Bonnet by Betty

I hope you enjoy this bonnet. 

Baby Bonnet

by Betty

1.

a. From fabric that looks the same on both sides cut a 13"X 45"piece. Remove selvage.

b. Fold up and press 4" on long edge for front and 2" for back of bonnet.

c. Open up and sew machine scallops on right side of fabric (both long ends) Do not worry about
perfect scallops at the ends, they will be turned up and not show. Trim scallops, fold back up
on pressed lines and baste before pleating..

d. On 2" turn up, pleat five (5) 1/2 space rows for back starting first row 3/8" from folded edge.
On 4" turn up, pleat eleven (11) 1/2 space rows for front, starting first row 3/8" from folded edge.
LEAVE ENOUGH PLEATING THREADS TO FLATTEN OUT BONNET

2. Using graft for neck cut out, make pattern or mark directly onto the two short ends of pleated
fabric and cut. Ignore pleating threads throughout and cut off

3.

a. French seam the back of bonnet.

b. Machine scallops around neck edge, trim scallops. Again, don't worry about corners.

4.

a. Using a tapertry needle and dental floss or strong thread doubled, make a hole next to the back seam and take thread all the way around exiting on the other side of the seam. Pull up snug, tie off and use Fray Check on the knot.
Pick pleating threads out at back seam and tie each row snug enough to lay flat.

b. Cable on rows 1 and 3. Baby waves in between. Pull out pleating threads.

5.

a. Pick out pleating threads on bonnet front, pull up and tie off (no special length)for easy smocking.
b. Smock rows 2 and 9 as cable. Fill in with 1/2 space baby waves or design of your choice. Remove
pleating threads.
c. Turn up front corners to right side and attach ribbons over them, making a loop or something cute.
Smaller ribbon bow sewed to back circle .

6. I made a few changes to the instructions found in Creative Needle Nov./Dec. 1992 by Nancy Marx.
Nancy also showed one with lace that I will show you soon with directions and also one with eyelet
that would be cute for Easter maybe?

Noah modeling Granny's bonnet for her.

The Conrad Rose Home

This wonderful old home has sat vacant and for sale for years.  Why?  I think it is because no one has a vision for it.  I have a vision, just no funds to pull it off.  With a few investors and my dream, this magnificent mansion could come back to life.

 

What is my vision?   Well, it’s not more empty office space as has been suggested by some.  I mean how many empty office spaces does one city need?   Also what dull thinking, how come every time an old building is vacant all anyone can think of is ‘office space’?  Especially in a town full to over flowing with empty office space.  That just seems to be a sore spot with me. But then I digress.

Back to my dream which is pure fantasy.  I can see it as a B&B . It’s location in the down town is perfect.  Conrad Rose built this home for his family in 1906,  he  had a great  input into the building of this valley.  An orchardist who tackled the dry condition of this valley to plant and nurture fruit trees and to supply other farmers with the equipment needed to also farm with success.

The home sits across the street for memorial park, so how fitting it be a memorial to the valley.  To Conrad Rose and others.  To me, it’s time to bring it back to life.

I picture afternoon teas and a chance to educate the youth of the valley as to what life was like in the 1900’s.  A place where people can just take the time to go back in time so it will never be forgotten.

I could go on for hours, just ask anyone in my family.  The possibilities are endless.

Any investors out there?

Fun sun dress

I had the honor of testing a pattern for My Treasured Heirlooms.   It is a wonderful fun and easy pattern and lends it's self to tons of different types of fabric.  The first fabric that came to mind for me was a crinkle cotton but when I reached into my stash my hand landed on this pink gingham fabric.  I do not remember where it came from and the way the fabric feels it has to be a polyester, but perfect for a summer frock.

I do notice I need to adjust the straps a little better for her.

You could also make this pattern a short top, which I think would be darling.   
I used an invisable zipper in the back but the pattern also comes with a shirred option.  

Also offered with this pattern is options of smocking plates.   I changed one plate a little and added a few more roses.
I think you will really enjoy this pattern and all the options it offers.

Don’t click on that leaf

If any of you have visited Ancestry.com you know what I mean by leaf clicking. It all started very innocent for me, as most of the work on my fathers side of the family was done and my mothers side had been done.   What was left? I guess until we start digging we just have no idea how big our family really is and the search has been long and sometimes frustrating.  After all it has taken up sewing and blogging time.

I decided one day to search for my fathers mother, that should not be to hard I had a few facts to go on and they advertise that you don’t need to know what you are searching for you just need to start.   I didn’t know grandma’s maiden name when I started.  I know it seems like I should have at least known grandma’s maiden name but I didn’t.   This is the mother to my father, so you would think someone had gone down that road before but I guess not as any information has been hard to come by.

I did find some fascinating facts about my fathers family.  I knew the names on the chart but coming across pictures such as these, really bring the history to life.  The first Jonathan Gillam was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania in the year 1753. He had fifteen living children in his will.

  This is Jonathan Gillam’s cabin.  I have a cousin that actually has been to this cabin.  There is also records stating that the family gravesite is located by a river close to the cabin marked by stones.

This the the head stone of John and his wife Mary.   This is my grandparent’s, and I can’t think right now how many greats to add to that.  There are stories of the revolutionary war and the civil war, all very fascinating. I think I also mentioned very time consuming. 

Back to grandma (see I told you I get sidetracked)  so far I have found out her maiden name was McBride or MacBride depending on where you are reading.  Her father was born either in Canada or Pennsylvania and her mother was born in Pennsylvania ( I think).

I have not been able to move beyond that information.  I hope I can find the family and put as much together as I can for the grandkids. I know they don’t care now, but someday they will.

