jane's apron

sewing 911

Back when I was looking for a new sewing machine (an example of retaliatory spending), I met Claudia.  She recommended the sewing machine that I eventually purchased.  She then went on to help me with some problems that I was having the first time I sewed using the new machine...set me straight on the whole "P" bobbin trick and I think of it each time I sew.  

Claudia now has a sewing class on Craftsy called Sewing 911 with Claudia Miller.  I watched the class today and love it (and learned a whole new set of trouble shooting tips).  The class is perfect for beginning sewists, those with a new machine, or those that just need a little help.  If you are like me and learn visually, the whole idea of an instructor right there with you is what the "internets" is all about. My daughter watched it with me and said she knew about Craftsy...where you never craft alone.  So cool.  And free.  Right here.

happy apron

The aprons I like to sew are vintage-mix.  I like to use rough muslin and ticking with vintage linens, vintage seam binding ties (that go all the way around and then tie in front), vintage buttons, etc. 

This apron makes me happy.  Happy because I got to use the cute panel print I bought this summer and finally got to cut the "happy" from a vintage dresser scarf.  And the green...the green seam binding and vintage plastic button...total happiness.

Some close-ups of more...

 

 

curtain redo

I bought curtains for my living room a few years ago.  They were sized perfectly to hang above the windows and skim the floor.  Before they made it onto curtain rods there was an incident with our geriatric cat and I had to wash the curtains.  The washing made them extra soft and pretty...and way too short.  At this point I should have just started over.  But no.  I spent a few years finding fabric, sewing one curtain, having problems with it...pausing for another year and, finally, just finishing the things.  

They are not perfect.  The edges are a little wacky and my plans to "just fold it over and stitch down the entire side" wouldn't work (because I would stitch the rod pocket shut).  I really only say the f-word to make my friends laugh but now I have to admit that I say it every single time I sew something.  Not perfect but done ... f* yeah ;-)

love lace

I have a path I follow at my thrift store.  Sheets, sewing patterns, pillow cases...skip the bras and slips.  But one time a slip caught my eye.  It had a lace trim that said "love".  Loved.  

I knew I'd use it for something and it eventually was the inspiration for an apron...combined with the coolest piece of a linen tea towel, some vintage seam binding, and fringed cotton muslin.  Love.

it's a sewing thing

It's not hard to find more and more sewing-themed papers and such at the craft stores...the retailers have discovered what we've known for a long time.  Sewing patterns are cool.  

The background paper in the photo is a collage of ledger paper and sewing pattern images.  The real vintage button cards are from my friend Debbie (it's a happy day when you receive a treat in the mail from a like-minded crafter). The note card is from a stamp set I've had for a long time and I just got an email this morning from a reader about a sewing stamp set that I'm going to have to purchase.  

This paper had red glitter pattern markings.  I had to have it.  

and one more...

The scrapbook paper is a simple collage of sewing stuff.  I added a favorite Amy Butler paper and a super cute vintage pattern envelope.  And a little "love".  

be an elf

I sewed the grocery bags that were on my craft to-do list. I made four at one time...assembly line style.   The pattern and instructions were perfect (available from Keyka Lou here).  I especially liked all of the double and triple stitching...this bag is sturdy.  

As I was sewing (this took most of a Saturday from start to finish), I had one of my favorite Christmas songs in my head.  "We are Santa's elves, filling Santa's shelves...we work hard all day, but our work is play".  I would be a great (slightly crabby) elf.  Busy, busy, busy making work into play.  Maybe the best part of the season?

Back to the bag.  The outside fabric is from Basic Grey (the scrapbook paper that I always like). The inside is some ticking and a scrap from my small stash.  

"Santa knows who's good, do the things you should...la,la,la,la....we are Santa's elves".

material girl

The paper is called Material Girl from CosmoCricket.  It was a must-have.  Scissors, spools, stitching, tape measures...even the ends of the paper are cute (and I love to use those throwaway pieces).  I mixed in some of my paper stash too...don't want to be too matchy-matchy.

 

I always have a hard time taking pics of train cases but took a couple of "live action" shots to give a better idea of how it looks.

 

While I had the paper out and ready, I also started another small suitcase.  It still needs to be cutified (the word is in the wiktionary and I'm using it) but the "I'm a material girl. How about you?" is a good start. 

 

 

what is an iron

 

When they were both in preschool, my boys took some kind of screening test conducted by our school district. Part of the test was identifying common objects.  I remember neither one was able to identify an iron.  It was a long time ago but it was something like this....

my husband: "Really?"

me: "What? Who irons?"

Obviously, I don't place that much value on irons and never understood the need for an expensive one.  But, like lots of things sewing has changed my mind about, I'm starting to see the logic in a really good iron (for sewing purposes and maybe, occasionally, when something doesn't make it out of the dryer quickly). 

I still haven't actually spent the money on an iron but it's been floating around on my list.  You too?  Bitter Betty is having a giveaway for a serious iron (until June 1).  I hope I win.  It will be good "teaching moment" for my kids.  

 

fabric flowers and a movie

 

When it comes to fabric, I have to touch it to make sure I like it.  And the French General fabric from Moda?  Wow. Fabric love.  I took a detour to a fabric store this week and ended up buying the red checked one and the pretty one with the edge.  I could walk around all day and just hold the fabric.  

Kaari Meng was our instructor for the class and she was so nice, so prepared, and so kind to generously offer a hot glue table for the hand-sewing impaired.  I did not do so well on my first flower and needed some help from my workshop friends (thanks Debbie!) to do a better job on the second one.  As we all sat and stitched, I was reminded of a movie that I had just watched a few days earlier...."Did anybody see Bright Star?".  Yes!  The hand-sewing!  The hats!  The colors! The butterflies!  

So cool to find like-minded friends.  Did anybody see Bright Star? 

 

and sewn

 

I'm back to regular levels of busy this week and wanted to show the completed apron I gave a peek of in my last post.   I didn't have time to wait for sunshine to take the photos so they are not the best.  

First of all, I have to say how much I like ticking fabric.  To me, it always works with whatever it goes next to.  Formal? ... it works.  Cute? ... it works.  Boyish? ... it works there too.  As a base for a simple apron with lots of pattern? ...yep, I like it there too.  

For the apron, I foraged through my newly organized vintage linen items (and now it's a big mess and no longer organized).  The base is a square of ticking that I fringed along all of the edges.  Then I layered a vintage cotton napkin and a vintage linen doily with little crocheted flowers.  I made my own wide bias ribbon with a rough muslin and sewed all of the layers sandwiched between the ribbon.  The tie is extra long so it can go around the front to tie.  

 

The pretty extras I added are a yarn daisy (from Kari), a big safety pin, a sewing pattern pin (from Amanda), and a St. Ann medallion from own stash.  

If you are like me and have a few too many vintage linens, this is an apron that you can make over and over again in endless combinations.   The sewing is the easy part...it's the endless combination part that's fun.