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TESTER CALL- Preemie Crossover Bubble

By | On September 13,20 | 0 Comment

The Preemie Crossover Bubble from Little Heirloom Angels is ready for testing! This is a traditional bubble style romper sized for Preemies up to 5 ½ lbs.  It also fits the Reborn dolls.  It would be a perfect coming home outfit for a baby boy or girl.  Included with the pattern are two different collar styles. The bubble is front opening with snaps for easy access diaper changes. The bubble crotch area opens flat for easier dressing. It is an easy project featuring kimono sleeves and a full lining. No tiny sleeves to set in!

Recommended fabrics are lightweight cottons and blends such as batiste, lawn, voile, or linen. 

The testing will run until October 10,2020 . I will notify all testers who apply by September 20,2020.  Please follow the link to apply:

https://forms.gle/RHx1t99awkdgiVZ47

 

 

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Baby Bishop Diaper Set

By | On November 16,19 | 2 Comments

I’ve finally released my Baby Bishop Diaper Set pattern.

Whew.  It’s been a long and crooked road with this pattern.  It was my first draft after opening up this business.  I hand drafted it, then fired up my old Symmetry program on my Windows XP computer to transfer in the measurements and do a CAD drawing.  The trick was that the old Symmetry software (from the year 2000!!) did not convert patterns into a PDF format.  So I had to use an intermediate file format that could be transferred to a flashdrive and transferred to my new laptop running Inkscape.  At the time, my budget was tight and wasn’t ready to invest in Illustrator.  And I was just beginning to research modern pattern drafting techniques using these drawing programs.

Inkscape is free but very clunky with it’s functions.  I somehow managed to find a file type that could be imported into inkscape.  It was very labor intensive because the file wouldn’t import at scale….I somehow had a huge picture on my screen that had to be reduced.

Tiling patterns for printing was a challenge and involved lots of research on the internet.  Nothing is easy to find when it involves Inkscape.  But somehow, it got it done and I asked a friend to test it.  I used Word for the directions, which offered a whole other set of formatting challenges.

Making the changes recommended by my friend became a formatting nightmare.  I started to rethink my budget for Illustrator.

I invested in Lauren Dahl’s pattern drafting course thinking I could use it for Inkscape but as I watched the use friendly tools and functions in action I was hooked.  I bit the bullet and got the subscription.

Now I had to import the Inkscape file into Illustrator….NOT so easy to do!  Again, it didn’t import to scale and other aspects were lost.  I just decided it would be more accurate and easier to just re-draw the pattern with my original measurements and grade rules.

Then I decided to import all my directions into InDesign, because, of course!  I was also sold on the ease of formatting after watching Lauren whip up directions and place/crop/format pictures with a few clicks.  What a tedious task to break apart my Word document and copy and paste it into InDesign piece by piece.

In the meantime, I decided to do my doll pattern, then I had the request for Baby Pamela.  These two patterns gave me the opportunity to sharpen my Illustrator and InDesign skills.  The Baby Bishop is a much more complicated pattern, and I’m glad I got my practice in with my two previous patterns.  It is finally done!  Out of my head…and off my artboards lol.

I’ve had an amazing group of testers helping me make improvements and correct errors and I’d love to share their creations with you here.  They are just lovely.

I had two beginner smockers testing for me this time and I want to show off their creations first.  They were able to use my pattern and directions to make these beautiful little outfits for their little girls.  After seeing them, I know I accomplished my mission of helping new smockers get started!

Danielle made this outfit:

She did an amazing job for her fist smocked outfit.  I’m so proud of her.  I hope she enjoys many more days of smocking for her little one.  She will be a very well dressed little girl!

 

These are the back view and the sleeve finish.  Very Sweet.  Here’s a link to her page:

http://www.instagram.com/gooseberrymanor

Next is Amanda’s Gingham and Apple set.

She did an amazing job as well.  I’m very proud of her too!  And her little model is just adorable.  I love how she used the blue gingham to complement the red apples.  A very fresh and updated look.

 

This is a close up of her diaper cover…very nice stitching.  And also another picture of her little model, because she is just so adorable!

