Baby Burp Cloths

Let's talk about baby burp cloths made from cotton cloth diapers. I attended two baby showers recently where the mom-to-be had this blank look on her face when she opened her gifts and was given decorated burp cloths made from cloth diapers. The look on my face might have mirrored theirs. I couldn't believe they had no clue how to use these fun, practical, soft rectangular pieces of fabric. In case any of you also don't know, let's dig in and find out!

Cotton diapers have been around for ages. They measure approximately 17" x 14" and are made using a 100% cotton fabric called "diaper cloth" and have a padded layer in the middle. Back before disposable diapers, babies bottoms were covered in these cloth diapers and the diapers were secured with extra large safety pins called "diaper pins".After the child was potty trained, new uses were found for the cloth diaper. They make wonderful dust cloths! You can use them for years.

Today since most moms use either disposable diapers or the cute new cloth diapers with the attached covers. Cloth diapers are decorated and used for burp cloths, changing pads, and clothing protectors. Babies spit up. There is no doubt about that statement. Place the burp cloth over your shoulder and you can protect your clothing from spit up, provide a soft place for your baby's head to rest (shoulders are a bony part of our body), and to absorb the drool that comes out of baby's mouth. When you burp your baby, hold the burp cloth under your baby's chin and the burp cloth provides a soft place to rest baby's chin and will catch any spit up that comes with that precious burp.

Here is a picture of an applique burp cloth unfolded.

Even though you could just purchase a package of plain white cotton diapers, why not use the cute decorated ones! You need lots of burp cloths! Moms-to-be don't realize just how many they are going to need. A friend recently told me her daughter had received thirteen burp cloths total at her shower and they used all thirteen in one day. Her grandson spit up all day long and they used all the burp cloths. So, if you are going to use them, they might as well be cute. Decorated burp cloths can be found on Etsy and of course at The Polka Dot Store. Applique and personalized burp cloths are so popular.

Here are some more examples of decorated burp cloths.

The burp cloth above has two rows of pink Rick Rack and a monogram. 

Pink Rick Rack Monogram Burp Cloth

This is a cute burp cloth for your little princess.

Crown Applique Burp Cloth

This burp cloth is a great gift for a Baptism or Christening.

Cross Burp Cloth with Eyelet Edging

The Polka Dot Store carries applique burp cloth by 3 Marthas. 3 Martha designs are fun and fresh looking.Their attention to detail is superb.They can be found on this page. All of our burp cloths can be personalized with a name and some with a monogram.

Cloth burp cloths will be one of the most treasured gifts at a baby shower even if the mom-to-be doesn't know what they are when she opens the package!

Heirloom Easter Dress

It's that time of year again when southern mamas start planning Easter outfits for their children. It is an age old tradition in the south for little boys to wear Eton suits, sailor collar shirts with button-on pants, and Jon Jon's. Heirloom dresses out of cotton Swiss batiste fabric in an array of colors adored with rows and rows of french lace are the proper attire for little girls.

Last Easter a good friend asked me to design and sew a blue batiste dress for her granddaughter. The mother of the little girl is a busy working mom so she needed an easy to care for dress. For that reason, I selected to use baby blue Imperial batiste fabric from Spechler Vogel Textiles.. Imperial batiste is a poly cotton blend fabric with a beautiful finish and is a great alternative to 100% cotton Swiss batiste. Here is a picture of the hem of the dress as I was working on it at the sewing machine. You can see the beautiful French Val lace and the tiny holes in the fabric are called hemstitching. The lace is attached to the hemstitching usung a zigzag stitch with the machine needle going into each hole of the fabric then catching the heading of the lace.

Pintucks or little folds of fabric were sewn on the yoke, sleeves, and skirt fancy band of the dress.

Here you can see the sleeve details. Lace beading was used on the sleeves bands. Any color double faced stain ribbon can be woven through the holes and tied in a bow at the top.

Wider pintucks were stitched on the fancy band and a hand embroidered design was stitched down the center of the band. Ecru feather stitching and pink bullion roses were used in the embroidery design.

The bottom of the skirt was scalloped with pintucks. Then hemstitching and lace were added for the finishing touch.

The mother and grandmother were thrilled with the dress. I loved working on this dress and knowing the little girl who would wear it made the dress even more special to me.

Here's a link to my other blog post about heirloom sewing Heirloom Sewing - My First Love

Some of my heirloom creations are available on my website The Polka Dot store and here are the links to a few of them:

Cluny Lace Christening Dress

Cross Embroidery Christening Gown

A sweet little white Swiss batiste dress with ecru lace will be listed soon. Sign up for email and be the first to know when it is up on the website. Scroll to the bottom of the page here to sign up for email.

I hope this blog post gives you inspiration for planning your next heirloom outfit.

