A Short Video of some Motifs/Techniques Learned in the Free Courses!
Continuing sewing the cutest (okay maybe not THE cutest..but still darn cute!) little baby clothes this week. I have the last dress constructed but am adding bullion roses to the lace.
When it's all done I'll post a pic of the outfit. Still need to stitch the under slip...which is cut out and on the table waiting patiently.But, before that...am helping my niece and her hubby to paint their newly finished basement. With 3 little boys, and now a new sister almost here...it was time to get this done. So, painter by day and seamstress by night! At least for about 3 more days...Right now...waiting for them to come and get their "helper" for another afternoon of painting fun!So, thought ya'll might like to see what an IMPACT simple little bullion rosebuds have on this lace trim.If you have not tried bullions...seriously, once you get the hang of them, they are so fast and easy. The trick? Find a needle that is long and lean...the eye should be the same width as the shaft. Straw needles and milliners needles are ideal. However, I work with perle cotton...and it's near impossible to find these needles in large enough sizes to get the perle cotton through the eye. So, I use doll needles and any needle (regardless of the name) that I find that fits the criteria of SAME SIZE SHAFT AS EYE. This type of needle glides through the "thread wraps" that you create during the stitch process...and don't get "caught" when the eye gets pulled through the wraps. So, my soapbox for today is...if you are having trouble doing bullion roses....It is NOT because they are hard...It is NOT because you are a doe-doe brain...It is because the needle you choose is the wrong one for the job. Try again! Seriously, they are easy...if they weren't...I would not be wasting my time by doing so many on this little dress. Really, I wouldn't! 
Here's a little bullion rose tutorial for you...on a 4-hole button. You just won't believe how cute these are! This one is only about 1/4 inch in size...so hard to photograph...sorry you can't appreciate just how cute it really is by this pic. But, you'll agree for sure once you have tried it...just grab a four hole button and a scrap of fabric to try this out!First...start by securing the button down with regular sewing thread. You want to rotate the button so that the holes form a diamond and not a square; and secure by stitching vertical and horizontally at least twice...then anchor your sewing thread to the back. Change to embroidery thread and a slender needle without a large eye...as it has to pass through the wholes a couple of times.
Next, you start by stitching one bullion of the rose bud color (pink shown in the chart below) using the top and bottom (A & B) holes. You have to use the "poke and pull" method since you can not needle through the hard button. Just needle up at "A"; needle down at "B" but do not pull the thread all the way through...needle back up at "A"...hold the needle straight and wrap the thread starting at the base about eight times around the needle. Now, pinch those wraps between your fingers and pull the needle. This will bring the remainder of your thread through those wraps. Pull downwards and the wraps will begin to tighten up, you can also "nudge" them into place with the needle at this stage by pushing on them slightly...while pulling the thread. Lastly, needle down again at "B" to hold the bullion in place. Stitch two more bullions in this vertical position with the "pink" embroidery floss. I used silk floss and two strands for these little buttons...you'll have to adjust as needed based on the size of your button and your floss. Then stitch the green bullions in the same manner but using the "side" holes as shown in this chart as your "A" and the "B" position remains the same...the bottom hole.
I had great fun yesterday creating this little blouse for my new niece...we are awaiting her arrival. The fabric was thicker than the pattern called for...making the neck opening larger than designed.
So, instead of a Bishop Style Dress for a six month old...it became a Bishop Style Blouse for a twelve month old. Luckily this was an easy fix to just enlarge the sleeve openings by using longer elastic. Bishop style types are very forgiving...and my muse loves to "adapt and over come!".Next, I'm off to find some thinner fabric to try this again in the correct size. And, I want to make it longer for more of a christening style gown. We'll see how that comes out. I'm having a great time stitching baby clothes and such....but am getting more behind with my "monthly" projects...so it will be a race to see if my muse can catch up! Hugs to all!
These little roses could travel...but, probably will stay at home and find a home on one of my CQ blocks. They are bullion roses I stitched on stabilizer...but not just any stabilizer! While at the recent Retreat I purchased a roll of Sheer Delight, no show mesh stabilizer...(you can get it at www.stripsandstrings.com) I prepared an embroidery hoop by wrapping a 1" wide strip of felt around-and-around the bottom hoop. That gave it more "grab". Then I cut a piece of the Sheer Delight and started stitching bullion roses.
I was very happy to find that the stabilizer held up to all the needle pokes without tearing. And after the roses were all stitched...I cut them out in little squares of stabilizer. Then I started to trim away the excess from the roses...afraid that at any moment they would just unravel and my tedious work would be gone.
But, it held it's shape...and my little roses are now all safely tucked away...just waiting for the perfect Crazy Quilt project for them to be stitched down. I'll so this with a few well hidden stitches of beading thread. While a lot of roses can be stitched directly to a CQ project; I sometimes want one on top of lace or tucked into a button cluster...and these "independent" little roses will be just the thing for me to use!
Next, I'm gonna try the stabilizer as an addition to building my CQ Blocks! It is super thin...but very strong. So, I figure it can only help!
