Browse Tag by Techniques
Classic Style, Embroidery, New Pattern, Quick Projects

Playing With Threads

By | On June 06,20 | 0 Comment

Wow, it’s been a while.  Time to catch up.

I’m currently working on a new preemie pattern for boys.  This one will be a little bubble.  No smocking, but it will have a little collar and I thought a touch of Drawn Thread Work would be a perfect little touch to add.  It’s always special when a mom or grandma can stitch a little bit of her heart into something so I started doing my research.

It started with a photo…but for some insane reason I didn’t save it! Now I only have my memory of a little square design that kind of looks like Reticella work.  Very vague and enough to haunt my thoughts until I could google as much as I could and ask my dear friend Lori, who’s done much more embroidery than I. She advised that Reticella and Hardanger might be too bulky for what I had in mind and advised me to stick with Drawn Thread.

I stumbled on Mary Corbet’s wonderful website and she had a link to the Antique Pattern Library.  What a rabbit hole that can be! But I disciplined myself and stuck to my research using the Drawn Thread book by DMC on the Antique Pattern Library website.  Here is the link:

http://www.antiquepatternlibrary.org/pub/PDF/DMCDrawn1.pdf

Have fun! But don’t forget to come back and read the rest of the post! Haha.  Then I went through my own library, but I only had some books on Pulled Thread and Ruskin Lace Work as well as an odd little book that illustrates all kinds of stitches for all of these open and counted thread types of embroidery.

Nothing popped out and said “Stitch Me Now”.  The line drawings were a little bland, and the old fashioned illustrations from the antique DMC really didn’t light a fire in by brain.

More searching, this time through Etsy and I was amazed to find this little gem!  And not a PDF, but the real book!  The listing said it is from the 1930s but there’s no copyright.

It’s the second part of the book at the Antique Pattern Library.  It’s a wonderful book but still no solutions popped out at me.

Then, I cleaned my sewing room!  Eureka!

I picked up a little shopping bag and my problem was solved.  Inside were two little doilies that I bought when I went to the craft show and antique show at the Schwenkfelder Museum with my dear friend Wanda.

What a wonderful day that was.  An entire antique and vintage fair that featured textiles and everything involving a needle.  They had all kinds of lovely antique sewing tools and linens that day and there in that bag was the perfect little design for my bubble.  It has the lacy open look of Reticella but is delicate enough for use on a lightweight linen or batiste.  And it’s not girly looking so Dad can relax haha.  It’s small in scale and can stitch up quickly.

 

 

I quickly cross referenced the books I was looking through and found the instructions I needed to execute the stitches.  The openwork square consists of wrapped bars and dove’s eye.  And the border is in my DMC book from Etsy!

Now to practice.  I have the itch to stitch.

 

Classic Style, Construction, Forever Classic, New Pattern, Pleating, Sewing Techniques, Smocking

New Pattern!

Big Sister Pamela has been released and can be purchased here or at my Etsy shop.  I had a few requests to release the Baby Pamela dress in bigger sizes and I hope you enjoy making it.

 

 

The pattern includes sizes Newborn up to 9-12 Months and a simple smocking plate for new smockers.  It also includes my snap front diaper cover, which has been very popular.  It makes diaper changes so much easier!

 

A bias neckband is a quick technique and the sleeves ares smocked with baby waves for comfort and elasticity.

 

 

Perfect for spring time projects and Easter outfits.  Happy stitching!

Classic Style, Construction, New Pattern, Smocking

My First Pattern Test- Baby Pamela

By | On April 27,19 | 0 Comment

A new pattern is published.  It’s a smocked yoke dress for preemies up to 5.5 lbs.  I drafted it as a special request from someone from the smocking and heirloom sewing groups.  She doesn’t care for smocking the bishop dresses that are so often made for preemies so she asked me to design a yoke dress as an alternative.  She was a tremendous help with ideas and advice.

Many babies are coming home from the hospital at around 5 lbs and newborn sizes are too big for these little angels.  My own grandson was born at 6 lbs. and even the preemie size patterns I had were too big for him.  There’s a difference between growing room and being way too big.  I hope this pattern can provide a quick solution to this situation and provide a better fitting garment for the celebration of baby’s first day home.  There’s a little bit of smocking that can be stitched quickly and the instructions include easy construction methods.  I designed a simple bound neckline to avoid the extra bulk of a peter pan collar that might irritate little chins.  There are also 2 options for the back, a button down or a bound placket.  Sleeves can be smocked or gathered and bound.