Chadwick Heirlooms
Peanut Butter n Jelly Kids
Delicate Stitches

IT'S A MONOGRAM THING

It is fun, elegant, and interesting to personalize your home with monograms.  In my embroidery business, I have been monogramming items for other people's homes for over 10 years. One day I looked around my own home and realized we had very few monogrammed items. Well, I decided to change that!

In the picture above is a lovely set of pillowcases stitched for a customer. It was the inspiration for stitching a set of sheets and pillowcases for my own bed. Here is the result:

You can just see the top sheet monogram peeking out between the pillows. The pillowcases are also monogrammed.

The monogram font is an original design (in case any of you on Pinterest  are searching for this font) by me. I used wingdings and added curves and swirls to a purchased font to get the look I wanted. The thread color is a medium gray called called "smoke" in the thread color chart. The monogram is done is a modern style with the wife's first initial smaller and to the left, the last name initials larger and in the center, then the husband's first initial to the right and smaller. My crazy husband wanted to know why his initial wasn't first! I just laughed and told him, "That is not how it is done these days". In reality, I could have stitched it in any order I chose. Monogram Etiquette rules have changed!

Next came the downstairs living area. I made robin's egg blue pillows and used a pine cone design from Applique Corner (note: I changed out the letter R to one I thought went better with my home).

From here I moved on to the kitchen. The kitchen is painted an apple green color and this set of linen hand towels very nice.

Here is a link to my Etsy listing where you can purchase the towels I stitched for the kitchen. Monogram Linen Towel Set Etsy

This is just a start on placing monograms in my home. Look for more monograms in a later post. I hope this inspires you to start personalizing your home with monograms!

The Polka Dot Store

Monogram Elegance on Etsy

Modern Monograms

Monograms have been around since the Greek, Roman, and Victorian ages.   Today monograms are very popular, especially in the southern United States. Monogram rules have changed since the Victorian age. In the Victorian era, all household linens used the initials for the lady of the house. The tradition order of the initials were first name initial, last name initial, maiden last name initial. The last name initial was larger and placed in the center between the first name initial and maiden name initial. Men’s initials placed on shirt cuffs, handkerchiefs, ascots, etc. were smaller, all the same size, and placed in the following order: first name, middle name, last name (surname). Here is an example of a ladies monogram.

A man’s shirt cuff monogram would look like this. Notice all the initials are the same height.

In today’s modern age, the rules have changed and are blurred with different opinions. You see two letter monograms and 4-letter monograms as well as the traditional 3-letter monograms. Two letter monograms are fairly easy to compose but four-letter monograms are a little trickier. My grandson has a hyphenated middle name. When doing his Easter basket this year, I wanted to put his monogram on a patch and attach it to the basket liner. I wanted to use all four of his name initials. Using one of my embroidery software programs I entered the initials in a stacked monogram style.

I could have also stacked it like this:

Many women today hyphenate their last names when they get married. In that case, this would be an example of a monogram for a hyphenated surname (last) name.

Here is an example of double surname that is not hyphenated.

As you can see, there are many options available today. The person doing your embroidery will work with you to get the right look for you.

Children’s monograms can be varied as well including the modern rules for hyphenated name. For safety reasons, some parents prefer a monogram on backpacks and clothing instead of a name so it is a good idea to check with the parent before giving a gift with a name on it. Infant boy monograms are usually in the first name initial, surname initial and larger in the center, middle initial order. As boys get older, the first name initial, middle name initial, surname initial all the same height order is used.

These are just guidelines. As an embroiderer, I can give advice if my customer asks but the customer makes the final decision.

Smocking For Boys

Smocking for boys can be a challenge, especially as they grow out of the baby stage. My daughter likes for me to smock for her little boy but he doesn't live in an area where little boys wear jon-jons, smocked shirts, etc. So, what could I smock for him? When my kids were little, smocked inserts placed in sweatshirts were popular so I thought, "What about smocked inserts sewn into knit shirts?". Since I didn't take pictures along the way, this is not a tutorial for making them. (Insert a smiley face here). Here are the results.

The shirts are from ARB Blanks and are a nice quality. The shirts have held up well after being washed and hung to dry. The colors have not faded or bleed.

O.K., so a few instructions can be included in this post. The inserts were smocked before sewing them into the shirts. The pleated inserts were measured and blocked to fit the size I thought looked the best for the shirt. After the smocking was finished, I made a template to mark the shirt before cutting out the opening for the insert. Next, the template and a water erasable pen were used to mark a rectangle on the shirt. To give the shirt stability, stitch along this line. Next, I measured in 1/2 inch and marked a smaller rectangle, cut out the smaller rectangle of fabric, and then clipped to each corner. Below is a diagram explaining the process.

Piping was now sewn to the rectangle marked with the erasable pen. All that was left to do was sew in the insert. Easy peasy! Because the shirt would be scratchy on the inside if left like this, I cut a piece of white fabric and serged it to the back of the smocked piece.

If you have any questions about this process, please leave your questions in the comments section and I will be happy to answer them.

