The Beautiful Baby Girl

What a beautiful Sunday we had!

I have always loved Sunday. For me it is a day of rest, a day of worship, a day of spiritual renewal and special family occasions. 

This sabbath day, last Sunday, was the day that our sweet new Grandgirl was  given her name and blessed by her earthly Father and by her Heavenly Father.

This little white dress I made for Grandgirl*3's special day. These first two pictures I took at home. I wasn't sure about this fabric. It has a beautiful pattern woven into it, but it looked somewhat stiff and I was hoping to make a dress that had a little softer flowing look to it. 

When I arrived in Germany and showed what I had started to Daughter*1, she loved it and asked me to continue on this dress. I had serged the edges of each of these pieces when I was working on them at home, and I was glad I did. The seams lay much better when I use my serger. 

The fabric is vintage, probably from the 50s or 60s. I was drawn to the patterned weave and wanted to try it.  I love the leaves and flowers on the fabric.

I fully lined the dress using... Mmmm... Can't remember what that fabric is called, I think it is Voile, but it's a fabric that has been around for years and is a semi sheer cotton. I decided to sew it with French seams, since my daughter does not have a serger and I don't want the dress lining to unravel. 

I haven't done French seams on an entire dress before and I was pleased with how it turned out.

There were some tricky parts, and I learned a lot! Especially since I didn't have the sewing instructions with me. I was just sewing from memory. Next time I will attach the yoke lining at the neck leaving the rest open until I have the lace and the beads sewn on. That way the hand stitching will be inside the lining and unseen. And I will completely finish the skirt lining BEFORE sewing any section to the dress! Making another dress like this right away so I remember what I want to do might be a good idea!

I have made this dress pattern four or five times since I started sewing 32 years ago. They were all for family members' baby girls, and each was lovingly made. 

Two of the dresses, sadly, were burial dresses, worn by baby girls who didn't live for very long. But I was honored to be able to serve my sisters when there was nothing else I could do to be of assistance at such a time. 

Two of the other dresses were made for some of our own girls, Daughter*1 and Daughter*2, 

Grandgirl*1 also wore her Mother's dress when she was blessed. I added some silk ribbon embroidery and pearls to that dress to make it a little different from when her Mother wore it. It was during a very difficult anxiety time for me and I was feeling so intense, I couldn't even judge if the embroidery looked very good. I was afraid to do much because I felt so overwhelmed at the prospect of having to take it out and redo it if I didn't like it. But my creativity feels so drowned by fear during those times, I was afraid I couldn't do it at all. But I did a minimal amount and it actually looks okay. I probably could add more to it, but I am trying to stop the unnecessary perfectionism. (There IS a certain amount that is necessary.... Isn't there???!?) LOL

The lace that I used on the edges of the sleeves and the bottom hem of the dress is some vintage cotton crotchet lace that I got from LuluLiz. She found it at a brocante in France and I love it so much! I purchased one long length from her, and a few other times when I ordered things from her Etsy shop, LaCroixRosion, she tossed in some shorter pieces. Because she gave those extra pieces to me, I had enough to finish the dress! I love how it looks on the patterned cotton fabric!

In the picture above, you can see that it looked pretty plain even after I stitched the trim around the neckline. This tiny trim was some from my own Mother's stash of laces I inherited when she passed away. I loved the idea of making this dress from old elements that are connected to family and foreign countries, since the baby was born in Germany. It just seemed "apropo". As you see in the picture below, I hand stitched tiny white beads on each point of the trim around the neck. It added a dainty sweetness to the dress, just as I hoped it would. Then, I hand sewed the trim just under the yoke and I liked the look of the dress better.

I had planned to do some silk ribbon embroidery but my silk ribbon had a thread pulled out through the entire length and I just couldn't make myself use it. We had no idea where we might be able to find some silk ribbon for embroidery where she lives. I also ran out of time add beads to the points on the trim at the yoke. I hope to add those later. 

I also sewed the tiny trim to the hem of the lining, so it looked like a pretty slip underneath the dress. I would have liked to try some thin ribbon in the lace, but the 16th inch ribbon is very hard to find now, and I didn't take any of my own with me. It's hard to sew if I am not in my own sewing room where I have so many accent items on hand. But it is also good for me to learn to be satisfied with what I make when I don't have everything I WANT at my fingertips. Even with all the fuss, it was still a very simple dress, but beautiful on Baby Grandgirl*3.

We simply adore her!!! She even has enough hair for us to put a bow on a clip into her hair, and it stayed there!

Isn't she just sweet???!!!!  I loved sewing this for her! And I miss them all terribly now that I am home in Washington. But soon they will be here at our home for a few weeks  and I will enjoy them immensely!

It is so fun with them all here! 

Hope you enjoyed the post!!! 

Still more pics from my Germany visit to come!!!

Hugs to you all!

BETSY

Cookies With Grandma!!!

A year or two ago I found this cute little book and bought it to use with the Grandgirls when they were a little older and could enjoy making cut out cookies with me. The cookie cutters came with the book, and there is a recipe for sugar cookies on one of the pages. 

