Daisy Sews

Thanksgiving

2011-11-21T22:43:00.000-05:00

I know it has been a long time since I last posted but life has been busy. We celebrated my husband's 40th reunion at the Naval Academy, getting to see our grandkids at the same time. Followed by moving Sallie into her NYC apartment. Quite an adventure! And lastly flying to Texas to see our newlyweds, Jeff and Pan, in their new home and Danny's family in Austin. It was a great visit until I got deathly ill. I returned home to go to bed for 4 days. So that brings us to now...3 days before Thanksgiving. So much sewing to be done...but first I had to reorganize my sewing room (that has been accomplished). And now to plan out the rest of my sewing projects for the holidays. Here is the sweatshirt I designed for my Mother. I had fun putting this together. It includes her children, grands and greats. Quite a legacy! I love you, MOM! You are the Best!!
Here are some other items made in the last few months.This is a vinyl bag that folds up which I made for my daughter. Easy to tote around in your purse.

These are three bibs I made for Danny to wear during the Fall holidays. Cute!

Lastly this is a Christmas fun dress I made for son Danny's friend's little girl. (Dress on right). Below I made a variation for my Clara.

I hope this week is a time to reflect on all we have to be thankful for. I am thankful for the love of my family and mostly the enduring love of my wonderful husband. Thanks for always being there for me. Happy Thanksgiving to All!! Daisy

Baby shower gifts

2011-08-14T13:28:00.000-04:00

Wow where has the summer gone! School is almost upon us. I arrived home from Maine to find an invite to a baby shower two days later. I decided to make one of my Martha Pullen "Sewing for Baby" projects. Since this was for a little girl due in a few weeks I chose the rose trellis top and panties. I also made a knit gown in pink. First I will talk about the rose trellis dress.

The rose trellis day suit.

This dress has six rows of tucks on each side of the center and then lace with a rose trellis embroidered on top of it. The lace and trellis also are on the sleeves. The top is bordered with delicate lace on the hem of the skirt and the legs of the bloomers. Ivory buttons give a nice finishing touch to the back of the top. Notice the pink trim on the sleeve and neckline...this is pink batiste that I used to create a pink scalloped piping. This outfit turned out better than I expected it would. It was not one of my favorites when I was at the MP School. but it came together so nicely and has a distinct heirloom appeal. Truly a lovely outfit! I liked it so much I woke up early today to make the same dress but this time as a christening gown. It took me 24 hours to make the original outfit. (Yes, I did sleep.)

Pink Knit Gown

This next item is a pink knit gown. I used MP knit fabric which is the softest knit you can find. I embroidered the giraffe and added the sweet trim to the hem and sleeves. Perfect for a new infant...comfy and sweet!

I managed to finish both of these in time for the party. Little Fiona will look lovely in these! Congrats to Roger and Janel!

Now on to finishing some gifts I have started and are way overdue. I must say I love doing projects which are all inclusive. I don't have to search for trims and buttons and such. I am cleaning out my cabinets so I can find things easier. Trying to bag up my little odds and ends. Maybe someday I will be organized.

Oh well....Happy sewing! Daisy

Sewing in Maine

2011-07-30T11:10:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone from Thomas Pond in Maine- This is our yearly excursion to regain our perspective on everyday events. It takes a week to relax and a week to enjoy. We are staying 3 weeks...a real treat. As I headed out the door I knew I wanted to make my granddaughter a new dress for the start of school. I knew we had a sewing machine here but being unsure of what other things I had I decided to buy a Sew Beautiful kit of the month. I am sew glad I did. I worked all week to finish the dress and it turned out lovely. Not having all the luxuries of home (I have a well supplied sewing room at home) I had to improvise quite a lot. I did not have a piping foot so substituted a zipper foot. with no double needles I had to sew two straight rows very carefully. But I am very proud of having a lovely finished dress. Be sure to notice the Fifi and Fido embroidery. I highly recommend the kits from Sew Beautiful. More later...have to get ready for the grandkids arriving tonight. Happy sewing...Daisy

Pictures

2011-06-15T23:33:00.000-04:00

This is Connie Palmer's Birthday Dress. Knowing my Ginger I figured this would be well received if Tinkerbell were present. Ginger loves Tinkerbell! I believe she will want to wear the slip with the overlay and skip the dress since she is in Texas where it gets quite hot. We shall see.

