Already September!

Wow!  So much has happened since I last blogged!  I took a ride by the Conowingo Dam in Maryland this afternoon and saw the massive amounts of water rushing through the gates.  All this because of Tropical Depression Lee, which followed Hurricane Irene.  What destruction has occurred all over the East Coast. 

My home town in northern New Jersey was completely devastated.  Flood waters reached inside houses that never got water before.  Not only does the water destroy everything, but then the mud and mold leave a coating on the furniture, walls, carpeting...everything.  I did hear, however, that people are coming out of the woodwork to help each other up there.  Food is being made for flood victims, neighbors are helping each other out and those who weren't flooded are taking in those who were, until they can get back into their houses.  From such tragedy comes the true heart of the human spirit.  People reaching out to other people in their time of need. 

I'm in the process of making 11 Irish Dance Dresses!  Lots of work!  But I can't wait to see the faces of the girls when they put on their dresses and they know it was custom made for them!

We're still working on the samples for our new line of products in the midst of trying to consolidate ALL my sewing notions, paints, doll supplies, fabric and the rest of my craft items.  My family has had enough of me taking over the kitchen table, the kitchen island, the living room, my studio, the basement, the spare room, etc... In other words, I have invaded every single room in my house and my things have also spilled into the shed out back!  I have to go through boxes of items and sort through them all to see what I actually have in them.  I went through the shed over the summer and found some wonderful things I forgot I bought!  I think of them as little inspirations for future projects!!! 

When we moved to Maryland three years ago my husband teased me and said that 80% of all the boxes we moved were my things!  I thought about it for a minute and then realized he was absolutely right!  Yikes!

Once the Irish Dance Dresses are done I will post pictures of our new line.  I've updated my website using a new host site, so if you'd like to see how it looks, go to www.sewtopieces.com .  The pictures are much bigger and I have more room to write! 

Keep smiling! ~Terry~

  

New Product Line

Sew To Pieces will be expanding our product line in July!  We will be offering mixed media banners and prints.  Production has already begun on this exciting new line and we will have photos posted, with purchase information given, as soon as we are ready to launch our new items.

Check back soon to see what we have in store for you!

~Terry~

Info on Irish Dance Dresses

Last week I posted pictures of the Irish dance dresses I've been sewing.  I wanted to let you know that the beautiful embroidery on the dress panels was done by Clare M. Owings from Top Stitch Embroidery & Graphics, Inc.  Clare does amazing work!  Take a look at her website www.topstitchembroidery.com for more information and keep her in mind for your next embroidery job.  ~Terry

Irish Dance Dresses

I wanted to show you the Irish Dance Dress I finished a few months ago.  This is the advanced dress and it's lined inside with the same pink satin as the sash, so when they kick up you can see the pretty pink fabric underneath.

Cherry Blossom Festival

I went to the Cherry Blossom Festival this past Saturday in Washington D.C.  It was fabulous, even though the trees weren't in full bloom, yet.  The handmade dolls were so beautiful and inspired me to get working on more of my own!

The Environmental Protection Agency had these tulips going around their building.

We did find one tree that had bloomed and everyone was taking turns standing under it in order to take pictures!

 

The Swimmer

This is my Swimmer Doll.  She's all decked out in her flowery swim cap, her swimming flippers and her swim tube.  She actually can swim pretty well, but she really liked the way the pink swim tube coordinated with her outfit and made her waist look thin, so she's going to wear it to the pool.  She's hoping to impress some handsome lifeguard by wearing the newest swim flippers.  She's pretty sure that no one else will have them there!  Although the swim cap may seem outdated, she wants her future husband to know that she's just an old fashioned girl.

Fisherman Doll

This is the Fisherman Doll that I created.  Take a look at the face on the fish.  He's shocked at being caught and shows it!  I sat the doll on a real wooden dock at the marina to take this picture. 

Just Starting!

Welcome to my blog!  I finally got the courage to sit down and create this blog.  I have been sewing for over 35 years and making dolls for approximately 20 of those years.  The sound of a humming sewing machine is music to my ears!  I love that you can take a flat piece of fabric and give it life by creating a garment or a doll from it.

I've had my own sewing and art-doll business since 2009.  I love the reaction I get when I give someone a customized doll and they can see how much of "them" went into creating the doll.

I am enlisting the help of my three daughters to guide me through the social media process.  I grew up with typewriters, record players and phones that never left the wall, so "social media" is something I'm still learning about, but they are so adept at it!  I love that our children learn so much from us, yet, in return, they can teach us so much.

As I learn more about blogging I'll be posting new pictures of my latest dolls and projects.  Please keep checking back for updates!

-Terry