Blogs-A good topic

                                                                          
You know how you start talking about one topic and soon you realize the topic has completely change as if in mid sentence?  Exactly what just happened on a topic posted on the ES forum.  The topic started as a question by one of the members that had just spent time looking at lovelies posted in the gallery, she noticed that a lot of the names of members who had posted the pictures do not appear to now be members, so she wondered where they went.    So now, where does blogging come in?    Well one member suggested maybe more of them had moved to blogging and were not spending the time on forums.  
That really got the ball rolling.  What members now have blogs?  The pitfalls and blessings that come from haveing a blog.  It really made me take a new look at blogging, I started so I could share my passion for sewing and anything beautiful. 

Some blog to promote their business, some to share their passions,  friendship's are formed because we have the same interest or have gone through the same ordeal.  Some blogs seem to just show how to make things or do things, others seem more personal and you get to know a person you would never have met if it were not for this person sharing themselves.

Now, the reason for following or not to follow seem to be different.  Leaving a comment is difficult for some as they feel there is little opportunity for interaction, other then leaving the comment to which the blogger rarely responds.

I enjoyed our conversation about blogging and being on a forum format, being able to respond to each other in 'real' time was something I also enjoyed.    I hope I learned a lot, I have rethought the blogging thing and know I will never have a huge blog, I will just enjoy the people I meet through blogging.  I know there are many, many blogs that share sewing but we each have a little bit different way of doing something and if I can follow someone through a process of their sewing I will learn something new.

So there are a few thoughts about blogging. I would love to hear your thoughts.   Maybe, tell why you blog.  What do you like about it, what do you not like.                                                                 

baby Quilt

How to Make a Tied Baby Quilt
An Easy Beginner Project

By MightyNancy

You’ll need:
1 ¼ yards “top” fabric (45” square, more or less)
1 ¼ yards “bottom” fabric
45” square of batting – loft is your choice
5 yards trim of your choice – I like rickrack or ruffled eyelet
yarn for tying the quilt
yarn needle
sewing machine
thread
hand sewing needle
quilt basting pins (these are just 2”-2 ½” safety pins) – about 40
straight pins
tailor’s chalk (regular chalk works, too)

Fabric widths vary a bit, and the ladies at the cutting table are human. Lay your two pieces of fabric out one on top of the other to ensure they’re the same size. Trim up as necessary. Set the bottom piece aside when you’re done.

With the sewing machine, sew trim to quilt top about ½” from the edge of the fabric. The trim edge that is supposed to show goes toward the inside of the square. Run ends of trim off the edge of the fabric. Later this will hide in the seam.

Now you’ll make a quilt sandwich. Start with your bottom fabric facedown, then batting, then top fabric face up.

Starting in the middle, baste with the quilt pins. Smooth the fabric as you work. I do this on the floor – my kingdom for a big table! Try to have your pins all “face” the same direction; this will be helpful in the next step.

You’re almost ready to tie! Your batting package will tell you how far apart to tie – generally 4-6” is the rule (samples are tied every 4.5”). If your top fabric has an even pattern to it, you can use it to space your ties. If not, you have some options. In the sample quilts, the bottom fabric had a grid pattern. I laid the basted quilt out bottom up, and used straight pins to mark the grid. On the top side, I marked each pin with tailor’s chalk and then removed the pins. Helpful hint: have your marking pins run in a different direction from your basting pins so you’ll know which are marks and which are basting!

Thread your yarn needle with a long piece of yarn. Pull the yarn through the eye of the needle until the cut ends are even. I start with about five yards. If you find this too cumbersome, you can use shorter lengths and just rethread more frequently. Do not knot the end.

Stitch, picking up your marked spots, leaving a 5” tail on the first stitch. Each stitch should take up about ¼”. Leave a tiny bit of slack between each stitch – you don’t want it taut, especially if your stitches are close together.

Keep stitching until you’re done! Having all your stitches run in the same direction gives you a more uniform look.

Snip between stitches. Take out the basting pins.

Tie each pair of yarn tails into square knots. Remember “Right over left and left over right!” Granny knots will come undone in the laundry.

Trim tails to a pleasing length.

Trim the batting just inside the stitch line of the trim

Woohoo, almost done! We’re ready to finish the edge! You have options. My favorite look is to turn the edges in (just flop ‘em under, wrapping the bottom fabric over the edge of the batting) and blindstitch by hand.

You can also turn the edges in, pin, and topstitch with the machine (much quicker, but it’s easy for it to go wonky on ya).

If you prefer a bound edge, skip the trimming step at the beginning and bind the quilt with a coordinating fabric (directions can be found in quilting books or online). This quilt is tied with variegated yarn (fun!) and bound with a coordinating plaid.

Voilá! A darling handmade quilt! They make great baby shower gifts.

Time Out

Sometimes we just have to send ourselves on a time out.  Maybe it’s just taking time to take your morning coffee out on the patio and enjoy the sounds of the birds and enjoy the flowers you took such pains to plants.  I think I had come to think of just sitting and enjoying the moments as wasted time.   It is not wasted at all, it is the refuel time it’s the time to try to quiet your mind from all the busy thoughts, time to put aside your pen and paper and stop making to do lists.  

Time to stand back and take a good look at what is really important in life and I did just that this week end by going high on a hill , looking down on the valley enjoying  the beauty God has created.  I was missing  seeing this because my to do list was  so full. Not one time had I written STOP, stop and take a look around.  Stop worrying, worry never did solve a problem.  I have the gift of being able to say,”here God, you take this one,”  I just want to sit back and enjoy the beauty you created.

 

The power of it all can really take my breath away.  What can be so important that stops us from just sitting down and trying to take it all in.