Here you see Martha Pullen with me at Sewing for Baby Licensing.

This is a onesie done with the overskirt. There is a ruffle on the underpanties.

This is a sunhat. My first finished project at SFB licensing.

I finished the safari jacket and blanket when I got home in April. It is reversible, made of the softest knit with a giraffe on one side and a lion on the other. One of my favorites.

This was a darling boy's hat with matching bib and booties. Most of it is done in the hoop.

This stocking designed by Peggy Dilbone uses piecing, decorative stitches, puffing with a curve, and smocking in the hoop. I made this for Maren Rose, my daughter's good friend's new daughter.

Another favorite was this bunting. I love the colors!

This was a fun album to make. I will post the photo of my album when I get home. This is the one from the class.
Sorry I have been so slow to post pix but I have been traveling a lot. July should find me home and ready to sew.
Happy Sewing! Daisy

Sewing for Babies

2011-04-01T08:34:00.000-04:00

What a wonderful week this has been! Sewing from 830am to 530pm every day. We ate lunch and rushed back to our machines so we could complete our projects. We received 50 projects and while we did not finish everything, I intend to go home and finish the rest. The instruction was great. While I knew how to do most of the things I still went to the demos. It never hurts to have reminders.
The food was delicious and the Holiday Inn did a wonderful job of taking care of us. My room was right around the corner from the sewing room...great positioning!
In the evening there were lectures, trip to Martha's warehouse, special dinner at Martha's home, and, of course, sewing.
Wonderful friends were made! It was fun hearing others dreams, ideas, successes and failures...all to learn from. Now I head to DC to visit my Mom, watch Eleanor as a mushroom in Snow White, play with William and Clara, and then head to Texas the next week. Sewing whenever I can! DaisySews

Pictures will be coming.

Pictures

2011-03-03T08:01:00.000-05:00

Today I am adding the much promised pictures. These pictures include the Christmas quilt made with my Go! cutter. I used 2.5 in. strips and Christmas appliques to make this rendition of Eleanor Burns Christmas quilt. This is for my daughter Sallie who loves Christmas.
I also added the embroidered jacket and dress made for Clara. I can't wait to make my next jacket. It is fun to have them come to life. Now to see her in it. (I made one in blue for Ginger last Fall.)

Today I am getting ready to go to Columbia to visit my friend Sally. We will be doing a Farmhouse Fabrics class this weekend with Connie Palmer. A great way to spend time with friends! DaisySews

Smocking and Pleating

2011-02-24T14:37:00.000-05:00

This week has been dedicated to smocking Clara's Dress and Top for her Easter Ensemble. It is a Gail Doane design. I have already finished the jacket. To pleat this fine fabric I used a special dowel from Farmhouse Fabrics. It has a magnet that holds the fabric taught when rolling it out. I used to have a friend help me so it is nice that I can do it on my own. I pleated 4pieces on Tuesday night and smocked them last night. Now they are ready to be sewn together. I must interject here that I forgot how much I love to smock. It is very peaceful to sit and watch your design appear before your eyes. My Sallie had around 30 Polly Flinder's dresses in the 1980's but at that time I didn't know how to smock. I am making up for lost time by smocking for my little ones now.
DaisySews

Valentine's - A Day Late

2011-02-16T22:21:00.000-05:00

Today I am going to lunch with my dear neighbor Doris. As a treat I had wanted to make her a dish towel for Valentine's Day but time got away from me as usual. I was determined to finish my gift even if it was a day late. Now there are folks out there that think embroidery is easy. Yes you just set it up and change the threads. They don't realize that placement takes practice, stabilizers take knowledge, and, mostly, embroidery takes time. It took me all evening to embroider this darling towel. It has a squirrel appliqued on it holding a heart inscribed with "Nuts About You".. I need to go back and get some more supplies to make these ahead for next year...so cute!

