A Child of Spring

I know a little maiden,
She is very fair and sweet,
As she trips among the grasses
That kiss her dainty feet;
Her arms are full of flowers,
The snow-drops, pure and white,
Timid blue-eyed violets,
And daffodillies bright.

by Ellen Robena Field

The bonnet from our Toddler Coat and Bonnet pattern was used for the sun bonnet.  I reduced the brim by 1" at center front, tapering it toward the sides.  

The flowers were created with a 6" - 7" length of ribbon or lace.  Hand stitch long, gathering stitches along one long side.  Gently pull together and hand stitch in center to keep the flower shape.  

To make it easier, I created several flowers from lace and a variety of silk satin ribbons.  I then randomly placed the flowers on the bonnet in different arrangements.  I arranged and re-arranged until the design made my happy.  

The flowers were then pinned into position. Colorful French knots were worked to hold the flowers in place.  Beads (or buttons) made nice flower centers.  

Add simple leaves to complete the bonnet.

Add a few flowers on the bloomers...

Add more flowers on the skirt along a lacy hillside....  

Stitch on a few leaves using a stem stitch and french knots.  

I used Madeira silk floss for all the embroidery.  It is easy to work with and not too, too fine - so only 2 threads were used here.

The pink dimity fabric and French lace are from Bear Threads. 

The Karen Faylor Company Kensington pattern was used for the dress.  The bonnet from our Toddler Coat and Bonnet pattern was used for the bonnet and the bloomers are from our Savannah.  You can find our patterns on our website or at your favorite stores.  
You can find Madeira silk embroidery thread at The Pattern Outlet.

 

Another Day...

Q:  What's more beautiful than a sunny day on the Washington coast?

A:  A RAINY day on the Washington coast.

New week. New beach.

I love the beach on Semiahmoo Bay.

 

Little surprises everywhere.

  

Rest.

 

And color.

Enjoy the day.  

Find beauty.  

Make art.  

Be inspired.

Inspired by the beach

I love the Washington coast...

Sitting in the fresh air inspires me.  Talking with friends, reading, or sipping coffee while planning the day.

 

There is art and beauty in the simplest things.

 

 

Inspired by Shape and Texture

It was a beautiful morning.  The sun was shining.  Oscar the Golden Retriever wanted to play outside.  And I needed inspiration.  Again.

Fall is my favorite season and a fading fall garden is filled with non-floral beauty.

 Spores on stately ferns.

The sweetness of the last of the blackberries.

The smooth drupe of the Japanese Snowdrop tree and a sky of extraordinary blue.

 Amazing technicolor leaves.

 And Oscar the Golden Retriever. (I think he is looking for his favorite stick.)

What inspires you?

Venice Button Jumper

This little jumper was created from our Venice Chemise and Capri pattern (more details on how that was done next time).  

The dark olive corduroy and vintage-look buttons are nice for fall and school and cooler weather fun times.

  To begin, I sewed up one side seam of the skirt, placed the long skirt piece on my work surface, dumped out the buttons and started playing. 

I tried wavy lines of buttons, pointy lines of buttons, shapes and random button scatterings. 

After each new attempt I would walk away and come back as though viewing it for the first time.  (My design instructor called this "sampling".)  Sometimes I'd leave a design for a few hours.  Being able to view your design from a distance is helpful, as well, as this is generally how it will be viewed by others.  Because the buttons were just laying on the fabric and were not attached, the best I could do was kind of a side view from across the room.

I tried lots of designs before settling on the button "flowers" on the skirt.

I glued them down with a washable fabric glue and began the task of sewing each button to the jumper.

Since I was using 5 different color buttons, I chose the same 5 colors for thread.

Never matching the thread color to the button color I began stitching.  Sometimes I used two colors of thread on one button.  I stitched the buttons on differently, as well. 

Sometimes with an "x".

Or two bars.

Or one bar.

Keep in mind that buttons have two right sides.  The right side and the other right side.

The point was to be creative and have fun.

So today we re-purposed a pattern and found a use for a lot of random buttons.  Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.



Click here for Venice 

Inspiration

What inspires you?

Whether we work in fabric, paper or yarn - ideas for the next project are all around us. 

Finding inspiration in nature is one of the most readily available and easiest for me.  Flowers, leaves, bugs or the colors of a sunrise all push me to study further.  I also find inspiration in magazines.  I go through my favorites tearing out pages of anything that interests me.  Sometimes it's just the colors on the page that make my heart be faster.

This is a page from my sketchbook that was inspired by a magazine ad. 

