THE Christening Gown

The christening gown was made for Theodore's baptism in 2008. Unfortunately I happened across a beautiful pattern for a Victorian gown put out by Vogue which I fell in love with. I said "unfortunately"  because I'm not an especially good dressmaker and don't really enjoy making clothes. My oldest grandson Felix had worn the family christening gown which had been sent out from England especially for him in 2005. It was a beautiful thing (see below) made by his great great grandmother in 1911. It was very sad that it was just too fragile for Theo or Jarvis to wear. I repaired holes and lined the bodice but the cotton voile was literally falling to pieces. That was when I decided to make the Vogue gown.

The top two piccys are of the gown made in 1911. The last picture is the one I made for Theo and Jarvis. I was so lucky to have friends who had skills to help me: Lucy did the delicate little grub roses on the smocking and the collar. Marie did the beautiful smocking. Noela did the buttonholes, leveled the hem and sewed the hem. The rest I did. So there are lovely memories of Bathurst friends who contributed towards it. Both Theo and Jarvis's names and the dates of their baptisms are embroidered on the inside hems of the petticoat. I think the beautiful collar absolutely makes the gown into something special. I didn't have time to crochet the lace myself but it's all cotton. The gown is a soft creamy silk which feels beautiful.

Another Baby Quilt

Yes I do realise I haven't posted much lately. It's mainly because I have been so busy helping out with the family since baby Jarvis was born. My days are taken up with pick ups and dropoffs for the older kids. School, footy practice, music lessons etc -  all have to be dealt with. In addition I've been doing a lot of cooking. My flat is a mess and I've done very little sewing. BUT (never start a sentence with "But") I have managed to finish a quilt for a baby girl.

This quilt has been done with vintage fabrics given to me. They used to belong to an old lady who "dressed dolls" in the 50s and 60s so the prints are mostly very small ones. They make a charming baby quilt don't you think? It's been done once again in my favourite post and rail block, mainly because I thought the size of the strips (2 1/2 " X 6 1/2 ") suited the sizes of the small prints.

What do you think? My usual inclination is to choose bright clear colours for children's quilts. It was a challenge for me to use pale colours. These are much more muted and subtle but I still like them very much.

All made from Found Materials

This small wallhanging was created at a Sue Spargo workshop. Bundles of discarded materials including buttons and beads and all manner of other things were used around a basic vase design. It was amazing to see the way each person made something quite different from her companions. Of course it wasn't all finished at the workshop! It was so much fun to do that it did not end up as a UFO and was finished very quickly.

Yellow Baby Quilt for David's babe

My eye specialist is a delightful man named David. He is about to become the father of a little baby girl. He has no idea what is about to happen to his life. I've made his little girl this quilt in yellows. The fabrics are reproduction thirties fabrics which I love for baby quilts.

Harlequin baby quilt

Here is my new grandson's baby quilt. I called it "Harlequin". I had a good deal of trouble with the points on this quilt and think I need a tutorial in triangle quilts. My sewing could have been a lot better. I'm happy with the colour combinations though and the striped binding looks great. It's a favourite way to do binding for me.

Raindrop Cushions

I have a bit of a thing for sky business at the moment, so I've been putting clouds and rain on baby's singlets and making these raindrop cushions. I got the idea from somewhere on Pinterest. Lightly stuffed they can be cushions or toys. Sweet aren't they?

Baby Singlets

For each of my grandsons (and other people's too!) I have made a set of decorated singlets of various sizes. Here are some that I made for my latest beautiful grandson.

Naive Pussycat

I made Sooz this soft cat for her birthday back in February. She was saying how she loved this designer cat online but couldn't afford it. I had fun doing this and figuring out the spots etc. The base fabric is a soft yellow pinwale cord.

In his Indigo Suit

Back when I made it, I posted a photo of the indigo suit I had made for my new grandson (Nov 4, 2012). It was his outfit especially for coming home from hospital and here he is in it, dead asleep being transported home.

Easter Bunny

For her last baby, Suzi has some really exquisite clothes. I thought this onesie was so sweet and thought it would be great for Easter with an accompanying bunny. Handmade soft toys are so fresh and interesting at present and are both charming and easy to make. I can remember making really difficult and complicated ones in the past. I stuffed the bunny very softly and used a minimum of detail.

My Beautiful Grandson

Here is my beautiful new grandson, born on March 12. These photos are a selection of the ones I liked best. I made the crocheted shawl when his older brother was born. I also made the cap in the last photo from a pattern on Pinterest.

Blaize's Quilt

Every now and then I feel the need to do a scrap quilt. They have always been my favourites. This is the latest for a young friend of mine aged 15. Blaize had a nasty accident a month or so ago and broke his jaw. Hence his quilt is called "JAWS". It's a classic easy, fast and effective post and rail quilt. Each block has something red and something black in it. The rest is variable. I had to avoid florals of course so there are a lot of spots and stripes and geometrics in this one. I decided that a border was too conventional and a bit Nana-ish and simply added extra blocks to size it up for a lap quilt.  It measures 63" X 63" and so is  big enough to use on his bed.

Birthday Present for my Oldest Grandson

It's my oldest grandson's 8th birthday tomorrow (Valentine's Day) and I've made him a "Reading Cushion". Suzi found a tutorial for a cushion cover with a book pocket in it and thought it was a great gift idea. I have adapted it considerably but the basic design is the same as the original. It's a great idea for a child  who is hooked on reading. In the original pattern the pocket is on the front of the cushion but Sooz wanted a big initial on the front so I had to find a way of managing the back opening along with the pocket on the back. The cover is made from delectable grey linen with  black for contrast. The letter was big enough for me to machine applique on and I  stuck the black lettering on with Vliesofix. I put 4 black buttonholes and black buttons on the back opening. Needless to say the only cushion insert I had was too big so it's bulging a little but it's OK. THEN I realised I had forgotten  to put the handle on, hence the strip of fabric with two buttonholes which buttons the handle onto the back opening. Works a treat. Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Japanese Style Runner

Ages ago my very talented sister-in-law, Helen (commonly known as Sis), gave me some machine made blocks which looked like sashiko. I liked them so much I thought I'd gussy them up in a table runner. This is the result. I love the dragonfly fabric with its pretty colours but didn't have quite enough for the four corner blocks. I did manage to find another dragonfly fabric though and used it in the small corner blocks.