The instructions include lots of photos and clear, detailed construction directions which makes this little dress a perfect project for someone who wants to try smocking.  There is a simple smocking design included in the pattern.  I didn’t include a stitch dictionary because they can easily be found on the internet.   One of them is linked at the bottom of this post.  I offer all the tips and techniques that I’ve developed over the years for sewing on pleated fabric and lots of construction advice.  It’s quick, with a simple design that will give elegant results.

I was lucky to have several talented stitchers to test out the pattern and help iron out the wrinkles, so to speak.  Their projects came out beautifully and are just darling.  Their encouragement is so important and I’m so grateful to have met them.  It was such an enriching experience.

This dress was made by Mary Beth Bolt @ButtonandBeeCreative on Instagram.  Her dress is just darling and so classic.

She did a great job.  Check out her Instagram page at the link above to see her other wonderful creations.  Cute little outfits and beautiful stitching.  She’s a great source for inspiration.

This yellow dress was made by Kaitlyn @kait_isabel on Instagram.

I love the cheerful yellow print she chose.  Perfect for a little girl.  She did a great job also, I just love the touch of embroidery she added.  Check out her Instagram page at the link above and also her shop at www.oldschoolstitches.com.au.  She has a wide selection of heirloom patterns, smocking plates, and other supplies.

I even had a first time smocker testing for me!  She was really able to give invaluable reactions from someone who is totally new to the art.  Here is her sample and she did an amazing job for a first timer!  She hand pleated then followed a few stitch tutorials from my friend at Pink Hollybush Designs and she was off and running.  She’s got the smocking bug now and wants to test more projects.  This warms my heart  because I have a passion for passing on this art to future generations.  I don’t want it to be lost to posterity.

I want to thank everyone that participated.  You were all great to work with and I hope to work with you in the future.

I hope the pattern brings joy to parents as they bring their tiny angels home.  The NICU can be very stressful and when baby finally graduates and is able to leave the hospital, she can say hello to the world in style.

Don’t worry though, I haven’t forgotten about the boys! A Preemie outfit for them is in the works.  Stay tuned and sign up for the newsletter for updates.

 

Bishop Construction, Classic Style, Construction, Forever Classic, Sewing Techniques

New Feature- Tutorials!

I’m finishing up my first pattern testing and it has been an amazing experience.  I’ve gotten some valuable feedback and I had the opportunity to work with some talented testers.  Thank you all for joining!  I’ll be posting the photos very soon, after I’ve finished all the revisions to the pattern.

One of the best suggestions I received was to post tutorials on the blog here for beginners who might not be familiar with heirloom sewing techniques.  I thought it was a great idea.  Thank you Pam!  I have a Tutorials page now with a link at the top of the Home page.

My first tutorial shows how to make piping for heirloom garments.  Click here.  It’s a basic feature for smocked dresses and classic children’s clothing.   It supports the smocking on yoke dresses and inserts.  It can be used as trim on a cuff, or around a peter pan collar.  But’s it’s also a lesson that isn’t taught in most basic sewing classes.  It’s simple, doesn’t cost a lot of money and adds such an elegant touch.

In the next few weeks, I’ll be posting other tutorials on topics such as an easy way to make a continuous bound placket and binding a neckline.  More topics will be posted as I cover different techniques in future patterns.

 

I hope you enjoy them!

Bishop Construction, Construction, Pleating, SAGA, Smocking, Uncategorized

More Pleating Part 3

The next challenge in my pleating adventures is to tackle a method of bishop pleating that requires the pieces to be pleated before stitching the underarm seams.  I like to call it the Release and Rethread method.  It takes longer and requires a lot of concentration but it is a no fail method to totally hide seams.  Your bishop dress will appear totally seamless and smooth.  No ugly bumps that are created when the seams are caught up in the pleat during the typical pleating method.

