NYC Garment District - Smocking Guild Field Trip

This was one of the trim stores -- millions of yards and thousands of types of ribbons and trims - just amazing!!!

I LOVE this giant button on one of the street corners in the fashion district!

Smocking Patterns and Magazines On Etsy

I am doing some spring cleaning, and have cleaned out some of my smocked patterns and AS&E magazines. I have listed them for sale in my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/SewBearyBlessed

I'm certainly not going to stop smocking - just going to stick to smocking for dolls and a few baby gifts for a while. I also have some duplicate back issues of Sew Beautiful for sale if anyone is interested.

Pagoda Pleaters

Today, 5 of us Pagoda Pleaters met at the Exeter Library to take over their lovely display cabinet. They are allowing us to display smocked items along with information about our guild in the cabinet for the next month. We already met one prospective member as we were finishing up.

Our first official meeting at the Pagoda Pleaters will be next Wednesday, September 14th at the Exeter Library from 1:00 - 3:00.

My contributions to the display are smocked socks and two t-shirts with smocked inserts.

One of our members, Eileen, contributed her SAGA Design Show winning dress. It is stunning!! She also contributed 3 gorgeous smocked ornaments. I have wanted to learn how to make snocked christmas ornaments for years and have tried many times, but they've never turned out! Eileen will be teaching us how to make these in November. I am so excited about that meeting.

Other members contributed smocked doll dresses, a smocked hanger, an adorable back to school dress, and more. We also added a SAGA News, Sew Beautiful, and AS&E to the display.

We're hoping people will take notice of our display and join us for our guild meetings.

Every time we meet together, I am always so inspired. After dinner, I plan to smock on this rainy Wednesday evening!

Seasonal Smocked Socks

These are the socks I smocked for our smocking guild's display case at the library where we meet. I had a lot of fun with them. I decided to make them seasonal in black and orange for fall. I had not made little girl's smocked socks before - only ones for me. I learned that bigger socks are easier to smock! It was a lot of fun though. I actually listed these for sale on etsy. You never know....

I am back

Wow - what a busy few months it has been, but guess what? It's Labor Day weekend, my oldest son just started his senior year, my younger two start charter cyber school on Tuesday, and that means we can finally settle into a routine. I have been smocking off and on all summer, but haven't completed anything other than designing and smocking a pagoda for our smocking guild's logo. Speaking of our smocking guild, the Pagoda Pleaters officially kicks off on September 14th! We have a great year planned, and it's going to be so much fun. We meet on the 2nd Wednesday of each month from 1:00 - 3:00 at the Exeter Pubic Library. If you're in the Reading, PA area, please join us!

For labor day weekend, my plans are to finish my current project which is an insert smocked with Ellen McCarns Seabrook Scallops. I was originally going to make it as an insert in a t-shirt for myself, but decided I would get more use out of it as a purse, so I am making a denim purse with the insert. I am hoping to have it finished by the end of the weekend.

The Pagoda Pleaters

I'd like to introduce you all to the Pagoda Pleaters!! We are a newly forming SAGA chapter (smocking guild) in the Reading, PA area. So far, there are 5 of us who are eager and excited about starting a local guild. We met together for the first time yesterday and shared lots of great ideas. We already have a pretty impressive line-up of classes/meeting topics to cover in the fall. More details will be posted soon!

Missing In Action

Yes, I've been missing in action for the past month. On March 17th, we welcomed Buster the Beagle into our family. We adopted him from our local animal rescue league. He's a great little dog, but he has certainly added some more activity to our family. He is 2 years old and as sweet as can be. He does have a few "issues" that we are working on with him. Needless to say, my days have been a bit busier than before with taking care of him.

Now that he is settling in, has been neutered, and also treated for an infection, life can come to the place of a new normal for us and Buster. Tomorrow evening I will be publishing a new podcast!