Two Dresses

Today I would like to share two dresses I sewed for my daughter. They aren't exactly seasonally appropriate, but I knew if I waited until fall to share them I may forget!

The first is my favorite dress, perhaps even my favorite sewing project of all that I've made. The pattern was a perfect canvas for embellishments, and it was a pleasure to select the fabrics and trims to sew this special dress.

The yoke is sewn from a fine wale corduroy in navy blue. I enjoyed being able to add a little hand embroidery that picked up on the colors in the calico portion of the dress. It was a hard decision when it came time to select a ric-rac, I had a few that coordinated with the calico. 

I loved adding crocheted lace trim to the waist and faux button placket!

The pattern included a hem panel that allowed for a neat lace border. The sleeves are sewn from batiste and also edged in lace. The dress was meant to include a back zipper, but I substituted buttons for the zipper.

Here is a picture of the pattern I used. It is a Gunne Sax pattern from the 1980's. I love finding old Gunne Sax patterns on Ebay. The detailing makes them extra special!

 

The next dress is one that I sewed last fall for my daughter's birthday. I loved this beautiful brown calico! It seemed to compliment the design of the dress and added to the old-fashioned appearance.

 

The shoulder ruffles look so sweet when worn! And I couldn't resist adding a little embroidery to the collar.

The most challenging aspect of sewing this dress were the pintucks. I had to sew the pintucks a few times before they were all straight and even, but I was pleased with the end results.

 

This dress was sewn using a Cinderella pattern from 1980's. I loved the cover art on this pattern. The illustration on the far left was my inspiration when sewing this dress. 

It is always bring me so much joy to sew dresses for my little girl! I have a couple of pretty spring time fabrics sitting in my sewing basket just waiting to be sewn into new dresses and skirts for her. 

I hope you are all enjoying a beautiful springtime season! I hope to share a post soon with some pictures of all of the lovely birds, blossoms, and blooms around here.

"And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." Psalm 90:17




 

Quiet Days

Already we are feeling spring in the air! Usually we have snow on the ground, and more in our weather forecasts, in the middle of March*. This week has been warmer and rainy.

Adam has been busy in the garden this week. He has cultivated a couple of beds and is getting ready to plant peas and beets.

  Before the springtime flowers are in full bloom I wanted to share some pictures of my African violets. At this point they aren't blooming quite so profusely as they were when I took these pictures back in January. I love how my African violets are most vibrant during the long winter months. They help cheer me through the dark winter days.

  Once spring arrives I will need to re-pot my violets. Two of my plants have grown new plants.

  During the winter months I tend to enjoy baking more than I do the rest of the year. When I was growing up my mom would often bake a recipe called "Cinnamon Flop Bread". I loved waking up to the smell of cinnamon on a Saturday

  Baking something delicious is a great way to make a dark rainy day feel cozy and comforting.

   The picture above shows what the "bread" should look like before baking. The cinnamon flop in the blue pan has been sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, while the other has not. I did this so could see how to distribute the butter.

Cinnamon Flop Bread

1 cup sugar (I use brown)

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp. melted butter

1 cup milk

Mix and spread into two greased pans. I will often use one bread pan and a pie plate, but two bread pans would work too.

Dot with one stick of butter that has been cut into small pieces. Sprinkle with mixture of 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

  Recently I sewed this dirndl for my daughter. She loves wearing this style of dress and was especially pleased with the pink ribbons! It is a very versatile outfit, lately she has been wearing the dirndl with a turtle neck or tee-top. Once the weather is warmer the dirndl will be worn with a white peasant blouse.

 The dirndl pattern I used was designed by my mom with a little help from myself. My mom makes a variety of European inspired dresses and sells them here.

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust."
Psalm 91:1-2 

*I wrote this post last week.

A New Favorite Dress

As you may guess from the pictures, this is a dress I sewed sometime last year and it has taken me quite a while to find the time to write this post. In fact I sewed this dress sometime last summer, as it was one of my entries in our county fair!

  It quickly became one of Jemimah's favorite dresses! The ribbons, ruffles, embroidery and bows made this dress irresistible to my ruffle and ribbon loving daughter!

 The pattern is from the early 1980's. I was drawn by the details of this pattern. You don't often see patterns with this many options for embellishments. It was hard for me to choose which style to sew first! I look forward to sewing the option with the cream sleeves and apron at some point, maybe come fall.

 I decided to sew view three, as I was especially drawn to the ribbon inset. I had hoped to find a fabric that would coordinate with red ribbon, since it looked so lovely on the pattern envelope. But I was pleased with the navy calico I was able to find and the gold ribbons are a more subtle accent.

 My daughter was very pleased with the little bows on the wrists. They seemed to make the dress extra special to her.

