Sewing Vloggers

Friday, October 16, 2009

Carly's Bishop plus Some......


Carly's Bishop is all smocked and back on the smocking board. Martha's seamless smocking technique is fabulous and you cannot see the seams in this dress. It is very common and often accepted that the shoulder seams will show and/or be a lump underneath the smocking. This technique is easy and I doubt I will ever go back to the old way. Thanks, Martha.

Sorry for the darkness. Who knows why?! the large hearts that you see at the bottom edge of the smocking will have red buttons in them and the small spaces in between will have bullion rosebuds. The black row of cables at the neck will be butted up to a plaid piping and a toile piping and then a plaid binding if all goes well. Same treatment will be on the sleeves. Being with Carly this past week made me realize just how tiny she is. I used Gail Doane's pattern and plate for this dress in a size two. Once I measured Carly in the shoulders I knew the design need to be cut down, just like I do for my own petite frame. So I changed Gail's lovely design, using just two repeats and it should fit Carly just right.

You may remember that I mentioned the sizing of the neckline on this bishop. Well, props to Gail Doane. She immediately e-mailed me to say "it appears seam allowances have not been taken into account on the guide. If you take a 3/8'' seam allowance OFF the line of the guide you will end up with an 11" finished neckline. This is just about right in line with the 1/2" you had to remove from your neckline - perhaps you needed the extra 1/8" to accomodate a heavier weight fabric." Gail is having the correction made with Country Bumpkin as we speak. Thanks so much Gail for your prompt response to this issue. I imagine publishing is not an easy task and I really appreciate your prompt "stepping up to the plate." If any of you have not seen Gail's wonderful book "Sew Cute Couture" I did a review on it a few months back. It is just wonderful. Gail's expertise in design and embroidery is just fabulous. I highly recommend this inspiring book.

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Thanks for all the comments on the cape. Yes, Ima had the personality to pull this off. Can't say that I could. Did you see how she lined up the print down the center of each panel?

To Gwen and others, we do live in a very beautiful area. Yes, where I took the pictures is in the back "yard" if you can call it that. The house, our "downsizer" after the dream house, is 100 feet from the water and affords us beautiful views. We live in a tiny "hamlet" as they call villages here and there are 350 people in our little hamlet. DH and I live 3/4 of a mile from the center of the village and it is a delight to walk to get your mail and talk to the neighbors. We are set way back from the road, almost invisible, but close to the river. We love watching nature here.

For those with a carpet of leaves in the yard, forget the raking and blowing. Try DH's fast excellent technique. He uses his power washer and rapidly sends the leaves packing into the woods. It will not damage your plants and does an incredible job. He can do all of our immediate yard in 30 minutes, removing all the leaves and leaving behind nice clean mulch and the shrubs and perennials.I know you think it will rip out everything in your yard but it doesn't even come close. Trust me on this one.

I will leave you with a pic taken from my ride on the Adirondack Trail yesterday. You can see Whiteface, where they have held the Olympics twice, and the other mountains are covered with snow. This is not the same Whiteface in the White Mountains of NH. It is supposed to be the coldest place to ski in the country. Forget the supposed, it is! .....Bunny

10 comments:

  1. Beautiful work as always and an amazing view.

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  2. Bunny, your attention to detail never ceases to amaze me! This toile bishop is going to be beautiful when completed.
    I have read & re-read & bookmarked Martha's technique on seamless smocking. I intend to use her method on my next project, if I ever feel well enough to go shopping for the fabric. This flu has been a real bummer!
    Thanks for the "get well" wishes.

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  3. OMG - what artistry....I love the smocking on the toille - it's a great combo.

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  4. Hola Bunny... humm ese libro desde que salio me esta haciendo ojos...
    tengo una pregunta.. existe o conoces en la web algun tutorial para hacer nido de abejas? recuerdo haber visto un blog pero ahora no doy con el... besos
    nela
    Ahh nido de abejas a mano
    besos

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  5. Nela, iré a tu blog para responder. Que placer es esta visita! ¿Donde estabas chica?

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  6. Those bright colors on the toile just pop!

    We've got snow on all the major peaks, too, while it is still fall at the bottom. I realized real quick that there are two Whitefaces!

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  7. I just love the bright colors on the b/w toile! So loverly :)

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  8. Hi Bunny,I adored your blog.I'm new into blogging.I love that picture of the river and the trees.I thank God for people like you,who like to share their knowledge.

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  9. estoy en venezuela.. ocupadita en clases.. estare esperando es que si mas no recuerdo.. debo marcar los puntos con cinta metrica, luego plisar las lineas y luego a bordar verdad es asi.. por que no cosnigo mis apuntes.. ya que desde hace mas de 10 años que no bordo y estos libros estan a que mami.. y ella se mudo, y no sabemos en que caja embalada qeudadron los libros y revistas.. es mas facil comprarme o buscar apuntes nuevos.. jijiji. un beso

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  10. ahhh yo paso mucho aunque hablo poco... ayyyy ese libro que mensionas me encanta de hecho consegui el blog de la diseñadora y haces unas cosas tan hermosas.. el ultimo bordado con la puntada 8 stitch o brasileño le quedo de un hermoso...

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Engaging commentary:

Had to Refurbish This One!

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