Hi Folks,
It’s been some time since posting, but have no fear, I am still here.
Many of you know that I host “Stitch Therapy Tuesday” every week at my studio where A group of sewing friends come to my studio for a few hours of stitching, conversation and of course, food. Yes, that’s right: we eat lunch together too.
Everyone brings her own projects to work on, which is quite interesting and informative, and we love seeing what each other is doing during the week. We bounce ideas off each other and sometimes we plan a project for a guinea pig class. We support each other in good times and not so good times, and provide “therapy” as needed. We are all members of the GNO SAGA chapter guild and have been friends for over 25 years.
Our group of about 20 participants, communicate via GroupMe app during the week while we sew. We are a driven group whose projects are quite varied. We each bring something different to the table. I would like to share with you just a few of the projects we have been working on since the quarantine. What talent!
Easter Sewing
Jane Briscoe made this lovely smocked dress for her granddaughter, Caroline using the Children’s Corner “April” bodice and her rendition of a design developed by Ann Strickler. .Combing the endless pleats.Leslye Usner created this precious sun dress for Jane’s granddaughter, Josephine, using Old Fashioned Baby’s” French Acadian Sundress”.Another view of Caroline’s sweet dress by Jane Briscoe.Leslye Usner also made this beautiful smocked dress using CC “April” bodice and her rendition of a design developed by Ann Strickler.Cute knit dresses are CC “Nora” with an added collar, made by Diane Palmisano.Diane Palmisano made these twirly skirts for her granddaughters without using a pattern with strips of fabric in her stash. Each row was cut longer and wider than the previous row to create fullness.Jeanne Buffat completed this precious smocked dress and matching sweater designed by Gail Doane.Jeanne also made this precious blue neoprene dress from a pattern download.Jeanne Buffat completed the adorable project from Peggy Burley’s class, which we attended in Baton Rouge a few weeks ago.Here is Barky Graziano’s Peggy Burley class project! Very sweet design. A closeup of the project made by Barky Graziano, featuring thread replacement and cast-on flowers.This beautiful first Communion dress was lovingly made by Diane Palmisano for her granddaughter.These two holy communion dresses were made by Diane Palmisano using “Rose” pattern by Sue Stewart Designs. The fagotted insert was adapted to the pattern and worked by hand. Beautiful!Cindy Gebbia made this adorable boy’s shirt for her grandson, who is a twin.Cindy Gebbia made this precious shift dress for her granddaughter, who is a twin.
Keep in mind that this is only the photos they have shared with me, and does not include every project they are working on.
Stay tuned for Part B in a separate post.
Hi Folks,
It’s been way too long since I last posted on my blog. Truthfully, I just haven’t felt up to sharing with you, mostly due to my father’s illness and death. Okay, that’s been 4 years ago, but I swear, it takes a long time to get over some things, and this one threw me for a loop! I can honestly say that this past year has been the happiest and most wonderful ever. Of course there were some setbacks but at least I’m not in that deep hole as I was before. Enough of that! Here’s the great news: I’m Back!
I was so fortunate to be able to teach for SAGA this past September. With shaky feet and a slow start, I managed to have good results and I had a wonderful experience. Seeing everyone again (after 8 years) was terrific! I’m so thankful for being asked and even happier to have done it.
The by-product was the extra 6 days I spent taking classes. It was wonderful!! I opted to take both Susan O’Conner classes the entire week! I kept thinking to myself, please God, if I’m dreaming, please don’t wake me. The Versailles Chatelaine and the Cornflower Scissors Ball. I struggled with the later, but decided to focus on the first class, The Versailles Chatelaine. I made the decision to make it for my dear daughter-in-law, Andrea Schoen, who has been working on her own embroideries. I did change the mostly blue to mostly pink colorway. My girl is a pinky and I knew she would want it that color. Just watching her face when she opened it will stay with me for the rest of my life. Now I want to share it with you. Happy New Year and Enjoy!
This little dress is created using a vintage baby dress from my vast and ever-growing collection of vintage baby clothes. The original was made of broadcloth, as most of the dresses from the 50s, but I chose to make it from linen. The project features Madeira Applique, Granitos, Drawn-thread, Buttonhole scalloped edging, and Satin Dots. I will cover all these stitches in my upcoming posts.
Have you ever wondered how some sewists are able to attach tatting to a garment without having the header showing? I know I did until I figured out how to remove the chain-stitched header entirely.
The technique I’m referring to pertains to tatting that has a chain-stitched header. The very narrow tatting has a thread that trails from one loop to the next. If you cut that header, the tatting will come apart, so choose carefully. If you make your own tatting (jealous me!), just leave the header off. You can often find handmade tatting on ebay and those usually never have a header. Finding vintage well-made tatting is certainly like finding hidden treasure so scoop it up for your stash.
Most of the tatting I use is made in China and it is very good quality and is available in many styles and widths. It is cost effective but only available in white or ecru. Oh how I wish I had learned to tat from my grandmother, who sat on her porch and needle tatted all afternoon while rocking in her favorite chair.
Babes in Blue is available as a project lesson. The pattern is included in one size only, Size 9-12mo. Please contact me via email if you are interested in purchasing a copy. Email: we********@ao*.com
I’m often asked about my embroidered French Knot stitched clusters. Sometimes it’s difficult to recognize the stitch due to the fact that I make my stitches using only one thread, usually Floche (a luxury embroidery cotton), and with only one wrap over the needle. I always outline the area to be stitched with short stem stitches in the same color as the knots inside the area. The knots are purposely crammed together with only enough space to allow for the size of the knot. If possible, I avoid placing the knots in an aligned pattern, but instead choosing to place them randomly. The result is almost sculptural and quite interesting.
A very tight closeup of the stitched berry.The cute baby romper project was featured in Wendy’s Embroidery Club. The pattern is only available in Size 2.Shoulder detail showing actual size ratio of embroidery to garment.
If you are interested in obtaining a pattern for this project, please contact me at we********@ao*.com. The complete pattern and detailed handout costs $20 including shipping. Please reference Embroidery Club, Volume 7, Number 1, Passion Posies.
