I am currently attending an heirloom sewing class with thirteen other women at the Children’s Corner store. I’ll be doing several posts about this experience. This is a short and sweet post about one of the most diverse (and intriguing) things I’ve seen while in class. Everyone is organized (or in my case, not really organized) differently. It is so interesting to see so many different ways of storing the same items. Sewing somewhere other than your sewing room is a daunting feat! Remembering all your tools, notions, fabrics, etc. can be overwhelming. At the moment, I have a three tier tupperware form of organization. Similar to the one listed…
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Children’s Corner Katina Modification:Spring Flowers
Heirloom Children’s Corner Katina
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Spring Sewing (and Shopping) Inspiration
Every year, right around this time, there’s a lull in my sewing. Often, its because there are SO MANY fall sales and I’m trying to stock up on cardigans, shoes, and essentials for next winter. Sometimes, its because I’m taking inventory of what the kids have that will fit into March/April. Other times its because I am all over the place and haven’t yet nailed down a plan for the season. At the moment, I’m all over the place. A plan is definitely in order. I like to look for inspiration for a week or so and then sit down to make a list of what I’ll be making for…
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More Heirloom Dabbling
What makes something an “heirloom” garment? When recently asked this, it took me a bit by surprise. I had to answer truthfully with, “Quite frankly, I’m not really sure.” My original thought was that it must be a heavily embellished garment made of a lightweight cotton fabric. Due to the vagueness of that response, I was hesitant to give it. So; what is an heirloom garment? In order to figure this out I turned (as all millennials do) to google, which quickly took me to wikipedia. According to my interpretation of the wikipedia definition….anything can be an heirloom garment. A child’s dress, bubble, johnny, anything. The key lies in using…
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Christmas Crafts for Children
Christmas is such a fun time for crafting! However; it often falls on the shoulders of the parents to come up with the craft ideas. I thought I may compile a list of a few fun Christmas Craft options here. Not going to lie, this is kind of for my own future reference. I figured I’d put it in blog form to save another mama, or grandmama some time. Paint Christmas Ornaments: this year Maria is giving her cousins personalized ornaments. It can be tricky to encourage a spirit of giving, rather than receiving, during the Holidays. Personalizing items for others seems to be working for us this year. Maria…
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Children’s Corner Alex
I went on a bit of a Children’s Corner Pattern’s, “Alex” kick for my last round of sewing. I have now made six of these and cannot sing the Alex’ praises enough. I love sewing for my nieces and nephews, particularly around Christmas, so I jumped at an opportunity to make coordinating cousin ensembles. Last Christmas I made a skirted jumper by modifying the Children’s Corner Robert pattern. Link here for how I pulled that off. That was before Children’s Corner came out with the Alex pattern. If you’re not ready to commit to the Alex, give that tutorial a spin and let me know how it goes. This year…
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Gift Guide for Smocking Friends
Need a gift idea for a smocker in your life? Any of these items will be definite hits. It can be so easy to accumulate smocking plates and not so easy to keep track of them. The sheet protectors and the binder are a perfect fit for smocking plates…bonus points if you organize them for your recipient. The other items are my favorite small scissors, needles, plates and smocking aids. Some of these would make great stocking stuffers! Sheet Protectors: these are the perfect size for your smocking plates. Binder: Perfect for smocking plate organization-throw in some new smocking plates for an extra special gift. Embroidery Scissors: sweet, pretty little…
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Stuff It!
Recently I made a quick trip to Children’s Corner Store for a Sit ‘n Sew. I can’t sing enough praises for Sit ‘n Sews. It’s such an amazing way to make connections with other sewists, learn new tricks, and spend time with women who love helping and celebrating other women. During this trip, I belly laughed, I made new friends, I vented, I was inspired and I worked on the boy version of the Children’s Corner Pattern, Alex. This is a straight-forward sew with extremely well-written directions. The only deviation I made from the pattern was in regards to strap length-they were a bit too long for Robby. Make sure…
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Children’s Corner Maggie: The Smocking Saga…
Have you ever had a project that almost made it into the burn pile…I mean trash can…multiple times? Well; this project was that for me. These sweet little teddy bears have a dark-side, people. Like all masterpieces, they required discipline, perseverance, and what I recently heard referred to as, “power words.” Feel free to use your imagination. Many power words have four, blunt letters. Lets start at the beginning, shall we? Robby’s outfit basically made itself. I found this adorable lace insertion at Textiles in Nashville. If you’d like some, give them a call, last time I went, they still had it. It’s a Children’s Corner Johnny that I modified…
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Deer Costumes
If you’ve been following along for some time you probably know my husband is hunter. A serious hunter. We have a giant elk hanging in my “sewing room” (basement) as proof. Because of this, my daughter is quite convinced that deer are the greatest animals on earth. She’s also convinced that she’ll be “getting a big buck” every time her dad goes hunting. This little lady is going on year two of being a deer for Halloween. Last year I made her a Children’s Corner Lee in brown velvet, picked up deer antlers and a tail from Target’s Dollar bins, est voila, we had a deer. I was able to…