But since it was easier, we used pre-made sugar cookie dough and rolled the squares out a few at a time so we could cut out our cookies. "Daddy" has a sensitivity to food coloring, so we used a beet powder to make our cookies red-ish pink.

Some of them we kept the natural color and some just had a little color in them. We had lots of fun making these with some little cutters that "Mommy" had. That way there will be more for our tea party celebrating their BabySister's birth! 

I enjoyed helping those little hands learn to roll out cookies dough... And some hilarious things happened and were said.

The pre-made dough is pretty sticky and I had a hard time rolling them out. I was supposed to be showing Grandgirl *1 how to do it and I couldn't get it to work! Grandgirl* 1 says, "Mimi, you don't know how to make cookies..." 

I started to laugh so hard and said "It is SURE looking like that, isn't it!" She gave me another chance, and we got it figured out. 

Grandgirl*2 is so funny! After being here in Germany for almost 2 weeks, the baby was born. For those few days before I had been doing what "Mimi", my Grandma name, does... helping right? 

Well this little cutie jumps up on the hospital bed to see her Mommy and meet the new baby. I leaned over to help her adjust something on her shoe and she said, "NO!" And looking at her Mommy she said, "She thinks she's MY Mommy, when really she is Just YOUR Mommy!!!" 

I thought I was going to break a rib laughing!!! She explained it so well! She was saying, "Mimi, you will NOT take my Mommy's place... You will NOT!"

I thought it was very good that she was able to verbalize what she was feeling, at three years old. I was able to reassure her that I just wanted to help, not to be her Mommy. 

Another day, Grandgirl*1 was at a party and Mommy and BabySister were at the pediatrician's office getting a new baby check. We went to the park across from the doctor office and I pushed her on the swing. 

I got in the swing next to her and started swinging myself, and she looked at me and giggled, 

"Mimi, are you my Mommy's Mommy?"

"Yes, I am!" I replied with a smile, thinking we had already established that at the hospital...

"You so silly!" she said, sure that her refined Mommy would not be doing something so silly at the playground in the park in Germany. The Geman people are very proper and I am fairly certain an adult might not swing at the playground... But I love to swing! Ah, well... I am who I ! 

And having such a wonderful time with our Grandgirls!

Isn't BabySister an adorable baby girl??!! So alert, observant and precious...

"Every baby is the sweetest and the best.. "~ Anne of Green Gables

Happy June 1st!! Have a wonderful Monday!

Hugs to you all, thanks for coming by!

Betsy

Project Progressions!!!

I have made progress on my purse I told you about!

I wasn't sure what I was going to do in that center empty area, and then I saw something on the blog
 gentlework ~ By Christine Kelly
She makes beautiful very rustic natural vintage style art pieces that are embroidered. And when I saw her bird on a limb, I knew I wanted to do something like that in here. 

I still have more to do. I fuss too much about how to embellish what, and this was different than what I had in my head before I saw her bird project. She embroiders lots of birds and beautiful things. Here is a picture of her bird.

Isn't her work just gorgeous??? Mine won't have the same look or feel to it, I did mine differently and she is so much more accomplished at this than I am. You should go look at her amazing blog.

Here is a close up of my bird and some of the items I will use to embellish, when I get to finishing it! I wanted to make it soon after I arrived in Germany since I need a bit larger purse to carry a bit more in while I am here. But it has taken me longer to get it finished because...

Look who arrived!!! Isn't she gorgeous??? She is so sweet and lovely... Like her Mom and her sisters! 

Grandgirl*3 arrived last Sunday, and that is why I not embellishing! I am holding the baby, 

Playing with her sisters,

And trying help out around the house and yard so SonInLaw*2 doesn't have to do everything. Grandgirl*1 has been a great help, holding the baby in her lap when the baby is sleeping and other things are calling for the attention of the adults, like naps for Mom and Dad and dishes for Mimi. She will be a great help to her Mom when she is not at school.

I don't post pictures of myself much on here, but this is a favorite assignment of mine just now.... We love and adore these three grands!! I miss them since they live so far away, but we are lucky enough this year to be able to see each other a few times. My stay is about half over! The baby dress is the highest priority on the sewing list right now, besides getting better sleep so I can better help! 

But when I use my new purse, I will always think of my visit here when our "little bird" joined the family! 

I will show you the purse when it is completely finished! Have a great day! Hug and kiss those you love when you have the chance! 

Hugs to you, friends!

Betsy

Mending and Finishing and Beginning!

Hello, my sweet bloggy friends! 

I have not posted regularly for so long, I seem to be finding some motivation somewhere, however, and I am completing projects and working on new ones. 

Here is a sweet pink sweater my wonderful MomInLaw knitted for Daughter*1's first baby girl, five years ago. This pattern is one my own Mother found and gave to me for my MomInLaw to make for our girls. My mother crocheted but she did not knit and she knew we would love this pattern. We have! My MomInLaw made quite a few of these in different sizes for our girls as they grew. And now our daughter has some to use for her girls in addition to the one her Grandma made specifically for her as a child. 

