s promised, I’m back today for a second post – and I simply MUST say how much I’m enjoying Nation Sewing Month! Having something that I must sew or celebrate about sewing every day is awesome!
For tonight’s installment – I want to introduce another friend of mine. Susanna Makinson.
I met Susanna in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, where our husbands were both attending Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. (We actually first met in a little tiny church up on the North Shore somewhere – but really “met” when we moved on Campus a few months later! Do you remember that Susanna?)
Anyway – while our husbands were trekking through Thailand one summer, she invited me over for dinner with her mother. After dinner, she took me back to her sewing room (which was also their bedroom, think seminary dorm room!) And there I got my first ever glimpse of a Husqvarna Viking sewing machine. She described the machine, in all it’s glory. I was stoked… and now, I own my own Viking sewing machine – thanks for the inspiration, Susanna.
Anyway….Susanna is amazing. There are so many layers to her creativity – sewing, cooking, farming, mothering…just plain old living is creative for Susanna and her four beautiful children. I am delighted that she accepted my request to be a guest blogger! Here is her response to my request that she write about something she Celebrates about Sewing!
Take it away Susanna….
Favorite Summer Projects
Here in Western North Carolina, the summer is starting to wind down. There is even the hint of color on some of the leaves. Our electric bill is lower, and soon I know I’ll be able to turn the air off completely and open up the windows. I love September! And, as a bonus, September is also National Sewing Month! My friend Robie is such an inspiration, so when she asked me to do a guest blog post in the month of September I was thrilled to say yes. Since Summer is drawing to a close, I thought I’d share with you all one of my favorite projects I discovered over the glorious warmer months this year. It’s an easy sundress pattern…very easy in fact, and the pattern is free, and it’s versatile! What could be better! I might even make some of these for my girls for the Fall and just put long sleeved shirts underneath. Don’t mind the blue boys tunic…that’s for my son and I just snuck it in the photo.
I love these little sundresses! They are from the Oliver + S Popover sundress pattern, which is a free downloadable PDF. If you haven’t tried any Oliver + S patterns, let me tell you they are well worth the price! You can try this one out for free. Here is the link: lhttp://www.oliverands.com/blog/2009/08/popover-sundress-free-downloadable-pattern.html
I made two for my girls, ages four and three, and the tiny dress is for my four year old daughter’s American Girl Doll. Yes, that’s a free downloadable PDF too! Here’s the link to the doll dress: http://www.oliverands.com/blog/2010/08/popover-doll-dress-free-downloadable-pattern.html
And here’s a closer view of the doll dress:
I added some piping I had on hand, but I think the pattern would be absolutely darling with some rick rack sandwiched in the yoke. These dresses were made with a gorgeous Michael Miller cotton, but I really think you could use just about anything with this pattern. I have some green linen that I might try next time because it would have a nice drape and even dress it up a little. I will say that I have petite girls and the yoke ended up a little too wide for the width of their chests. As a result, the straps tend to fall off their tiny shoulders. Next time I will just do a quick measurement of the girls chest width and match the size accordingly. The length, however, was perfect. Honestly, I think these dress took an hour to make total! All three, in an hour! And that includes cutting out time. So, go try it out and sew something! Happy end of Summer everyone!
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I wish I could describe how much I admire and just plain old like Susanna. In terms of sewing, she takes the time to make very detailed items while having FOUR KIDS! In terms of life, she’s experienced heartaches like I can’t imagine, but she exudes delight, peace and joy. She is a remarkable woman who is also a remarkable seamstress. Thanks for being in my life, Susanna, even if only via Facebook!
Susanna lives in Franklin, North Carolina with her husband and four children. She blogs at: thimbletimes.com . Check her out!
I love these dresses. Thanks for sharing!