Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Hello Friends!



Each episode of Baby Doll's FAVORITE program, Yo Gabba Gabba, begins with a greeting from DJ Lance Rock, "Hello friends!"  I don't ACTUALLY say it aloud, ESPECIALLY in public, but SOMEtimes when I pick up a sewing needle or tatting shuttle I think to myself, "Hello friend!"

This week I was excited to bring three "friends" together for a play date - tatting, sewing and embroidery.  EVERYBODY played nice and the result was this jumper for Baby Doll.  During the winter she will wear it with a pink turtleneck and pink leggings.  Then next spring she will be able to wear it by itself.

The jumper was made from Simplicity pattern 3662.  The shoulder straps button in the back and the bows at the side allow for fitting.  The jumper is fully lined and could probably be constructed to be reversible.  I made my own piping for the bottom hem so it would match the pink I used for the motif.  It was an easy pattern and I would definitely consider making it again.



You probably recognize the motif from my last post.  I have wanted to add a motif to a little skirt or jumper for some time now and when I found this one I thought it would be PERFECT.  I had originally planned to sew it on subtly, but somewhere in the planning process I VEARED off course and decided to stitch it on LOUD and PROUD with embroidery floss matching the colors of the fabric.

Afraid that the motif would be STRUGGLING for attention on that field of dots, I decided to give it its OWN stage which I created by first setting a green circle into a larger pink square using a technique I found on Dioramarama.  It worked WONDERFULLY!  Then I embroidered my tatted motif on,  cut the pink circle to the size I wanted and appliqued the WHOLE shebang to the jumper.  Because the jumper is fully lined the LOVELY back side of my embroidered work is not visible.

I tried it on Baby Doll and she seemed well pleased because APPARENTLY you need a colorful dress to dance along to numbers like "Hey, Won't Somebody Come and Play?" and I'm pretty sure she will be reflective for any night time walking.  Safety first!

14 comments:

Carol Schockling Lawecki said...

Hello!! The dress is absolutely funtastic!! It is so darn cute! I can just see a little sweet girl in the dress with pink tights and turtleneck!! The motif on the colorful background is a perfect addition to the dress. Just Love It!!

Fox said...

I LOVE those pretty, pink French knots! That is so cute. I'm sure Baby Doll is going to get a whole lot of wear in this fun jumper!

Lovely work Ann! You are quite the seamstress - is that what you guys are still called? Serer? Needle person?

The circle base was a brilliant move! I am in awe of those who can wield a needle with grace. I just draw blood...
Fox : )

IsDihara said...

What a stunning piece of craftmanship! Such a beautiful dress.

Krystle said...

Way too precious! I'll take onee in size 2T and one in 6-9mo please lol! :-)


Such a good use of tatting btw. I love to see a modern application. sometimes the "vintage arts" and lace in general are too hard to incorporate in current style. She will be stylin for sure!

Cindy said...

That is absolutely darling! Your stitches to attach the motif make it really pop - you do beautiful work. As much as I would like to embroider, I don't think have the patience to stitch so neatly!

sewmuchfun4 said...

Thank you Carol! I got her the tights and turtleneck now so she will be wearing it soon. She carried it around on a hanger for about an hour last night - I'm guessing that is a good sign and she still likes it!

Hi Fox! Thank you! I don't think I qualify as a seamstress - you won't see me making anything fitted. Those kind of alterations are BEYOND me! I TOO have drawn blood, usually while hand quilting. Know what gets it out of the fabric? Your own spit! EWWWWW! But it's true! :)

Thank you Isdihara! I'm glad you are feeling up to being "out and about".

Hi Krystal! The dresses are in the mail! HA! :)
I'm glad you liked the jumper!

Hi Happy Bluebird! Thank you so much! I'm learning to relax and enjoy embroidery and not worry too much about it being "just right".

:) Ann

Martha said...

What an adorable little dress -- love the dots and the bows and the pink piping....but it's that tatted flower that's the showstopper. What a clever thing you were to place it on it's own dot background and add the french knots. With her pink turtle and tights -- she's going to look like a decorated cupcake.

It's so great gleaning inspiration from my blog friends' creative ideas. After seeing this darling, one-of-a-kind jumper, I'm going to be looking at my old lace a little differently.

sewmuchfun4 said...

You're so nice Martha, thank you!
Yum! If it WERE a cupcake, it would be chocolate with sprinkles! I'm happy you like it. You have given me lots of inspiration. You have an eye for possibilities!
:) Ann

Kathy Raker said...

Adorable dress and the tatting just adds the perfect touch. Thanks for stopping by my blog and I enjoyed browsing yours too though I haven't finished looking yet. Love your writing style and all your lovely works of art. Good luck in the giveaway.

sewmuchfun4 said...

Thank you Kathy! You are very kind. I never dreamed I would enjoy blogging this much! It's fun to "meet" other bloggers like yourself. Good luck to YOU in the giveaway as well! It's a sweet one!
:) Ann

Unknown said...

Oh, that dress is adorable and I absolutely ♥ ♥ ♥ what you did with that tatted motif! It's PERFECT! You are one talented lady!

sewmuchfun4 said...

Thank you Tatting Chic! You're awful SWEET! I love those hearts you add to your comments - VERY cool! Thanks for giving me three!
:) Ann

LadyShuttleMaker aka MadMadPotter said...

Ann, this dress is so much fun, it's really a treasure!
Will we get to see Baby Doll wearing it?
(I say hello friend quite a bit...although I try to keep it in my head).

sewmuchfun4 said...

Hi Lady ShuttleMaker and thank you SO much! If I can get a good picture of Baby Doll playing in it, I'll post. She's tough right now - I have many pictures of her with a manic look on her face and her hands reached out to grab my lens - I'm a little skittish because my Canon is another "friend" of mine.

I agree, telepathic greetings for my inanimate crafting friends are probably best!

:) Ann