A Unique Apron Design And Tutorial

Thanks Sue:-)

SEW....

Yes, I'm still making aprons but I'm getting bored

with the same - o, same - o!

In the box of way cool stuff that Sue sent me a few months back

was this curtain valance.

Valance

It was intact when I received it,

forgot to photo before the seam ripper attacked it.

It had a ecru lining and the ties were attached in the top hem.

Looked like the start of an apron to me.

I had some fat quarters that coordinated so I got to work.

The idea for this apron stemmed from a previous apron that
I miscalculated the width on.

Live and learn, AKA improvize!

The idea is to sew two different fabrics together making a tube, but rotate

the tube so the seams are shifted about 6".

So now you have part of the back showing on the front and

part of the front showing on the back.

I chose to put trouser pockets in the seams

as not to have any patch pockets distracting

from the vertical lines.

Directions are for this apron,

both are made the same, only I varied the rotation amount and

I didn't add a contrasting bottom strip to the first one,
 and the photos are a combo of both projects.

Fabric,

Cut one each - Apron front/back 21” (side to side) x 17 ½” (waist to hem) (2 different fabrics).

Cut two - (1 for waistband 1 for trim at the bottom). (side to side) 21 ½ ” x 5” deep
Cut 4 trouser pockets from waistband fabric.
Grosgrain ribbon

 With right sides together pin each of the four pockets to the apron front and back at the side seams, about 1 ½” to 2 ½" down from the top of waist.

 Sew pockets to apron front and back on each of the sides in a ¼” seam.

 Press seam toward pocket, pressing pocket out.

If you're going to add any trims, ribbons ETC., do it now!

With right sides together pin apron front and pockets to apron back and pockets at side seams, having raw edges even.

Sew apron front to apron back, (starting at the bottom) in a ½” seam. When you reach the pocket, continue sewing up the side seam about 3 ½” past the pocket. Stop, and with the needle in the fabric turn the apron around and sew back over first stitching stopping ½” from the pocket edge. Pivot and continue around pocket, pivoting again ½” from the pocket top edge. Sew straight across pocket top edge and pivot ½” again to continue finishing the side seam. With the needle still in the fabric, turn the apron around and sew back down the side seam over the first stitching 1 ½” past the pocket, spin around again and work yourself back to the top.

This is where it gets interesting.

You have the front and back sewn together at the side seams, with trouser pockets in either side

Rotate the front at the side seam towards the back 6”, which moves the back 6” to the front, and therefore moves the front 6” to the back. Now your pocket is moved in 6” which gives you 1 pocket 6” in from each side.

Depending on which way you rotate you can place the pocket for either a leftie or a rightie.

Once you have the rotation correct, press the sides to create new “side seams“.

Press original side seams towards the way you want the pocket to lay.

Since I chose to drop the pocket down from the waist area 1 ½’ to 2 ½ ”, 
it kind of left the pocket top hanging in the breeze so to speak.
Typically, trouser pocket tops are encased/anchored within the waistband.

I just didn’t want them up that high.

My solution was to sew a button to the outside of the apron, through the pocket top to act as an anchor on each side of the apron. I used embrodiery floss for my thread.

Now, we have the top and bottom still open.

I chose to add a solid color waistband, and trim the bottom in the same.

Baste the front to the back at the top and bottom edges in a ¼“ seam.

Center the waistband to the top and stitch in a ½” seam.

(Remember we cut the waistband and trim ½” longer that the apron width).
Do the same for the bottom.

Press in the ¼” on each side of the waistband and trim sections, to the wrong side of the waistband and trim sections. Now press up ¼” on the lengthwise of the waistband and trim sections to the wrong side.

Fold this pressed edge over the waistband to cover the basting and pin. Stitch in place.

Do the same with the bottom edge.

Now we need to add the ties for the waist.

We left the sides open at the waistband, and bottom trim. Here we insert the ribbon ties.

Measure the opening at the waistband, mine was 2” so I used a 1 ½” wide grosgrain ribbon.

Length depends on how you tie, I like the ribbon to cross in back and tie in front, you decide.

Insert the ribbon into the waistband opening about 2”, align the ribbon to the waistband top edge and pin in place.