Her page is http://www.instagram.com/sewingcotton

Sylvia made this with an art gallery print and it’s just lovely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s so bright and cheerful.  She’s the owner of Delicate Stitches, a wonderful shop for all heirloom sewing and smocking supplies.  She’s been in business many years and she has a wonderful selection of laces, trims, fabrics, and threads.  http://www.delicatestitches.com

Mary made this sweet little fall outfit and her adorable daughter is modeling.  She’s such a sweetie and Mary did an amazing job.

 

 

I love the color combination and the plate she chose is just so pretty.

Her page is http://www.instagram.com/button_and_bee_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These two outfits were made by Julie, owner of Lamond Traditional over on Etsy.com.  She’s been a long time smocker and also a very good friend.  Her website is http://www.lamondtraditional.etsy.com  She does beautiful work and has some very high quality outfits for sale.  Very classic style.

This adorable pink and green outfit was made by another Mary.  She spends most of her time with charity sewing and has a heart of gold.  I love how she lined the diaper cover in pink so that it shadows through.

And our last sample was made by Sandra.  A very sweet little floral with solid pink contrast.  A classic little girl outfit.

So that about wraps it up.  There is plenty of growth room designed into the pattern so you will get lots of wear before the child outgrows it.  Sturdy construction and smocking make it easy to care for also…machine wash and dry on low.  Smocking can handle it.  That was the main reason I loved it for school clothes.  Easy care.  I hope you will try it!

 

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Getting It Out of My Head

I get an idea.  I put it on paper in a sketch. Then what?  How to make it real?

My creative process is a little convoluted and chaotic.  When will it become orderly? Probably never.

I wish I could just work out the details in my head and write them down step by step.  But that’s not how this works.

I take my sketch and apply changes to my pattern blocks.  That’s more ideas printed on paper.  The real challenge is coming.

How to take those pieces and put them together in an orderly fashion that another stitcher will understand.  How will it look on the inside? How will seams be finished?  Would this lining look good?  Is there a simpler way???

I might start with a block of fabric and do my embroidery.  Stitching on a block is much easier than cutting out a pattern piece first, then stitching.  All of those cut edges can stretch out of shape in the handling and then you have a useless pattern piece.

The challenge with stitching a block is how to insert it into the style in your head.  I usually end up hand stitching the embroidery to the respective pieces then cut out the outline of the pattern piece.  I end up wracking my brain for an easier way next time (another sample to stitch!!)  Why didn’t I think of that the first time? Well, I don’t know.  Everything is experimental and I always try to have a Plan B…or C…or Plan Walk Away lol.  Sometimes I’ve stitched 2 seams together then can’t do the next step in my head, so rip, rip, rip.  Sometimes I have to change a pattern pieces totally.

But, I love the challenge.  And the creative expression.  And I hope that someone else will understand the idea that I got out of my head and into a finished garment.

Embroider.

Cut.

Piece together.

Find a better way.

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My New Sewing Buddy

Sewing Buddy

 

My new mannequin.  He’s just right.

I would like to introduce new sewing buddy. He’s the perfect size to use from drafting patterns.  He follows the ASTM standards very nicely.  Previously, I purchased 2 mannequins from Amazon and the measurements are all over the place.  One is supposed to be a 3 month size but measures closer to a newborn in some spots.  The other is supposed to be a 6 month size and measures closer to a 12 month size.  They aren’t accurate enough for drafting, but I will use them for photographs.

I found out about this guy in the picture on a Facebook post in a pattern drafting group, I can’t recall which one.  He’s from the Shop Company and they are a great company to work with, great customer service and fast delivery.  He’s a little pricey, but I saved up my cash.  I think he will be an invaluable assistant that will help me draft better patterns.

I’m so excited to have this new addition to my sewing room.

Now that my Preemie Smocked Yoke Dress is going into the testing phase, I can go back to working on some infant styles.  My new sewing buddy will be right by my side to help out.

If you would like to participate in the testing for my preemie pattern, please join my Facebook Group, Smocking and Heirloom Sewing Pattern Testers.  Of course, if you are not ready to learn smocking, you can just make the dress with a gathered skirt.  Watch for the testing call!

