Easter Greetings!

Did you make any special items for Easter? Maybe a dress for a special little girl? Hopefully the weather is nice enough wherever you are for those pretty spring designs to be worn!

If you didn't make an Easter dress, maybe you made some smocked Easter eggs? We have featured a few designs in past issues of SAGANews over the years.

Here are a few for you to enjoy and maybe make for next Easter?

Smocked Pysanky style Egg

These designs were shared with SAGA members in SAGANews Volume 26 Issue 1 and SAGANews Volume 27 Issue 1. The Pysanky Egg design was by Tess Ellenwood and the other smocked eggs were designed by Karen Van Wert.

I finished it!

Remember when I started my quilt squares?

Three years ago I took two classes at the SAGA Retreat in Las Vegas with Brenda Shade to learn how to make her Paper Doll Quilt Squares. The classes were two weeks after I fractured my right wrist, so I went with my red cast thinking I would not be able to stitch (yes, I am right handed) but at least I could listen! Well the first dress had five rows of cable smocking and I decided to try and do that. Well it took all day to do those five rows, but I did it! Of course I could not do anything else as

any fine hand sewing was out of the question, but that smocking was great therapy.

Once my cast was off and I could stitch again, I completed the two squares and went on to make 10 more. I love doing these little dresses! They are all done by hand and once you have cut the pieces out the project is very portable. I could have made many more of these, but decided to stop at 12  for my quilt.

And stop I did. Once the square were done they sat there and sat there. What was I waiting for? I was trying to think how I would join them together and I over thought it. I thought I would embroider the sashing pieces. Then I thought I would add shaped lace. Then I went back to the embroidery idea. And so the procrastination went on!

But no more! I decided a few weeks ago simple is best and just got on and completed the quilt. So here it is.

It just needs a label for the back. Now what do I write on my label..............?

SAGA Discussion Facebook Page

There is a new SAGA Facebook page -SAGA Discussion. 

This page is the page to go to with any questions and discussions regarding smocking, heirloom sewing and embroidery.

This page will mean that the discussions on the SAGA Smock Along page are just about the current project and make it easier for people to follow the threads.

So come and join the new group!

                                https://www.facebook.com/groups/153190182020422/.

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day with Wee Care

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today I am sharing a design from SAGANews Volume 26 Issue 3- a Wee Care design.

Kristi Elkner shared her Celtic Wee Care design with SAGA members and used Lizette Thomason's 'Angel Gown' pattern for the gown.

If you don't have a copy of this issue of the magazine. Please email me at saganews@smocking.org. You do need to be a current SAGA member to receive the information.

Silk Ribbon Tissue Cover

Are you participating in the SAGA Silk Ribbon Tissue Cover Stitch Along?

The first two lessons have been posted on the SAGA Smock Along Facebook page.

If you complete your project by May 1, 2018 you can request Artisan Points!

What are you waiting for?

Needlecraft Magazine

I was going through a few books and magazines in my collection recently and came across this magazine that I had forgotten I owned.

                                          It is from June 1928 and cost 10 cents to purchase.

The magazine has recipes, sewing projects and lots of ads on how to make money from home (such as making cadies, selling subscriptions to the magazine). The lessons were very descriptive and I am sure many ladies learned new techniques this way.

The ads for sewing items make interesting reading.

They also sold finished pieces for you to buy and work on the sewing projects featured in the magazine. I wonder how many of these linens were made and are now in a drawer somewhere or are in an antique or thrift shop waiting to be found?

Some of the regular ads were for things like freckle removing cream and other beauty aids but the ad on the back page is one that we might still find today in a more modern format.