Sew Pretty by the Sea

Not so New endeavor

2011-02-24T16:56:00.000-08:00

Hey all,
Pretty little things coming your way very soon. Stay tuned ! Like it says "children's apparel - fine quality - timeless designs. Thanks, Wendy

Not so new endeavor

2011-02-24T16:50:00.000-08:00

Ready for SPRING ~

2010-03-13T05:38:00.000-08:00

Its been too long since I have posted......been a busy bee.
Here is my latest for Effanbee Katie ~Spring Chicks~ which is handsmocked, love the print on this 100% cotton fabric.

2009-03-29T04:16:00.000-07:00

You have to see this little doll by Annette Himstedt.... oh she is soooo cute...sticking her tongue out!!!

2009-03-29T04:10:00.000-07:00

"Irish Roses", oh this set was fun to make & more fun to photograph! These 2 dolls are Liska & Lotta by Annette Himstedt, did you know that she closed her factory in Paderborn Germany??? How sad...... too labor intensive w/ many employees, and the American Market for dolls is NOT what is used to be. Hopefully she will begin sculpting dolls again, but probably on a much smaller scale, & probably produced in China??? (you know almost all dolls are made in China, you knew that right??)

2009-03-29T04:07:00.000-07:00

Close up of the smocking & fabric, I'm nuts about roses on fabric, I used to have roses in my yard in WA. state, if you are ever in Portland, Oregon, do visit the Portland Rose Garden, it is sooooooooooo Wonderful! Tons of Heirloom Roses, the ones that actually have a wonderful aroma.

2009-03-29T04:05:00.000-07:00

Gotta have a "big ol' fancy bow on the back" right???

2009-03-29T04:03:00.000-07:00

Liska, my largest doll at 37 1/2" tall. Loved the way these fabrics came together, an all over rose design & soft pink cotton sateen, if you have NOT worked with sateen, it pleats easily and smocks beautifully. Love the stuff.

2009-03-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

Cute, cute cute!! Love this little Himstedt doll, Lotta is her name, all 20" of her! This set was hand smocked with an original design by me, I called it "Irish-Rose".

2009-03-29T03:55:00.000-07:00

"A star is born" this is an estate sale find, its a vintage cot blanket 100% lucious wool from New Zealand. I added the banner & star also from 100% wool and the pink satin ruffle around the edge.

2009-03-29T03:52:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Baby Doll...yes indeed! Oh she's a pretty little thing. A view of the feather stitching & smocking, its my own design, the smocking, dress & bonnet.

2009-03-29T03:44:00.000-07:00

Sleeve detail; I hand feather stitched above the first tuck, I also feather stitched across the bodice just above the smocking all the way around the back. Its getting harder & harder to find good quality cotton cluny lace, if you ever stumble upon any "hey..Let me Know!"

2009-03-29T03:40:00.000-07:00

Here is the hem of the dress, lots of tucks, I LOVE tucks that have that "old fashioned....somebody loves me enough to do this kinda look" I also french seamed this entire dress, oh NO... NO serged seams on this one, just wouldn't be right. I even french seamed the ruffle.

2009-03-29T03:35:00.000-07:00

The doll is a generic doll that I purchased at a shop years ago in the Vancouver Mall in Vancouver, Wa. She's big and heavy like a real baby, 24" long like a 3 month old. The weight is important as I can pose a "weighted doll" better than other ones. Isn't she sweet? I added seed pearls along the bottom row of smocking to add a little "bling" but not be Tacky, Garish, (is that a word??) you know what I mean, just sweet not over done!! If you have NOT used real Silk Satin Ribbon, treat yourself, it is Wonderful.

2009-03-29T03:29:00.000-07:00

Someone emailed me & asked if I ever sew for baby dolls, well yes I do, & here is a hand smocked & beaded Christening Gown w/ full slip and bonnet.

2009-03-29T03:26:00.000-07:00

Green Oak trees against a beautiful blue sky. Inspiration for a new landscape quilt??? Maybe.....