The first step is to carefully lay your pieces in order.  Pleaters vary in the way the needles pierce the fabric in the rollers.  Some pleat with the longer stitches on top and other pleat with the longer stitches on bottom.  “Long is wrong” is the cardinal rule for pleating so it’s important that you understand how your pleater works.  The dress pieces should be laid out according to how your pleater pleats: right side up or wrong side up.

Pleat the first piece and clear it from the needles and unthread them.  With the right side of the fabric facing you, remove the threads and pull them out of the seam allowances, usually 1/2″ on each side of the pattern piece.  Make sure the pleating threads are coming out of the right side of the fabric.  You want to make sure your seam allowances will be falling to the wrong side of the garment.

Next, start pleating the sleeve, making sure the you have the correct sleeve piece.  For a back opening bishop, you will need the back of the sleeve to go through first so that it matches the back armhole of the first pleated piece.  The opposite would apply for a front opening bishop.  In that case, you have pleated one front already and need the front sleeve seam to go through the pleater first to match up with the front of the dress.  When the pleats start to build up on the needles, CAREFULLY pull off the seam allowance and flip it either up or down.  If you are pleating right side up, flip the seam allowance down.  If you are pleating wrong side up, flip it UP.  Be careful to have all your seam allowances on the wrong side of the dress.

 

Clearing the seam allowance from the pleater needles

 

Now that the seam allowance is free, carefully rethread the pleater with the same threads that are coming out of the first pleated piece.

 

Rethreading the needles for bumpless bishops

 

Make sure the pieces are all facing the same way and the pleating threads don’t get crossed as you rethread.  Continue pleating the sleeve and pull it completely off the needles just like you did for the first piece.  Clear the threads from the seam allowance, making sure the seam allowance will fall to the wrong side and continue the steps until the whole bishop has been pleated.

  1. Pleat
  2. Remove threads and clear seam allowance
  3. Pleat
  4. Pull seam allowance off needles and rethread
  5. Go to step 1 and repeat

When you are finished you should have no crossed threads, all the seam allowances on the wrong side and all the pieces in the proper order.

 

Bishop pleating without stitching the seams

 

Now it’s time to sew.  Basting is a crucial first step to sewing up the seam and making sure the pleating threads stay aligned.  Fold the seam so that the right sides are together and hand baste.  What I did to insure perfect alignment is to use the same needle holes of the pleating threads. I didn’t get a picture of just the basting but you can see it in the next steps.  Come up through the same holes in one row, go down through the same holes in the next row.  Then you machine stitch 1/16 of and inch from that basting line to form your valley.

 

Creating a valley for the bumpless bishop

 

 

 

I think you can see the basting line best in this picture.  Right where the pleating threads end, you can see a basting stitch between the two rows in white thread.

There are several options to finish the seams.  You can serge them, but if you are making an heirloom style garment you probably want to use on of the other methods.

Here I’ve done a Faux French seam by turning under the raw edges and stitching along the fold.

 

Faux French Seam

 

Here I’ve done a simple overcast edge.  The stitches are very tiny and hard to see but I think you can get the general idea.

 

Overcast Stitch on Pleated Seam

 

I’ve never worked with this method before but now that I’ve tried it, I plan to use it more often.  It’s definitely less stressful than pleating French seams and holding your breath as they go through the rollers.  You just have to concentrate and remember all the steps in order.  And even if you forget, you only have to go back and repleat one piece, not the whole dress! I call that a win right there.

My next lesson is double pleating.  As my daughter’s got older I had to figure out that technique all by myself.  This was almost 30 years ago and limited resources were available!  I  muddled through and got the dresses made but now maybe I can learn a few new tricks to make it easier!  Stay tuned.

Bishop Construction, Construction, Pleating, Smocking

More Pleating Homework- Part 2

By | On August 14,18 | 0 Comment

The next chapter in my adventures with the pleating course concentrated on pleating seams for bishop style dresses.  This has become a concern lately because so many of us have pleaters that are no longer manufactured and therefore, the original needles are no longer available.  There are generic needles on the market but they bend and break at the slightest turn of the crank.  Plus they are very expensive!  My solution is try to bend the pleating rules (better than the needles!) a bit and think of a new plan.  In the previous post on this topic, read here, I described how to get a VERY tiny french seam.  Now to talk about getting that little seam through those rollers.

