A Christmas gift for someone special...

The pattern is available here:  http://quiltsoup.com/patterns.html

The recipient loved her present.

Aprons Every Month...except one...

For Christmas, I wanted to give my sister an apron for every month/holiday of the year.  I was able to find fabrics in my stash and some in the store, except for January!  I will continue to look for Happy New Year fabric to make her that apron.  I made them all different - some are gathered, some have lace, some have ribbons, some have rickrack, in other words, I had a lot of fun playing in my stash.  LOL

February - hearts and ruffles - Valentine's Day

March - shamrocks - St. Patrick's Day

April - eggs - Easter 

May - flowers - May Day

June was a little more difficult - a month for brides, but she's not a bride, so I thought about it and realized that we have Junebugs...but I don't like insects, except butterflies...and I had the fabric right in my stash. 

July - Fireworks - Independence Day

August - watermelons and strawberries - Summer

September - green leaves turning to brown - School starts

October - pumpkin patches - Halloween

November - fall colors - Thanksgiving

(note that September and November's aprons are the same fabrics, only opposites)

December - Baby Jesus, gingerbread, good food, family, church - Christmas!

Today, I did this...

This is the 4th time I've made the top apron.  Everyone likes it best.  The smaller apron is for a child.  Both aprons were commissioned by a customer. 

I made 3 of these last Friday, and the other 2 today.  All of these were commissioned by a customer

My sister sent me these embroidered squares a couple years ago.  Because of our various moves, much of my quilting stuff has been in storage for years.  I'm going through boxes and finishing stuff I find :)

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Busy summer, but back to sewing...

Its been a while since I posted, but summer was very busy.  We took a couple trips and helped out a few friends, but now we're back home and I'm able to sew. 

In addition to mending some clothes for various family members, I also made a simple curtain for the bathroom, several more aprons and more book covers. 

The latest quilt is random pattern of 5-inch squares of old jeans.  The back is fleece, and I sewed right sides together, turned it inside out, then sewed the hole closed.  Then I topstitched all the way around the edges.  I divided the quilt into 4 square patches and then tied off in each "corner."   

This quilt is a gift for Christmas, for someone who asked for this specific style.

Three New Aprons

I decided an oven mitt should be added to the apron sets.  For the oven mitt, I used heat resistant reflective batting as one part of the inner lining.The other side of the inner lining is regular batting. I quilted each side of the oven mitt, before sewing the two sides together.  The oven mitt's other side is the pink gingham.  This fabric is black background with pink and green flowers, a copy of a vintage calico fabric.  The pink gingham was used to accessorize. 

This is a commissioned apron.  The customer asked that I make oven mitt and potholders (no coasters).  The customer found an old David Miller fabric in my stash called Strawberry Fields.  The contrast is a solid pale sage green, with double pockets in a striped fabric my husband refers to as "Barcode." LOL.

This apron was commissioned by a customer.  This fabric is called Coventry Garden by Hoffman.  The contrast is a dark teal that matches one color in the print fabric.  This apron was cut to a length of 17 inches, and the 2 inch ruffle added to bring it to 19 inches.  The reason was because the wearer it is intended for is petite, and the apron needed to be shorter. 

Quilts...

Since January, I've been trying to get rid of some of my fabric stash that has been in storage for about 10 years.  Included in that stash is stuff other people gave me to finish.  My sister sent these embroidered and cross-stitched denim squares to me to finish many years ago.  I found some leftover fabrics that look nice and finshed it.  It is now on its way to her, many years late. 

This is a closeup of some of the embroidery and cross-stitch blocks.

 

The next two quilts were made from leftover flannel blocks from quilts made for two nephews.  It seemed fitting to use the leftovers to make quilts for two more nephews.  

This is another set of quilt blocks my sister embroidered.  Most are of Star Trek sayings and her son's drawn pictures of the Enterprise.  He was about 10 or so when I got these squares.  He's now 27.  This quilt will go to one of his sons. 



Polka Dots!

What the heck - why not do a pink polka dot apron...

Jeans & Gingham

So I was digging in my fabric stash and found some red gingham...and then I found some jeans I'd cut up to make denim quilts...and the imagination went wild...well, at least, a little bit country. 

The Purple Apron

The Apron:

Cut a 20 X 30 inch piece of fabric.  Using a plate, curve both bottom edges

Cut three 4 inch strips of fabric the width of the fabric (this was 45")

Cut 60 inches of ribbon (or a little more, if you like bigger bows in back)

Cut two 7 inch squares

Iron a 1/4 inch seam at the top to the FRONT of the apron.  Center and pin the ribbon over the top on the right side.  Sew ribbon down, top and bottom. 