The "V" shaping of the bodice gives this dress an old-fashioned fair tale look. My little girl looks a bit like Goldilocks whenever she wears this dress! : )

We were also extremely pleased when this dress won best of sewing at our county fair.

I hope you have all been enjoying a peaceful and cozy winter so far. Have you been working on any special projects?

Little Book of Thanks- Review

It happens every autumn. As soon as the leaves begin to turn bright, beautiful colors, the year sprints ahead on fast-forward! Take a few moments out of the hustle and bustle of the season to sink into a cozy chair with your little one and thank God for everything He’s given us with Precious Moments® Little Book of Thanks.
In the sweet, enduring art style of Precious Moments, this timeless book will help your children recognize all the wonderful things God has given them! Read along, and you will remember to enjoy the simple things, like singing silly songs, jumping in a pile of leaves, and watching the seasons change. The short, rhyming verses in this classic Precious Moments book don’t take much time to read at all, and they will create memories that last forever.
Precious Moments Little Book of Thanks offers you the chance to be thankful for all that you have and for the ones with whom you get to share every precious moment.
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Little Book of Thanks
By Jean Fisher

We have a couple of other seasonal Precious Moments books, so when I saw Little Book of Thanks I knew it would be the perfect addition to collection! 

Little Book of Thanks is a sturdy board book filled with charming illustrations of Precious Moments characters celebrating the simple things of life. Each page features a prayer of thanksgiving. The topics vary from family, to God's creativity in creating us, thanksgiving for laughter, healthy food- just to name a few. The prayer is then followed by a poem and Scripture verse. I was pleased to see lines from some classic autumnal poems included too.

It seems that Thanksgiving is often over looked, especially when it comes to children's books. Therefore I am pleased to have Little Book of Thanks to share with my daughter. It is a wonderful reminder to be grateful for all the many blessing God gives us each and every day, including something so simple as laughter!

The combination of the illustrations, prayers, poems and Scripture make it a special treasure that I am sure we will look forward to revisiting every autumn.

*I received a complimentary copy of Little Book of Thanks from Book Look Blogger in exchange for my honest review*

God's Blessings Day by Day -Review

God’s Blessing Day by Day is a trustworthy devotional compiled by renowned pastors and church leaders. Edited by Johnny Hunt, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, this devotional is the perfect way to introduce your children and grandchildren to a legacy of faith.
One of the greatest gifts - and greatest challenges - of raising children is introducing them to the ways of God. As parents and grandparents, we want to impart our faith to the children we love so dearly, and it can feel more difficult than ever in the fast-moving, instant-access culture in which we find ourselves.
God’s Blessing Day by Day,compiled by Johnny Hunt and more than 50 pastors and church leaders, is the perfect way to build faith through gratitude.
This easy-to-understand, child-friendly devotional is the perfect way to engage your family. Each devotion is written on topics children care about and includes great prayers and takeaways that will spark conversation as the timeless Word of God instructs and inspires your children.
Impart a deeper connection with the Lord in your children, help them establish healthy habits of devotion and prayer, and equip them with the tools they need to grow their faith.
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God's Blessings Day by Day
By Johnny Hunt

Growing up I remember my mom sharing with me the importance of time spent daily in Bible reading and devotions. As a little girl my mom gave me a set of devotionals, one for each month of the year. I read and re-read them throughout my childhood. This helped me begin a life long habit of seeking God at the start of each and every day. I am grateful for this lesson my mom taught me at a young age, and I am hoping to share this lesson with my daughter too!

God's Blessings Day by Day is a wonderful way to introduce the idea of daily devotions to your children. Each devotion includes a verse for the day, an easy to understand illustration of how the verse may apply to the child's life and a short prayer for the day. There are six devotions per week, one per weekday and one per weekend. The weeks are numbered and the book may be started at any time of the year. The book includes a ribbon bookmark, which is very helpful for keeping your place.

One feature of the book my daughter has especially enjoyed are the adorable illustrations of animals throughout the book. They are truly precious. God's Blessings Day by Day is hard cover and of excellent quality. It would make a beautiful gift for children of varying ages. It is easy enough for toddlers to understand, but would be perfect for older children to read to themselves.

I am grateful to have this devotional to share with my daughter. Many times after reading one of the devotions she has asked me a question regarding what we read, which has been a great way to start a conversation about God's truths and how they apply to her life.