First, I rolled the fabric on the dowel, keeping each seam parallel to the dowel.

 

 

Next, I made sure the fabric was started through the rollers on grain.  My method is to turn the crank until there is a tiny opening between the teeth of the rollers.  Then I hold the fabric edge at the top and bottom of the pleating area and slide it into the rollers, keeping the  inserted edge taut.  I wiggle it in until I see that the grain is parallel to the rollers.  Then, with my left hand I spread my fingers and hold the fabric against the bottom roller to make sure it doesn’t slip out of place as I turn the crank.  If your opening is small enough, you should only have to turn it a little bit before the teeth grab the fabric and it is secure.  Make sure everything is on grain and start pleating.

Pleat slowly and stay on grain.  You might have to make small adjustments on each side of the fabric as it goes through the rollers and pull the pleats off the needles often.  Just turn one crank at a time, tug and pull as necessary to keep the grain parallel.   As the seam comes off the dowel and approaches the rollers it must be parallel or you will hear that dreaded crunch!

 

 

Push the seam into a groove on the top roller just before it goes through the pleater with a screwdriver.

 

 

If you work slowly, have patience, and stay on grain, the seams should come out of the pleater free from the pleater threads.  Your bishop will be bump free from the right side and the smocking will be continuous and GORGEOUS!

 

Mini French Seam

 

In Part 3 I will talk about pleating before seaming – what I like to call the release and re-thread method.  It is suitable for heavier fabrics and it guarantees no needle breaks!  It takes more time but in the end you will have a beautiful no bump bishop to show off all your beautiful smocking!

 

Bishop Construction, Construction, SAGA, Smocking, Uncategorized

More Pleating Homework

Mini French Seam for Pleating
By | On August 04,18 | 2 Comments

My next assignment for the pleating class from SAGA was focused on pleating over seams.  I had to pleat two samples using two different techniques.  One was pleating over tiny French seams. The second involved pleating the pieces in a continuous manner without stitching seams first.  These two methods are used to pleat bishop style dresses.

I had trouble with the French seams which is a direct result of the pleater needles.  I have seen several complaints about the pleater needles being sold on the market today and I have to agree with them.  I never broke this many needles when I was pleating for my daughters 25 years ago.  That being said, I decided to think outside the box in order to save my needles.  This meant that I had to disregard the conventional pleating wisdom of using a tiny 1/8″ French seam.  I went smaller if you can believe that.

I had to get creative in order to do this and I decided my goal would be to create a French seam closer to 1/16″.  Such a tiny seam is basically like stitching over piping when you consider the bulk of the enclosed seam allowance and stitching so close to the edge.  The bulk would slip out of the bottom of the presser foot while stitching and this would create precise stitching.  It would be impossible to get an accurate seam. Also, this would only apply to lightweight fabrics such as batiste or lawn.  Anything heavier would just not work for this technique.  I realized I should treat this tiny seam just like piping and I searched through my presser feet to find one with a tiny groove that would hold the enclosed seam allowance in place as it traveled under the presser foot.  The regular piping foot had a channel that was way too big.  The closest I could find was my manual buttonhole foot and a pintuck foot.

After stitching the first seam, I trimmed VERY closely to the stitching; less than a 1/16″.  Remember: we want to reduce bulk as much as possible to make this seam fit into the tiny groove of the pleater gear.  This line of stitching doesn’t take any stress in wearing, it sits at the top of the seam allowance when the garment is finished.  It’s only purpose is to keep the raw edges of the fabric turned under, so trimming that closely will not cause any problems.  It is the second row of stitching that takes the stress because it is directly in the seam line of the garment.

To stitch the second part of this seam, I experimented with the two presser feet and the pintuck foot was the winner.  It has the tiny groove to hold the little bump of the enclosed seam allowance and the needle position can be easily adjusted for a 1/16″ final seam allowance.

 

Mini French Seam for Pleating

It’s a little wider than 1/16″ but it’s pretty darn close. and it went through the pleater with no broken needles.  I was able to pop the seams so that when the fabric came off the needles, the seam was standing upright.

 

Mini French Seam

 

Next time I’ll post about the second technique for pleating a bishop before the seams are stitched.  That was Assignment #2 from this lesson.