I am working on my PHD (Projects Half Done). I also finished a shirt for William (6). He loves airplanes and spends much spare time at the "airplane park" near BWI where he climbs as high as he can to watch the airplanes take off and land. So I found a design online that resembles a commercial airline and embroidered it on a piece of corduroy that I then attached to a knit shirt. It looks super! William is a bit tempermental about what he will wear so I have my fingers crossed that he will approve of this.

Till tomorrow...DaisySews

Barbara Moore Class

2011-02-14T07:45:00.001-05:00

It has been an exciting last couple of days. I attended a Barbara Moore lecture/trunk show/hands-on class. The first day was really interesting learning about all the feet available for our machines and seeing them put to use. I can't wait to try out free motion sewing on my machine. It has always seemed scary but now I am brave! Barbara had lovely samples of her work... Beautiful jackets using multiple threads, girls' dresses with lots of lace, and home decor using other techniques which I am anxious to try.
Yesterday was the hands-on session. We were all making the heirloom dress. Mine would be for Eleanor. We got a good jump on it. The first part of the day was spent doing pintucks in the round, an interesting way to do them so they are continuous. Afterwards we cut the bodice and back out. Then came the lace tape. This has been around for awhile but is having a resurgence. To end the day we made a madeira skirt band for the bottom of the skirt. When I get it all together I will post the picture.

** It is now Monday morning. Yesterday I did try some different techniques. I am finishing my daughter Sallie's Christmas quilt. I needed to tack down some appliques on it but was dreading doing the ones with intricate turns because the quilt is bulky. Well, I decided to do the free motion on this and it worked great. I am almost done the top and ready to send it to the quilter. A good finish to the weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day to All!! Daisy

Quilt Guild

2011-02-11T07:55:00.000-05:00

If you ever wanted to have a good time, find a Quilt Guild in your area. This is the friendliest group of men and women (yes there are a number of men). I attended my first meeting last July and realized I needed to start quilting so I could join in with this group. I took my Bug Quilt last night for Show and Tell. I was very proud of my first quilt.
We had a guest speaker, Flavin Glover. If she ever comes to your town be sure to take her classes and go to her seminars. She loves what she does and is a vivacious speaker. She had an amazing number of quilts with her and she told us about each one. She uses log cabin quilts and creates scenes and wonderful geometric designs. Check out her website, www.flavinglover.com.
I will write more tonight but today I have to head out to a trunk show/seminar with Barbara Moore. Tomorrow is a hands-on class. She is an heirloom sewer. We will be making a beautiful linen dress with optional embroidery. So often the sizes are for little girls so when I saw they had a size 10, I opted for a dress for Eleanor. It will be perfect for Easter. Off I go...

Ginger's Bug Quilt

2011-02-09T16:29:00.000-05:00

January was spent taking an online quilt course with Jenny Doane. She is with the Missouri Star Quilt Company. It was fun to take a course at my leisure. I decided to make a crazy nine patch quilt. You take nine 5"x5" pieces of fabric and sew them together with three across and three down forming a block of nine charms. Then you press them and cut the now big block in half horizontally and then vertically. You will now have four cool blocks. I then laid them out on my living room floor so that no seams matched. Laying them on the floor made me work fast because I knew my family would revolt if they were there for long. Hence I finished the layout in a day and decided this quilt would be for Ginger, my 2.5 yr old granddaughter in Texas. After much thought I decided I needed to add something to give it a child's charm. I took random blocks and replaced them with embroidered designs of bugs...it quickly became the bug quilt. Now it was perfect!
After sewing the top together, it came time to send it to the longarm quilter. I have some friends up the street who do longarm quilting so I headed to their place to see what I needed to do. I pieced the back together taking 9 fat quarters and doing with them what I had done with the small charms. Now we have a reversible quilt.

