Reversable Tractor Embroidered longall

Cut this out last night and got it embroidered and finished off today -- this is for a teacher at my daughter's school -- for her grandson -- the request was for something to wear Christmas but that he could wear it other times too. I think this is adorable.

Snowman Aline Top

Made this for my daughter this morning in less than an hour -- I will be making more of these cute tops -- I had forgotten how easy these were to make!

Machine Smocked insert in a Tshirt

Debra at Palmettokids.net machine smocked this design on an insert and I put it in this Tshirt -- Didn't it turn out to be an adorable holiday shirt? Machine Smocking design is by Elizabeth Embroidery

Machine smocking in embroidery done by an embroidery machine on pleated fabric to look like hand smocking -- in a fraction of the time of doing it by hand!

Four Size 2 Bishops ready to smock

Made these for my friend in Louisiana who inspired me to try the ready to smock dresses about 2 and a half years ago...she usually sends me fabric and I put together ready to smock dresses for her. She is a wonderful smocker and you can see a lot of her work on that palmettokids.net website.

The bright pink ones are made of a high quality pique fabric. The light pink is a tiny corduroy, ooh so soft, and the brown bishop is a cool corduroy with little horses machine embroidered on it -- super cool! I could only pleat a couple of rows on this one because I didn't want to run the horses through the pleater.

Her little girl is going to be adorable!

Twice Baked Sweet Potato Recipe

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/twice-baked-sweet-potatoes-111250.aspx

Try this recipe for Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes -- They turned out really yummy, and they looked just like the picture on the website -- My oldest daughter even ate the skin!

Especially pay attention to how they are baked -- usually it takes over an hour to bake the big sweet potatoes, but they slice them in half and bake them face down on a pan...cut the time to 35 minutes -- that is FAST for a baked sweet potato!

Turkey Game

My sister gave me this fun idea -- you make several turkeys with construction paper, google eyes, and a slice of a toilet paper or paper towel roll, then make the game board with a lane for each turkey - each turkey is assigned a number on the dice and roll the dice and if you roll your number then you move up one - first turkey to the end is the winner -- a kid could actually play this by themselves...We colored our lanes to match our turkeys.

If you could make a dice that had the colors on it that would be even better, but we were too excited to try it out to wait -- black & orange turkey won the first 2 games!

The 2-hour Candy Cane Skirt

Got this fabric for a buck a yard when walmart in our town was closing the fabric department (sniff)

Didn't know what I was going to do with it at the time, but this month I learned how to insert the smocked panels in a Tshirt so I have this red Tshirt and was trying to figure out what to smock on it...decided to make a bottom to match and now I know I want to smock candy canes on it --

This skirt is an adaptation of the Simplicity Sewing pattern for Dummies # 4206 -- if you sew for little girls, you need this pattern...peasant shirts (easily lenghtened for night gowns), cool goucho pants, shorts, and this skirt -- I made it a skort by sewing the included shorts pattern underneath...you can see my blog entry on how to do that:

http://craftyjnet.blogspot.com/2008/03/cheetah-girls-3-tiered-skirt.html

Anyway, my daughter loves this and I wonder how long you have to wait to wear Christmas clothes? Is the rule Thanksgiving?

Floral Corduroy Bishop

Made this ready to smock dress for a client -- for some reason I just love these sleeves with this fabric...adorable!

Smocked Ladybugs on a Teal blue Jumpsuit

I LOVE this outfit. I was asked by my friend to come up with a first birthday outfit for her daughter. Her party is themed ladybugs. She wanted a teal jumpsuit type of outfit so we did the hot pink & black ladybugs on it -- they are TOO CUTE aren't they?

I altered pattern simplicity 9967 by not doing sleeves or a collar so I had to get creative...I lined the bodice and made the neckline a little bigger, did the bottom of the legs a little different, but it all worked out. Now I hope it fits - if it doesn't we'll just have to make it fit somehow.

The smocking is from Little Memories "Bugs & Kisses". I of course, altered it a little doing beads instead of smocked black dots on the bugs and adding beads to the ends of the antenna...what do you think of the final product?