Bridal Heirlooms, Construction, Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Smocking

Smocked Bridal Purse- the Next Steps

By | On July 29,18 | 0 Comment

So, I’ve completed the smocking and the backsmocking on the bridal purse.

 

Backsmocking on the bridal purse

 

Now, the next step is to attach it to a stay.  It is very similar to underlining a dress.  A stay is a sturdy piece of fabric that serves to support the smocked piece so that it keeps its blocked shape.  It will be easier to place the silk ribbon embroidery once the pleats are stabilized.   It will also control the fullness of the pleated fabric at the bottom of the purse.  I can arrange the gathers and stay stitch them in place before constructing the rest of the purse.

To attach a stay, merely cut a piece of fabric larger than the pattern piece.  On the stay fabric, mark the center of the frame and mark both ends.

 

 

Lay the smocked piece over the stay, matching up the center the center of the smocked design with the center marking from the frame. Place the end of the smocking rows within the end markings you made from the frame.  You want to make sure all of the smocked area is within the width  of the frame. Fan out the edges a little and pin it all around the edges.

 

 

Baste around the smocked area to hold the two pieces together.  Now the embroidery area has been stabilized and is ready for stitching.

 

 

Here is the reverse side of the basted layers.

 

Reverse side of basted smocking

 

Now to stitch on beads and silk ribbon flowers.  When the embroidery is finished, I will stitch some gathering rows along the bottom and arrange the gathers.

 

 

Construction, Quick Projects, SAGA, Sewing Techniques, Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Smock Alongs, Smocking

One of the Perks of SAGA Membership: Smock Alongs!

One of the nicest perks of my membership in the Smocking Arts Guild is the SAGA Smock Along page on Facebook.  Various projects are posted that feature different skills.  We are given a supply list and we’re allowed to choose our own fabrics and color combinations.  Each week is a different lesson and we post our progress to the group as we go along. The variety of fabrics and colors used is so inspiring.  If someone is struggling with a step, we all help and offer advice.  It is a great way to build your skill set and it can encourage you to think outside your sewing box to explore new ideas.

Even though the projects are called Smock Alongs, they can feature any embroidery technique.  The last one I participated in was an adorable Silk Ribbon Embroidery Tissue Case.  It’s designed by Wanda DeWitt, who does beautiful silk ribbon work.  She is a great teacher and her instructions make it so easy to get the best results.  This little tissue case was such a quick project to do and yet it looks like it took hours.  It’s the perfect gift to use scraps, or when you need a last minute present.

 

 

Some of the Smock Alongs are for members only, and some are open to the general public.  Membership is pro-rated after July 1st until the end of the year, so now would be a good time to join.  Check us out.  We would love to get to know you and share our love of smocking and embroidery.

Construction, Doll Clothes, New Pattern, Sewing Techniques

Finishing Touches

I’ve been working on the final touches of my first pattern and it’s really cute.  It’s a dress for the 18″ dolls and it will be available for purchase through Etsy, Craftsy, and my website here.   I also have a Facebook page where I will post any updates.  Please visit and like the page to be notified of the pattern launch.  Here’s the link:

https://www.facebook.com/littleheirloomangels/

 

I designed the first version of this dress for my SAGA chapter’s fundraiser, Doll’s Day Out.  Every year the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, PA has a fundraiser for kids and their favorite dolls.  There is a tea party and various other activities.  My Smocking Arts Guild chapter, Keystone Smockers, buys a doll and we all contribute items to build a complete wardrobe for it.  We raffle off the complete set to raise money for our chapter activities.

 

 

The Scalloped Belt Dress features short sleeves and an attached scalloped belt.  The bodice is fully lined and the armhole seams are completely enclosed for strength.  That is the area that takes the most abuse when children are forcing those little doll arms through the sleeve!  It’s a quick project and can also be used for beginners if you skip the piping.

Here is a peek at another version in progress.  This one is just one last test to make sure everything is accurate before I finalize the file.

 

The launch should be announced in a week or two.  My next pattern scheduled for release will be a front button bishop top and diaper cover for preemies through 6 months.  It is the perfect Take Me Home outfit for the new arrival in anyone’s family.

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