Bridal Heirlooms, Classic Style, Forever Classic, Pleating, Sewing Techniques, Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Smocking, Uncategorized

Smocked Bridal Purse- Construction and Attaching the Frame

By | On November 27,18 | 0 Comment

I’m back!  Wedding is done, and new grandson has been sufficiently cuddled for now. As promised, I’m going to explain the remaining steps for the Smocked Bridal purse I made.

To refresh your memory, I talk about the previous steps here and here.  I’ve been tinkering with this project for a while and I’m pleased with the outcome, however, I have some tweaking to do for the next one I make.  I used the Upstyle pattern from Esty, found here.  Their frames are very high quality and the pattern is easy to make.  However, I don’t care for the loose sides that will fold in unevenly, making the frame look off-center, as in the photo above.  That’s a tweak for another day.

In my second post about the purse, I described using a stay to stabilize the pleats and support the embroidery.  It was much easier to do the silk ribbon embroidery this way because all of the ribbons and floss were actually secured to the back of the stay instead of the pleats.  Also, the pleats didn’t shift around.  They stayed in position which made consistent stitches much easier to make.

 

Silk Ribbon Embroidered Smocking

 

I blocked the smocking to the size of the frame and then steamed the pleats.  When the smocking was dry and cool, I secured the stay to the top of the smocking.  I stitched 3/8″ from the top cable row, then I trimmed the top to 1/2″ from the cable row to the cut edge.

 

 

Next, I needed to control the fullness of the gathers along the bottom of the pattern piece.  The original pattern instructions place the pattern piece on the fold of the fabric, but there is also an option for one way designs and I used that.  Add 1/2″ seam allowance along the bottom of the pattern piece and cut two.  I measured the distance from the top of the pattern piece and marked the same distance from the top of my smocked piece.  Then I stitched 3 rows of gathering stitches and distributed the gathers until I was satisfied.

 

 

The gathers were stitched to the stay along the bottom seam.

 

 

Then the stay is attached at the sides along the seam line.  I also stitched around the cutting line to control the gathers in the seam allowance.  Then I trimmed just outside the cutting line stitching.

 

 

 

I stitched the back of the purse to the front along the bottom seam.

 

 

I pressed the seam open.  Here you can see where all the embroidery threads have been secured to the stay instead of the pleats.

 

 

Here is the fusible fleece being attached to the wrong side of the purse.  I only fused the fleece to the back of the purse and to the back of the smocking.  I DID NOT fuse the bottom gathers or the area of the silk ribbon embroidery.  I didn’t want to crush the embroidery through the fusing process and I didn’t want to crease the gathers.  I did fuse along the sides where the fabric is flat.

 

 

Here is the purse all assembled.  The lining is interfaced and there is also a Peltex inner structure.  I forgot to take pictures of the frame being attached, but the instructions included in the pattern are very good.  I was skeptical about a glued frame but it seemed to be very solid.  I was pleasantly shocked.

 

 

I think the smocking adapted to this pattern very well.  I have to work out a better design for the sides so I think I’ll dig out my mother in law’s vintage bags and do some research.

 

 

I also forgot to take a final picture in good light.  The lighting in the church wasn’t very good, but I think it’s a pretty picture anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bridal Heirlooms, Forever Classic, Sewing Techniques, Uncategorized

Bridal Party Shirts!

I’m back from a little hiatus and I just wanted to share the shirts that Esther Conrad Grant embroidered for my daughter’s wedding!  She is the owner of Tiger Swallow Tales Children’s Boutique and she also has a stunning dress in the latest issue of Classic Sewing Magazine that you must read about.

