Another Baby!!! My niece is having a baby. So wonderful.
She wanted to decorate the baby’s room in purple. So a purple baby quilt it is!
I have always loved appliquéd hearts for a baby girl quilt.
The purple fabrics really pop against the white muslin.
The hand quilting thread used was also a purple color!
The portable project traveled over 3,000 miles in the two weeks it took to make it! But with a final push – it was completed in time for the baby shower!
Found this shirt during my WAYyyy too many minutes (hours) online.
It costs just slightly less than car.
Anyone who sews has uttered the phrase “I think I remember a very similar pattern.”
And let the hunt begin!
I knew that I had seen a similar hem and front closure…. two days later, I found it… The Liberty Shirt by Sewing Workshop. 
Sleeveless and this pattern is very similar to the vehicle- priced top.
Had some white linen/cotton/unknown damask that I washed and dried to avoid post-construction woes and set about cutting it out.
French seams, interfacing, facings, mitered corners – this pattern has them all.
The arm scythes required reworking as the pattern had sleeves and the desired outcome was sleeveless. This was accomplished in two steps (four if you count all the unsewing.)
The unpinned side is the original pattern line. It is an extended shoulder, which was not what I was looking for. The pinned side is a bit closer – I did take an additional small amount off at the shoulder seam tapering over 4″ to zero.
I cut armhole facings and sewed them up… and promptly un-sewed them (including understitching – GRrr)
The gap in the armhole front was impressive – prohibitively so! A quick dart was devised and everything sewn up again!
Buttons were from the Stash.
The final project was quite nice. I do not (yet) have a picture of the entire top, because most of the time I was wearing it, I got to hold this cutie…
Disclaimer: this was my first attempt posting on the mobile app. So if things are a bit catty-wumpus I apologize and will attempt to edit when a laptop comes along.
Tiny Baby Shirt made from Dad’s old shirt.
The quilts from his Dad’s Shirts were fun, and then his Dad had requested a shirt for the baby.
Give me a minute! (OK, maybe 3 hours!)
Baby-sized clothes can be a bit daunting due to the tiny little….., well, tiny little everything! But cuteness factor trumps daunting every time!
I thought I had a baby shirt in the Pattern Stash. But, alas, I did not. (Wait, what?)
McCalls 6873 was selected because it comes in real baby sizes. I made the medium.
Oddly, disassembling a men’s size jumbo shirt produces just enough fabric for a baby sized shirt! I think it has to do with plaid matching.
Just a bit of a size difference!
My son’s shirts are made from delicious cottons. So turning seams and ironing collar points were frustration-free.
Even the buttonholes sewed up without problem (Perchance because I used a new and as a result, very sharp needle? Who knew?)
Even though the pattern was baby-sized, it still recommended interfacing. Babies do not need stiff clothing, but the soft cotton did need something in the collar. I used the featherweight (knit) fusible interfacing I had in The Stash for the collar and collar band. Buttons were also from his Dad’s shirts.
The shirt fit, and he looked dapper – and happy!
Babies are special.
Grandbabies even more so (if that is even possible!)
So, what does The Destashifier do when a grandbaby (the First Grandbaby!) is due?
Make a quilt, of course. Or better yet… TWO QUILTS! One bassinet-sized, and one crib-sized.
And not just from any fabric in The Stash… from The Stash of his father’s shirts. (Yes, I have a stash of my son’s shirts, collected just to make quilts for his babies! Doesn’t everyone?)
Quilts of checked fabrics are more a challenge than one might think. Many quilt patterns look over-busy when pieced with a variety of checks. Simple triangle patterns seemed to work best.
Opening the quilt at the baby shower
The smaller quilt was half-square triangles (HSTs) of a light blue check with a darker checked border. It was hand quilted.
Note to Self: NEVER, EVER, EVER attempt to hand quilt shirting fabrics. NEVER.
Making the tiny quilt was a Labor of Love, but pliers, rubberized grips, and occasionally my husband, were required to push/pull the needle through the high thread count fabric of those shirts!
To save my hands, the crib-sized isosceles triangle quilt was long-arm quilted.
A few prints were added to the blue-checked shirting fabrics as more contrast was required – and all checks made for a very busy quilt top.
Drone picture of piecing layout.
After rotary cutting all the triangles, the pieces were carefully laid out to ensure like fabrics were not side-by-side.
I then took a picture to help remember where each piece went – and carefully moved each row of pieces to the sewing machine.
And promptly forget which row was which and whether I started from the top or the bottom!
So, the layout and the final quilt are not the same!
Piecing the triangles of checked fabrics was also a challenge. The horizontal row of two checks must be perfectly straight as any misalignment was obvious.
Poke and Pin Point
So., the horizontal row was sewn first.