As you see, this sweater zips up the back and has a cute little hood on it, we call it a "Smurf hood", since it comes to a cute little point in the back. This sweater can't be removed by toddlers, that makes it a favorite for me! The button front sweaters always seem to be removed even when it's a bit chilly outside. You put this one in the child and pull the zipper down the back and they are cozy and secure!

The original zipper broke and so I replaced it for my daughter to be able to use with her other baby girls. I planned to baste the  zipper in by hand and then secure it on the sewing machine. Sometimes it ends up smooshing the yarn and looking funny, so I just stitched it very well by hand, and I really like the end result. This zipper is the only one I could find at the local fabric store near our daughter's home. It's a little darker than the pink in the sweater, but it will do. 

And here, on the right, is another unfinished project I am working on. It is the same sweater, but in a different size. This one is the size for 1 to 2 year old. I finished this knitting a few years ago, but I didn't get the zipper in! I had hoped to get it finished for Grandgirl*2, but she is already too big for it. You know how I procrastinate!!! Bummer... But live and learn, Betsy... Live and LEARN!!!

My MomInLaw's knitting is so beautiful! She does such an amazing job, you wouldn't know it wasn't made by machine. I hope to be able to knit that well someday, I guess I will have to knit more to get my stitches so evenly knitted.

My knitting, as you see in the sweater on the right and below, is nothing like my MomInLaw's knitting...

This is what it looks like mostly finished but before the zipper is sewn in. 

I have since sewn the strings of yarn back into the body of the sweater, and the zipper is pinned in and all ready to be sewn. If you have been following my blog for awhile you might recognize the pillow shams and comforter in these pictures... I am back in Germany at Daughter*1's house!

And here is another picture that will tell you why I am here again so soon after our trip here last Christmas.

This is the yoke for a baby blessing dress... A project I really need to finish... SOON! Because we are expecting Grandgirl*3's arrival any time now! I am watching the other Grandgirls and their parents are at the hospital! We will see how long it is before she makes her debut!!! We are so excited! I will let you know how the dress turns out and show you the beauty when she comes home. 

Since I have been here a week, I have also been working on another Crazy Quilt Purse that is a little larger than the purse Pat Winter made for me. It will be nice to be able to hold a few more items in this purse. I can keep the keys and a small wallet as well as change and my phone inside this one. Which will be nice if I have to drive somewhere in Germany!

I already got to drive their minivan the other day. I feel pretty confident. They drive on the same side of the road as we do in the U.S., but I don't understand the German signs!! That is why I need my phone in there as well! I will be here another three weeks, and am anticipating so much more fun! I will post pictures of the purse as the process continues!

Hugs!!!

Thanks for coming by! I love your comments!

Betsy

Some Organization Fun!

A few months ago I was able to get some organization and cleaning done.

My kitchen was clean and ready for a party! Yay for parties! They motivate me to get things done!

The living room even had the picnic table in it for extra seating! 

The dining room table wouldn't be able to hold all our guests. We have seating for 8, but we invited all the family that lives locally and that is a FEW more than 8! (I even got my curtains finished and up!)

My sweet SonInLaw*1 asked if he could help out with anything... ;)... You might think that after 10 years he would know better than to ask that! But he keeps asking and helping me! He is 6'7" tall and 

I appreciate his help so much!

He hung my plate rack I have had for a few months. I needed more places to store dishes, so why not above the dish cabinet! 

Guess what kind of party we had??? 

A baby shower for a sweet great nephew of my MomInLaw's! Hubby's Cousin's Daughter and her hubby live in our area. And we are the only family of her Father for 350 miles, so they are included in Family get togethers. 

This get together was in honor of their expected new baby boy! So the entry table had a few vintage mementoes placed on it. The white fabric baby boy shoe was our Son's shoe 23 years ago. Not quite vintage...

I love my handmade mohair bunny! I purchased him a few years ago from a friend who makes these from vintage coats. I love his comfortable pose!

This is what the kitchen looked like before we were ready for the party...

Frosting....mess

Brownie cupcakes...mess

Cake decorating accessories...MESS!!!

FUN MESS!!!! We were trying to make a soft blue and soft green look, but feeling a bit lazy we used purchased Wilton Frosting in the tubes.... It is NOT the same consistency as our homemade frosting is. We added white to the colors and they got lighter, but also more limp. So the perky little booties my MomInLaw usually makes looked more like the slouch sox Dr. Suess put on Thing 1 and Thing 2 in "the Cat in the Hat"! That should have been our theme! So, I just went with it and made crazy frosting on the brownies! So much for a vintage pastel look!!! And they were more like our Seattle Seahawks colors!!! But we had a great time at the party, even though I forgot to take pictures with our guests in them! 

And this sweet handsome boy made his entrance into the world a few weeks later, weighing 7 pounds 14 ounces, 19 1/2 inches long! Welcome to the family sweet cousin/nephew!!! 

Hugs and baby love to all my blogging friends! 

Betsy