbly acknowledge my failure, and have firm confidence that the Lord will fill my nets. too. 

Sewing - My daughter's mother-in-law had this beautiful case in her recent garage sale.  I picked it up, cleaned it up, and filled it up!  I put my favorite things in it - American Girl dolls, wonderful fabrics, old wooden thread spools, yarn from my travels, old sewing need cards, antique candle sticks made into bonnet stands, etc.  I really like it.  It also gave me loads of surface to put more of my treasures. 

Lullaby Safari

Spiritual - Rough homily. Is there any person, thing, or talent (hobby) that we put before God? Does our attention (prayer time), time (service), talent go into doing God's work first? Then what, from the leftovers, do we do for our own benefit or pleasure? I need to do a lot of soul searching on that one.

Sewing - These precious daygowns were made using Martha Pullen's raglan daygown pattern from her book, Precious Baby Daygowns, roundyoke collection, and digitized designs by Karen & Tamzin Bosch. The designs can be found on MP's online store. I first saw this in Sew Beautiful, issue 132, 2010 in an article by Lorraine Bergeron and couldn't wait to make these. IMHO, there are not many baby applique designs that can be put on a daygown. There are plenty for the older child. I hope you get going on these!