Announcing: Sewing Lesson Showcase

It's VBS Week here in Miss Ariana Sewingland. Miss Ariana and I haven't done any sewing lessons! Dreadful, I know. (That said, I've been helping our fabulous Miss M finish some dresses for her trip to France! Bonjour Paris!)

In the meantime, I want to let you know of a fun link up coming your way. Mark your calendars and invite your friends, starting July 20th we're going to have our first Sewing Lesson Showcase!

Each Wednesday Miss Ariana and I are going to hostess a link party. Think of it as a digital sewing circle. Everyone will be able to show off their sewing accomplishments for the week. It should be fun to see where others are and how exciting to have others sewing along with us!

Sewing Lesson Showcase won't be a set lesson or project. Each week you can post about whatever you finish, where ever you are in the Mary Frances Sewing Book. Because everyone works at their own pace, so it will be easy for others to join us!

Until next week, Happy Independence Day Weekend to our dear friends!

Smooches,
Ariana's Mama

Even and Uneven Basting Stitches

While Mary Frances is to use something called "Java canvas" to practice her stitches, one look at the drawing and I knew we would use Aida Cloth.

To start our stitching, we used 2 strands of 6 strand embroidery floss with a big eyed, rounded tapestry needle. An arm's length, from nose to finger tips, is recommended so you don't tangle your thread, in case you didn't know (like me! Although I've done similar for practical reasons over the years...)

Even basting is done 2 under and then 2 over.

Uneven is 3 over and 1 under.

Four rows were good enough for one lesson.

Miss Ariana is most proud of her first stitching.

Stitching on,
Ariana's Mama

Mary Frances Sew Along

I know there must be other mothers out there that want to have their daughters learn to sew too. Or if you're an adult who wants to sew and never learned, Miss Ariana and I would love to have you join us on this adventure! Here's a little nudge...

While you can buy the book online, you can also view The Mary Frances Sewing Book free, except for the patterns, at Archive.org. If you choose to read online or download the PDF, the book that opens in both looks just like our copy. So nice!

As for the patterns, if you chose to read online or the copy you buy doesn't have them, you might want to request a copy from your local library and take a peek. Or if you're handy, draft your own.

Depending on how things progress, I will probably be drafting my own patterns for 18" American Girl sized dolls. The patterns provided with the book are for 16" dolls. Miss Ariana doesn't have any that size. Either way, the good news is that we won't need them for awhile.

Down the road, we hope to hostess a weekly link up. It should be fun to see where everyone is with their sewing! Miss Ariana and I can't wait!

In the meantime, spread the word! : ) Please, tell your friends. We're on Facebook and Twitter, so that should make it easier. Until the next lesson...

xoxo,
Ariana's Mama

pssst! While I was looking, I also found digital copies of the Mary Frances Cook Book (which is actually first in the series, sewing is #2), Mary Frances Housekeeper (#3) and the Mary Frances Garden Book.

When reading the MF Cook Book, I finally found out, exactly, what milk toast is (and how to make it!) And slicing the skin on a jacket boiled potato? Who knew! Apparently Mary Frances has a few things she can teach this mama...

Tying Knots

I remember when my mother taught me to tie a knot on the end of a threaded needle. It was a long, long time ago. And I'm not as old as I feel some days.

After gathering and buying supplies for the sewing box she inherited from her great grandmother, Miss Ariana learned to tie knots. It took some trying, but she finally got it!

Learning to tie knots: Get an old or icky colored spool of thread and a pair of scissors. Tie a knot, cut it off and throw it away. Do it again. And again. And again until you get good.

Smooches,
Ariana's Mama

Our Sewing Lessons

Every little girl should learn to sew. There, I said it. I'm bias on the matter. I said that too.

I've been sewing since I could crawl up to the sewing machine. My mother let me make doll clothes when I was Miss Ariana's age. I started sewing clothes for myself when I was 15. I even made my wedding dress. I've loved every minute of it. Well, except the "ripping out because I messed up" part.

Around the time Miss Ariana turned 18 months old, I was having trouble finding dresses that were long enough for my taste. That's when I started sewing for her. I've been creating a good 80% of her wardrobe ever since. She still says there isn't anything as wonderful as a new "Mommy Made Dress." It warms my heart.

For the last several years I've been sewing with and teaching an older teenager the finer points of technique and fashion design. We've been creating gorgeous dresses from scratch. Miss Ariana watches on, happy, but I've noticed she's a pinch jealous of the time I've been spending with our dear Miss M. I set about to fix that.

On a lazy Sunday while I was catching up with my blog reading, I went blog hopping and found several reviews of Mary Frances Sewing by Jane Eayre Fryer. I knew it was just the thing to teach Miss Ariana. And now here we are.

I hope you'll enjoy our adventures in sewing.

xoxo,
Ariana's Mama