Monthly Archives: October 2016

Bit of News and “A Peek at Christmas”

I’m wondering if you all have forgotten about my patterns that I promised to start writing! Definitely not! My first one is almost ready to be published. The pattern is written, but this morning I realized my cover photo may be too small pixel-wise, so I want to redo that. Also, there have been technical things that I needed “husband help” with. He needed to figure those things out when he wasn’t at work. New things always take time; it’s getting real close though. Thanks for being so patient with me!

I’ve been looking at my stack of Christmas fabrics for months now. I actually felt like starting to make something Christmas-y in August, but I held back. I didn’t want to skip making fall ensembles. But now, it is time to dive right into Christmas sewing!

My smiling Little Darling, Lucy, got the first ensemble for Christmas 2016! Lucky girl! I call this ensemble “A Peek at Christmas” because it is “just a bit” Christmas-y.

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This fabric is a lively red and green floral on a darker ivory ground. It is a cozy print, but not drab. My newest lace from England matched perfectly. I added it to the hemline for the green tights to peek through. A couple of red hand made bows at the hemline tie into the red waistline sash.

I felt this ensemble needed green tights, nothing else came close. For a whole day I worked on mixing and dyeing what I thought was the perfect shade of green. My fabric stayed in the dye bath for 1 1/2 hours; I stirred it every 15 minutes. Then, it stayed in the fix bath for another hour; I stirred that every 15 minutes too. The fabric came out uneven and, really too light. The next day, I kept my fingers crossed as I headed to the fabric store. Usually when I am looking for something in particular I don’t find it. Not only did I find the perfect green, I also found it in a different fabric; it’s a lighter weight Lycra® rayon blend; it has a bit of a sheen to it, so is a little bit dressy. And a bonus, it sewed up very nicely. Needless to say, this all made me very happy . . . and feeling lucky.

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For the sweater’s embroidery I used the same style of blossoms as on the fabric; I had tiny pearlized Delica beads that matched, so used those for the center of each blossom. Two shades of green and some burgundy bud flowers complete the mirrored embroidery. Mother-of-pearl beads in natural added the perfect touch for the buttons.

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A tinier version as what’s used for the sweater decorates the back of the dress as faux buttons.

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The last item I made to complete this ensemble was the crocheted drawstring bag. It is crocheted with the finest cotton thread in a color that matches the background of the fabric and the lace. For fun, I added a colorful and jingly dangle. Inside Lucy’s bag is her contribution the the Christmas tree, a bright red ornament!

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Lucy’s “A Peek at Christmas” ensemble will be available tonight (October 19, 2016) at 7:00 pm CST, cindyricedesigns.com.

Thank you for visiting with me today! I hope your day is a beautiful one!

Bye for now!

“Blue Skies for Pumpkin Picking”

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It’s that time again! The pumpkin patches, farmers markets, and roadside stands are exploding with orange. We had errands this weekend that took us along country roads and past a few pumpkin patches. Since it was the most beautiful weekend, a bit crisp, with blue skies and bright sunshine, the pumpkin patches were bustling with activity. It really was THE weekend for picking the perfect pumpkin, or two!

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I have four colorways of this teensy tiny floral print fabric. You can see the four versions I purchased in these photos here (second photo). I used the pink/blue/yellow colorway twice already, but have yet to use the red and golden colorways. Here and here are the photos of the two outfits from the pink/blue/yellow colorway. This is the first ensemble made with the blue colorway.

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In my stash was the most perfect yarn for this fabric. It is a heathered wool in the perfect pumpkin shade, and as a bonus, the flecks are yellow which pick up the yellow blossoms in the dress beautifully.

The yarn was an easy pick, but I had the hardest time picking out blues that look nice on this sweater, and yet still coordinated with the print. DMC doesn’t seem to have a lot of blue shades, especially in the clearer blues. I had every one of my blues out and went through them once, twice, three times. When I started embroidering I still wasn’t sure the two blues I chose would work, but they did. I originally was going to do the stems and leaves in a darker blue like the shade on the print, but that color seemed very drab and dark. The white brightens everything up.

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Lucy wanted a little beret to go with her new set; whatever your little heart desires, my dear! I changed my pattern a little on this one for a softer edge. The little tri-colored pom pom makes Lucy smile and tickles her nose.

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Lucy has picked a tiny pumpkin that she wants to bring home for her dollhouse and dollies. Her little sign is made with a bit of balsa wood, so is very lightweight, and includes a pumpkin-y looking bead charm.

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“Blue Skies for Pumpkin Picking” will be available tonight (October 11, 2016) at 7:00 pm CST, cindyricedesigns.com.

“Woodland Roses”

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We had a beautiful, sunshiny day yesterday and so Patience went out for a walk in our woodland garden. She brought her basket along for collecting floral treasures. Even though there is a touch of fall in the air, we have not had a frost yet, so blossoms are still plentiful.

Patience is wearing her new calico dress with coordinating wool sweater and headband hat. Yes, she wanted one of these vintage-styled headbands too. Doesn’t she look cute with the bow tied under her chin!

I focused on the rosy pinks when creating the main pieces for this ensemble. There is some yellow in the print, but it just wasn’t working with the pink sweater when I started the embroidery. I tried every shade under the sun (every shade I had anyway), but it wasn’t meant to be. You know, I don’t miss the yellow at all; I like the monochromatic embroidery.

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