Shirley's Sweater Set for Ella

My friend Shirley made this gorgeous matinee jacket and bonnet for Baby Ella's Christening. The pictures don't do justice to the daintiness of this set. The yarn is very soft and fine with a touch of sparkle. Ella will look like an angel in this. I want to get lots of pictures!

 Here is the whole set. I will have to get pictures of it on the baby for you to see how delicate it is.

 Close up of the bonnet. Notice the pretty ribbon rosette at the chin. It has a tiny pearl in the center.

The yoke detail. It is such a pretty, lacy pattern. Shirley says that she has knit this set many times for her own children and as gifts. She knits and crochets gifts for family, friends, and people in need. While she knits, she prays for the recipient. I think that is really special and I can only imagine how many people she has blessed with her talents. Thank you, Shirley!!

This pattern is from Paton's R21 and is posted online for free.

Birth Announcement Onesie

My best friend had her baby last Wednesday. She is adorable!! I quickly stitched out this postage stamp birth announcement on a onesie for little Ella. I think it makes great photos to have the info right there on their little tummy. I made this same design in blue for my Andy when he was born. It was tough to hoop and stitch on such a tiny onesie. The design is 170x100mm. I think it turned out great and Ella and her Mommy love it!

This awesome design is from Sew Terrific, here. The coolest thing about it is that it comes with special Embird files that allow you to type in your information and it will be automatically formatted to the correct size and shape. I had never tried this before, but the directions were perfect and I had no problem setting it up!

Special Sequined Stockings

 My Mom made these to pack some gifts in before mailing them. They are kits from Bucilla and are a lot of work! Many hours go into cutting and appliqueing all the little felt pieces. Then many sequins are hand-sewn on with a little bead to hold them.

 

 These sorts of kits have been made by Bucilla since the 1960s and are still very popular today.

 Here's some detail from the fisherman stocking. Notice the individual fish hanging from the border.

 I love this perfectly Christmasy vision of the Holy Family.
I had a very small part in this project by machine embroidering the names for my Mom. You can't tell that they aren't hand-stitched like the rest!
Are you working on your Christmas projects, too??