*I received a complimentary copy of God's Blessings Day by Day from Book Look Blogger in exchange for my honest review*

God Bless Our Bedtime Prayers -Review

Find peace in your bedtime routine.
Do you long for your children to grow close with God? Join the adorable animal families as they learn to pray about every moment of the day—the fun times, the hard parts, and everything in between.
Whether the animals ask God for help finding a toy or thank Him for the day’s adventures, God Bless Our Bedtime Prayers will create a special, quiet bedtime routine of prayer and will instill God’s Word in your children’s hearts.
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God Bless Our Bedtime Prayers
Written by: Hannah C. Hall
Illustrated by: Steve Whitlow



God Bless Our Bedtime Prayers is truly a beautiful way to end your little one's day. The peaceful rhythm of each prayer is helpful in calming a child and a lovely way to encourage them in their bedtime prayers.

Each page illustrates a different animal family and a special experience from their day. One illustration pictures a bear family enjoying ice cream in the park, the prayer to accompany this page is one of thanksgiving followed by "Always be thankful" Colossians 3:15. Another page shows a little bunny searching for his teddy bear before bed, the prayer is a request of help and is followed by "Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7. What a beautiful reminder that we can take all of our concerns to the Lord, even the smallest one.

Each illustration is precious. The soft coloring and variety of animal families really attracted my daughter's attention. When the book arrived she was very excited to read it with me. I loved how the book presented so many different ideas of prayers to children, and that each prayer was followed by a scripture. There are prayers of thanksgiving, concern for a sibling's health, fear, confession of not sharing with a friend and a desire to help others. All wonderful lessons for children!

My daughter is 3 1/2 and really enjoyed God Bless Our Bedtime Prayers however younger children would find this book enjoyable too since the pages are short. It is a board book which is perfect for little ones who have yet to learn the importance of treating books with special care. : )

I would definitely recommend this book!

*I received a complimentary copy of God Bless Our Bedtime Prayers from Book Look Blogger in exchange for my honest review*

Springtime Dresses

Earlier this spring I sewed some new dresses for my daughter, Jemimah. I love to sew, but sewing something for my little girl brings me the greatest pleasure! In the photo above is a jumper/sundress, which has been Jemimah's favorite new dress this spring. She selected the fabric herself, in spite of my efforts to talk her into a similar fabric in lavender. Pink is her favorite color and she reminds me of this fact often.

I think another reason this jumper is a favorite are the pockets! I had fun designing these pockets. They are simple rounded pocket cut out taller than usual, so that the extra fabric can be folded down to create a casing for elastic. Jemimah loves pockets! She carries her little treasures with her in these pockets; flowers, bows and her little Thomas trains. : )

My mom and I are offering this jumper/sundress on our Etsy page here. It can be custom sewn in a variety of pretty cotton calicos.

 Another favorite has been this sweet little rose print dress, because it is also pink! This is one of my favorite dress styles due to it's simplicity. I sewed this dress style with a collar and long sleeves last fall.

I used Robert Kauffman fabric that I had purchased from fabric.com for this dress, and the dress below. I was very pleased with this line of fabric, it was hard to choose just two from the collection.

I especially enjoyed sewing this dress! It was Jemimah's Easter dress this year. I love the soft lavender floral pattern.

It was fun to select the different trims and ribbon to make this dress special. She looks so sweet and old-fashioned wearing this dress.

Since taking these pictures I have sewn a few other garments for Jemimah's spring/summer wardrobe. I am so grateful and blessed to be able to sew most of my daughter's clothes. It is also a joy to see her pleased with the what I have made. I remember the excitement I felt helping my mom choose fabric for my dresses when I was a girl, and then the feeling of trying on my new dress for the first time! All of the dresses my mom made with such love are special memories to me.

I hope you are enjoying a pleasant start to your week. Do you have any special sewing projects this week?

Dreaming of Spring

Yesterday morning we awoke to more snow after an incredibly windy Thursday. It has snowed a little bit today, but when I remember that it is April I know that spring can't be too far away!

This picture was taken through my kitchen window. Unfortunately I scared a couple of the birds away when taking their picture. Jemimah and I are both avid bird watchers. It has warmed my heart to watch as Jemimah has learned to identify the sounds and names of the different birds that visit our feeder. I think her favorite may be the mourning dove. Last year when she first heard the plaintive coos of the mourning doves she was frightened, and assumed it was some mysteriously spooky creature. When I told her that it was simply the doves talking to one another, she was quite pleased. We have been blessed with a variety of brilliantly colored birds: crimson cardinals, yellow gold finches, black, white and red woodpeckers, plus a variety of less vibrant beauties.

We discovered our first tulips and daffodils peeking through the snow. I am dreaming of a sunny spring morning when they will all be in full bloom!

Adam has started some vegetable and zinnia seeds. They are setting on an old sewing table in our bedroom by the window. The table was given to me by an elderly lady my mom and I once cleaned for house for years ago. She knew of my love of sewing and wanted me to have this table. It had belonged to her great-grandmother and was made sometime in the 1800's. It is very handy, as the legs fold up into the top. This makes it easy to carry from one room to another, as needed.