Starting at one top edge, topstitch a scant ¼” from the apron edge down the side, across the bottom and back up the other side. I triple stitched over the whole width/depth of the ribbon, at the waistband .

Finish off the ends of the ribbon by folding it twice to the inside and stitching the end down.

Viola, you now have a cool, unique apron.

I hope you like it.

 Till next time,

Bonjour

P.S.

This is my design, for personal use only,

please do not reproduce or copy for commercial purposes.

Cutwork Curtain Panel Up-cycle/Re-cycle Apron



Wanna-be apron



Sew...



I found this cutwork curtain panel, plus it's two side mates

 at my local thrifty shop for .75 each.

I just had to have them even though I didn't need them!

I take that back, I did need them!

I sold the shawl that was the curtain for my bathroom window.

I just didn't need all three of them.

I used the two side panels on the bathroom window

and decided to make an apron from the center panel.



This is how it started out.

First I took out the hem/rod pocket stitching at the top.

Then, I thought to self....

A white apron just seems wrong.

So I got out my dyes.

Finally decided on red, but I wanted a vintage feel to it.

Maybe only use a small amount of the dye to a large amount of water?

I was hoping for a kind of washed red.

Well, it worked, I used about a third of the dye to a large dishpan of water.

Although,

 it took a lot of rinsing to finally get the water to run clear.

(Big water waster).

I cut off the excess fabric on either side of the panel,

(saving the excess for who knows what)

and searched my fabric stash for a suitable pocket material.

I found a small piece left over from the skirt/purse refashion

that added to the vintage vibe I was going for.

I added a piece of off white lace,

light pink ribbon and little fabric roses,

horizontally across the apron front and the pocket.

The lace and ribbon across the apron front concealed

the hem/rod pocket stitching lines.

I decided to line it with an off white piece of lace

that I attached to the sides and the top,

using french seams. I left the bottom  un-sewn.

I folded the lining at the top of the apron,

 to the front side 1 ½”,

 and sewed it down, creating a waistband.

The ties are a 1 ½” off white, grosgrain ribbon

that I attached to each side of the waist.

Wish I had someone to take my pic wearing it!

I found a pillowcase to grocery tote tutorial that I plan on trying tomorrow.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Till next time,

happy sewing!

Bonjour



New Show Props "or" There's Always Room For Improvement

New Mini Bag Display

So...

I like to change my show display every so often, mix things up,

 try to look fresh, go with the season....

With that in mind, I've been busy re-doing/ inventing new show props.

Keep in mind, I'm in a 10 x 10 area with a canopy, table space is limited,

I need to take advantage of up space.

The new mini bag display above started out as a sleeveless, lace coat thing

that I made about eight years ago.

I intended to wear it to The Ren Fest but just didn't like it.

I pulled it out of the "gone wrong" trunk, ironed it and then pondered.

I pinned the bags to it, but didn't like the see-through aspect of the lace.

It needed some contrast, I dug through my closet and after trying several

things, came up with a long, black sweater coat.

I pinned a vintage veiled, black velvet hat to the hanger

and added a vintage sweater pin thingy.



Close Up.



Next was the large bag/purse display.

I've tried several things and didn't like any.

I had an idea that involved large dowel rods.

Favorite daughter (inside joke) did the Home Depot

run for me and came back with two 1" diameter x 48" long dowel rods.

I had a lace curtain panel, some black fabric, the dowel rods,

spray paint, drawer knobs, ribbon and imagination.

I spray painted the dowel rods gold and added the drawer knobs to the ends.

Then slipped on the lace panel,

added ribbon to hang it from....

Then I pinned on the bags/purses.



New Bag Display.



I added a ribbon to the center of the bottom so

I can roll it up and tie it off for easy transport.

I also made a garment bag for transporting the aprons, that trash bag I was using....

A little tacky to say the least!

Several other things got a re-do/coat of paint.

Hopefully, once everything is set up we'll look better than ever.

Although...

I don't know if the weather is going to cooperate.

Show is tomorrow and there's rain in the forecast.

Wish me luck!

Till next time,

Bonjour

P.S.

That "gone wrong" jelly?

I used a jar of the orange

to flavor a pot of beans, pretty good!

Just saying...



DIY Skirt To Purse To Skit Refashion

SO, SEW

The skirt!