Two red Tshirts with Smocked Inserts

I am pretty excited about this new thing I tried - they go together rather quickly too if you have ready made piping --

These are ready to smock and the larger one belongs to me and the smaller one on the right to Debra at palmettokids.net -- The piping wasn't quite the same color as the larger shirt so I used the white piping on it to match the insert. It definitely looks different, but I haven't decided which one looks better...

Also, here is a look at what the inside of the Tshirt looks like -- these will be great to sell as ready to smock because you have full access to the back of your work...

I'm too excited about my new skill!!!

Freestyle Apple Tart

Got this recipe from the http://www.kraftfoods.com/ website - yummy, quick and super easy!

1 ready-to-use refrigerated pie crust (1/2 of 15-oz. pkg.)
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, softened
3 red and/or green apples (1-1/4 lb.), thinly sliced
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon sugar
1 cup thawed Whipped Topping

Make It:
HEAT oven to 450ºF. Line 9-inch pie plate with crust. Carefully spread cream cheese in 6-inch circle in center.
TOSS apples with sugar and flour; spoon over cream cheese. Fold crust partially over apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
BAKE 25 min., covering loosely with foil for the last 5 min. Cool. Serve with COOL WHIP. Refrigerate leftovers.

Brown Striped Top

I made the striped top, the shirt underneath and the cord pants underneath are 'sigh' from the store.




This is a shortened mary de top that I smocked a geometric on so my older daughter will have a pretty fall outfit -- I can't wait for her to get home from school today to try it on -- I think the pants are a little too long for her -- but hey, she can maybe wear it next fall too!

If at first you don't succeed

try, try again -- and it worked!

I had to apply the piping to the insert and then work it into the shirt -- success...it isn't perfect, but I had to rip the whole thing apart to do redo it, and I think the shirt got a little stretched --

now to figure out how to address the raw edges on the inside...next time, I'll apply the piping to the insert, then surge the entire insert then put it in the shirt -- i think that will address any raw inside edges...

isn't this cool looking???

I'm human, I can mess up

Thought you'd like to see what I am working on right now...this is a Tshirt with a ready to smock panel, this is the first one i've tried to do so it looks BAD and I wanted to show you all that I mess stuff up! BAD! I think I have an idea of how to make it better next time...Maybe my next post will be prettier...not all puckered & wonky

They don't tell you how to put the piping in -- so i had to try the corners a couple of ways...now I know. Thank goodness this wasn't a pretty picture smocked panel and just a blank! I did get the bottom left corner to work so there is hope!

Our Pumpkins

The girls decorated pumpkins on their own at the Corn Maze this year (www.westfarmcornmaze.com) and I think they turned out nicely...

2 more bishops

I completed 2 more bishops for palmettokids.net the green cord one is size 18 months and the red gingham is size 7 (I folded under the hem on this one that is why it looks a little short, right now it is about long enough for me!) -- What nice holiday fabrics!

Ready to Smock little Girl's Shirt

This is a size 2 ready to smock girl's shirt. Won't this be cute when it is smocked? This is for Debra at Palmetto Kids -- made two of these this week. The sleeves sure are easier to do on a girl shirt than a boy one! The only difference in the boy & girl shirts is the sleeve actually.

Happy Halloween!

Did I scare you?

Wreath Bishop dress Finished

This one turned out exactly how I wanted it to look -- I am proud of these results! (Click the picture for an up close look)

Susan's Wreaths - Smocked Bishop on Corduroy

This is a sneak preview of the bishop I'm smocking for a friend. She brought me this gorgeous light sage corduroy and wanted wreaths smocked for her size 2 granddaughter...I adapted the smocking plate a little (As usual!) and did beads and a bow -- the original smocking plate was Ellen McCarn's Holiday Greetings.

I should finish it tomorrow and I'll post the final shots before I pass it on to her.

This bottom right picture was just so you would see how a bishop dress looks after you smock it and before you finish it off...weird looking huh?

Three Ready to Smock bishop dress

Finished these for Debra & Kim at http://www.palmettokids.net/

Can't wait to see how pretty they will be -- the red & green microcheck are size 6 with elastic sleeves...the red, green, and white plaid is size 12 mos...

