dresses for Mardie

Here ya go, Mardie!  I did navy instead since you already did aqua.

I hope they "fit!"

em

pretty dress

I love this dress.  I love it so much the whole time I was "making" it I was wishing I had one for myself.  I would wear it every day because I would feel so pretty.  Anyone want to make me a pretty pink dress?  It sort of reminds me of the dress Giselle wears at the end of Enchanted.

string diamonds. done.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to my string diamond quilt!  I love it.  It looks way more brilliant in person, that's for sure.  I used a gray polka dot fabric for the binding and gray minky on the back and for the topstitching I used a meander stitch.  My kids are thrilled that we are keeping it!!
camie

Pretty Little Dresses all in a Row!

First of all, look at the fabulous work space that Gareth and I created together! The cutting table is tall, like my kitchen counters and the sewing table is lower, so that the sewing plain is just where I want it! I painted the room a light gray and the turquoise and pink salmon are so bright and cheerful in there. I could spend my whole day up there! (Sometimes I do!)

Pretty Dresses Instructions: Permission to use pattern from Black Mountain Quilts

Blackmtnquilts@sbcglobal.net

       You will receive the following in the mail:

a.     Instructions

b.     1 strip of brown fabric for the dress form

c.     Patterns for the dress form and the dress

d.     4 strips of patterned fabric for the border around your block

           You will need the following:

a.     Kona white

b.     ¼” ribbon for waist band

c.     Fabric for dress

d.     Glue stick

e.     Thread to match the brown dress form and the dress

                Cut one 8 ½” X 10 ½” rectangle from Kona white.

         Cut 1 dress form from the brown fabric.I find it very useful to tape down the pattern instead of using pins for this.

    Cut 1 dress from your choice of dress fabric. You will need about 6 1/2” X 7” of fabric for the dress.

    Cut a strip of ¼” ribbon for the waistband. Cut it long enough to wrap around the back on both ends/sides. 

(I recommend a bit  more than the picture shows. It will be more secure & easier to "wrap".)

 

7

.        Fold your white fabric vertically in half to place the dress form in the middle of the rectangle, about 1 ¼” inches from bottom and top. Equidistant: top to bottom and side to side. *If your dress form is visible through your dress fabric, then cut away the dress form behind the dress.

    Using small amounts of the glue stick, glue the dress form into place. 

       Using a blanket stitch (hopefully you have one on your machine), or a small zigzag, or even by hand, with matching thread, sew the edges of the dress form top and bottom that will show when the dress is placed. I just sewed a line down the pole to secure it.

       Glue the ribbon onto the waistband back.

         Glue the dress on the dress form. Make sure the dress covers the edges of the top of the dress form. 

The dress form should peek out like a neckline. 

Using the blanket stitch, with matching thread, stitch around the dress, securing the ribbon as you go around.

  

        By hand, secure the waistband ribbon down with blind stitches.

        This is just like playing with paper dolls!

           Sew the border strips that you received in your package onto the dress block.  They go together kind of like a “log cabin” wrapping around the block.

a.     Sew all strips on using ¼” seams

b.     Sew the 1 ½” X 8 ½” strip to the bottom of the block, pressing toward the strip, away from the block

c.     Sew the 1 ½” X 11 ½” strip to the right side of the block, press

d.     Sew the 1 ½” X 9 ½” strip to the top of the block, press

e.     Sew the 1 ½” X 12 ½” strip to the left side of the block, press.

 

       Whoa! Makes my eyes go funny to look at it. Sorry, it’s blurry!

 Do not trim. I’ll do that.

  THANK YOU! I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS.          Mardie

sister love, part 2

For my sister's birthday this year, I made her a feather pillow for her new couch.  The humor of that just now strikes me.  It's a DOWN pillow with FEATHERS on it.  Get it?  *sigh*

It matches the quilt I made her two years ago for her birthday.

I miss her like crazy.

Pretty Dresses Update!

I received the pattern for "Pretty Dresses" in the mail yesterday! As I read through it, I came to the patterns for the dress and the dress form... and, dun-dun-dun... There was a big, bold "DO NOT COPY!" message on each of the pages that I needed to be able to copy for you! I decided to do the right thing and I contacted the creator of the pattern and ask for her permission to copy the necessary pages for my quilting group!

This afternoon I got her reply:

Hi Mardie,

 

Thank you for your email -- and thank you for respecting my copyrights! :-) Yes, you have my permission to copy my Pretty Dresses pattern for distribution within your quilt swap group. Have fun!

 

By the way -- you didn't happen to live in Sunnyvale, Calif around 1988 did you, while your husband was in medical school? I knew a Mardie Tobler at church, way back then.

 

Teri Christopherson
Black Mountain Quilts

Can you believe it? "What a small world" is an understatement here! Boy, was I glad that I chose to be honest about using the pattern! 

Anyway, now I can put together the tutorial and get it posted for you. I am excited to have heard from some of you who are already choosing some colors for the dress you want to make! Let me know what you are thinking of and we can all plan around that!

I'm so excited!

AUGUST Dresses All in a Row...

Last week I said to Liz, "I wonder who will be posting a tutorial in August? You don't think it is ME, do you??"  HA!! Well, it is! 
Here is my inspiration...

PRETTY DRESSES

I LOVE IT!!

I have ordered a pattern from Black Mountain through Quilter's Warehouse. 
It says, "Easy machine appliqué." (It better mean it.)
I think it would be so very pretty, don't you?

Because I just ordered the pattern today, I don't have a tutorial to post. I will get it up as soon as I can.  In the meantime, as you look at the inspiration photo, can you decide on a color and fabric that you would like to work with? (Kona white and your colored dress fabric and edging.)

Let me know what you decide... first come, first served!

Thanks, Mardie.