The Handmade Dress

As I was making the very last sample of Miss Violet today, and I was so inspired by the way these colors came together with my nail color. It got me thinking that I may need to try bright yellow lazy daisies in between the smocking pleats, or maybe a little seed bead (as suggested by Cindy  on the phone the other day). What other tiny embellishments could be added between the pleats? Do you have any ideas you would like to share? xo, Sam

We have been spending the mornings and evenings outside for the last few days because it has been much cooler! A breezy 90 degrees. I know that still sounds hot to most people, but here in the south 90 degrees with a breeze is sweet relief! I am so ready for fall (our fall starts in October or November with high 70's and low 80's). So while I was enjoying my morning on the porch I did some thinking. I've got a little idea brewing...How do you guys feel about "Sewing Recipes"?  The kind of patterns that don't come with actual pieces but come with a formula/recipe (illustrations and instructions included) that you could use for any age, baby or mama...let me know what you think. ~xo, Sam

From now until Monday morning you can enter here in the comments section to win your very own Miss Violet pattern! Leave a comment telling me what your favorite pattern is, remember to leave me your email address, and on Tuesday I will announce one winner for every twenty comments (that will give everyone better chances!). Best of luck! xo, Sam Mica and Lahens, YOU WON! I will be contacting you in the next few days! (Hopefully we will have Miss Violet in print by next week!)

My tiny love is feeling much better. All it took was mommy kisses and snuggles to get her well again, thank goodness we didn't have to go to the doctor. Tim, by the way, is just mesmerized that mommy kisses really do make a baby well again! When she was only a few days old we asked the kids to only kiss her on the head for the first few weeks because there was a virus going around. When Tim caught me kissing her on those little lips he said "Mom, don't! She might get sick!" I explained to him how important it was that I get all of the germs that she has, so that my body will know what kind of medicine to make and put in her milk. So now when he sees me kiss her mouth he says "You makin' medicine mama?" How cute is that? He thinks I'm magic, and I'm totally fine with that. :) xo, Sam P.S. First thing in the morning the Miss Violet giveaway will start, I will close comments on Monday morning.

A good reminder to be wearing when mama has had less than two hours of sleep, because she was up all night with a feverish, fretting, baby, and the background noise during morning coffee is a fight over who said "jinx" first. Sometimes it's easy and sometimes it's work, but it's so very important to the little ones watching....be kind, be kind, be kind......

We were sooo very busy through the weekend (Father Daughter Banquet, writing a new pattern, and today a home visit with our social worker) and in the last two nights my babe has not slept well because of her first case of the sniffles. So sad. I'm going to take a day to rest up with my babe and then I'll be back with something good. How about a little giveaway for the new pattern? I thought you may like that! xo, Sam

It may be time to cut the okra back...What do you think? Hehe.. We need to either cut it back or carry a ladder down there to pick it! I think that Ben's green thumb gets a little greener every year! xo, Sam

Yesterday was Claire's big day! She was dedicated. I made this little dress on Friday afternoon (ahem...one day early!). It is not a traditional dedication dress like I have done for my other girls, I just wasn't in the dedication dress kinda mood. I was more in the mood for frilly little french girl, in a soft white (almost wilted) dress, with a dainty pinafore, running through tall grass. I even broke all of the heirloom rules when it was done. I washed it and put it in the dryer for a few minutes to soften it up more. All heirloomers know that your dress NEVER looks as good after it has been hand washed the first time, but I needed that softness... And I cheated. I used fabric that was already pintucked, and used a beauty pin for the dress (which I think looks better anyhow).... ...and then I used the already sewn together, already gathered lace (everything below the pintucks), that I cut from an old dress. I think that lace made it ki...