Sewing the bias seams later in the process did create some stretching, but lots of pins helped.
The same “poke and pin” process for the points used in this Ohio Star Quilt..
After much poking, pinning and alignment checks, the quilt top was complete and off to the Long Arm Quilter.
Checks and Prints
The cream and navy check shirting was used to bind both quilts – again requiring those hand saving rubberized grips!
No weddings this year – but there is a graduation! In a colder climate!
Which only means one thing!
Time to make a jacket!
I selected McCalls 7201. This Nancy Zieman Swing coat has no center back seam and a longer back- creating the perfect canvas upon which to “paint with a needle!”
Although the linen-blend fabric has been lounging in the stash for over 5 years, it was always intended for this purpose. I knew when I saw the “vines with leaves” embroidered design, I would be using it to create an embellished jacket.
Embellishment Detail
An interlining of some heft was required to sufficiently stabilize the lightweight fabric for applique, beading and embroidery. (Gee, I wonder if The Stash had anything appropriate for that?) Luckily, The Stash supplied 3 – 4 yards of a heavy weight rust colored linen-blend. It was just what was needed.
Each leaf on the center back is uniquely embellished. An applique was placed over most, but not all, of the embroidered leaves and then further embellished with beads and embroidery.
The appliques are all silk from The Stash. As silk creases even better than cotton, it is the perfect fabric for applique – especially when the leaves have a point! I hope to post an how-to post detailing the leaves in the near future.
A remnant of silk ikat used for part of the lining and some leaves inspired the color scheme. It includes brown, pink, maroon and a taupe. The remnant was in my mother’s stash, left over from a skirt she made some time in the 90s. The solid Duiponi colors used for the appliques were the color of the ikat and ivory.
This is far from my typical color scheme, but I have learned that muted embellishments keep a heavily embellished garment from looking “clownish.”
I love the lapped front and the “hi-low” of the pattern, it keeps the jacket from looking too heavy. The jacket front picture includes the pink of the dress sewn to wear under the jacket.
Modifications to the pattern:
I hope to post some photos of the outfit soon!
Sock Yarn is irresistible.
Every knitter has a skein or two (or 12) of soft, squishy sock yarn in gorgeous colors in their Stash.
My Yarn Stash included 3 skeins of sock yarn rosy-pink with yellow, darker rose and purple highlights. Never had any idea what to knit with it, but Oh! Those colors!
The yarn found its purpose when news of baby girls came along!
Doubling the yarn produced a gauge that worked for Bellarose, a topdown ruffled cropped cardi/shrug designed by Tiaga Hilliard.
The pattern was designed for 20 sts/in on size 7 needles. Size 7 needles produced a very loose fabric even with the doubled sock yarn. Size 5 needles produced a nice fabric at 22 sts per inch. To accommodate the difference in gauge, a larger size was knit.
Topdown patterns are perfect for babies. Limited seaming and finishing! No bulky seams!
The ruffle is just too cute!
The sweater decided it needed a matching bonnet. The lace stitch of the ruffle edges the bonnet.
Two babies – two sweaters.
The second sweater modified Misty Lily by Gabrielle Dansknit. It is also a topdown pattern with a lace panel. Designed for fingering weight yarn, the sock yarn was knit single strand on size 3 needles.
The lace panel was just the right touch of elegance to the sweater.
The body of the sweater was modified to an A-shape below the underarm seam.
The softness of the yarn, the lace pattern and those gorgeous colors made it perfect for a beautiful baby girl.
The Button Stash contained several small yellow buttons that were sewn onto the sweaters prior to gifting them.
How many dresses are too many to take to a wedding?
If one is the Mother of the Bride, there is no limit.
If one sews, the limit is only established by the time available for sewing. Using Tried and True Patterns helped with the limited time availability.
Vogue 8764
From left to right:
Long Dress – Back View
Jetson’s Dress
Vogue 8764 became a “Go To” pattern not long after it was used to sew the muslin “Jetson’s Dress.
It has a raised front waist that angles down slightly toward the back. The simple lines of the pattern allow for easy modification.
Pleats added at waist seam
The Long and Short Dresses (1 and 3 in the above photo) were sewn with knit fabrics. To accommodate the graphic pattern, the skirts were cut straight. Pleats were added at the waistline seam as gathers would have been bulky – and distroted the graphic pattern.
The necklines were rounded and the notch was eliminated. The bodice was lined with a plain white knit. The stretch of the knit fabric eliminated the need for the center back zipper.
After the dresses were completed, I noticed the weight of the fabric pulled the bodice down and away from the body. To counter the resulting unflattering fit (think caftan – Mrs. Roper for those that remember Three’s Company), 3/4″ elastic was sewn to the seam allowance of the waist seam. The elastic successfully returned the waistline seam to it empire waist location and provided shape to the dresses. Sorry, Mrs. Roper.