2009-03-29T03:23:00.000-07:00

These azalea's are right outside my kitchen window, kinda nice to look at everytime I'm doing the dreaded chore of washing pots & pans! Uggg! If I would just stop cooking, I wouldn't have soooo many dishes to wash, but you all know me and know I LOVE to cook. its probably something to do with being creative.

2009-03-29T03:21:00.000-07:00

My neighbors driveway, don't you love Azalea's??

2009-03-29T03:16:00.000-07:00

Here is another favorite doll, this is Milani by Annette Himstedt, she's a big girl, about 34 1/2" tall, w/ the most beautiful blue/green eyes. She is from the 06 Atlantis collection, another perfect Redhead, (half of my doll collection is redheads) & dolls w/ redhair & freckles really sends me over the top!! Anyhoo.... I made this Spring outfit for her and appliqued the bird, branch & yo-yo buds & leaves to her pinafore.

2009-03-20T06:35:00.000-07:00

Nature at its BEST, Springtime is my favorite time of the year, new...renew...starting over....a new beginning, its all good! Something beautiful too look at, in these crazy times, when the guru's on Wall street continue to STEAL money from hard working families & call it "investing", politicians blaming everyone else for not doing the very job that they were elected to do, mother's killing their babies because they interfere in their livestyle.............. my family & my sewing is my therapy, I may be "old fashioned" but I like my life that way....I have been very busy teaching different sewing programs, some quilting, some purse & totes making, some smocking & Sat. is an all day sit & sew hosted by my friend Kathy A. from Vancouver Wa. Her & hubby Steve live here in Ormond during the winter months. Kathy & I will be making PJ's using a new pattern by Indygo Junction.

2009-03-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

Doesn't she have the sweetest expression, pensive looking??? She needed a new jumpsuit & I hand smocked this little pinny (pinafore). This type of smocking is referred to as picture smocking, not my favorite as I prefer geometric which is more traditional looking. A pocket just right to hold her new Easter bunny.

2009-03-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

Love this style of dress, Middy or dropwaist, used to be so popular in the good old days.... well I still think its adorable on little girls, although you never see it anymore. Silk Satin Ribbon is the best, its sheen reminds me of whipped cream when its just right! I used a vintage flocked dimity for the inset, bonnet & pantaloons. Such a pretty girl, and of course I'm partial to redheads.

2009-03-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Feb. & March are Strawberry season in Fl. sooooooo..... I made this lucious vanilla shortbread cake w/ fresh strawberries & cream cheese frosting & I asked Tim what he wanted for breakfast this morning & he called from his bedroom and said "CAKE" ! works for me!!
The recipe:
1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
1 1/2 cup white sugar
4 large eggs, cream butter and sugar until very well mixed, add eggs one at a time,
sift, Yes you need to sift the flour 2 1/2 cups w/2 tsp of baking powder & 1/2 tsp salt.
slowly add flour mixture along w/1 1/4 cups buttermilk (whole milk works too)
1/4 cup of oil, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla, (almond extract works too). Grease & flour 2 9" round cake pans, bake in the middle rack of oven for 25-30 min. set on 350 degrees. Let cool for 10 min. and remove cakes. Let finish cooling, meantime, mash about 3 cups whole berries, depending on how juicy your berries are, add either clear gelatin sprinkled over the berries along with some white sugar, I also added a little homemade berry freezer jam to thicken the filling.
For the white frosting, it is thinner than a regular frosting, use powdered sugar, whole milk and either vanilla or almond extract & about 4 Tbs. of cream cheese softened, make it a fairly runny consistency and add to top layer after the cakes are cooled and assembled. Your kids will love it.

2009-03-20T05:53:00.000-07:00

Sittin' Pretty~~ this doll is by Helen Kish, such a pretty little thing, 14 1/4" tall & a BJD (ball jointed doll) which means she is articulated at the wrists, knees, ankles & elbows. Easy to pose and fun to sew for.

2009-03-20T05:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, every dress needs a nice little slip and pantaloons....."pantaloons" funny word, not pants, not panties, not capri's, not shorts, not britches, although I love the word "britches", not knickers, okay you get the idea, they are PANTALOONS! period.

