Remember this stash of Heather Bailey fabric I showed you?

Well here are some of the results although I’m still making more things with it too

And these coasters out of the scraps left over.

I’m always so happy when I’ve used up a batch of fabric, a great sense of accomplishment and I can actually see my results. What I do is very rewarding and makes me very happy and I feel really blessed by that.

If you are interested in having any of these items for yourself, you can find them in our Etsy shop or click on the photos above and it’ll take you to that item in the store.

Reminder:  Leave your comment this week and tell us what is your least favorite chore around your house.  Your comment will enter you in the drawing for this cute embroidered towel.

I was blessed recently to have a lady in Canada want to purchase 15 little girls aprons for favors for the guests at her daughter’s birthday party.  We worked out a special pricing for her based on using 2009 leftover fabrics and remnants to allow me to price them within her budget.  Thought you might like to see what the birthday party girls will be wearing.

This apron was especially made for the birthday girl!  I hope she loves it.

What a great idea for a gift that has so many purposes…I hope each one will wear them and remember the fun they had at the party.  And the birthday girl, well of course I had to make her’s special.  Mom said she is a girly girl so to me that meant ruffles and more ruffles, bright colors and all the trim…I hope she loves it.

It is always my prayer that the person receiving something we have made will sense the love we put into our craft of making something special and unique for them.  I hope that is especially true of these little girls aprons.

I can fault my husband for not following directions (or specifically not following MY directions), but when I do it myself then I only have myself to be mad at. In my case I’m not talking about driving, but sewing.

Remember this beautiful fabric bundle I shared with you a little while back?

Well I started working with it this week, so excited to try a new pattern for a Mom. I’m ok with how it looks but not flabbergasted either. It just needs something.

It is a reversible apron (like getting 2 for 1). The back side uses just the pink fabric, no birdies.

The extra wide waist ties are pink and can be tied in the front or back. I’m not sure if it is “done” yet or not or if it needs something extra added. I think once I have the mother and daughter apron hanging side by side I’ll have a better idea. Feel free to give me suggestion!!!

So now I’ve moved on to the children’s apron. This is where I deviated (or chose) not to read the directions, which was rather foolish.

It is still a work in progress as I have a few seams to rip out and rework.I like the addition of pretty polka dot ribbon and bows.

So a project that I should have been able to whip out in less than 2 hours is now well within the 5 hour range. Go figure!

So next time I give my husband a hard time about following directions, perhaps I should keep my tongue in check and remember this little incident where I was really no better

The 96″ tie I turned and told you about yesterday….  Today you are in for a treat of treats…  Please hold the applause until the end

The apron is finished and I cannot resist showing you pictures, not because the apron is so swell….but the model…she is super, fantastic, fun, beautiful, and I am so glad I can call her my daughter.

Now you have to admit she is absolutely gorgeous!!!!  Not because of her attire but inside and out.

Get a load of this one I took while she was trying to give me instructions…

Now that was a shot we laughed about and loved…. We had so much fun.  She came prepared with white clothing knowing it would show well with any of the aprons she was modeling for me and get a load of those heels….I think my comments were, “where did you get those gorgeous shoes”, her answer to those kinds of questions is always a beautiful smile, and “I don’t remember.”

Check these out…

Now who could resist a cookie from that girl?

Then she really got domestic on me and wanted the swiffer, not like she is really cleaning folks, just having fun with me…I have to admit she definitely entertained me…  And you want to see the model’s shoes for this outfit..

It didn’t matter what we put on her, she looked great in everything…beautiful little girls are like that..

A wife and Mother to the nth degree with four beautiful children, a grandmother to one, a retired Sprint Director, former Hallmark computer wizard, a tech savvy lifesaver to the whole family, loves family, friends, home and garden, and most of all a special friend to her Mother….

I know all of you who have girls no doubt think they are the most beautiful but my three girls….they are so gorgeous, so special and I am so proud of all of them…  Thanks for letting me boast a little…

No, not a man’s tie!  An apron tie… I decided to try some new patterns out the first of the year.  I took a pattern idea out of a book and threw a few of my ideas into it and I am in the process of sewing it up after a day of figuring out the cutting…

The ties to the apron are 96″, yes that is ninety-six inches, long…why, because it wraps around and ties in the front.  I have observed the ties wrapped around to the front is a new look that is catching on and I wanted a shot at doing it.

This morning I put the ties together, two fabrics, one front and one on the reverse side.  Then it was time to turn them.  The ties are 3″ across but it still took me forever to get those long girls turned right side out and almost as long to get them to lay flat under the iron.