Here is the link to her shop on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tigerswallowtales/

She also has a fantastic blog that you should check out: http://www.tigerswallowtales.com/

My daughter, Rose, found a picture on Pinterest using monogrammed flannel shirts for the bridal party and she had her heart set on doing a similar picture for her wedding.  The wedding is in November and she wanted something a little cozier than little robes for the bridal party.  The picture she wants to use shows the bridal party lined up with their backs to the camera, wearing monogrammed flannel shirts.  Esther was wonderful and she went above and beyond to make Rose’s dream come true.  Esther found the perfect font, in the perfect size and created these beautiful shirts that the bridesmaids can wear when they do their hair and makeup.  She has such an amazing talent and Rose will be ecstatic when she sees them! ❤️❤️❤️  

 

Monogrammed Bridal Party shirts from Tiger Swallow Tales

 

 

Monogrammed Bridal Party Shirts from Tiger Swallow Tales

 

Monogrammed Bridal Party Shirts from Tiger Swallow Tales

 

Monogrammed Bridal Party Shirts from Tiger Swallow Tales

 

Monogrammed Bridal Party Shirts from Tiger Swallow Tales

 

The shirts are stunning thanks to Esther’s meticulous attention to detail.  I just can’t thank her enough!  I also want to thank her for kindly allowing me to post her pictures from her Facebook page.

I’ve been away a little too long and I will be posting more soon.  I have updates from convention and a SAGA meet up at Kent State to share, along with my entry from the Design Show.  I was working on that, then my grandson decided to come 3 weeks early and totally threw off my sewing schedule! I thought I would have a whole month after convention to make him a coming home outfit, but he clearly had different plans!  Now things have settled down and I can get back to my Bridal purse and my Baby Bishop pattern not to mention my next pleating lesson.

It’s been hectic!

Here is the original post with the shirts on Esther’s Facebook page:

Warm November Wedding by Tiger Swallow Tales

Bishop Construction, Construction, Pleating, SAGA, Smocking, Uncategorized

More Pleating Part 3

The next challenge in my pleating adventures is to tackle a method of bishop pleating that requires the pieces to be pleated before stitching the underarm seams.  I like to call it the Release and Rethread method.  It takes longer and requires a lot of concentration but it is a no fail method to totally hide seams.  Your bishop dress will appear totally seamless and smooth.  No ugly bumps that are created when the seams are caught up in the pleat during the typical pleating method.

The first step is to carefully lay your pieces in order.  Pleaters vary in the way the needles pierce the fabric in the rollers.  Some pleat with the longer stitches on top and other pleat with the longer stitches on bottom.  “Long is wrong” is the cardinal rule for pleating so it’s important that you understand how your pleater works.  The dress pieces should be laid out according to how your pleater pleats: right side up or wrong side up.

Pleat the first piece and clear it from the needles and unthread them.  With the right side of the fabric facing you, remove the threads and pull them out of the seam allowances, usually 1/2″ on each side of the pattern piece.  Make sure the pleating threads are coming out of the right side of the fabric.  You want to make sure your seam allowances will be falling to the wrong side of the garment.

Next, start pleating the sleeve, making sure the you have the correct sleeve piece.  For a back opening bishop, you will need the back of the sleeve to go through first so that it matches the back armhole of the first pleated piece.  The opposite would apply for a front opening bishop.  In that case, you have pleated one front already and need the front sleeve seam to go through the pleater first to match up with the front of the dress.  When the pleats start to build up on the needles, CAREFULLY pull off the seam allowance and flip it either up or down.  If you are pleating right side up, flip the seam allowance down.  If you are pleating wrong side up, flip it UP.  Be careful to have all your seam allowances on the wrong side of the dress.

 

Clearing the seam allowance from the pleater needles

 

Now that the seam allowance is free, carefully rethread the pleater with the same threads that are coming out of the first pleated piece.

 

Rethreading the needles for bumpless bishops

 

Make sure the pieces are all facing the same way and the pleating threads don’t get crossed as you rethread.  Continue pleating the sleeve and pull it completely off the needles just like you did for the first piece.  Clear the threads from the seam allowance, making sure the seam allowance will fall to the wrong side and continue the steps until the whole bishop has been pleated.

  1. Pleat
  2. Remove threads and clear seam allowance
  3. Pleat
  4. Pull seam allowance off needles and rethread
  5. Go to step 1 and repeat

When you are finished you should have no crossed threads, all the seam allowances on the wrong side and all the pieces in the proper order.