2009-03-20T05:40:00.000-07:00

Here is what is keeping me busy these days, besides getting over the flu (kids & Dave had it also) awful stuff! Anyway these little dresses were sold on ebay recently, every little doll needs a new hand smocked spring dress, right?? My friend Kathy M. from Woodland, WA. has sent me a package with the greatest little fat quarter fabrics, just the perfect size for the doll dresses. Thanks Kathy....Oh yea, I need to call her very soon, we seem to play phone tag lately.

Christmas is now a memory..........and 09 is upon us!!

2009-01-14T15:52:00.000-08:00

Spring can't be too far off.. right??? and just this week the NE is experiencing sub-zero temps. Sorry folks... I do feel guilty here in NE Fl this time of year... just cool weather for us, no bitter below zero temps here. So..... here is what I have been working on.. something very Spring looking. Loved the way it turned out, (I'm a sucker for any fabric design with roses).

Here is my biggest doll, Liska, she is always HAPPY.... wouldn't it be great if our children were always HAPPY! (thats another reason to love dolls.. haha)

2008-11-22T17:49:00.001-08:00

With Christmas fast approaching, I wanted to post one of my favorite pictures of Liska (my biggest dol) in her Christmas finery! Clothes make a huge difference on dolls, well in my feeble mind they do anyway. When my oldest daughter Chelsea was 5, I made her the cutest Christmas outfit and have recreated it here for Liska, and yes Chelsea looked like Liska when she was 5 or 6 and that is why I purchased Liska, need I say more????

2008-11-14T05:41:00.000-08:00

This turned out really cute, Bronwyn (Lark) is wearing a Civil War Era skirt, blouse & vest that I made and holding her quilt which I also cut those tiny 1/2 square triangles & then hand quilted it. The center medallion is of Good old Abe. All the fabrics used were reproduction Civil War Era, love the rich colors and unique designs, perfect scale for a doll quilt, don't you think??

2008-11-05T08:46:00.000-08:00

Here is the sweetest new doll of mine, she is great for posing and for sewing!! She is a Helen Kish doll, a little over 14 " tall, with a very sweet face. Now....if I could just clone myself and teach the clone how to sew I would get some much more accomplished!! I almost always rename my dolls, her original name is Lark, but I love Bronwyn much better, wanted to name one of my girls that and Dave would have nothing to do with it. (sounds Irish to me) BTW .... I signed up for Real Estate School today, will be gone all next week for classes. And you ask ??? In this CRAZY economy. Well everybody still has bills to pay... DRATS (oh yeah, and braces for Tim, and Hill will be off to College soon.)

2008-06-12T04:24:00.001-07:00

Wow, its been a while since I posted, busy busy busy! I'm sorting through the sewing room, magazines, books, patterns, oh my what to sell on ebay and what to keep is the question. Cleaning, yardwork, end of school activites w/ the kids & trying to be consistent in my early AM and late PM exercise. Yesterday I did find time to bake this lucious fresh Blueberry cobbler, did you know they grow blueberries in northern central Fl. ? Who would have thought that! For 17 years I used to pick berries at Kaye's Blueberries in Battle Ground, Wa. oh she had the BEST berries anywhere, it was my day to be alone, pick my berries, listen to the birds chatter and feel the sun on my face. I miss her place and pickin those berries, the last year I think I picked over 20 lbs of berries, took me 2 full days to do it. They freeze wonderfully, I like to pop them in my mouth right out of the freezer, frozen little treats, fat free too!

2008-06-12T04:22:00.000-07:00

2008-04-19T11:09:00.001-07:00

Since I'm showing off the girls, I can't resist this big girl, she is my largest doll, she sits in a little chair across from me in the sewing room & she always has a smile for me. She looks very much like my oldest dd when she was about 5 years old, that is why I purchased her, need I say more??? She is a sweetie pie for sure! Her name is Liska.

Pretty Kiomi of Japan

2008-04-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

here is "sweet Kiomi" from Japan, oh what a beauty she is! She looks great in reds, pinks, and deep saturated colors, but happily I found that she looks great in blue too! This fabric combo was a Moda fabric called Urban Chic, I hand smocked an array of different wildflowers across the front bodice, I was very pleased with the end result. The better quality cottons that you purchase at the quilt shops really do pleat so nicely and the pleats stand up to lots of handwork. Don't you think she is a little charmer??

