Making Aprons

The last few weeks have seen a lot of apron creation going on at my house.  I have been making aprons for my kids for a while now once I discovered that most of their food was ending up in their laps and any bib they had on didn’t help a bit with that problem.  Recently I decided I needed a few more in the rotation so I made another four.  These are so fast and easy to make that I wrote up a tutorial which you can find here so you can make some of your own.

While I was on an apron roll I decided to make one for myself.  I don’t often wear an apron (but if I splash turmeric on my white tee shirt one more time I may just be converted) but Sunday morning is the one day I have time to cook breakfast for everyone and I am usually already dressed for church.  So I thought I would make a cute apron to protect my clothes.  A couple of years ago my friend Karen brought an apron to show and tell that her daughter had made and it was beyond cute.  I immediately went out and bought the pattern and knew this was the one I wanted to make:  Butterick 4945.  I chose View D which has a circular flounce around the bottom hem.

The main fabric is a black and white cherry print seersucker which my mother bought many, many years ago.  She gave me this piece of fabric and I had intended to make a maternity top from it but never got around to it.  Since I won’t be needing one of those again J I decided it would work well for the apron.  The solid black contrast that I used for the flounce and ties is also seersucker and the microdot is cotton quilting weight fabric.  I bound the bottom hem with a bias strip of the microdot and inserted another strip between the flounce and the apron body.  I used the same microdot for the neck facing and turned it to the outside as shown in View C. 

I had tremendous trouble finishing the ends of the ties.  The instructions are to make a narrow hem along all edges, mitering the corners.  After three attempts I decided to face the ends.  I cut a section of fabric the same shape as the end of the ties and about 4-5” long.  I finished one edge and sewed the two pieces together.  When the facing was turned it nicely finished a difficult-to-sew angled edge.

I love how this apron turned out with the flippy little hem and stylish lines.  I haven’t had the nerve to wear it yet though, as I’m afraid I will spill something on it!

Bag of the Week 27

Shoe Bags

Summer is the time to travel and these handy little shoe bags will make traveling easier.  They are designed to hold a pair of ladies shoes and, when packed into a suitcase, will keep dirt away from clothing.  I made these bags from wool crepe and embroidered a few shoes on the outside along with some text.  The embroidery designs are by Evy Hawkins of A Bit of Stitch

I began with these basic instructions from Embroidery Arts

Instead of the buttonhole described I used metal grommets as the opening for the ribbon or cording to run through.  I used two separate ribbons, looped in opposite directions, so the bag can be closed securely.  I also created some scented shoe stuffers to go along with two of the bags I gave as a gift.  These were also created from the same black wool crepe.  The design is another of Evy’s, one of her Spring Buttoncover designs

I will see if I can find the instructions for making the shoe stuffers and post them as a tutorial.  They were simple to make and the combination with the shoe bags makes a nice gift.

You can modify the shoe bags for men’s shoes.  Each bag will fit one man’s shoe.  A monogram on each would be a nice touch.

Here are some pictures of the various designs I used on some bags.

Sewing Treasures

A couple of weeks ago I was wandering around my neighborhood during our semi-annual yard sale event and saw a box with what looked like sewing supplies in it.  I stopped to look and the owner immediately said I could have that and another box for $1. The owner seemed not too sure about what was in the boxes, but I love buried treasure so how could I resist?  I took the boxes home and unearthed a very special trove of sewing treasures.  This is the sort of find that only true sewing enthusiasts will understand as nothing had much intrinsic value and much of it will be given to the thrift store.  But there were a few gems in the mix.

Here is a PARTIAL list of some of the things I found:

Old patterns, project instruction leaflets, 5 pairs of scissors (2 pinking), dozens of UFOs, trim, ribbon, old lace, fabric, doll glasses, metallic doilies, florist wire, huge assortment of Christmas picks, leaves, stamens, bells, etc., 3 different types of elastic, tapestry needles, pearl roping, cording, Battenberg lace tea towels, evenweave fabric, Dritz See-Thru ruler, Chinese knot buttons, 3 embroidery hoops, latch hook, knitting needles, snaps, loads of nylon flag fabric and two completed flags.

Some of the items really spoke of the previous owner, especially the two Bowl America Queen of the Week bowling awards, the partially completed projects, the handwritten notes and old receipts.  I paused over the Clearbrook Woolen Shop Needle Pack and remembered the time I visited this shop which is no longer in business.  I was glad that I had ended up with these possessions as I could understand about this woman’s life, what these things must have meant to her.  It made me wonder who will go through my sewing treasures after I am gone and what image they will have of me based on my stuff.

I ran into the previous owner of these boxes this week and stopped to tell her who I was and how much I enjoyed going through these items.  She told me the boxes’ contents had been her mother’s.  We talked a bit about the dying art of sewing, how our mothers made our clothes when we were growing up and about the Singer sewing machine she used to use but no longer.  I tried to reassure her that there are those of us out there who still love this art form and will one day pass along our prized possessions to other sewing enthusiasts like us.  At least I hope that is what happens to my things one day.

Bag of the Week 26

Boatbag

You Have to Start Somewhere

This may be the first bag I ever made.  When I graduated from college in 1984 my parents gave me a Kenmore sewing machine as a graduation gift.  I took the machine with me when I moved to Texas that year and found a part time job at a local fabric store, Cloth World.  I really knew very little about sewing except what I had learned in my home ec classes in school and what my mom had taught me.  But, being young and fearless I jumped right in and started spending most of my paycheck at the fabric store and sewing anything and everything I could.  I even had the nerve to agree to make a sample evening dress from sequined fabric for the store and a prom dress for one of the other employees.  But really I was quite clueless.  Take this bag, for instance.  My family has a long habit of carrying our vacation supplies in L.L. Bean boat bags when we traveled to our fishing cabin in rural Maine.  (I can still remember when L.L. Bean was little more than a one-room shack where we stopped every year so my dad could buy his Maine fishing license.)  So when I saw this fabric I had the grand idea that I would make each of my family members a unique boat bag using it.  I had some sense in picking out the canvas that would become the bottom and straps for the bag but never considered that lightweight cotton would not make very sturdy walls.  The seams on the inside were double stitched and pinked (this was long before I owned a serger) and, clearly, I had no concept about matching seams. 

I kept this bag for myself but no others were forthcoming.

My skills did improve over time and with practice, and this month I will pack my own vacation belongings into both my L.L. Bean boatbags and this one which has proved to be very useful and functional, if a little floppy.  Some family traditions are worth keeping.

Bag of the Week 25

The Museum Bag

I don’t know about where you are, but here in the greater Washington DC area this week’s temperatures have topped the 90 degree mark.  Summer has arrived for sure.  And the hot, hot colors in this week’s bag just shout summer to me.   

Several years ago my American Sewing Guild (ASG) Chapter sponsored a workshop with Barbara Randle who taught us all how to create The Museum Bag.  It was a great day and a wonderful class.  Barbara is a very inspiring teacher and, even though we were all working from the same kits, each bag had a unique personality all its own.  The bag is constructed using Barbara’s Crazy Quilting with Attitude technique (I blogged about this here) and made from beautiful pieces of silk.  The seams are embellished with decorative stitches and the bag further enhanced with couched fibers.  The bag is lined with a fun cotton print fabric and closes with a magnet.

On Tuesday I’ll be posting a tutorial I’ve been working on along with more project ideas so please check back often.  Hope everyone has a great weekend – try to stay cool!