Vogue 8764 was also used for the Rehearsal Dinner Dress. Several modifications were made to reflect a 1960’s pattern. (Lesson learned: Patterns from 1960 do not fit even close to current patterns.)
The bodice back was modified for the deep V and button closure. The back skirt was doubled and pleated. The skirt was seamed closed on one side to ensure those wonderful Caribbean breezes did not blow the back opened!
The fabric is a beautiful silk from my mother’s Stash. Her husband bought it for her in Asia. The piece was over 4 yards in length. The bodice was self-lined.
The neckline was squared to reflect the 1960’s pattern neckline. The length of the dress hits just below the knee – the perfect length for a even gathering at the beach!
The silk was wonderful to sew with and wonderful to wear in the heat and humidity. My mother gifted me several pieces of similar silks. The blue/grey Silk Tunic Dress (Number 8 in the above photo) was sewn from a yard length piece.
More on the other Mother of the Bride traveling wardrobe soon (I have to find the pattern for the Yellow Dress and the Beach Cover Up!)
A tropical wedding in a beautiful island setting.
The bride was breath-taking. The groom handsome.
So much planning! Bride’s dress. Fittings. Bridesmaids dresses and groomsmen attire. Flowers. Cake. Dinner. Seating. Imitating impossible Pinterest pictures. And the logistics of transporting everything and everyone to the Caribbean.
McCalls 6953
Somewhere near the bottom of the priority list, was a dress for the Mother of the Bride. Somewhere, almost impossible to find, was the time to sew a dress for the Mother of the Bride.
Simple seemed best. Silk was a must in the heat and humidity – which also dictated the pattern should be sleeveless and above knee-length.
The Stash contained 4 yards of raspberry silk dupioni (which matched the deep pink in the bouquets perfectly!)
McCalls 6953, a cup-sized pattern, had the simple lines I was looking for and been used to make this dress.
Finished edges and top-stitched pleats
The dress bodice was interlined and lined in the same silk. The skirt was interlined in a pink quilting cotton.
To ensure the pleats remained crisp in the Caribbean humidity, the inside folds were top-stitched through the interlining.
The back neckline was cut into a moderate V – allowing for additional “ventilation” in the heat.
The wedding was beautiful. The reception fun. The dress (and the Mother of the Bride) danced the night away!
(and the shoes – Ferragamo print silk slides!)
The perfect shoes!
Hours spent piecing and hand quilting a baby quilt.
Hours.
Only to hold it up when finished and have the husband ask, “Why are the letters out of order?”
So excited for a niece’s new baby that I just hurried to finish…
The nursery had a Dr. Seuss theme, so a Dr. Seuss quilt would be a perfect gift!
No Dr. Seuss in the Stash, so a “cheater” top and backing was ordered from an online store.
The date of the shower was quickly approaching when the fabric arrived. I quickly added few squares on either side of the panel and then sandwiched iron-on quilt batting between the fabrics.
Travel took us away and a picture of the unfinished quilt was our representative to the shower.
We returned in early fall when the start of football season provides opportunity for hours of hand quilting.
It was not until the hand quilting was complete and I held it up (during a half-time pause) for the husband’s approval that he noticed the letters were out of order.
It was not an A-B-C quilt. It was a B-C-D-A quilt.
Oh my!
How did I miss that!
The use of iron-on batting prevented taking the quilt apart and redoing it. So, it has been bound and sent to the new baby – with a note that a new quilt will be forthcoming – with the A-B-Cs in the correct order!
Love the Free People look. Boho and comfortable!
Don’t really love the prices.
I came across a long ecru slub-knit top for $6. It fit like a bag and the V-neck reached a point below my ribcage.
But, it was $6!!
Contrary to the “Hand Wash” and “Line Dry” indicated on the care tag, I subjected the top to the washing machine and dryer.
It did shrink, but not as much as I had hoped.
To reduce the cavernous neckline, a pleat was sewn at the “V.”
I wanted to add some color and decided on a very basic cross stitch design.
To get a even stitch, I used an even weave sheer fabric (also from the Stash) to embroider through.
The even weave waste canvas used on this top would have been too heavy for the thin knit of this top.
Cross stitch was also used on the back.
To add a bit more color, Stash Buttons, that matched one of the colors of embroidery thread, were sewn over the front pleat.
Of interest to those of us that strive to keep everything even and “just-so.” T-shirt remakes have taught me that T-shirts are not symmetrical.
The distance from the “V” to the shoulder seam on the right side was more than an inch longer than the left side. The design on the right has ten “legs.” The left side only nine.
A fun top to make. The embellishments only required about an hour.
When the weather improves… it will be a fun top to wear!
The Destashification Project 