One of my artist friends always carry a camera with her and has created some amazing artwork inspired by buildings and the sun reflecting off the windows.  Another artist friend  has done some wonderful pieces inspired by bridges. 

Each artist's view of the world is unique.  No one sees flowers or leaves the way you do or can interpret their beauty in their work the same way you do.

So tell me, what inspires you?

Project Linus "Make a Blanket Day"

I was so happy to be able to be a part of the Project Linus "Make a Blanket Day" on Saturday.  I wish I had remembered to bring a camera because the organization and cooperation among those participating (approximately 50) was awesome!

Thanks to your generosity we were able to bring some completed blankets with us! 

Their goal was to complete 100 blankets during the 5-hour event.  The previous event (this chapter usually has 3 per year) they completed 160 blankets.

The participants were all busy at work in specific work groups. 

There were many quilt tops or whole cloth tops waiting.  The quilt tops are completed ahead of time and are brought to this event.  (This group meets once a week to complete tops, or work on other types of blankets - crocheted or knitted.)  Some quilt tops were complex, some were whole cloth panels, some were simple block patterns. 

These completed quilt tops were given to a group where batting and backing were cut and pinned to it. 

Quilts then travelled to the sewing area where many angels with machines were at work attaching labels, sewing 3-1/2 sides together and then turning the quilt like a pillowcase.  The quilt was then top-stitched near the outer edge to give an appearance of a binding and a more finished look.

The quilts were then sent to the pinning table where workers (surrounded by tubs of safety pins and straight quilt pins) were deciding whether a quilt would be machine quilted or tied.  Safety pins told "tie-ers" where to tie and straight pins guided the machine quilters.  

Most quilts were hand tied.  The tables of hand tie-ers looked like an old-fashioned quilting bee.  Quilts of all sizes and colors were surrounded by smiling people hard at work. 

Thanks to generous donations, the room was stacked high with completed quilts, bolts and bolts of fabric and batting and other notions. 

To add to the fun there was food and a door prize drawing every 30 minutes or more. 

While quilt tops are completed before the event there was some crocheting and knitting going on, as well.  What a fun way to spend an afternoon.   

What a wonderful use of fabric scraps and stash!  If you'd like to help there are many ways.  Project Linus can always use:

1.  Completed blankets (sewn, crocheted or knitted).  

2.  Quilt tops or whole cloth tops.

3.  Fabric donations.

4.  Sewing notion donations.

5.  Cash donations.  Send to Project Linus HQ.

Send quilts to us (we'll make sure they get to the right people) or to your local Project Linus chapter. 

The Karen Faylor Company
PO Box 112
9800 Harbour Place, Suite 204
Mukilteo, WA  98275

The Velveteen Coats and Bonnets

Guest blogger, Sara Norris, shares her story of The Velveteen Coats and Bonnets...

I have wanted to make my two granddaughters precious coats and bonnets since they were born. I had envisioned them wearing these once they got to be toddler age.  (The look I had in mind was just not the same effect when they were "babes in arms".)  I think I may have had the Shirley Temple syndrome! 

So this Christmas, as they are approaching 18 months and 2 years old, seemed to be the time to outfit them in the proper outerwear for toddler girls. 

Even though I had to put myself through what many seamstresses do ... going through the pattern stash... looking online for pattern after pattern... I went back to my favorite design of The Karen Faylor Company... Toddler Coat and Bonnet.

This pattern is such a classic and just what I had envisioned for my sweet girls. 

Never one to enjoy making two-of-a-kind of anything, now that I have these two little girls I feel compelled to do that very thing!

I decided upon a very fine cotton velveteen as my fabric.  Powder pink for Lacie and powder blue for Millie.  I lined the blue in ecru satin and the pink in white satin.  For the bonnets I gathered silk satin ribbon and stitched it onto the seam just under the brim to frame those adorable little faces.  The effect is charming!

Even though I had made this pattern before, it had been some years and, frankly, I felt a little intimidated at the task!

Never fear!  This pattern goes together beautifully and rather quickly! 

The coats and the matching bonnets are now finished and ready for me to wrap in coat boxes tucked into tons of tissue and tied with big red Christmas bows! 

I can hardly wait until Christmas!

The Toddler Coat and Bonnet pattern contains sizes 1-4.  Our Girl's Coat and Muff pattern is the same coat and contains sizes 5-8.

Click here to see Toddler Coat and Bonnet and our other patterns.

Little Red Riding Hood

Jerry Roberts used our Savannah Pinafore pattern to help create Little Red Riding Hood's perfect look.

Instead of Savannah's ruffle, Jerry bound the edge in a microcheck bias to match the piping that she used on the collar and cuffs.

