Smocking... and Yes, I do Sew!

I have reloaded some photos, removed some that would not load from the hosting site they were stored on and rewrote the S&T just a tad... But it is still all about smocking!

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I hope everyone is having a great day today and looking forward to a wonderful weekend! The Lord is good to us. We are blessed in this house.

I am participating in Kelli's of There's No Place Like Home Friday Show and Tell. {Click on this link to read more about it.}

I was going to be lazy and show the handbag/purse I posted yesterday as my show and tell. But, Kitty commented in a very sweet post about my bag and requested to see some of my smocking. I did quickly find a few photos before the bus ran (and made/packed lunch while photos loaded!) I hope that you enjoy them!
DD Wearing Picture Smocking Designed by Laura Jenkins Thompson. The design is Laura's Scotties and she is posing with none other than Laura herself! I just love Laura! To learn more about Laura, click here.

Another picture smocking plate by Laura. Carousel I think, but I cannot remember without looking it up.

The collar on this dress is also an Ellen McCarn design. (The dress is also an Ellen McCarn Pattern.) The dress fabric is silk doupioni. The bodice of the dress is textured with 'backsmocking'. Our oldest male budgie, Tweety, is perched on DD's hand. He was young then and thought DD existed only for for his pleasure and entertainment. He adored her and loved me. He has a wife now. He still likes her, he still loves me. I am "Mommy"! He is and will forever be attached to my apron strings. Zoey is so jealous of him. ;-P

This is a sweet little preemie/burial gown set. I included my hand so that you can see how tiny it is. (I have very tiny hands, 4 -1/4 ring size...) It would fit a 1-2 lb baby. I think it was donated to an Atlanta or Nashville hospital at on one of the SAGA (Smocking Arts Guild of America) National Conventions.
This plate is picture smocking on a Mary Dee Dress pattern by Childern's Corner. (Laura's Scotties and Carousel Horses are also CC-Mary Dee's.) The plate is "I Love My Country" and I cannot remember who the designer is. But many many of my friends have made it and I copied their fabrics and colors. :D Imitation is the best form of flatery!

That is my Friday Show and Tell! I hope that you enjoyed it! If y'all like sewing pictures, I can bore you to tears with them. ;-) I have made tons of articles of clothing. The photos are saved on cd's somewhere. I need to watermark faces (of my child and my niece) before I post a quality photo of one of their faces straight on.

I look forward to seeing everyone's Show & Tells. Have a wonderful weekend!

One of My Favorite Purses

This is a purse I made some time ago. I love it! I use it every fall. I designed and drafted the pattern myself. I have made many for gifts, but this is the only one I have made for myself. (Just picky about fabrics and colors I guess... ;-P)

It is a tad smaller than the Sew Gracious bags, but just a small tad. (I declare, I do not know how she can make any money for what she sells them for... I have more money in this bag than what I pay her for one of her bags...)

Here is a back view of the bag. I think the top fabric in this bag is Waverley. The bottom is some other type of upholstery fabric. I have also used silk to make these bags. The trim is upholstery trim. It takes me 3 1/2 to 4 hours to complete a bag from start to finish, depending on if I do any hand or machine embroidery.

The inside is lined with ticking. It was not very expensive and went with the fabric so well.

Here is a close up of the bag. It is a nice purse. Handle is long enough to sit well on the shoulder.

I do not make them to sell, I only make them for gifts. If you ever get one from me as a gift, consider yourself a very very good friend. :-)

Have a Blessed Day!

This is so Cute...

...I just had to share. :-)
I got the pattern from Quilt Taffy. The pattern & instructions for this little cutie can be found here Elephant Tutorial and here is the link to the pattern Elephant Pattern

Y'all, this was fun to make. Fun to teach DD how to hand stitch. And just fun! And did I mention EASY! A good way to use up scraps. A good way to bring a smile to a child's face. The first one I made did go to one of DD's friends who was visiting us at the time. Like DD, she is a collector of 'plush' and she was most impressed with the elephant.

On this particular Elephant, DD added eyes with a sharpie. On the next one, I think we will use buttons.

Y'all go check out Quilt Taffy's Site I promise you will enjoy it.