Baby Bee's Party Dress

What to wear for that first important meeting with extended family and friends? Baby Bee (or Little H, Lady H, etc. - nick names are still evolving) was recently faced with this dilemma when she and her "staff" flew off to the prairies for various birthday celebrations, wedding showers, dinners, picnics, etc.. But no worries! Lucky for her, Bee's got a Gram, who is always itchin' for stitchin'.

First stop, the stash. The beautiful mint green bug print from Birch Fabrics (bottom of the photo), was already there and provided the theme for the party ensemble. Three coordinating Birch prints found their way into the stash after a quick visit to a favourite local quilt shop. A length of white linen, also from the stash, was the perfect canvas against which to set these playful prints.

Along with a great choice of fabrics, there also needed to be a choice of styles and patterns. Of the 4 patterns and the one book that I used, all but one of the patterns made it into the outfit in one shape or other.

When all the bits and pieces were assembled, coordinated and constructed, the finished ensemble included this little dress, bloomers, a hat and a bag. Whenever I use linens for any of my work, I machine wash the fabric hot, dry it hot and iron with steam. Shrinkage in the finished product has not been a problem. The hat, lined with the polka dot print, is completely reversible.

The same bug print as is in the yoke, was used for the bloomers. Little bows were added for detail.

Oh yes, and there had to be a bag of course (below). Where else is a young lady to keep all of her private necessities? The hat, unfortunately met with greater interest off the head....

... then on.

Well, back at home, the parties are over, but we'll be ready to go the next time an invitation arrives.

And if it's for a garden party with the queen, we're all set with hat and bag!

Boutis: Traditional French Needlework

" Piqûre de Marseilles" or "Boutis" is a traditional French hand stitched and corded needlework technique, which uses embroidery stitches to create intricate channels that will later be stuffed with yarn, thereby creating a raised design with three layers. It's origins, and it's name, can be traced to the port of Marseilles in southern France to the 15th century. Traditional boutis was a technique invented to embellish otherwise plain white cotton with intricately patterned channels that would later be stuffed with a plump white yarn to give it relief. The resulting corded whitework created an elegant, embossed textile that was much sought after. Not only was it aesthetically appealing, but it also provided warmth and absorbency, so could be used for bed coverings, toilette linens (like towels), clothing items, home decor, etc. The first two photos below are from the collection of Mme. Monique Alphand, a well known French expert and collector of antique t

Amish Hand Quilting in France with Esther Miller

Esther Miller, was born into an Amish family in the U.S., and now lives in Germany where she has for many years taught the techniques and methods of Amish hand quilting to anyone interested in learning these skills. As a child, she would closely watch as the women of her community worked together on a quilt, and eventually she was rewarded with a needle of her own and encouraged to join the group. Through the years, she has mastered these skills and techniques and now generously shares them with anyone who has a genuine desire to learn. Esther Miller in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines in Alsace France. An example of her own work, Esther brings this intricately and perfectly hand stitched wall quilt to class as inspiration for her students. Last week, at the "European Meeting of Patchwork" in Ste. Marie-aux-Mines, in Alsace France, www.patchwork-europe.com , I had the privilege of taking a 2 day workshop with Esther. The Amish quilting method requires a free-standing simple

Blocking and Squaring Boutis

The door of her cage has been opened. She is free to fly off and find her destiny. After many months of hand stitching and then many more months of cording, my little "colibri" is ready to set off on her own. As this was my first attempt at designing so large a boutis piece, it was a learning curve. All of the tight swirls, curls and circles are a great deal more difficult and time consuming to cord then are the longer more gentle channels. Maintaining an even tension is absolutely necessary throughout the process, so patience comes in very handy when doing the cording. The process of stitching and cording a work of boutis subjects the fabric to a lot of handling and manipulation that can distort the design. For this reason, once all of the stitching and cording is complete, the boutis must be washed, blocked and squared. The first step of washing is to remove all traces of the marking pencil as well as any soil that may have collected over the many months of working w

Seams French

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