Jumpers and such

One of the things I found my little girls loved were their jumpers with little pockets and
lace.... buttons that were cutsie and appliques that they could recognize and say what they wanted to wear...

Nothing like an elephant on your jumper and it was a nice soft velvety green with red lace....!!

You could put buttons with numbers on them and put lace on pockets and dress sleeves to make them favorite items to wear.

Corduroy is great for these outfits and you could use the jumper alone or make pullon pants to match!

Lace and rick rack around necks sleeves and ruffles besides the pockets made dresses favorites!

Making Children's Clothes

The babies are so cute you just want to do everything for them, so I did the nursery theme, the bedroom themes, but even cuter was when they were toddlers and they watched you make their clothes and then they put them on and danced around or posed for a picture and said mommie made this it was soooooooosewwwww cute!

This was the first little man suit I made and he wore it for Easter. 

I am sorry, but now I see the matchie matchie people say about me.... I actually put the hearth tiles in and tried to match the design in the draperies and toss pillows and quilt I had.

rt

Fire truck appliqued Ribbing Cotton shirt

 In 1978 I decided to make T shirts with an appliqued fire truck on them.  I had no idea what I was doing, but I took Ribbing and made little sleeves and a turle neck for my son and his cousins so they could all look alike for Christmas.... The shirts were green and the fire engine red...  I just used scrap cotton for the applique and you can see there was a fireman driving the fire engine and a long ladder.
I believe I did hand embroidery for parts of the truck... I was soo proud, I don't think anyone noticed but me.

Overalls were always fun to make with little pockets and if enough fabric a jacket for mom

I can remember these fabrics like yesterday... Of course the baby is in her thirties, and just as sweet as ever.  The fabric was really a suede like fabric.

Baby Gifts and Ideas

                                         I used to love to do Burp Drool and Tinkles in Baby Baskets

 The Bear Themes were put in a Big Basket with Bear Arms and legs on the sides holding everything..  Yes, it did look like cruelty to stuffed bears.... But it was sooo cute...

Reversible Terry Fleece hooded Bath towel, Quilt and Baby set in Cruelty Basket and yes a bear too.

The opposite sides of these sets are themed flannel.  In this case dalmations of course.

I started making baby gifts in my teens for new babies when I couldn't afford to buy a nice gift.
By the time I was working a job where I met lots of people I would make baby sets and take them to work and people would buy them to have a nice home made gift.  Then as I got older I made gift baskets for church bazaars and my children gift donations for fundraisers.  Sometimes these would include scrapbooks with themes and musical buttons inside of the front of the scrapbooks.

Photo Albums with Music Boxes inside Theme cover went in Baby Baskets

        These are the sets I do now.  I try to stay in a theme with Baby sets and Quillow sets.

Land Before Time Set

                                            Frog Set with Frog Reversible Quilt Set

Home Decoration

In 1971 I decorated my first owned home...  It had a tiny window so I decided to make a wall of drapery.  There was a bay window in front that I used the same material and a valance in front and there was a spider plant that someone gave me a little sprout, so I let it run wild throughout the bay window.  

High Dining Room Windows

The next house that was purchased a year later had big windows that were high up so I decided to try the same effect. 

Kitchen Side door had sheers and matching drapes to dining room

This house was very run down when purchased and before I learned to put caps over fireplace chimneys two racoons came down and sat in the children's bean bags next to the fireplace.  I came in from the grocery to find the racoons waiting for me.  I ran in to the kitchen and sat the bags down on the counter and called the animal control.   They told me to open all the doors and get something long to chase the racoons out so I would not be near their sharp teeth.  The whole time I am talking to the Animal people the racoons are lounging on the bean bags like they own the place.  I ran downstairs and got a big cardboard roll that some of the carpeting had come on and tried to chase them out the door.  They ran into the kitchen and got on the counter and started throwing tuna fish cans accross the kitchen to each other.  40 years later  I remember this like it was yesterday.  If they hadn't been grinning at each other and me with the sharpest little teeth I ever saw it would have been hilarious.  After -- it is hilarious.  They left by the side door when they felt like it, only to return nightly to go through the trashcans and hand each other and it turned out a little crew of baby's who lined up on the railing to watch.  After holloween and a strip of lollipops that had been hanging as decoration on the doors were in the trash they took the whole string of pops and passed down the chain.... If I had only had a camera. 

High Large Master Bedroom Windows

Bedspread with Contrasting Welting and note Fringe is added to the bottom of the roller shade

This was the Master Bedroom of the second home that I tried a little bit of everything.  As you can see there needed to be air flow, so we had a window A/C so I put a little decorative pinch pleated drapery the size of the unit with decorative rod and the austrian style sheer valances with fringe.