Another thrift store score!
At only $2.00 I really couldn't pass this up, never mind that it
was a size 4, and well....
I'm not.
 I figured I could do something with the fabric.

It had all these pleats at the waist, so, I just popped one out.
I wore it this way a few times till inspiration hit.

~INSPITATION HITTING~

I took out all the pleats and was rewarded with a giant piece
of fabric-ness for my crafting pleasure.

  The excess fabric on one side was cut away, and I shaped what was left into an a-line.
On the one side I had the zipper, and the length was perfect, so all I had to do was
 sew up a seam and....

Vola cute skirt.

Wait, I'm not done!

What did I make with the excess fabric-ness you ask?

Why, a bag of course!

The green stripe band at the top used to be curtains

and the lace I've had for awhile.

I wanted a lace pocket but the lace wasn't wide/long enough.

Drat

I cut two pieces of lace, laid one atop the other and staggered them

to get the length I wanted and sewed a pink ribbon

across to hold the two pieces together.

Next I pressed under ¼”

on either side of the pocket's raw edge

and then sewed it to the bag.

I gave the bag gussets on the bottom to provide some width/depth,

but didn't line it.

Maybe I should rethink and add a lining?

What do you think?

~BTW~

The photos were taken in two different parts of my house, so,

 the fabric colors look totally different

between the skirt and bag.

I hope you' all have a lovely weekend,

we'll be at the Farmer's Market on Saturday, selling our wares.

Till next time,

Bonjour

Lack of sunshine AKA I've been depressed!

Well....

I've been a little depressed....

Winter always does that to me.

Short days, lack of sunlight, working indoors?

All of the above?

Yep!!!

Anyway....

I was in need of a little brightness in my indoor home life so I decided to lighten things up a bit.

A few pieces of furniture were banished, a few rearranged and some renewed.

This dresser, rescued from a thrift store eight years ago,

functions as a sort of buffet/dining room storage unit.

Originally, I removed the mirror and painted it all white.

Bor-ing.....

Then I went through my dark green phase.

Then I marbled it a black/green/gold/white.

Today it's marbled blackish/red with the mirror re-attached

and has a new home in the hallway.

This is my vanity, rescued from the thrift store also.

I've had this baby since 1980.

She also has gone through several transformations,

Black on white, dark green on white, brown.....

Today she's sporting a bright, sunny yellow.

Hairstyler Barbie and Mr. Peanut approve of their new digs!



New kitchen window treatment

The windows needed a little help also!

The kitchen has two windows and the office/sewing room has three.

Needless to say, there was a lot of curtain making going on!

I used the fabric from the old office curtains to make a new

table cloth for the soap display table.



New office window curtains

And Soap, lots and lots of soap,

craft shows are right around the corner!

Soap curing

I feel a little better now.

 Thank you Better Homes & Gardens

for getting me out of my funk!

Maybe I need to do some canning too,

I'm a little low on jam!

Till next time,

Bonjour



The Gathering Apron

OK...

I told myself, self, you've been cooking every weekend for weeks,
poor Nathan has had enough of making fried pies,

it's time for a break.....

Time to sew something,

time to tend to the herbs,

time to view the sun rise,

 in other words,

me time!

This last weekend I did all of that and them some.
(Still baked some sweet breads and made a pan of enchiladas though).

Oh well....

I took Nathan to his other grandma's this weekend
leaving me with plenty of uninterrupted sewing time.
(I did send along one of the sweet breads though).

Anyway...

There have been pictures and talk posted of sewing aprons,

cute aprons.

Brendie made the cutest apron for Sue

 and she posted links to apron projects.

I want a new apron!

Mine is really looking ratty so I had an excuse for a new one.

After much searching and clicking back and forth,

 I found the apron I wanted to make,

The Gathering Apron









The purpose of this apron is to be able gather your veggies, eggs, fruit, herbs...
whatever in the front.

You thread the waist ribbons through buttonholes in the hem,

 gathering it all up into a pouch that you tie at the waist.

Very cleaver!!!

The main fabrics and ribbon I purchased  about three weeks ago

especially for this project and the accent fabrics are from my stash.

I mostly followed the instructions,
but.... 
I don't do button holes!!!

