Completed Project

Here is the completed Easter outfit that I made for one of my best friend's son. I smocked the sailboat insert (more info here) and then made the long-all (fully lined). The long-all was from the pattern 'Will' by Collars, Etc. (modified). It also had a shirt with matching piping (also 'Will' by Collars, Etc.).

It was fun to make.




Here are some basket liners that I made for both of her boys. She found a cute 'bucket' type white basket, but wasn't pleased with the liner (with the eyelet lace it looked to 'girly' even though they were in blue & white and green & white gingham).

So she and her boys picked out some Easter fabric and I made the lining for the baskets and embroidered their names on their basket liners.

Before...


After...




The original basket liner tied. I decided to make the new ones to button (maybe a little less 'girly' still).

Project Bags

I have been planning on showing you my craft project bags, but me being a procrastinator like I am Craftzine beat me to it (they had the very same idea that I did - Wow). I will show you my version anyway. Actually I have 3 project bags.



This is the back and front of my crochet project bag. (I really need to make me a crochet hook organizer/carrier - see how they all settle to the bottom of the bag making it difficult to find?)



This is the back and front of my knitting bag. I've only been knitting for a short while so it's not as packed as my crochet bag (it's going really good - I'm getting a little better, no dropped stitches last time).



This is the front and back of my smocking bag. It's been neglected lately.

I love to keep my projects in bags like these. The clear bags make it easy to see what project it is and what supplies that I have/need for the project. It keeps everything clean and from getting too tangled. It makes it very easy to grab and go (I do a lot of my projects waiting in the car for the kids to get out of school or in Dr.'s offices, etc.).

Now, what's in my bag. Whatever is needed for the project. (Crochet hooks, patterns, small embroidery scissors, pencil and paper, yarn, small ruler. Knitting needles, yarn, pattern, instructions printed from the internet. Smocking plates, embroidery thread, fabric, neeldes.) I need a few more pair of small embroidery scissors so I don't have to keep switching scissors to different project bags - sometimes I forget and then I don't have scissors when I need them.

I am constantly looking for these bags (I have a stash of them in all sizes) and I keep everyone that I get (I've given a few away to friends for their project bags).

The knitting bag was from a set of sheets. The crochet and smocking bags were from hair sets (you know...shampoo, conditioner, gel, or whatever). Keep your eyes open for bags like these. They would also make great travel kit bags for kids.

Handmade Boy's Clothes

I hope you are not getting tired of seeing these.


This is Corey's Bubble again from Maja's Heirlooms. This time I smocked the letter "R" for Rance. I love plaid. I also love blue and yellow for boys.


This is a close-up of the smocked "R."


This is the Vogue Pattern # 7504 (only I omitted the smocking area). I made the above bubble for Rance and Anthony being 14 months older than he is was a toddler at the time, so I made this Jon-Jon for him to wear (so they would coordinate). When Anthony outgrew this outfit, Rance could wear it.



When Anthony outgrew the Jon-Jon and Rance grew into it, I wanted them to still coordinate and I had a little of the plaid fabric left so I made this outfit for Anthony. It was "John" from Basics for Boys II by Children's Corner. I liked how the shorts buttoned on the shirt and how you could personalize it.


This is the close-up of the personalized name plate. Yes, it is hand-stitched (I didn't have an embroidery machine at the time). I didn't do too bad.


Of course, while I was at it, I made a name plate for Rance because I knew eventually Anthony would outgrow it and Rance would be able to wear it. I wanted to get more use out of it (I mean if I'm going to take the time and effort to make it, I wanted to get as much use out of it as I could).


Here is an outfit I made from Vogue Pattern #7504 (but I changed the smocking plate that I used).


This is an upclose shot of the smocking. I chose the "Yellow Jacket & Hornet" smocking plate by Ellen McCarn. I liked it because our local High School's mascot is BEES (and the smocking plate is a lot like the mascot) and the colors are black and gold. The Elementary School's mascot is HORNETS (the colors are green and gold). I got a lot of compliments on it.

Boys' Clothes

First of all let me start with an apology. These clothes are wrinkled. The boys have outgrown them and I have them put away (to hopefully hand down to my grandkids someday) and all I did was pull them out of the box, put them on a hanger and take a picture.

If I was really nice, I would have ironed them first, but I don't like to iron. No wait, I loathe ironing. I do iron on ocassion, when I absolutely have to, but very seldom. [I figure with carseats, seatbelts, wiggly boys, it's going to be wrinkled by the time we get there anyway so why bother.]


This is the very first outfit I made (if I can say I made it). I made it (putting it lightly) when I was pregnant with Lee over 10 years ago. It was to be his 'Coming Home from the Hospital' outfit. My cousin helped me make it (or should I say I helped her make it?). She did probably 75% of it because I had no idea what I was doing (I just did what she told me - when I could and when I couldn't she helped me out A LOT!). I'm proud of it non-the-less. It is made with heirloom fabric. It doesn't really have a pattern, she took the collar from one pattern she had, took the sleeves from another pattern, and the bubble (or body part) from another pattern and put them all together for me. (She is very talented.)


I love navy and white together (those were the colors of my wedding). So this is the first "hand smocking" that I did. I started out simple, with one color, a small size (I didn't want to get discouraged and quit before it was finished). This outfit was made from the pattern 'Corey's Bubble' from Maja's Heirlooms.


Here is a closeup of the hand smocking. Don't look too close (it was my first attempt). If you are good at hand smocking I'm sure that you will find lots of imperfections (but that's what makes it one of a kind and handmade). Besides, I'm sure they didn't even notice. The smocking plate was 'Weigh Anchor' by Angel Wears.

To see more click here and here.