It has been wonderful to watch as they grow towards the sun. What a blessing to see green!

Every week we make a batch of no bake cookies. No bake cookies are Jemimah's favorite snack. She loves to help mix and press the cookies.

They are quick and easy to make, plus they are delicious. Here is the recipe for those who may be interested in making some too.

No Bake Cookies

In a saucepan combine:

1 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup coconut oil ( I use a rather generous half cup)

Heat until melted and thoroughly combined. Remove from heat and add:

6 tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups oatmeal

Mix well and then scoop out mixture into cookie sized portions onto a cookie sheet (I cover my cookie sheet with wax paper for an easier removal of the cookies). We then press the cookies flat with the bottom of a glass, however this is not necessary, just our preference.

Currently I am reading Rainbow Cottage by Grace Livingston Hill. The description of grandmother Ainslee's gardens are breathtaking! I wish I could step into the pages to see her gardens myself. : ) Rainbow Cottage is a lovely story. I always enjoy G.L. Hill's description of home and homemaking.

Recently I discovered this pattern for knitted dishcloths. I am knitting the smaller size, which is just perfect for small hands that love to help in the kitchen. The cotton yarn color is called "Sunshine", I thought that was quite fitting. I  feel like I am knitting with a ray of sunshine on these gloomy days.

This afternoon I listed a couple of new apron in my Etsy shop. This blue apron was my favorite, I especially liked how the darker blue binding and white trim looked against the calico.

I hope you are all enjoying a peaceful weekend. If you are still experiencing colder temperatures and snow, stay warm! : )

"For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield." Psalm 5:12

Little House Shawl

Earlier this week I finished knitting a "Little House" shawl for my daughter. A couple of months ago I discovered this pattern and the name instantly caught my attention. As I have mentioned before Jemimah and I love "Little House".

Jemimah has been requesting a pink shawl for quite some time now. Pink is her favorite color, followed by purple. I asked her to choose the yarn from a few I found on-line and this yarn was her favorite. When the yarn arrived in the mail she was very pleased, as it is not only pink but has subtle lavender undertones.

This was my first attempt at knitting a rounded shawl. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. The only tedious part of the project was casting on. Instead of casting on a few stitches at the top, as I am used to, you cast on a couple hundred stitches which forms the bottom edge. I found that casting on 50 stitches at a time and then placing a stitch marker after each group of 50 stitches helped make the process easier. I was able to count in multiples of 50 until I reached my goal.

The old shale lace edging is what makes this design special! It adds just the perfect old-fashioned touch.

I finished this shawl none too soon, as we have had our fair share of snow and cold temperatures lately. Jemimah told me that her new shawl is "comfy and cozy" which truly made my day. : )

Recent Sewing

 Today I thought I would share a couple of the dresses I recently sewed for my little girl. I took these pictures last month, hence the turkey on the side board. ; ) As I have mentioned before every fall my sister Rachel hosts a German dinner at her home and the children wear dirndls or lederhosen. 

The dirndl/jumper pattern is one that my mom and I designed years ago.The blouse pattern is one the I purchased from Puperita. This was my second time sewing this blouse. It is such a sweet little blouse pattern! I love the gathers and binding.

This time I decided to make the dirndl extra special by adding some additional embroidery. The embroidery along the seam edges was done by chain stitching and then alternating between each chain with a french knot. It was a little time consuming, but I was pleased with the finished results. Embroidering the dirndls is my favorite part.

 This peter pan collar dress has probably been the most useful addition to her wardrobe this season. I found the fabric at a local Mennonite fabric shop and just love it! The pattern used to sew this dress was Butterick 6084.

It is a fast and easy pattern. In fact I have sewn another dress using this pattern this week. However this time I eliminated the collar and added trim to the neckline.

 This particular dress did not fit the dress form, it was a little too small. The dress looks far better on my little girl. I purchased this pattern from Puperita as well.

I really like the raised and rounded design of the yoke. This dress looks adorable with leggings. I know that this is a pattern I will sew time and again!

And to finish this post I will share a little knitting! I knitted this pair of mittens using a pattern from the Lion Brand book Irresistibly Snuggly. Jemimah is especially pleased with her new mittens. One of her favorite books at the moment is The Three Little Kittens. In fact she often quotes lines of the story while wearing her mittens. : )

I hope you are all enjoying a beautiful start to the Christmas season. We are enjoying the light dusting of snow that has fallen here today. It definitely is a pleasure to see this time of year.

"I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken."

                                                     

Psalm 16:8