Ready to Smock Boys Shirt Size 3

This is a brother shirt to go with the brown bishop I posted yesterday -- it is a size 3 ready-to-smock boys dress shirt -- it has buttons down the back. It was made from the Chery Williams pattern called "Button-on Suit"

You'll have to click on the picture to see it more closely.

Another ready-to-smock bishop

I sure like making bishop dresses!

This are also for Haydebug Heirlooms at http://www.palmettokids.net/

Cool Handmade Gift ideas site

http://www.skiptomylou.org/2008/09/23/handmade-gift-ideas-for-teens/

Check out all this cool handmade stuff!

2 Ready to smock bishops

These are for Haydebug's Heirlooms at http://www.palmettokids.net/ -- I can't wait to see the fall theme she smocks on them...isn't the orange on the arms a nice touch?

Our "little" Ridgeback Jumps Through a Hoop

I know this isn't a craft, but it took my time and talent to teach the dog to do this...Took about 10 minutes a day for a couple of days to train her...She'll do anything for a Milkbone! She won't do it every time and gets scared when her back legs bump the hulahoop -- that is why she runs off at the end of the clip -- funny girl!

Cinderella Smocked Mary De style dress

finally finished!

this is a "mary de" dress in a size 3-4 with added sash to tie in the back.

Smocking was derived from Tiny Nay's plate named Fairy Godmother.

Can't wait to see a pic of the sisters in their dresses!

Preview of the Sister Cinderella smocked dress

I'm not quite finished, but here is a preview of my latest project...It is supposed to have a horse in front of the carriage, but there wasn't room for him so I put the castle in the background -- This is a Tiny Nay smocking plate called "Fairy Godmother"

It is the sister dress to this one:

http://craftyjnet.blogspot.com/2008/09/cinderella-bishop-finished.html

White Slip Dresses

I made these three white "slip" dresses from Simplicity Pattern 5226 variation B.

Alteration to the pattern is that I fully lined the bodice of the dress instead of using the bias strip edging on the neck & sleeves.

These are size 3,5,7 for my daughters and niece for a family photo we're having done with all of us. I machine embroidered the first initial of each girl on the front and added decorative machine stitching near the hem where the topstitching would be to hold the gathered piece on. I think they turned out gorgeous and would look good in one of those "on the beach" family photos!

Horse Embroidered on a $2 shirt

My little horse lover is THRILLED with this project - I digitized an image I found on the internet into my Singer Futura embroidery machine and did it in all black - sweet!

Ready to Smock

In case anyone who knows me is interested, for now, I will prepare ready to smock bishops for $15 for a basic bishop style dress or shirt (just a shorter dress) from babydoll/teddybear size through elementary school sizes.

You supply the fabric, sew on your own buttons, smock on your design, and hem it yourself, I'll just serge the bottom edge to seal it up.

Pretty good deal right?

Halloween Pillowcase top

This is my daughter as the model, but it is actually for Savannah...won't she be "cool" in her new halloween top?

Please ignore the fact that she doesn't have on pants...it is actually a shirt, and I think I may be raising some kind of nudist...ha ha

Thought I'd add a little more detail --

This takes about an hour to make from start to finish. They fit great as a dress for an 18 month to 2 year old, then again as a shirt as they get to be about 5 or 6 years old -- they look great with a long sleeve shirt underneath so they extend into the winter season -- I've seen lots of kids wearing this type of top at school this year - even a teenager had a dress like this at church on Sunday!

Ready to Smock Bishops

I made these three ready to smock bishops for Kim who smocks for Debra at www.palmettokids.com on the haydebug's heirlooms link -- I can't wait to see what she does with them!

Flower Blooms

This is the end of the summer so there are only a couple of blooms left in the flower garden, but they sure are pretty -- the yellow is an Angel's Trumpet from my Mammy and the purple ones are from my sister...

Cinderella Bishop finished

Isn't it adorable?

Cinderella Bishop Preview

I am still making this dress for my sister's friend who wants sister dresses for her girls, and I just had to post a preview picture since it is taking a while to get finished. I pulled this out of a design by Tiny Nay called Fairy Godmother.

Isn't it cute so far? I think I'll ask her if she wants the sleeves left billowy like this instead of putting the elastic in, I think it is cute this way.

I'll post the finished dress when it is complete...then I have to get to the big sister version, wait until you see it!