Baby Shoes (Sewing)

I made these girly baby shoes to go with the hat I made earlier.  They have soft minky linings inside to keep some little toes warm!  Sew sweet!  :)

Have a blessed Lord's day tomorrow!

"Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable."

Psalm 145:3



Baby Hat (Sewing)

I have been wanting to make this for some time...I finally got around to it!  Knit fabric can be a little tricky, but after a few trials and errors it turned out just fine.  Since we don't have any baby girls in the family (though, Lord willing, I will have some little brothers in the future) I used one of my favorite childhood dolls, "Big Baby," as a model.  :)  This baby hat was made to fit 0-3 months. 



Leah's Skirt

As you can see, I have been on a sewing kick!  Here is a skirt I made for Leah.  She has been asking for one all summer, but we couldn't find a style we liked.  We decided on just a basic gathered skirt, with a few minor adjustments so it wouldn't been too blousy.  I think she was pleased with the final product!

Front View

Back

My pretty sissy!

Leah was a good sport...

she put up with all my requests!  :)

Lovely evening

Levi didn't want to be left out...I love his blue eyes!  :)

Hope you have a blessed week!  We're half-way through August!  Can you believe it?  I am looking forward to Autumn leaves, pumpkin pies, a nip in the air, and the joy of anticipating the holidays!  Ah!  :)

Dress Pictures

Here are some pictures of my dress...I hope you enjoy!

Side note descriptions:

This dress is adorned with little gathers and while being fitted in the waist, it has poufy sleeves.  The back is graced with six navy buttons. The fabric is "Dogwood Bloom in Pond" in the Modern Meadow collection by Joel Dewberry.

I am thrilled to have this done and am so pleased with my first dress!

 

Perseverance

Hip-hip, hurrah!  Yippee!  (Cart-wheel...well, not really...)  :)

You might be wondering what all this jubilation is about...but before I can tell you...

...one more, "Whoopee!"

I have finished my dress! 

Ok, I know it's probably a let-down for you, but I have been working so hard on this!

 It all started...

4/05/11-

"Anyway, I am working on making a dress...my first one at that! I have made children's clothes, women's skirts, and nick-nacks, but have never attempted a dress! It is an interesting experience. (Just to get things straight, there may or may not be "after" pictures!!! We are just going to have to wait and see. As of now, things are going fairly well.) :)

I chose an angle that you couldn't see all the details...I have to keep some surprises...right?"

4-27-11-

"In a previous post, I told you I was making a dress. It turned out so pretty...except, the back. Something about the pattern made the back very, very blousy. Have you ever tried on a dress and at the bottom where the zipper ends, there is this big poof? (I have.) Well, that's how mine looked. I altered and altered it, but it still wouldn't look the way I wanted. Needless to say, I was disappointed...but you never know until you try!"

For months, I have had this dress in my drawer...put away so I could get over the disappointment.  :)  A couple of days ago, I got it out and decided I was going to finish this.  After taking the zipper out, I decided to try buttons, for a smoother finish.  I was still having trouble with the pouf and the blousiness.  I thought it was going to have to go into the drawer for a while longer!

But tonight, (oh, wonderful night it is) I got it to work!  I had to take the skirt off the bodice, resew the back seam, make two darts, and totally fit the dress to me!  It was laborious, but I am so thrilled with the finished product!

I just praise the Lord for giving me the ability to sew and for my dear Momma who told me to keep pressing on and persevering (even when I wanted to give up)!

Thanks for listening to my little victory story...I hope I didn't bore you!

Many blessings!

Taylor

^"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

Galatians 6:9

(Sorry, no pictures tonight, but there will be! Don't worry! :) )

New Dress!

I love making dresses...especially little girl dresses!  They are so sweet!  My latest sewing project has been a prairie inspired dress with pinafore.  It turned out great...but it needed something a little extra special.  My cousin, Clara, was that "special" touch!  She graciously modeled my creation (which was a bit too small...she is growing so fast)!  Isn't she beautiful?  :)

Thanks to Clara (and Andrew) for their help in the photo shoot!  I love you both (as Andrew says, "to the moon and back!")  :)



Summer Doings

It is definitely summer...hot, hot, hot!  (And did I mention that it was hot?)  :)  This is the time of year that I am so thankful for good ol' air condition!  It is, indeed, a blessing!

Well, on to our "summer doings"...

We have been canning away the weeks of July.  Here is the inventory of our canning shelf in the basement...

122 qts. of green beans
14 pts. of blackberry jam
7 qts. of tomato juice
7 pts. of salsa

The tomatoes are just starting to come in full-force, so we hope to have more for juicing and canning!

The tomatoes went from this...

...to this...

...to, finally, this!

I have sewn several things this month, including a "gathering" apron.  This apron is used for gathering veggies in the garden and can also be a normal apron.  I saw one at our local "open air market" and wanted to make one!  Only one draw-back...my Momma said I couldn't use this one (it was "too pretty").  I am going to have to make an ugly one, so that when it gets dirty, it won't matter!  :)

The "normal" apron

All tied up!

Lots of room for veggies!

My sister, Leah, also made an apron.  I am teaching her to sew...she made this all by herself!  (Makes her big sissy proud!)  :)

Speaking of Leah, we are preparing to celebrate her 13th birthday on Monday!  We have invited all the family and we are going to honor her as she becomes a young adult!  It is a special time as Daddy, the grandfathers, and uncles share about what the Lord has meant to them!  The grandmothers and aunts will give Leah a special "keepsake" item for her hopechest.  They, along with the cousins, will give her a "keepsake" letter.  Momma will share about being a godly lady and I will assists in the hymns!  This is not your usual birthday "party"!  It is a special, memorable time...celebrating Leah's Bat Mitzvah*!

*Even though we are not Jewish, we celebrate the transition from childhood to adulthood.  We believe at the age of thirteen a child becomes a young adult...based on the Bible!  More is expected of them and the bar is raised.  Speaking from personal experience, it is a blessing to have that "bar" set high and be expected to act like an adult!

So with that said, "Happy early birthday, Leah!"  I love you so much!  You're the best, ever!

Thanks for listening to (oops...reading :) ) my ramblings!

Many blessings!

Taylor