Hum...

I know, I'll make belt loop thingies, that should work.

Yep, it did!
(I made the belt loop thingies out of the blue ribbon).

And I could make it reversible.

Yep, I did!

I still need to finish the other side with the ribbon and the belt loop thingies.

I like it, but....
 what's up with the blue again?
Am I changing from a green person to a blue person?

I feel better now that I've done some sewing
but,
I'm a little concerned about the color shift....
I'll have to do a little research in my color book to figure it all out.



 

Almost forgot to tell you....

After our cooking marathon last weekend,

 Nathan and I went to rest on the front porch.

He wandered off and came back with this plate

of freshly picked strawberries and lemon balm leaves for me to snack on.

He did the arrangement himself.

I'm so impressed, he knows the rule of three!!!

 

He's so sweet, I'm glad he puts up with me!!!!

(When you start rhyming it's time to quit).

I hope you're having good times too.

Till next time,

Bonjour

DESIGNING A QUILT....THE EASY WAY!

SO...

In case you didn't know,
most computers have a software program
called Microsoft Word or Works.

You can do all sorts of things with this program.

Write a letter, make a spread sheet, do a table.....

Really you say?
YEP!

Why am I telling you this?

Because if you go to.... blank word document, click table,

click basic table, add rows and columns, you have...

TADA!!!!

A quilt

 Lots of little squares just waiting for you to add colors to each one.

There's also those horizontal, vertical, grid lines to work with.

This light bulb moment came to me

while I was doing some informational paperwork for The Soap Co.

Needless to say I felt like a genius!

I know there are quilting software programs out there,

but for an occasional quilter like me this will do just fine.





QUILT TEMPLATE

 



THINKING ABOUT MAKING THIS ONE

 





BLOCK



BLOCK CLOSE UP



The template on the left is the quilt from Saturday still waiting to be finished.

I'm thinking about making these 2 blocks into a purse or bag. (12 3/4 x 11 1/2)

Haven't decided yet. Any ideas? Maybe a throw pillow?

I've also been making pot holders and drink coasters using the crazy quilt method.

Steve's old cut up jeans make a thick back for these.

If you have any comments or suggestions feel free to share.

I'm missing a piece to that lamp I was painting on Sunday.

Drat, I need to go look for it.

Till next time,

Bonjour

Sewing The New Placemats and Napkins

FABRIC WAITING TO BE TRANSFORMED

OK......

The holidays are over, the festive adornment is put away......

Plain dining table now!

What's a girl to do?

Sew of course!!!

4 placemats, 4 napkins and 1 table runner to be specific.

Are you ready?

What you need.

Sewing machine (optional, but very useful)

Thread

Fabric

Rotary cutter and mat (optional, but very useful)

What you do.

1. Cut 8 rectangles 15 1/2" X 12 1/2 " (mats)

2. Cut 8 squares 10 1/2" X 10 1/2" (napkins)

3. Cut 2 rectangles 21" X 11 1/2" (runner) 

4. Place 2 of the placemat rectangles right sides together and stitch a 1/4" seam around all 4 edges, leaving a 3" opening in the middle of one of the seams.

5. Remove from the sewing machine and press to set the stitches.

6. Clip corners.

7. Turn right side out through 3" opening.

8. Press again, tucking in raw edges on the 3" opening.

9.Top stitch close to the edge around the whole rectangle.



TOP STITCHING ALMOST DONE

10. Continue this same process for the rest of your placemats, then move on to the napkins, then the runner.

FELIX LIKES!!!

VIOLA

You now have beautiful table top adornment!!!!

I made my placemats from a different fabric on the back because

I didn't have enough of the rose fabric for both sides.

The napkins are a little small for this same reason
but look very nice folded in half.

The napkins and runner match the placemat's back fabric.

(runner not shown)

This project was quick and easy and you might
even consider adding some ribbon trim to the edges.

The rose fabric used to be throw pillows and
I don't remember what I had the swirly fabric for.
Fabrics come and go here, today curtains,
tomorrow throw pillows, the next time placemats.
I never get rid of fabric!!!!

I've also been working on a quilt.

WISHING TO BE A QUILT!

HAPPY SEWING.
Till next time,
Bonjour