Large Roller shades Sheers and Drapes

Upholstered Daybed in the same fabric as Draperies with matching toss pillows

This Daybed was given to me by an aunt and it had horrible material that was scratchy on it, so I decided I could upholster..... I did..... matching Draperies and toss pillows too.

Upholstered Rocker with Swag material used as Skirt-Swags with Tassel Fringe also used on Tiebacks and Straight Fringe added onto Roller Shades with Open Casement Sheers Same Shade Material Side accent Panels Heavy Damask

 Most of the Second sets of windows were done in 1973-1974 before the impending arrival of the baby boy.....Baby's Room and accents are the next set of pictures.   This guest room was decorated in hopes of a girl..  The nursery was done in greens as we did not know it was going to be a boy.  We did have a girl after the boy.

Nursery - Bassinet Skirt Drapes Pictures

The Bassinet was an old one that I lined with a quilted waterproof lining and attached the skirting with velcro so it could be removed.  I then added the Bunny Diaper bag in the corner and a mobile for over the baby to entertain it.

The Diaper Bag was super cute and easy to do.  It also gave me a place to hang the mobile over the bassinet.  The face and pockets were white flannel and the embroidery of the face was simple, The bag itself was a cotton.

The Panda was an old picture frame I just put white paper in and glued cotton balls and black pompoms for fun

The draperies were made from a variegated green heavy decorator cotton, but simple pinch pleats and once again sheers and roller shades under the sheers.

Decades Gone by in Dresswear Old and Young

Sooooooo...Sewww....  As I stated in my last post I am going over old pics... here is some of the dresswear and baby clothes I made 50 years ago

1966 Class of 1967 Senior Class Wittiest Female

I made most of my clothes in High School and especially special occasions.  This was just a simple cotton shirtwaist out of a dark brown coarse cotton.

1965 Dress and Jacket School Dance

1966 High School Dance

School Dance 1967

School Dance 1967 Had a Matching Stole-Wrap

As the years passed there were the events that made us feel grown up.... Weddings, honeymoons, houses, with which came home decorating.

Work Outfit Now with Lycra Shirts-Scarves and Poly Poplin or Gabardine Suits

Suits and Shirts of Many Colors add Many Choices to Wardrobes

Over the Years

Close up of Outline Quilting on Coffee Quillow

Sewing started when I was ten.  I just loved gluing - pasting - puzzles - reading.  I decided I wanted to sew.  I loved colors and playing dress-up.   I still do.  I don't know about the future, but I do what I love on a daily basis.... Sew, sew, sew.

I have recently started scanning all my old pictures of the children and the family onto usb ports for each of the children.  I have moved many times now that I am retired-and part time working-and I have about ten storage boxes of pictures.  I can't let go.  I decided the best thing to do would be to a lot time each day into scanning them and as I do that making photo albums of what is there so they can be neatly stacked.  It is such a humongous chore.  So  I can scan two hours and then sew two hours.   This forces me to schedule my time. 

I have four quillows on the table to do in various stages-a simple bright purple suit to cut out for work wear and a queensize quilt top almost finished.  I have many excuses.... and then all of a sudden I am motivated and away I go.    Well, there are some other projects laid out, too.

Today... I must melt some glass and make at least one pin to wear tomorrow to work..  If I make a purple pin-well that will motivate me to sew the purple suit to wear and then of course I will have to do a new blouse to wear...

The quilt - well I fizzled on the quilt because I didn't get excited about the back.... now I have a new idea thanks to the store...G Street Fabrics.   I walked by a classroom and they were weaving their fabrics looking similar to this Around the World Quilt.... It was gorgeous... So I just have to look in my stash to see if I have enough Purples and blues to do the back in woven strips of purples and blues..... I am excited enough to finish that.

The quillows.... are in different stages..  Polar fleece on one side... Minky on the other... Some of the ones I have done this past year:

Quillow Folded into Pillow Quilt Square Pieced Side

Finished Quillow Open with Pillow Pocket Attached in the center of Bottom

Quilt folding into the pillow pocket

Quillow Folded into the Pocket Pieced Pocket top showing

Redskins Themed Outline Quilted and Machine Embroidery Life Theme Classic Cars & Cycles

Light House Theme Embroidered on Back of Ravens Quilt

 Ravens Quillow Folded in  Pillow Pocket

Pillow Folded and Opposite Embroidered Side showing of Pocket

Note Neck Roll Pillow From left over quilted Pocket Half Yard

Pansy Quillow in Use-Feet in Pillow Opposite Outline Quilted printed Pansy Fleece

Jam session Quillow in Use ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