Here are some pictures of The Bug Quilt. 3rd down is the back of the quilt.

I decided to do a design of dragonflies for the overall quilting. It turned out beautifully! Then I did the border band attaching it by hand. Today I need to finish the label and then it is ready to send off.
Hopefully it will keep my dear little Ginger warm through the years and she will think of me when she cuddles up in it. Oh the joy of quilting!

A New Year 2011!

2011-02-08T22:38:00.000-05:00

(Pictures above include Eleanor dancing with Uncle Bob, Eleanor with Daisy and Pops wearing the flowergirl dress designed by Daisy, the summer top for daughter Sallie, Baby Danny's quilt followed by a close up of the block with his info, and beautiful Clara in her christening gown.)

Sorry I took a break from my blog. I am back in full force. I did a lot of sewing this last fall getting ready for Christmas. I took a great Gail Doane class on fine embroidery. I was surprised how much I liked the hand sewing. it is very peaceful to sit and sew. I finished the original out fit for Ginger. Hopefully she will wear it for Easter. I am now working on one with Pink details for Clara. The jacket is almost finished. So Cute!! A picture of that will follow shortly.

I have started quilting in earnest. I took an online quilt course with Jenny Doane and had to try out some of her ideas. Hence I finished my first single bed-sized quilt for Ginger. It is a crazy nine patch. Very easy to make except I substituted embroidered blocks here and there with bugs...hence the name...the Bug Quilt. I still have to make a label before I take it to Quilt Guild this Thursday for show and tell. I have signed up for an Eleanor Burns class in Columbia, SC in the Fall...how exciting!

My big news is that at the end of March I will be headed to Alabama for the "Sewing for Baby" Licensing with Martha Pullen. I have always wanted to go to one of her schools. I hear they are a blast. I will tell you how it goes.

More pictures will be coming as I have been very busy sewing.
Just wanted to get back on track in the new year. Follow along as I continue with family stories and sewing tales. Till tomorrow...Daisy Sews

History of the Maine Cabin

2010-08-04T20:21:00.000-04:00

Back in 1965 when I was 14 years old, my brothers were finishing summer break from college when Mom came in and announced we were going on vacation THAT DAY and we had to decide where we were going...Minnesota ( where my Dad was from) or Maine (because she had vacationed there as a child and wanted to see if she could find Lily Pond where her family had caught the biggest fish ever). We quickly decided on Maine...a new adventure for all. Now you must also know that we never took vacations because we were a military family and our vacations were usually spent traveling across country to new duty stations. This was our first...so we jumped in the car...Mom, Dad, Wick, Frank, Dave, myself and of course Scampy, our beloved fox terrier. We drove all day and finally hit Portland. We turned inland to find the perfect lake. As we drove down Rt 302 I could not figure out why we passed so many cute little hotels but we finally settled on a little hotel by a stream. The owner told us to check out some rentals but most were already taken. There was a three day opening at a little cabin by Thomas pond but it was not available for another 3 days so we headed North to find Lily Pond. We ended up at Moosehead Lake. Being farther north it was much colder, which meant the water was freezing...no fun to swim there. We unanimously decided to go back where we had been earlier and forgo the northern adventure. But during the two days we were there we did search for Lily Pond. It was nowhere to be found...the elusive pond. Everafter if someplace or thing could not be found we would refer to it as a "Lily Pond".
We returned to Thomas Pond where we finished our vacation. Now here I must say that we had no phone or television. We did have a radio, deck of cards, and lots of books. It was fun to get away from all civilization for two weeks of the year.
We returned to Thomas Pond every year. In 1971 my husband and I honeymooned in Maine...a gift from my Mom and Dad. The following year my parents bought the little red cabin so that all of their children could have a place to vacation each year and take their pets (so often rentals don't allow pets). It became our vacation spot. In the midst of all our moves the cabin became a place of stability for our children. When my oldest son got married he told his wife-to-be...we can honeymoon in Maine and I will get you a super nice diamond ring or we can do a fancier honeymoon and get a lesser ring. She responded "let's go to Maine". And now they continue the Maine experience with their 3 children.
In 2000 the cabin was updated to a real house with a dishwasher, wash machine and dryer. Yes we do have a TV(3) and a phone. We no longer wash our hair in the lake or get our water from a spring but it is the place we dream all year of going. We wouldn't miss it.
I write this in memory of my Dad who loved our cabin and loved being together with his family. I look at the Lake and I see you smiling. I love you forever. All my Love, Sallie