 

Bishop pleating without stitching the seams

 

Now it’s time to sew.  Basting is a crucial first step to sewing up the seam and making sure the pleating threads stay aligned.  Fold the seam so that the right sides are together and hand baste.  What I did to insure perfect alignment is to use the same needle holes of the pleating threads. I didn’t get a picture of just the basting but you can see it in the next steps.  Come up through the same holes in one row, go down through the same holes in the next row.  Then you machine stitch 1/16 of and inch from that basting line to form your valley.

 

Creating a valley for the bumpless bishop

 

 

 

I think you can see the basting line best in this picture.  Right where the pleating threads end, you can see a basting stitch between the two rows in white thread.

There are several options to finish the seams.  You can serge them, but if you are making an heirloom style garment you probably want to use on of the other methods.

Here I’ve done a Faux French seam by turning under the raw edges and stitching along the fold.

 

Faux French Seam

 

Here I’ve done a simple overcast edge.  The stitches are very tiny and hard to see but I think you can get the general idea.

 

Overcast Stitch on Pleated Seam

 

I’ve never worked with this method before but now that I’ve tried it, I plan to use it more often.  It’s definitely less stressful than pleating French seams and holding your breath as they go through the rollers.  You just have to concentrate and remember all the steps in order.  And even if you forget, you only have to go back and repleat one piece, not the whole dress! I call that a win right there.

My next lesson is double pleating.  As my daughter’s got older I had to figure out that technique all by myself.  This was almost 30 years ago and limited resources were available!  I  muddled through and got the dresses made but now maybe I can learn a few new tricks to make it easier!  Stay tuned.

Bishop Construction, Construction, SAGA, Smocking, Uncategorized

More Pleating Homework

Mini French Seam for Pleating
By | On August 04,18 | 2 Comments

My next assignment for the pleating class from SAGA was focused on pleating over seams.  I had to pleat two samples using two different techniques.  One was pleating over tiny French seams. The second involved pleating the pieces in a continuous manner without stitching seams first.  These two methods are used to pleat bishop style dresses.

I had trouble with the French seams which is a direct result of the pleater needles.  I have seen several complaints about the pleater needles being sold on the market today and I have to agree with them.  I never broke this many needles when I was pleating for my daughters 25 years ago.  That being said, I decided to think outside the box in order to save my needles.  This meant that I had to disregard the conventional pleating wisdom of using a tiny 1/8″ French seam.  I went smaller if you can believe that.

I had to get creative in order to do this and I decided my goal would be to create a French seam closer to 1/16″.  Such a tiny seam is basically like stitching over piping when you consider the bulk of the enclosed seam allowance and stitching so close to the edge.  The bulk would slip out of the bottom of the presser foot while stitching and this would create precise stitching.  It would be impossible to get an accurate seam. Also, this would only apply to lightweight fabrics such as batiste or lawn.  Anything heavier would just not work for this technique.  I realized I should treat this tiny seam just like piping and I searched through my presser feet to find one with a tiny groove that would hold the enclosed seam allowance in place as it traveled under the presser foot.  The regular piping foot had a channel that was way too big.  The closest I could find was my manual buttonhole foot and a pintuck foot.

After stitching the first seam, I trimmed VERY closely to the stitching; less than a 1/16″.  Remember: we want to reduce bulk as much as possible to make this seam fit into the tiny groove of the pleater gear.  This line of stitching doesn’t take any stress in wearing, it sits at the top of the seam allowance when the garment is finished.  It’s only purpose is to keep the raw edges of the fabric turned under, so trimming that closely will not cause any problems.  It is the second row of stitching that takes the stress because it is directly in the seam line of the garment.

To stitch the second part of this seam, I experimented with the two presser feet and the pintuck foot was the winner.  It has the tiny groove to hold the little bump of the enclosed seam allowance and the needle position can be easily adjusted for a 1/16″ final seam allowance.

 

Mini French Seam for Pleating

It’s a little wider than 1/16″ but it’s pretty darn close. and it went through the pleater with no broken needles.  I was able to pop the seams so that when the fabric came off the needles, the seam was standing upright.

 

Mini French Seam

 

Next time I’ll post about the second technique for pleating a bishop before the seams are stitched.  That was Assignment #2 from this lesson.