In the picture to the left the ties are folded in eighths.

The next picture on the right is in fourths.

And this picture on my 3 foot by 4 foot styroboard I use for photography!!

Big!!

And the one in the center of the board; that is the one I have left to turn and press. I was hoping someone might want to come help me

I hope the new apron is worthy of the price I will be putting on it to account for all of my labor not to mention the three yards of fabric!!  And I can already say, “I won’t be making it again, at least not this pattern!”

As Deb would say, “Go Sew Girl” and quit your whining, it’s a joke between us!

Remember the book I mentioned I needed to read “A is for Apron” by Nathalie Mornu?  I loved the material in it, not to mention the 17 patterns that were included.  The patterns are on 8″ x 8″  pages and require you to increase them by 400%.  First thought is a photocopier but the pattern is too big for that idea.

I remember watching my Mother cutting patterns out of newspaper so I decided it shouldn’t be too difficult for me to accomplish the same and began to gather my tools.  The most important one is the calculator!  Tissue paper leftover from a Christmas gift was perfect as it measured 24″ x 24″.  The tissue  paper  became the perfect element to draw the pattern on as the widest width measurement I would need was 18″.  I used transparent tape to put two sheets together giving me plenty of room for the entire project.

First step, measure the fold line length of the apron body as shown in the diagram and take it times 400%.  That calculation told me the length of the apron from neckline to hem would be 29″ at the center fold line.  Once I had this measurement I continued around the page as shown above  making notes of measurements at specific points, every 4″ to 9″ getting width measurements, etc.  I then was able to transfer those measurements to my tissue, making dots that later would be connected by free hand.  End result….a book that cost me $15.00 will reward me with 17 patterns if I elect to use them.  If you have purchased a pattern recently you know the savings using this method is big!  The project took me less than an hour and most of that time was spent on my calculations and measuring the dots on the tissue.

Notice how wrinkled my tissue paper is; my Mother would frown at me over that, she pressed the paper before she cut her patterns…  I have fabric in mind for the new pattern so keep coming back and I will show it off

Note:  Visit www.creativechcis.com to see all the new aprons added online this week…that is how I spent my cold vacation days, doing what I love most, creating.

It has been several years since we have had a winter as cold and icy as 2009 ended and 2010 is showing off in it’s first week.  Single digit temperatures, snow piles everywhere from the heavy snows last week.

Perfect weather for staying in with a hot homemade soup, movie, good book, hot chocolate or whatever it is that makes you feel warm and comfy.

For me it is a time of reading some long past due

material, “A is for Apron by Nathalie Mornu”  and my

December BH&G.  I think I will make some oatmeal

cookies to go with my chocolate.

If you are lucky enough to live in a warm climate I would sure love an invitation to visit

Deb and I are attending a Christmas charity event with a few of our homemade items today.  We will be at the Shawnee Presbyterian Church, 6837 Nieman Rd, Shawnee, KS 66203 between the hours of 10:00 and 4:00.  If your out doing some shopping and can take time we would love for you to stop by and say hello.

Here are a couple pictures of the busy sewing room of Deb this week, busy, busy, busy…orders everywhere

I love aprons, they remind of my childhood.  They automatically conjure up memories of a kitchen filled with the aroma of bread baking or canning season and me and my Mother filling the jars.  I have sold almost every apron I have made for Christmas shopper’s and it thrills me to know so many little girls and bigger girls will be wearing them in their kitchens. I received an email about Grandma’s Apron recently and decided I wanted to share it so hope you enjoy it half as much as I did.

Grandma’s Apron

Author Unknown

The principal use of Grandma’s apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few dresses and it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material.
Frequently it served as a potholder for Grandma as she removed hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children’s tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears..
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.
And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.  Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables and after the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.
When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folks knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that ‘old-time apron’ that served so many purposes.
Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.
They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

What causes us to be so nostalgic about those memories?  It was a slower pace, closer relationships with neighbors, no TV or computers to compete for our attention.  I can picture my Mother, oven door open sliding out a fresh loaf of break, and oh the fragrance, today it is still my favorite kitchen smell.  I am glad I have memories of Mother and Grandma’s aprons and I hope you do too.

I was invited to participate at Fave Crafts in their presentation of sewing tutorials for the holiday.

I took an apron already in my supply of inventory and here is the result.  Click on the link to view:

http://www.favecrafts.com/Holiday-Sewing/Holiday-Apron-Tutorial