Vacation in Maine

2010-08-02T11:48:00.000-04:00

Here we are in much cooler Maine. It is 70s and below. The lake water is crisp and refreshing. Bill and Jimmy are fishing to put dinner on the table. And yes I am sewing. Mom bought a Brother embroidery machine for the cabin so there are no excuses. I have discovered a new world of sewing...quilting. I know I am a little slow to find this new venue but I always thought it might be something I like with my love of math. At home I just finished my first quilt top...an heirloom quilt. Up here I am working on a Barn quilt by Eleanor Burns. It is so much fun to piece together. I made the big barn yesterday. I have to go to the store to buy some backing to applique a windmill. Here is picture of my big red barn.

And yes I continue to sew for the kiddies, too. I made William his jammie pants which fit perfectly...need to finish the tops before he gets here this weekend. Always something to sew...never a dull minute!!

New Windows

2010-07-21T18:53:00.000-04:00

Today we got 16 new windows in our house. They were much needed and look great! But this meant that we had to pull everything from around our windows...hence my sewing room was completely rearranged, even the garage was cleaned out, as well as the kitchen. I guess this is our way of spring cleaning.

The minute the guys were done with the windows I quickly put my sewing room back in place. Tomorrow I am taking a class and I need to cut out my pattern tonight. I love it when a pattern comes with individual sizes and I don't have to trace and cut out the pattern before I cut the material.

I did go out and mow the lawn with my refurbished lawn mower. I love to mow. I now feel like I have accomplished something while sweating off some pounds. Don't all fitness conscious people want to be outside smelling the fresh smell of new cut grass!

Amelia (6), my dear friend Jane's granddaughter, came to visit me yesterday and we swam for about two hours. We had a great time! Well today my back is a bit tender from a sunburn...that tingly feel, almost a fresh sensation. ( I met Jane back in 1974 when my oldest was 6 mos. old and her oldest was 18 mos. We remained friends through the years and now we both live in Charleston. We only wish we saw more of each other but lunch once a month is always a treat with phone calls thrown in.)

One week from today we head to Maine...I can hardly wait. I just wish all my kids could be there. Maybe next year!

Later July 19th

2010-07-19T19:54:00.000-04:00

I did it!! I finished a couple jammie bottoms for Wm and also completed a shirt outfit for Eleanor (top and shorts). I know many will find this hard to believe but Eleanor informed me on her last visit that she does wear pants now and her wardrobe also extends to colors besides pink. Now she did say her favorite colors are blue and orange now. (Aunt Sallie informed me that is because Eleanor's Dad has brainwashed her since those are UVA's colors.) I am just glad to be using other colors now...I am liberated!!