Bridal Heirlooms, Construction, Sewing Techniques, Uncategorized

Bridal Mini-Me

I went shopping for a wedding dress with my oldest daughter a few weeks ago.  She lives in Chicago and came home for a shopping expedition.  She didn’t find anything she liked and the shop was really limited in variety as far as different styles go so now I am making her dress.

Since she’s not readily available for fittings, I made a duct tape mannequin of her shape!

It’s something I read about years ago in a Threads magazine and I’ve always wanted to try it.  This was the perfect opportunity.

She put on an old T-shirt and I wrapped her hips in plastic wrap because the shirt wasn’t long enough.  Here is the first layer:

It’s still bumpy and wrinkled which is why a second layer is needed.  This layer is added vertically to help smooth everything out.  It helped a little, but I could quite get the bust area shaped as smoothly as I wanted.  I also think I should have wrapped her tighter, but I was afraid it would be too uncomfortable and I wasn’t sure how long she would be trapped like this.

Next, I marked some horizontal lines up the back over the center back and started cutting it off from the bottom to the neck.

Then I placed it on my regular dress dummy and stuffed it a little to make it firm and stable.  Then I taped up the back to keep it closed.

It definitely needs some tweaking as far as the stuffing goes, so I have to do some more checking against her measurements. Next time I do this though, I would definitely choose a looser T-shirt to get a more definite shape in the bust area and I would wrap a little tighter.  It was a fun project though.

Since daughter was home for the whole weekend, I proceeded to make the muslin for her dress.  I made the alterations that were needed and checked them on daughter, then on the mannequin to see if it would be a good substitute.  It seems to work so far.  I’ll know more in August when she comes home again.  By then I plan to have the underdress done and only the lace work will remain unfinished.

 

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Needles!

So, I am starting a blog.  I want to share my love of heirloom sewing and smocking with others in the hope that new stitchers will carry on the art.  I fell in love with this sewing niche when my daughters were little and I was watching an episode of Sewing with Nancy.  I just loved the idea of stitching laces together to design fabric blocks that I could turn into beautiful dresses for my little girls….dresses I couldn’t afford to buy in the stores at the time because I was a stay at home mom on a tight budget.

Then I took my first smocking class at a little fabric shop in the area.  I started to sketch ideas and I found myself changing and altering patterns to match the ideas in my head.  This lead to an interest in pattern drafting which I taught to myself through books and a software program I was able to purchase.  I wanted to sell patterns but at the time printing on wide paper was very difficult in my area and selling patterns printed on regular paper to be taped together really didn’t appeal to me.  I put the plan aside and went back to the working world.  The girls were grown into teenagers and I got sidetracked into the 40 hour a week grind.  Boy was that a mistake!  Too tired at night during the week to continue my business plan, and too many chores on the weekend!

Of course I still sewed dresses for the girls when they needed something special, but it was a different type of sewing.  I did pick up machine embroidery and used it on prom dresses, and I learned how to work with different types of laces for other prom dresses.  It was fun, but not the fine stitchery that I love to do.  Now I will probably be sewing for some wedding gowns since both daughters got engaged within a month of each other.

However, I also have the time to re-focus on my stitching and designing.  I finally joined the Smocking Arts Guild of America, something I wanted to do for years.  I’ve met so many wonderful creative and caring women.  I highly recommend joining!  And the digital world has caught up with my ambitions; patterns are now available as a simple download and wide format printing is one click away at Staples.  I went back to my old software and drafting books and started creating again.  Which leads me to an issue I had tonight with pleater needles!

Years ago, I could pleat a bishop dress with tiny French seams and they would go through the pleater if I was slow and careful.  Tonight, I broke 5 needles and bent 3 others!  I used the same Imperial Broadcloth I used in the past, and the same tiny French seam, tucked into the pleater groove.  I just don’t get it, except for the possibility that the needles are not the same quality they were 20 years ago.  Sally Stanley pleaters are no longer made and it makes sense that the same quality needles they made for that pleater specifically are not available.  Now I’m on a mission to find a better way to get around this dilemma…..needles are too expensive and too hard to find.  There has to be a better way. Stay tuned.