After our initial post, Smocking: An Introduction, that was filled with smocking resources and inspiration, we knew it was time to get down to the nitty gritty! YOU were ready to start the fun! First, we want to begin by talking a bit more about the smocking patterns, otherwise known as smocking plates. Most plates are […]

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We have slowly made the realization that we will not be one of “those bloggers.” You know the ones. They are the ones that you can recognize the maker of a sewn garment without any clues as to whom it might be, all due to styling, fabric coordination, photography, etc.  This has taken us a while to accept […]

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“The Bin” is back!! This time with a creation “Sister Momma” sewed prior to having children…. We sincerely hope you don’t tire of these sorts of posts!! Because, just between us….we don’t! That hemline. WE. HAVE. NO. WORDS. Paired with THOSE. LEGS!! Cuteness overload {or so we think}! The smocked dress shows its age, based […]

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Hmmmm, it seems we missed our “Happy Blogiversary” post last week!! When we began our blog in June 2012 {eek, can it really be THREE YEARS??}, we tried to give our readers a bit of our “sewing background” so to speak…. Of course, our reader base was zilch, nada, nothing. Yet, we still felt compelled […]

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{Phone rings}: Hello. Sister Momma: Ummm…do you have any ideas what the girls could wear for our family pictures tomorrow afternoon?? Us: {insert LOOOOONNNNNGGGG pause} That was us a few months back. Speechless. And, with no answer to give…. Until the phrase, “WHAT’S IN THE BIN?”, was born!! That’s right…THE BIN. An area where completed […]

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Hi all! We are over at Oliver + S, sharing how we have incorporated the “heirloom sewing technique” of tucks within a pattern. But, we couldn’t leave it with just one creation. So, we are sharing one over there….and another one here! If you are visiting from Oliver + S, we welcome you and invite […]

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What a year, what a year, what a mighty fine year!! We were going to forego the obligatory “RECAP” for the year, but upon seeing everyone else’s wonderful creations consolidated into one post…it was too much for us to sit on the sidelines. Call us lazy, but RECAP posts are laborious and “link intensive”….yet, as […]

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Last year, we decided to forego Christmas pajamas. Maybe it was time constraints, and the fact they could still ‘semi-wear’ their pjs from the previous year. Or maybe it was the notion that Christmas pjs were a one hit wonder for one day/month. Although in reality, we have seen enough Christmas pajamas on parade from […]

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Hi strangers!! We feel as if we’ve gone MIA from our blog recently….it’s been an extremely good {and busy} month for us, and we’ve finally stopped long enough to catch our breath and “report in!” Several months ago, we read some information regarding a “Sewcation in Orlando”, the annual convention of SAGA {the Smocking Arts […]

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Okay….we did it. We completely broke our promise to ourselves to shun any and all public voting sewing competitions in the near {and distant} future. Of course, we began justifying it….stating, “It really isn’t a public voting sewing competition because judges have to select the top 12-15 entries. So, it isn’t as if we are […]

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Do you ever have those garments that stay as WIP for waaaaayyyy toooooo loooonnnngggg?? We do!! While we typically begin a project and see it through to completion, there are some unfinished ones from our earlier sewing days {pre-blogging} that haunt us. It seems we have a knack for discontinuing smocked bishops at their construction […]

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Anyone think you had seen the girls’ Easter attire already?? Technically, you have….for one, but it might not be who you might originally have thought.  CL’s Easter dress had previously made a blog appearance. It’s a dress with a story in and of itself….. While a few recent garments for EA {as seen here and […]

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It’s done! And we haven’t had this sort of response from our niece about a garment sewn for her since……well, it’s been quite some time…… When we received the Oliver + S, Garden Party Dress, discussions ensued: Would a smocked option really work with this pattern? How would the construction {note: not our strongest suit with […]

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Wow…the “Signature Styles” have been released, and some pretty intense voting has commenced {and will continue for the next 36 hours}. That said, we’d like to thank each and everyone of you for taking the time to vote…and reminding those that haven’t voted to do so before Thursday evening at 9:00 PM CST. What a […]

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We are honored and humbled to be here….. sharing our final Project Run and Play entry with you today:  “Our Signature Style” Modern Heirloom: an Oxymoron of Timeless Simplicity And while we really, really, really want to share our sentiments about this journey…..we know we have our “Signature Style” to share with you, as well […]

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What do you think of when you think of “Winter Wonderland“?  Our brainstormed thoughts {in the order listed on our brainstorming page, mind you}: ice, icicles, snow, snowballs, snowmen, sledding, ice skating, black ice, snowball fights, snowflakes, multi-layers, skiing, dirty snow, plows, out of school, fires / roasting marshmallows, 32*F, earmuffs, hand muffs, four-wheel drive, […]

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Today is the day!! Project Run and Play’s Winter Wonderland looks are revealed…   This competition is set up to stretch one’s sewing skill-set, design, and creativity. And, trust us: We’ve been stretched in all those aspects…already! Voting remains open through Thursday evening, so make sure to go check out the competition and vote for […]

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Well, we had to squeeze in one more “Flashback Sewing” post before  THE big day: December 25, Christmas Day!  Presenting: The Holly, Jolly Shadow Embroidered Dress. Using the book, Precious Baby Daygowns: Square Yoke Collection {Martha Pullen Publication: Sew Beautiful}, we mixed and matched pattern pieces within the book to create this dress.    The […]

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We are bringing a post back home today…..sharing the lost art of drawn thread that we shared on Jenn’s “Lost Arts of Sewing” series a few months ago. This time, however, we have interspersed a few pictures of CL, wearing the garment for her “One Year Old” pictures, in the write-up {something we didn’t have when it was originally posted over […]

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THIS CHILD…our spunky, little niece, one with “no filter” and many “quotes of note” day in, and day out. For EA’s coordinating top, we chose Creation by Michie’s Sunsuit / Dress pattern {#120}. The sizing only went up to 24m {and EA is approaching her third birthday}, but since the style was a generous fit, we decided to sew it nonetheless.  […]

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