Sew the 3 strips together end to end, then fold in half right sides together and sew into a tube.  Turn right side out and iron.  Starting at one end, sew a basting stitch and then gather into a ruffle, fitting to the edges of the apron and pinning.  Fold each end down just below the ribbon and pin.  Sew the ruffle to the apron, easing around the curves.  Iron the ruffle down.  On the front of the apron, sew a scant 1/4 inch top stitch, over the ruffle.  This will make the ruffle lay down.  

Iron a 1/4 inch seam on three sides of the 7 inch squares.  Iron a 1 inch seam on the 4th side, this will be the top of the pocket.  Center pockets and pin to apron.  Starting at the top right, sew completely around the 3 edges of the pocket.   

Coasters and PotHolders are made using the same instructions as the Green Apron post.  Coasters pattern was posted on a Quilt loop years ago by Penny Pennington. 

The Green Apron

A friend said if I make the aprons, she will sell them.  So I did. 

You will need:

1 yard light green fabric

1/2 yard dark green fabric

Ribbon (yardage varies, but I bought a 3 yard roll and used some on another project)

Insul-brite

Batting

Thread

Apron:

Cut the apron panel 20 X 30 inches.  Fold 1/4 inch under on both 20 inch sides and one 30 inch side.  Iron down, then fold again 1/4 inch.  Sew down hem on all three sides.  

Fold and iron the TOP raw edge down 1/4 inch towards the FRONT.  

Cut a length of ribbon.  On this apron, I used it only for the apron front, so I cut 31 inches of ribbon. Pin the ribbon over the folded down raw edge, matching folded edge. Fold a half inch on each end, under.   

**Cut two strips of fabric 3 inches by 20 inches.  With right sides together and raw edges even, sew one end and then the entire open side.  Turn right side out.  Tuck the raw edge of the ties under the folded edge of ribbon. Sew the entire ribbon down, sewing over the ties on each end. 

Pockets - Cut two 7 inch squares from contrasting fabric.  Fold down 1/4 inch on 3 sides and iron down.  On the 4th side, fold down 1 inch.  Pin both squares to the apron front, and center.  Sew all the way around the two sides and bottom. 

** You can cut the ribbon 60 inches and center it on the apron front.  Sew it down to the apron, and you won't need to make the ties. 

Pot-Holders:

Cut two 7 inch squares from the light fabric and two 7 inch squares from the dark fabric.  Cut one 7 inch square from the Insul-Brite and one 7 inch square from the batting. 

Lay Insul-Brite down first, then batting.  Lay light fabric right side UP, and dark fabric, right side DOWN.  Cut two 5 inch ribbon  pieces and if it is wide, fold over wrong sides together and sew down side.  Pin the ribbon in one corner between the two layers of fabric on each pot-holder, with the loop towards the inside of the square.  Sew all the way around, leaving a small opening for turning.  Turn right side out, poke corners out with poking tool, and then top stitch all the way around the edge, closing the hole.  Do a simple quilting design on top - I just did from corner to corner and the made a cross from top to bottom and side to side.   

Coasters:

Cut four 5 inch squares of batting. 

Cut three 5 inch squares of light fabric

Cut two five inch squares of dark fabric

Iron 2 each of light and dark fabrics in half, with right sides OUT. 

Lay the batting down.  Lay the un-ironed square in top, with right side UP.  Lay the two light ironed pieces on top, next to each other, with folded edges towards the center.  Lay one dark ironed piece on top crosswise, lifting one end of a light piece to tuck it under.  Do the same, but opposite, with the other dark square. They should look "basket-woven."  Pin through all layers in the center.  Sew all the way around on the edge.  Do not worry if the fabric slips a little - just keep the centers together.  Pull the pins out, trim the corners (don't cut the seams!), then pull the fabric through the CENTER hole, to turn it right side out.  Poke the corners lightly through the hole to square up.  Iron lightly to make it lay down.   

These make great little hostess gifts, or for your favorite cook.  You can use any fabric - make some for the holidays! 

 



Clothespin Apron

I felt the need to be creative because I've not sewn much in a while except some alterations and hemming for other folks.  What could I do?  What could I do?  I wanted something quick, and easy, to satisfy my need for instant gratification.  I've done potholders and coasters, I needed something different.  While looking at various potholders, I saw a link for 50 different aprons.  I thought...puh-leeze...how many ways can there be?  Well.  I think I found a new hobby.  Making aprons - they are so cute!  And there are so many styles, and they are so useful, and some are plain, and some are frilly, and oh, boy!  

After reading instructions and looking at styles, I actually had everything to make a clothespin apron.  I thought that was just a style.  It wasn't until later, when I went back to the site to look at other aprons that I discovered that's what it really was meant for - you put clothespins in the big pocket (the whole apron is one big pocket) and hang clothes out to dry on a line.  