July 19

2010-07-19T10:25:00.000-04:00

Here we are this Monday morning. I have decided to cut back on our energy bill by turning down the airconditioning today in most of our rooms. I am sure the guys will complain when they come home but maybe our electric bill will come down. Of course since I am at that "special" age with hot flashes every other minute I will probably be the one to suffer...go figure!
We are headed to Maine next Wed. so time is fleeting. I am supposed to be getting new windows anyday now and next week...a new kitchen. Lots going on but right now we are just in that waiting game. We will probably go to Maine and come home to a new kitchen...sounds nice.
I am trying to decide which things I am taking with me to sew up and complete. I am getting psyched to start quilting. I went to a quilt guild meeting and now have been bitten by the quilt bug.
Today I will finish Wm's jammies and a shirt for Eleanor. I have a dress I have to make for Ginger and a dress for Clara for the wedding. Lots to do and "sew" little time. I will report in at the end of the day to tell you if I accomplished what I set out to do today. Love to all, Daisy

July 7, 2010

2010-07-07T21:29:00.000-04:00

Today was a sewing day. I decided to finish an heirloom quilt I started a year ago. I thought I had made 8 of 12 blocks but I had only made six. So today I did two more blocks. Both of these used lace shaping which is always fun. First there was a diamond shape and then a heart shape. Behind the shapes you add an extra piece of material with tucks on one and double needle pintucks on the other. I am now down to four squares. I am on a roll. I need to put an initial in the middle of the quilt...I guess it will be an "N" for Nold. Or perhaps I should put a design that is not committal. This a solid white quilt with cream accents. It is my first quilt ever.

It was also a Costco day. They have the best meats and fruits. We came home with berries of all sorts and lots of things for some interesting meals. Yes, I do cook! And Eleanor is making me cook healthy. Tonight we had chicken and broccoli. Yum!!

Bill (my husband), Jimmy (my youngest), and I are watching our favorite movie..."What about Bob!".

Goodnight all!!

June 2010

2010-07-06T22:46:00.000-04:00

June was quite a month! We kept my son's 3 children while he and his wife took a cruise out of Charleston. The kids are 7,5, and 8 mos. We were worried about the pool but the kids were great. They went swimming at least twice a day and became very good at jumping off the diving board. Going from the pool to the hot tub was also fun but it was so hot we only did that once. Even the baby went in the pool and didn't even flinch when she was splashed with water.
My sewing was put on hold for their week. But before they arrived I had made Eleanor,7, a flowergirl's dress for my nephew's upcoming wedding. Everyone who saw it thought it looked too long but it fit her perfectly when she put it on. I was thrilled. I made it out of silk dupioni in white with three tucks on either side of the center front bodice. Down the center I embroidered one of Martha Pullen's IEC embroideries from her christening collection. The bottom has three tucks. I still need to hem it and put on the buttonholes. I am a little nervous about doing the buttonholes for fear of ruining the dress with the last step. I shall be brave and get it done tomorrow. I bought a watermelon bow to go around the waist from David's Wedding shop. It is the bride's color choice for the bridesmaids. Eleanor is so excited to be included in this event. This is her second time being a bridesmaid. Her first was in 2008 at Danny and Susan's wedding. She was only 3 at the time and did a great job. She is 7 now but says she will be so glad to turn 8! Oh to be young again!!

Getting started

2010-04-20T21:06:00.000-04:00

I am Daisy and I sew for my grandkids. I am the mother to 4 sons and 1 daughter who continue to bring me so much joy. But while I sewed for my daughter when she was young, I didn't really get involved in heirloom sewing until Eleanor (my 1 st grandchild) came along in 2003. Up until then I had used a 1972 Elna but in 2004 my sewing world blossomed with a Brother sewing machine that did embroidery.

***That 2004 Oct. my Mother called to say she had gone to The Sewing Expo in Chantilly, VA. She had been a caretaker for her own Mother and after she passed my Mother became a full time nurse to my Father. She never went to dinner or movies or even thought of doing for herself. So when she said she had splurged on a new sewing machine for herself, I was ecstatic. Her guilt at having spent so much money was too much to bear so the next day she called me and announced she felt better about her purchase because today she had bought me a Brother sewing machine as well. Now it was something we could share. (That Christmas she also bought one for my daughter.)***

And so the journey began...