After Jerry adds the basket lined in red gingham and filled with goodies she'll be ready to head to Grandma's house.

Click here to see the Savannah pattern.

Girl's Coat and Muff With Matching Ellis

What could be a nicer way to welcome fall than with a new coat for your special girl. I’ve used our Girl’s Coat and Muff pattern for the coat and muff and made it extra special by adding a matching dress. (Ellis)


Beautiful wool/poly blend challis from Bear Threads was used for it all in oatmeal and black and Bearissima II for lining finished it off.

Girl’s Coat and Muff pattern is our newest pattern and is due to ship in a few weeks.  (You can pre-order the pattern and receive FREE shipping.)   This is a revised and updated version of our Toddler Coat pattern and is available in sizes 5-8 with the added fun of a muff to keep little hands warm and a pocket for bringing little treasures along.

We’ve added small bows to the front of the coat in this version and a larger bow in back.

To makes bows cut a strip of fabric 3” wide. Stitch long edges together and turn. Press. Cut a 6” length for the bow and whip short, raw ends together to form a ring. Cut a shorter piece for the bow center. Wrap this shorter piece around the ring to form ring into bow shape. Stitch raw ends together. Attach bows to the coat front at the ends of the pleats.

The dress is created using our Ellis pattern. This is a girl’s A-Line dress in sizes 3-10 but I wanted to echo the pleats on the front of the coat – so I added them. As sewers, aren’t we lucky we can do this?

I didn’t use the pattern piece for the front skirt but cut a rectangle of fabric the correct length and wider than the bodice to allow for the pleats. Find the center front of your block (the new front skirt). Measure out 3” to the left. Mark. Measure again 4-3/4” from the first mark. Mark again. Bring these two marks together to form the pleat. Baste across the top of the pleat to hold in place. Press. Repeat for the right of center front. Use the Ellis skirt front pattern piece to shape the top of your pleated skirt front so that it fits perfectly into the bodice front. Attach a bow to the top of each pleat.

Beginning a New Project

I love beginning a new project.


It's like starting a new year, a new season, a new week or a new day.  Everything feels fresh and fun.  The anticipation of seeing a vision take form is exciting!


My next project is for Bear Threads.  Don't you love their beautiful fabrics?  Click here to go to Bear Threads Ltd.


In her book, "The Creative Habit" Choreographer Twyla Tharp talks about the "rituals of preparation".  She says, "It's vital to establish some rituals - automatic but decisive patterns of behavior - at the beginning of the creative process, where you are most at peril of turning back, chickening out, giving up or going the wrong way."


Here is how I prepare:


1.  CLEAN MY WORKROOM - I have a nice, bright workroom with a large work surface that attracts clutter.  Even though it is 50" x 70" there is usually only a 2" x 3" size area of available space.  Clutter kills my creative process.  I put away everything that isn't related to my new project or my sanity - like my cat and my Project Runway DVDs.


2. FINALIZE DESIGN - Sketching my final design helps to clarify it in my mind.  I can still change my mind about the design during the construction phase of the project but having the design clear in my mind and on paper will give my journey a real destination.  It is also a reminder of what notions I might need.


2.  PREPARE FABRICS - Do they need to be pre-washed, steamed or pressed?  


3.  TRACE THE PATTERN - For this project I am using our newest pattern - Girl's Coat and Muff (so cute) - which has not returned from the printer yet.  I need to trace a copy from our original.


4.  GET NOTIONS TOGETHER - Isn't it frustrating when you discover you're out of something during one of those late night sewing sessions?  I like to wind enough bobbins to get me through the whole project if possible.  This also helps me evaluate whether I'll have enough thread or not.  I will need two colors for this project.  Interfacing?  Buttons?  Elastic?  Piping?  Write it down and check your inventory.


5.  MAKE PIPING - After I've cut out all the pattern pieces on the fabric I'll start making the piping - if I'm not using packaged, ready-made piping (a wonderful invention).  Bias strips take up a bit of yardage - so be sure you have enough fabric for the garment before you start cutting bias strips.  The strips for piping can be easily pieced if necessary.

Out of all these beginning steps - only one is a real "ritual" for me  - cleaning my workroom.  Once I've done that the path has been cleared and it's safe to begin!

What are your "rituals of preparation" and the step you take before beginning a new project?

Girl's Coat and Muff pattern will be available for pre-order soon.  Watch our website.  Click here.

Linda's Ellis

Little Scotty dogs play all over the skirt of Linda's Ellis. 

How cute is the raised waistline accent?  She added a red ribbon bow and Scotty dog button.  The back buttons all the way from neckline to hem with Scotty dog buttons.  