I made this apron before realizing that.  Yes, I own a clothespin apron, and I do not own a solar dryer OR clothespins!  LOL  But the apron is adorable.  

The lighter sage green fabric is a reproduction vintage 1894 William Morris, the darker fabric is a Hoffman, I believe.  Don't know, it was a fat quarter.    

I didn't photograph as I went along, but its pretty basic.  I didn't follow any directions really, just looked at pictures and made my own with what I had. 

Cut two pieces of fabric:

15 X 12 inches (I'm short, you can make it longer if necessary)

Cut a J shape out of the top fabric - I guesstimated about 4 inches across and 7-8 inches long.  I used the edge of a dessert plate to get the rounded curve. 

Sew double-sided bias tape on the pocket trim. 

Lay the top cut-out piece on top of the other fabric - both fabrics RIGHT side up.  Sew the double-sided bias tape all the way around, finishing all edges except the waist-band. 

Cut 3 inch strips from the under-fabric, I cut 3 strips that totalled 66 inches long.  Sew together in one long strip. Iron in half, lengthwise, then open, and iron each edge to the middle crease line (it will look like double-sided bias tape when done). 

Center on the back of the apron waist, then pin in place. Sew down the full length of the tie, including the waist, so that flap will be down.

Fold over the waist towards the front, pin in place, then sew the full length of the tie and across the waistband to the other end.

It's done! 

Here I am, wearing it. 
 

Composition Book Fabric Cover Tutorial

Composition book covers are easy to make, are great gifts, and can be a good way to use up scrap fabrics.  The covers can be pieced for a patchwork effect, or you can use one bright fabric with contrasting pockets as you choose.

A Note:  Not all composition books are the exact same size.  These are made by Norcom and are 9 3/4 X 7 1/2 inches.  You may need to adjust the measurements a little to cover the books.

You will need 3 pieces of fabric.  A lining fabric (which can be pieced to the proper size), the outer fabric and a contrasting pocket fabric.

Cut a plain lining fabric 11 X 24 inches. If you have scraps of fabric you want don't want to waste, simply sew them together until you have a lining the right size.  I forgot the take a photo of the lining fabric - but its pretty self-explanatory. 

Cut the outer fabric 12 X 24 inches. You can piece this fabric - either crazy or patchwork, and cut the patchwork to the right size when you finish piecing. 

Cut the contrasting pocket fabric 4 X 5 inches.

Iron a 1/4 inch seam to the WRONG side on all four sides of the contrasting pocket fabric.

Flip it over and press it well. 

Lay the 12 X 24 outer fabric down on your ironing board, RIGHT SIDE DOWN.  Lay the plain lining fabric on top of it - RIGHT SIDE UP. Note that the lining is pieced.  :)

Iron the long 1/2 inch edge of the outer fabric towards the inside - over the plain lining fabric.   

Sew the folded-over edge down each side.

Fold and iron down the short edges on each end. 

Sew the short edges down. 

You now have all raw edges sewn under, towards the lining fabric.  Press the seams, and flip the outer fabric facing up.   

Lay the composition book in the middle of the two layer fabric sandwich.  Adjust so that its centered.  It doesn't have to be perfect, just try to get each side even.  I don't measure, but you can if you want it perfectly even.   

Turn the flaps over the book ends, and iron well.

With the book still in the cover, mark the sewing line at the top and bottom of each flap. The sewing line will be at the very edge of the book's front and back cover, top and bottom.   

Open the front flap - which is on the RIGHT SIDE.  Using the book's position as a guide, place the pocket where you want it - and at least 1 1/2 inches ABOVE the bottom seam line.  Pin in place. 

Sew around the outer edges of the pocket, leaving the top open. 

Sew a seam up the middle of the pocket.  You can measure, but I don't, I just center it as best I can. 

Turn the flaps back down and pin at top and bottom.  Sew each flap at the top and the bottom, just a smidge to the right of the drawn lines (this is for easement when inserting the book).

 

Turn the flaps inside out, using a poking tool to push the corners out.   Iron down the top and bottom edging in the middle of the book cover.

You can machine sew the middle part of the upper and lower seam down, but if the outer fabric isn't "busy" the seam lines will show.  If you like that look, its fine.  I prefer to do a quick handsew running stitch and fasten the seams down.   

The finished cover, on the inside. 

Slide the book's front cover into the front flap. 

Roll the back cover up some, and then slide it into the back flap.  You may have to wiggle and adjust the cover a little so it fits properly.   

The composition book, inside the cover.   

The covered book, with the pen and pencil pockets.