Here Comes the Bride...

When I bought the Baby Bassinet Artwork Pattern, it came in a bundle with this wedding sampler. It is a pattern, diagram, and linen fabric with the stamped design. 

 This is the diagram showing the colors and stitches.

Here is the linen. It is very wrinkled, but I haven't washed or ironed it. Do you think the stamped design would come out if I washed it or ironed it? I don't really think this is something I would finish, so I may re-sell it. I do like the artwork and I love that it's from June, 1937, because one of my favorite relatives was born that month!!
We lost power for about 30 hours on Sunday & Monday due to Hurricane Irene. We are so grateful that it came back quickly and that the weather was so co-operative for repairs. I hope all of you fared well! This week my kids go back to school, so it will be a busy one!

End of Summer Smocked Sailboat Bubble

I started this little bubble in June, when Andy would have had all summer to look cute in it. I had the sewing done several weeks ago. I originally intended to smock a fish on the front, but I lost the smocking plate. I didn't want to buy a new one or smock something else, so I did nothing. Today I decided to just finish it, before Fall weather arrives and Andy can't wear it anymore!
I made up my own sailboat design and it looks OK. I wanted to use summer sherbet colors on this turquoise Imperial microcheck.
The pattern is Maja's Heirlooms Corey, size 18 months. I made it with no sleeve or collar, so I cut the armholes and neck 1/2" larger. The bias binding was made 1/2" wide on purpose to show off the diagonal pattern, which I like. 
 

This is a perfect fit. The little bit of smocking gives it just enough fullness to look cute on a boy or a girl. 
I made the long pants version of this pattern (Jordan) for Andy when he was tiny and I love that one, too. This is definitely a "classic" to make over and over. My next one will probably be a corduroy or denim long pants version for winter.

Now that this project is done, I can work on something new...or finish one of my many other UFOs!!

1940 Button-on Cover-Alls

This adorable pattern is from 1940. When I find a treasure like this, I invariably think about what was going on at that time. The US was on the brink of World War II. My Dad was a baby. The first McDonald's restaurant opened that year. And some Mom or Grandma bought this pattern to stitch a  cover-all for her little boy or girl. Do you ever wonder the stories behind your vintage items??

This is one of three patterns I bought while fossicking through antique stores and thrift shops with my girls in July. We were vacationing with my parents at the beach and we took an afternoon to do a little shopping. This was an antique store I had never been to before and she had some really nice vintage baby, kitchen, and sewing items. There were three beautiful wicker baby baskets/bassinets on stands. They were very tempting to me as quilt holders, but I resisted the temptation. I asked her if she had any sewing patterns and she said, "only very old ones, nothing contemporary." HA! You don't know what old is, I thought. The older the better!! Turns out hers were from the 1940s which is vintage, but not OLD to me!! Clearly, this lady had no idea who she was speaking to. "Contemporary" - nay nay!

I am on vacation AGAIN. Hubby and I are at a family-themed park with the kiddos. The weather here is gorgeous! I'm going to schedule this to post while I am gone- if I can!! See you soon.

Like Finding a Needle in a Haystack...Ribbon Babies

A few years ago, I spotted a copy of a vintage pattern for sale on ebay. It was to make artwork of a baby in a bassinet. The bassinet and the rest of the picture were made from fabric and could be framed in a shadowbox. I watched the pattern for a long time and certainly could have used the repro to make this, but for some reason I always like having the original more than a copy.

You can imagine how surprised I was to find this pattern! It has all of its original pieces, plus the color baby face to use in the design (it does have a little fold).

It is a much more complicated pattern than I thought! I think it would be fun to make, though. It would be cute to use a little photo of your own baby's face on this. In fact, this picture reminds me of "ribbon baby art" I've seen. There's a beautiful one at an antique store near me that fascinates me. That was the first one I had seen, but they occasionally show up on ebay or etsy:

$28 on etsy, HERE

$175 on ebay, HERE

 I am amazed by the real bootie and outfit on this one. This seems to have been popular in the 30s and 40s. People used artwork or a real photo of their baby and embellished it with fabric clothes and bedding. This one is adorable. I've always wanted to make one with smocked clothes. You could crochet a blanket edge, too. I think it would be fun!! Have you ever seen this type of artwork? Do you like it?

Back from Vacation!

Hello Friends,
I have been away camping with my Mom and my kids. We had a great time and stayed very busy. We did so many fun activities: beach, playground, talent show, arcade, campfire, delicious meals, thrift shops, and a long zipline for Rosie! She is our daredevil! The tower was 75 feet high and the zipline 175.

Now, for a little sewing...
These amazing place mats were a gift from my Mom around the time I got married. They are handsewn. 

This cutwork is unbelievable. I believe the "net" embroidered areas are called "fil tire" (thanks Janice!). There are also some lovely loopy embroidered areas:

I don't know what type of embroidery that is. I bet Janice, Cynthia, Jeannie, or Martha will know!!
Take a look at the back, hard to distinguish from the front:

Here's detail of the center:

I would never tackle a project like this! It must have taken hours upon hours to make this place mat. Can you believe that the person who made this completed a set of 8?!!!

These are the most exquisite antique linens I own. I treasure them and could not imagine putting food on them. They make beautiful decorative mats for china or glassware. The store these came from is very special. Horsefeathers Antiques is home to a lovely lady who sells the most beautiful old linens and lace. Here's a story about Horsefeathers.

Linking to White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Vintage Redwork Quilt Progress

It seems like I've been working on several projects lately and they are all almost done, but nothing is finished! The vintage children quilt is pieced. The next step is to add 2 borders: one narrow, one wider. Then I will layer it and ask my Mom to hand quilt it. I love the look of hand quilting, but not the time it takes to do it! My Mom doesn't like piecing, but she likes to have quilting to work on while she watches TV, so it is a great partnership.

The pieced sections are just simple strips, but I love how it came together. I think the borders will look great. (Ignore the wrinkles- it was shoved in a tote yesterday for my Guild meeting.) Summer has been wonderful, but I haven't had much free time to sew. I finished everything but the smocking on the Corey bubble, then I lost the smocking plate I was planning to use (Sea You Later). I think I'm going to use a sailboat instead. Tomorrow DH and I are going to see the last Harry Potter movie, so maybe I can do the smocking while we wait for the movie to start!

This One's for You, Mizlilly!

 These little knickers are so cute! I bought them for $4 and they are in great condition. The fabric is a lightweight wool; soft to me, though Davy said it was itchy! He was a reluctant model at first, but he got into it and looked like Mr. GQ in the pictures. I am posting these for my friend Mizlilly. She's working on a project to make outfits for 2 little boys to have their pictures taken with a 1939 car. I know whatever she comes up with will be fabulous! Here's a little knicker inspiration, Mizlilly!