April 21, 2008

Updates on Tiaras & Swiss Tulle

If you have been waiting for either the Silver and Pearls Tiara or the Garden Pearls Headband tiara, they have arrived and are ready to ship!

A note about the Silver and Pearls Tiara - It was on sale when we ran out of them, so we will extend the sale a few more days to give you a chance to order yours at the sale price of only $22.95.

These tiaras are so pretty! Both are silver plated and have pretty little seed pearls. Girls of all ages love them! Perfect for flower girls, brides, birthdays and many more special occasions.


Update on the white Swiss Tulle (netting) from Bear Threads Ltd. -

There's good news and bad news on this fabric. The good news is that Bear Threads has sent us all of the white Swiss Tulle that they had in stock.

The bad news is that there is a only a very small amount of it. Bear Threads told us that they do not know when they will be getting anymore of it in from Switzerland.

If you will be needing any white Swiss Tulle it is a good idea to order as soon as possible before it is sold out. By the way, Bear Threads did say that there is plenty of the Ivory color Swiss Tulle available.

Swiss Tulle is softer than English Netting, it also has smaller holes. You can see a comparison picture on the main website.

April 18, 2008

Sewing With Kids - Yes It Can Be Fun!

Several months ago, feeling very brave, I invited all 3 granddaughters to my sewing room. I needed a project that could be sewn fast and would capture and hold their attention.

The pull-on skirt in Martha Pullen's Sew Kool 4 Kids was chosen for the pattern. Hannah and Maleah wanted red skirts and Ashleigh wanted a blue one. We used Featherwale Corduroy, but any medium weight fabric would have worked.

All three of them wanted to decorate their skirts with machine embroidery and decided on a butterfly design. For the younger girls we used a butterfly design from Martha's Mini Collection. Ashleigh wanted a larger butterfly and chose the one from Dainty Designs.

The machine embroidery turned out great. It was very easy using the Floriana Wet and Gone Tacky. With this particular stabilizer, you do not hoop the fabric. Instead of hooping the fabric, you hoop the stabilizer and place the fabric on the sticky stabilizer. Very easy!

Because I didn't want the embroidery stitches to sink down into the corduroy fabric, we placed a water soluble stabilizer on top of it before stitching. The girls were absolutely fascinated with the embroidery machine!

That was Hannah's first time at seeing a piece of flat fabric turn into a cute skirt that she could wear! At only 4 years old, she loves clothes.

Managing Children in Your Sewing Room

The secret to managing energetic kids in your sewing room is to "de-energize" them! Earlier in the day, I sent Ashleigh and Maleah over to my son's (Hannah's daddy) house where there are acres and acres for them to run and jump and play to their heart's content!

When they returned, along with Hannah, they were more than ready to sit still and relax in the sewing room!

In the following video, you can watch them de-energizing before our sewing session.

Have a great weekend!


2 New Patterns!

A-Line Christening Gowns II from Ginger Snaps Designs

Many of you have been looking for a baby gown pattern that is suitable for infant boys. In the latest pattern from Ginger Snaps you will find gown designs especially for baby boys!

The gowns are easy to sew and there are several variations which are adaptable to both infant girls and boys. Sizes Preemie, Newborn, Infant and Large


Sunsuit and Sundress from Creations By Michie

Start sewing for summer with the latest sunsuit and sundress pattern from Creations By Michie. Choose an embroidered, plain or a smocked yoke.

Quick and easy and fun to sew! Sizes 3 - 24 months


Both of these patterns are in stock and ready to ship.

April 11, 2008

Heirloom Dress for Young Ladies

The New Orleans Insertion Dress pattern from Ginger Snaps Designs is a very pretty heirloom dress for an older girl.

For a piano recital, the double ruffles hang gracefully from the piano bench. The dress is embellished with pintucks, insertions and lace.

Bearissima or Bearissima II Swiss Batiste would be an excellent choice for this beautiful dress, very elegant.

All Ginger Snaps patterns have detailed instructions and illustrations.

It is a multi-sized pattern including sizes 6 - 14.

Read more about the New Orleans Insertion Dress.

Spring is in Bloom in Alabama

It's a sunny 85 degrees here in west Alabama today. The azaleas and wisteria are in full bloom!