baby blessing

so i really have meant to post something before now... but it's been a crazy few weeks! thank heavens, i did finish the dress on time, and it turned out even more beautiful than i could have imagined.

row after row of pintucks, swiss embroidery, entredeux...

the blessing was beautiful, and we were thrilled to have so many friends and family come. after about 2 days of baking, weeks of sewing, hours of travel - you'd think the thing would last a little longer!

the spread - and all our wonderful family and friends!

with grandma whetten

love my daddy


with grandma johnson later that night - and i giggled for the first time!

my first foray into heirloom sewing

i love making beautiful things, especially when i get to put them on my baby. this is a photo of a dress i'm *trying* to copy, in a book by martha pullen. i'll be simplifying it and adding my own flare in places, mostly because the swiss embroidery edgings and insertions are so ridiculously expensive i couldn't purchase enough... so no "v" in the skirt, and a more simplified bodice, but otherwise pretty close.

it'll be in ivory imperial batiste, which i think will be so beautfiul! (unfortunately i learned too late that since imperial batiste is a blend, it won't hold pintucks as well... if you plan to do something like this, buy 100% cotton!)


the swiss embroidery insertions and edgings i bought, which cost $XXX.xxx ca*h he& roych (sorry, that's me choking, lost control of the keyboard for a moment).

stay tuned, i plan to post my exciting progress and the final product...

more glamorous sewing - burp cloths galore...

well, i think i might set the world record for most time spent sewing for the sole purpose of avoiding boredom. case in point: burp cloths! since they're used for the oh-so-glamorous job of sopping up baby projectile fluids, they're obviously the most important thing to spend hours making by hand.



but, despite my overzealous efforts, i think they turned out pretty darn cute. i made up my own pattern (combined what i liked about several others - the curvy shape, but larger-than-normal size), and sewed a grand total of 12. yes, 12. i already admitted to being overzealous, and i figure if i don't end up needing that many i can give some away as baby shower gifts. (if you want a pattern, feel free to let me know...i sure love this particular shape.)


i decided against the traditional crocheted edging (not exactly my specialty), and used the beautiful decorative embroidery stitches on my bernina instead. zig-zag or satin stitching would probably work just as well, and it's easier than doing it by hand. i think the contrasting thread adds a nice touch.


so, another xx hours wasted? can i have my baby now?

baby quilts!

so, in an effort to keep myself busy this summer while waiting for the bun to bake, i decided to get a little crazy with the sewing... i grew up with an amazing seamstress and have sewn all my life, but this was my first foray into the quilting world. i made a quilt for maddie and her cousin chris jr., who was just born sunday night (wahoo and congrats to becky...can it be my turn now please? :) these babies have no idea how lucky they are!

apparently, these take a bit more work than one might think, but i totally love them. had the hardest time parting with chris's quilt, but at least i have maddie's to console me (until she's born and i have nothing but a baby...wait...)