Lunch and Shopping in Tville

When I saw the Facebook post for the Cyclone Shrimp Wrap, it was all I needed to schedule a lunch date with my favorite 3 year old and his mother. Our local Jonah's Restaurant here is Thomasville, Georgia has a fabulous menu! An afternoon of eating and shopping sounded perfect for a hot Friday afternoon. Take a look at my delicious lunch.

Now, doesn't that just make your mouth water! It was as good as it looks. Also, their hush puppies are the absolute best I have ever tasted.

Since there was a line outside the restaurant, I couldn't get a picture of the front of the place without someone being in the picture. Here is the best I could do.

If you visit Thomasville, you must try Jonah's Fish and Grits. It is located at 109 East Jackson Street, Thomasville, Georgia. This is a link to their website .
And, here is a link to their Facebook page .

After lunch we were ready for some shopping. I had heard about a new shop called The Pale Moon. Off we went to go check it out. Oh my goodness, they had some cute things. Tons of tops, pants, purses, and jewelry. It is an adorable shop. Here are so pictures of the inside:

Before we went home, we stopped at a place called Hawaii Snow and had a nice refreshing snow cone. I think we deserved it after all that hard shopping!

Any hoo, after that delightful experience, it was time to go home to do some work.

For great baby gifts, remember to visit The Polka Dot Store .

Summer Monograms

School is out in south Georgia and it is beach time. We are headed to Jamaica this week for a short vacation. Along with getting orders processed and shipped, I've been doing some monogramming for myself. This is highly usual for me!

Since my first name initial is a "d", it is hard for me to find fonts where I am satisfied with the capital d. For the monograms in the picture, I selected the Victor font.

The straw hat is from last year but I included it in the picture anyway. I love the colors this season. The tropical blues and greens are such happy colors. They remind me of beach breezes and cool sand. The font used on the hat is one of the Arabesque fonts in my collection.

If you look closely on the white terry zip bag, you will see I stitched buttonholes and added ribbon. Pretty cute, right?

Now back to customer orders. I had lots of fun monogramming beach towels for a customer to give for graduation presents. Here is a pic.

Selby is stitched in black thread using the Sweet Script font. I just love it! The rest of the names are stitched using the Diary font. Pretty cute, don't you think?

Enjoy summer!

Shop for all your baby gifts at The Polka Dot Store

Grassroots Coffee Thomasville, Georgia

 One morning when I was in downtown Thomasville, I was hungry and    wanted a cup of coffee. GRASSROOTS COFFEE was the first place that  came to mind! This coffee shop is not only a cool place but it has great  coffee. They feature local art on the wall and the decor is comfortable yet  very chic. You can sit at a table or lounge on comfortable furniture. It is  the best place in town to have a cup of coffee or beverage of choice and  use the wi-fi to catch up on my latest blog post or see what your friends  are doing on Facebook. Some college students even work on their  assignments!

The employees always seem happy so it must be a great place to work.

Grassroots Coffee is a busy place in the middle of downtown Thomasville on Broad Street. It offers the expected coffees and teas plus delicious food. After looking over the menu, I ordered a regular coffee and an egg biscuit. Since it was a lovely morning, I took my biscuit and coffee to a table outside.

Doesn't that look scumptious!

Here is the link to their website  http://www.grassrootscoffee.com/ . 

If you visit Thomasville, make sure to grab a cup of coffee and something to eat at Grassroots Coffee. It is well worth the trip!

Pinterest New BUY Button

I am so excited about an email I just read from Soldsie! Pinterest has been working on a new BUY button for their website. What fun! You will now be able to purchase items you pin on Pinterest right from Pinterest. How cool will that be! If you want to read more about it, here is the link to their blog post.

https://blog.pinterest.com/en/buyable-pins

Unfortunately, at first, the BUY button will only be available for to use with Apple Pay.so you Apple users will be able to use it in the beginning. I hear Android users will have to wait a while for the BUY button to be available for use.

Since a blog post just isn't special without a picture, here we go!

This is a picture of one of my daylilies called Emerald Bay. Isn't it gorgeous? It is a large full bloom and the front three petals have ruffle edges. Love it!

Easter In Thomasville

How was your Easter weekend? We had a great one! The weather was beautiful, church service was good, and all my children were at home. Smiles all around! My grandson wore a very special outfit first worn by my son when he was about the same age. Here is a picture my husband took before church.

Don't you must love that sweet face! Can you believe that outfit is over 25 years old? The shirt is made from white linen and the pants are a blue cotton fabric.

A friends granddaughter wore one of my girls pink dresses from when they were little. It looked just as good this Easter as it did over 20 years ago. The reason we call it heirloom sewing is simple. If the outfits are taken care of, they will last for generations!

How about some pictures of my Easter decorations? Here goes............

Finally, I asked my husband to take a picture of my children and me. I decided to show you a fun one!

Thanks for joining me at Behind The Monogram!