This reminds me of our neighbor walking his 3 black Scottish Terriers in the evening.  His dogs are as cute as these!  They are all the same size - like 3 little buttons.

Linda changed the sleeve a bit by using the sleeve pattern as the sleeve lining as well.  (The Ellis pattern includes a separate pattern for the sleeve lining which finishes the sleeve without a "hem" for a nice, clean look.)  This way she was able to add piping to the lower edge of the sleeve.  Good idea, Linda!

i love how Linda used a print for the skirt and a solid for the top.  Her use of piping at the waistline area, neckline and sleeve edges gives her Ellis a very polished look.

Thank you, Linda, for showing us how piping and buttons add something really special!

Ellis is a girl's A-line dress pattern containing sizes 3-10 in one envelope.

Click here to see Ellis and our other patterns.

Jerry's Ellis

Jerry Roberts has such fun sewing.  You can see it in everything she creates.

Her latest creation from our Ellis pattern is no exception. 

Her whimsical eye and attention to detail make her designs unique.

She created Ellis in an adorable daisy print poplin and accented the raised waistline with a white waffle pique band and daisy.  The daisy was crafted by using her embroidery machine for the center and she then took apart a silk daisy for the petals.  She pinned the flower to the band so that it could be easily removed. 

Jerry adds, "I can see lots of potential for cute little Sunday School dresses in the fall!!" 

Jerry, you've inspired us again.

Click here to see Ellis and our other patterns

Voile Venice

You may not recognize this as our Venice pattern.  A very simple change was made to create this pink Swiss voile and white linen version of Venice.

We cut the Venice top off at the "lining" point on the pattern then added rectangles of fabric for the front and back skirt pieces.  For this size 4 we we cut the voile about 9" x 2 times the width of the front and back yokes.  The linen was cut slightly shorter.   

Stitch the side seams of the Venice yoke and the side seams of your skirt pieces.  We wanted to keep the voile overlay out of the way of the back button area so it was trimmed and narrowly hemmed at the back edge.   Finish skirt edges of the Venice top with narrow hems.  Gather the skirt and attach to bodice matching center front and side seams. 

Then just complete the top according to the instructions.  Ruched piping was used as an accent.  Love the uneven, bunchy look of it.

To construct the flowers cut 5 bias strips of voile 1" wide by 6" long and 5 bias strips of voile 3/4" wide by 6" long. 

Beginning with one 1" strip stitch, by hand, the short edges together to form a ring.  Stitch a running stitch along one long edge and pull up to form flower.  Stitch together in the center.  Repeat with 3/4" wide strip.  Lay smaller flower on top of larger flower and hand stitch together in center.  Attach 3 pink pearls to center of flower.  Repeat for the other 4 flowers.  Stitch to Venice top. 

In the next few days we'll post the white linen capris that will complete the look.

Click here to see Venice and our other patterns.

Sara's Savannah

Sara Norris of Adamsville, TN created this amazing Savannah.  Sara's style is part heirloom, part afternoon tea and all girl. 

You can really see the Savannah in this Savannah!  Sara even added an extra ruffle on the ruffle.

To create this added ruffle on the ruffle seam line and also on the bloomers, Sara cut 1" bias strips and gathered them down the center and attached to Savannah's ruffle and on the back of the bloomers.  Can you just see your toddler in this?

Sara used a Swiss pima cotton for most of Savannah but used a pre-tucked voile for the bodice.  On the bodice she also added a bit of tatting and a mother-of-pearl button.

Sara says, "I just have to say that you do a wonderful job on your patterns. the instructions were great, all very easy to follow and I was thrilled with the result!!!"

"I have two granddaughters, 15 months and 1 year, that I was thinking of when I came up with this. I thought this would be precious for beach photos."

Thank you, Sara, for your inspiration!

Click here to see Savannah and our other patterns.

Linda's Savannah

Linda Steinhoff of Bermuda created this delightfully frilly Savannah.  We loved her choice of fabrics and the special details that she added made this Savannah uniquely "Linda".   

For extra cuteness, Linda added ruffles to the back of the bloomers.  She cut 1-1/4 inch strips of a coordinating fabric and finished them with a rolled hem.  She gathered them in the middle and stitched them to the back of the bloomers.  She left about 1/4" between the ruffles on her bloomers, which were a size one.

Linda's other adorable detail was the loopy flower she added to the front.  To create this flower Linda used bias tubes for the petals and a 5/8" covered button for the center.  When I see something this cute and hear how simple it is I can't wait to run to my workroom and try it myself!

Linda, thank you for inspiring us!

Click here to see Savannah and our other patterns