Thursday, May 1, 2008

Hand-Smocked Dresses For Show & Tell Friday...



I'm an hour early for the Show & Tell Friday, at "Kelli's House" Blog!

Thank You Kelli for hosting this weekly fun blogging event!

~~~~~~

First, making it's third appearance on my blog...

forgive me, but it just keeps getting better, "smiles"...

Is my Strawberry Basket I found at a yard sale a few weeks ago!

Today, I found strawberry ribbon and added it to the burlap bow!

I think I am finally done with it...but you just never know!



Last week, I shared with a fellow blogger & smocker, Ivory Spring, that when my daughter was younger, I also smocked....(from infancy, until she was in 2nd grade)! I took a class at a local sewing shop and each week, Ashley would accompany me, napping while I worked, in her little portable playpen. I promised Ivory Spring I would share some of those dresses during this week's
Show & Tell...and here they are....

This is the first dress I smocked and assembled, my class project! It is pale baby pink cotton.




The blue dress below is one of my favorites! I saw a dress very similar in a children's shop, while visiting my brother in Arizona. It was priced at over $100, and that was about 11 years ago! I made it for approxiamately $15. The blue periwinkle top is sheer linen, smocked in white, accented with white pearls. It is open in the back and has a seperate slip under it that has a beautiful lace hem.










This is Ashley's favorite smocked dress, sweet little kittys! The rest of the dresses shown, I could make for under $10, at the time!



An Easter dress...periwinkle blue linen with a white cotton lace collar...
Do you see a pattern here...blues???...For my Blue-eyed Baby Girl! "smiles"




A close friend of mine smocked also. She had a daughter about six months older than Ashley, and we smocked for EVERY occasion! I've shared just a small portion of my dresses! We smocked for birthdays, all holidays, even Halloween/Valentines/etc.....
and pictured below...
First day of School....Kindergarten!






I hope you have enjoyed viewing these dresses as much as I have enjoyed sharing them! It was a treat for me, to pull them out of Ashley's hope chest....and all these years later, I can still visualize her as she was in that instant, wearing each little sweet dress! ...the happy little girl that smiled through her big blue eyes!

17 comments:

Mary said...

I love your daughter's smocked dresses. Mom knows how to smock and made some beautiful dresses for her granddaughter's when they were little. Thanks so much for sharing.

Blessings,
Mary

Susan said...

Absolutely beautiful smocking and adorable dresses.
Susan

Hootin Anni said...

What amazing talent!!! I love the one with the lace. At first I thought Amish...then I said to myself hey "They don't do lace"....hehehehehe But it IS beautiful.

Happy Show n Telling ---
Happy Friday.

A Hint of Home said...

I love little outfits that are smocked-for boys or girls. You did a great job!

Anonymous said...

Hi Rhonda,

Thanks for sharing! I enjoyed every bit of your show and tell! Beautiful dresses... It's so neat how you have saved them all these years!

Hmm.... as for ideas for your next show-and-tell, do you have any other needlework pieces (embroidery, cross-stitch, crewel, etc)? :)

Rhondamum said...

Wow! As the mother of two little girls, I LOVE those dresses. I so wish I could sew and smock dresses. After having some made at trunk shows and getting them at pricey boutiques, a friend introduced me to ebay. Now that is a great place to find smocked dresses. Thanks for sharing your talent!

R...

Constance said...

What a lovely artform! You'll have to teach your daughter how to do it and then make sweet little dresses for your own granddaughters! Maybe one day, they will feature them on their own S&T many years from now!
Connie

Kelli said...

You are very talented! I think your smocked dresses are so sweet, I love the blue one with white lace...so pretty! I also love the ribbon you added to your strawberry basket!
~Kelli

Wanita said...

Oh my, the dresses are lovely. I have always loved little smocked dresses. Thanks for showing them to us.

nancy said...

they are gorgeous. I love any hand sewing and do a lot myself. Can you get pretty fast at smocking? I have read about it an pored over pictures, but never got around to it. I don't have any little girls or babies any more.
Nancy

Rue said...

Hey there sweetie pie :)

Great show and tell friday!! You are so talented. The first dress looks like something I wore when I was a child and I KNOW mom didn't pay $15 for it LOL

Hugs,
rue

joyh82 said...

beautiful smocking and such pretty
dresses!

The Apron Queen said...

Making my rounds late. OMG! These are beautiful. Imagine the time spent on them! Thanks for sharing. :D

Stop by & see the new addition to our family: http://anapronaday.blogspot.com/search/label/KITTENS

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