I finally got the yarn that I needed to finish this sweet little cardigan. This was my first big (bigger than a pair of booties) knitting project and I can highly recommend the pattern. I don't remember one time being confused.  And the best part is that IT'S FREE! You can see all of the details HERE . (That Ravelry link is public so anyone can see it.) This is a really good project for those of you who like to knit things a row or two at a time, because the pattern is so simple. I just worked on it a little every night and it came together so fast. Today I'm working on Claire's dedication dress....for this Sunday...Why do I do this to myself? Oh well, it will all get done! xo, Sam

I was sitting in my nest, in my favorite chair, still in my pj's (yeah, I know, I live in them, but I still call them PJ's), talking to my best friend in the whole world (my baby sis), drinking my morning coffee.......when it happened. I felt something wet on my arm. What?! I called for help! "Molly!" She came in from picking muscadines and just started rolling! It was one of those situations where all you can do is laugh and you don't really know where to start! Well if you know me, you know my kids. They all grab cameras and start taking pictures of me before they rescue me! We had a good laugh! Then Tim brought me a towel to lay her on and while Molly cleaned her up I got cleaned up. Can you believe she got every piece of clothing?! And then she fell fast asleep, obviously feeling very "relieved". You just never know what you may get coming here do ya? It could be a pretty dress, it could be baby poop. That's how we roll. :...

I did a couple of things different here...First I took the smocking all the way across the front... ....and then I added a dainty cotton lace edging.  Very heirloom, no? Start to finish, even with the extra smocking, it took me just over an hour! To answer some questions, yes, the diaper cover will be included in the pattern. But it will just be a diaper cover not long bloomers. I drafted these to be all one piece with the fold being in the crotch, SO FAST! This little pattern will be very easy to dress up or down, I'm lovin' it! I better get back to work now, Ben is home today to play with Claire. Any more questions or suggestions? xo, Sam

 View A is a dress/gown that has the feel of a smocked bishop (but in two hours or less!). The smocking is done using dots, no pleater or fuss. I did this in about 15 minutes. This was the first Miss Violet. I made it when Claire was just a few weeks old. This one is just simple and sweet with no smocking. When I was looking back through antique baby layettes in some of my old books I noticed a lot of peasant style dresses with ties. I loved the simplicity of the soft batiste fabrics and sweet little gathered gowns. Ha! I thought she was chubby then! This will probably be my new go-to baby gift for a while. I am considering taking the sizing up since many of you asked about that. But how old is too old? Maybe it should be just a shirt for older girls? I need to get this nailed down in the next few days so let me know what you think! Thanks friends. :) xo, Sam 

Yeah, I know I'm supposed to start off with View A, but let's mix it up a bit! I'm so excited about this pattern! This pattern will have no buttonholes, plackets, zippers, or gathering.... It can be made with or without the honeycomb smocking (how to included in the pattern).... It is designed to be used with thin fabrics like batiste, voile, etc...It can be made to look very heirloom! FAST! Little girls look adorable in it, and like to wear it. :) So far it is drafted/ graded from newborn to 18 months. Now I need your help mamas! Speak now or forever hold your peace! Gimmee some feedback.....What do you think? What would you change? What do you want to know? xo, Sam

‎Tuesday and Wednesday were a little busy around here. That night I wrote "10 boys, 48 canned cokes, 5 pizzas, 30 hot dogs, 4 packs of chips ahoy cookies, watchin' Wipe-out....this is good stuff!!!" Tim had a man night with all of his little friends and Claire and I were the only girls allowed.   This was Ben's system for keeping up with who's drink was who's. I thought it was smart, and hilarious! I also wrote that night "My living room resembles a kicked ant bed, smells like a locker room, and sounds like a boy scout camp-out. These ten boys are rockin' my face off!" Boy did we have fun! Bedtime was at 3 AM and they were all up by 8 AM. Ben took them swimming in the creek, they scooted, skated, and rode things with wheels down "the big hill going to the chicken pen". My little man was so happy to be in "boy world" for a couple of days, but when I asked him "Do you miss your girls?" He said "...