Delicate Handsewn Diaper Shirt Finished!

Another finish! Doesn't it feel great? This little diaper shirt is really pretty simple to sew, making it an ideal project for a handsewing beginner. This project is from an old SAGA class by Claudia Newton that had been sitting in storage for more than a couple of years. It worked up so quickly that I'm sorry I didn't get it out earlier. I'm not exactly a beginner at handsewing, having made this French Acadian Christening Gown several years ago, almost entirely by hand.

I say almost because I did cheat a bit and made the buttonholes by machine, using the heirloom buttonhole stitch, B9 on my Viking Designer I. This time I made them by hand. They're a bit wobbly, but I'm sure I'll improve with time. They look much better when washed and ironed, as you can see in the first photo.

The neck and armhole finishes were very simple, just a bias band sewn to the edges after basting the seam allowances.  Note the french seam at the shoulder.

You can barely see it, but the end of the lace is turned under, whipped stitched, then stitched over with a buttonhole stitch and trimmed very close to the end. It make a really nice finish for the lace, which is very hard to roll and whip. The facings are finished with a tiny whipstitch. 

And finally, a Ronald Reagan rose to brighten up the mess on my sewing table.

I've only made two complete items of clothing by hand, this shirt and the gown mentioned above, but it's a very satisfying and relaxing way to sew.  It's also nice to know that I can make a garment by hand, just like our forebears had to. I've always loved the "Little House" series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, especially one section in which the family buys a sewing machine and were so thrilled with it! Now they could sew muslin lengths together for sheets in minutes instead of hours!

It's now Saturday morning and I have maintenance scheduled for today, first a trip to the hairdresser then a pedicure. Maybe I can squeeze in an hour or two stitching in the afternoon. I have another old project that I started when my granddaughter was a baby, but didn't get it finished in time.

Have a great Saturday!

Delicate Handsewn Diaper Shirt

Well, here it is Wednesday and I haven't made a bit of progress on the Baby Bishop from the last post. I needed something to stitch in the car on Tuesday, which was my turn to ride, and wasn't ready to do any more on this dress without some serious thinking. I need to formulate in my mind how I want to embroider the hem and sleeves, then draw out the pattern and get going.

I hadn't arrived at a design, so I rummaged around in my stash and found this kit for a Handsewn Diaper Shirt. Isn't it sweet? That's the front, by the way.  This design is by Claudia Newton, who specialized in teaching lovely whitework and handsewing at SAGA conventions and other venues around the US. In fact, I'll be taking two classes from her this fall. The kit had been sitting in my box of kits since 2007, which was the last SAGA convention I had attended, in Dallas, Texas. Claudia had provided us with a practice piece which was all I finished during the class. So it sat until I pulled it out Monday evening and went to work.

It has some very simple embroidered flowers on the front, as you can see from the first photo. We had the floss in the kit with the needles and a bit of thread - you can barely see it wrapped around the paper, for the practice piece.  The fabric is beautiful white batiste and is a joy to work with. It finger presses so easily you don't need to iron while sewing.

I traced out the pattern and sewed down the facings. These are pretty simple, the fabric is just folded and whipped in place. I then rolled and whipped the lower edge, which you can just see on the side. I know this camera has a macro function, which I will have to get my husband to teach me how to use.

Then I cut off the fabric on one edge of the entredeux and whipped it to the rolled edge, right sides together. I always see instructions that tell me the smoother side of the entredeux is the right side, but I've never been able to tell the difference.

Remember that I said I took this at the SAGA Convention? During the class I sat next a dear lady named Marlene, who had these fabulous Dovo scissors. They are serrated on one edge, so they grip the fabric, making it almost impossible to slip and make a mistake. She offered to make a trip out to BessieMary, an heirloom sewing shop in Dallas, who was offering the Conventioneers a sale price that evening and pick up a pair for me. Thanks Marlene and Jan (who owns BessieMary)! I'm sorry I never made it to your store but hope to meet you sometime!

So now I have three projects in work, the Bullion Wrap Dress (I finished the embroidery, finally!), Baby Bishop I, and now this Handsewn Diaper Shirt! Wait until you see the embroidery projects I have lined up!  My carpooler went on vacation for the rest of the week, so I won't have much chance to sew until the weekend.