2008-04-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

Here is another one of Toki in a lovely purple & sage all over print, these fabrics are so lovely, not sure they photographed as well. This was a pinafore that I hand smocked w/my original design, loved the way it turned out, oh and the best part is I have enough of the fabric left over to make a linus quilt for a donation.

2008-04-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

this pretty doll is Toki & she is so much fun to sew & smock for. I used a lovely London Lawn fabric w/wild flowers in shades of pink on a minty green background, I smocked my original design on a piece of minty green cotton chambray, added double piped collar and tucks at the hem, I was very pleased with the end result.

pink kitty's.

2008-04-18T06:38:00.000-07:00

Here are my little pink kitty's, (my dd said they look like piggies! )
Also in the process of adding some bullion roses, too much blank space to look at, the piping has been added, I will complete the stitching & then will sew this into my pinafore. Hope you will grab a cup of tea and join me weekly as I hope to have more pics & of course the finished product very soon. (although life gets in the way, frequently!!)
My soul is fed by needle and thread!
bye for now.
Wendy

2008-04-18T06:20:00.000-07:00

on the third row down I begin my stitches, a row of cable stitches, the needle stays horizontal to the guide rows & I stitch an down cable, up cable, and repeat this process for the entire row. Most often I create my own designs as I do sell items and because of copyright rules, thats a big no-no!! (Gosh my hands are old & ugly looking,..YUCK!) I forgot to tell you that I always do a little anchor stitch on the back of the work & then bring the needle and floss to the front to begin the stitches. I'm using 3 strands of floss, and ALWAYS seperate your strands and then bring them back together and tie a small knot. I'm using a long darner #7 needle. I really like quality needles, it does make a difference.For this particular project I began the stithes on the side, but sometimes I start my stitching in the middle of the row, work to one side, turn the piece upside down and finish the row to the other side. Clear as MUD??

2008-04-18T06:10:00.000-07:00

the pleated piece is at the ironing board and I block it by spreading it out to the measurement that I need (it will be an inset in a pinafore). I steam it and let it set for awhile to dry (hint, if you don't use the steam setting on your iron often, be sure that you steam it first on an old piece of fabric, you won't believe the gunk that accumulates in your iron!)

2008-04-18T05:41:00.000-07:00

Bright yellow hand quilting thread is used in the needles so these "old eyes" can see the rows easily!! I stand behind my pleater so I can see the fabric being pulled into the rollers, everybody has their own way of pleating, this works for me.The dowel is 1/2" or so, I purchased this one which was very nicely sanded & painted, (can't remember where I got it from). I usually pleat 4 or 5 rows more than I need for a particular design, it really helps to control the fabric.

Pink Kitty Pinafore in the making!!

2008-04-18T05:27:00.000-07:00

There are so many pretty fabrics today that tempt us, and we know they will make adorable hand smocked dresses or pinafores, its hard to resist!! I usually begin with a "focus" fabric, either a design or theme, (I don't like one big ol' solid piece of fabric) so I usually chose 2 or 3 that coordinate. Okay... look at the big sturdy fishing tackle box that I have used for years & years to keep all those flosses in, I can flip it over and it opens on the other side too.! Cool huh?? I use alot of DMC, Susan Bates, I also use rayon threads, (although they have a mind of their own), love silk threds too.

2008-04-18T05:22:00.000-07:00

With all the pretty fabrics tempting us today, it is hard NOT to imagine them smocked and made into pretty little things. Here is the process & how it begins for me. First the fabric is chosen, I don't like working with one big ol' piece of the same solid fabric so I usually incorporate several prints into my dress. I take what will be the "focus" fabric and try and duplicate the theme, or the print & the color to plan a finished garment.
Okay...don't be surprised, I DO NOT have little kids to sew for anymore, which is very sad for me, but I do HAVE dolls and they are fun, fun, fun to dress!!