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

Recently I had an inquiry asking what are sack towels, what is the fabric like, do they wash easily?  It made me decide a little Sack Towel History might be enjoyable for everyone. Here are comments from AnnTheGram website in September, 2008.

“Flour sacks are originally from the old flour sacks and feed sacks.  Back in the 30s, women started utilizing the empty sacks and made clothing from them, dish towels, pillowcases, clothespin bags, etc.  Times were bad with the depression.  “Sack dresses” originated during this time period.  They came back in the 60s again too.  The women begged the manufacturers of chicken feed, horse feed, flour and sugar to please make the sacks softer to the touch and try to add some color to them.  Hence, the feedsack quilts of the 30s originated with beautiful colorful prints.  Win/win situation.  Chickens ate well and you had a purty new dress.

The sizing on these towels are irregular today because they are still holding true to what a grain sack was back when.  The grain sack was sewn on one side and bottom and then, the ladies removed the stitching and viola, 30 x 29 inches, etc.  In fact, if the stitching was left in place, it was a perfect, already made pillowcase.  Also, in the 30s, they saved the thread from the side seam and later used to hem any of the items.”

Think how many trees were saved with sack towels…guess that is another subject!  We love sack towels at Creative Chics, check out just a few of the new designs Deb and I have online at www.creativechics.com.

We hope all of you have had a wonderful holiday season and send our very best wishes for a 2010 full of love, joy and peace…

I am not sure I am ready for the holiday to end but reality tells me it is time to get some blog posts up for the month and let everyone know we are back in action.

Creative Chics had a phenomenal holiday online considering it was only six months into our venture.  I have only one designer fabric apron left in my inventory and have not taken time to count how many I made between November 1st and Christmas.  Deb sold Christmas bags like candy to kids.  We certainly appreciate everyone’s support and look forward to 2010 and showing off some new projects and designs.

These photos are sack towel embroidery designs that will be posted online today.  These vintage animals are adorable and towels can be personalized.

We made gifts for Christmas for family members that were so appreciated we decided to offer them online.

Here is an example of dog towels I made for my families pets.

Deb embroidered family initials on large spa sized bath towels that were a huge hit. 

We want to thank everyone again, family, friends and all the new friends we have made and look forward to a fun, fulfilling and very creative 2010.

Though it has been busy, the pleasure, fun, and excitement of sharing Christmas with so many family and friends makes the flurry of activity during the holiday season well worth it.

The first Christmas gathering was with my brothers and sisters, there are nine of us   Noise, laughter, antics, and lots and lots of food are always part of these gatherings.

The boys (all grown up), so grateful that we are all in good health!!!!

The story teller, can you tell….how blessed we are to have Alma as a breast cancer survivor!!!!!!!!!!

The girls from a Christmas past as not all of them could come this year!!

Family, the best gift of all. I hope you enjoyed your time together with family and would love to see some pictures.

I love it because my grandchildren still make Christmas list for their Mom and Dad.  Now the two I am sharing are not little children, they are 13 and 9.

Here are just a few of the items on my grandson’s list.  I laughed robustly to say the least.

-    Cell phone WITH MINUTES   – (Mom and Dad give him their old phones as toys but of course no minutes or texting are available)

-   Electric guitar – Dad knows which one I want Mom – now he is covering the bases here making sure she doesn’t buy without consulting Dad first. Cracked me up on this one.

-   Mom’s last laptop !!!! (I want it so bad!) The emphasis that he was communicating was so typical of a young innocent age…aren’t they wonderful.

-   Then here was the best of all, my 13 year old granddaughter made her list consisting of all girl things, purse, shoes, etc. Then at the bottom she writes:  “P.S. Dad, I still want that pony that lives and breathes,,,, and poops all on it’s own!”  She drew a picture of a horse just in case he didn’t get the point.

Grandchildren, the best gift God could give us in our senior years..

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.

A tradition in my home in cold weather is potato soup.  My children love, love it.  Easy to make and easy on the pocketbook.

My recipe: 

4 medium white potatoes, peeled and cubed bite size

1 bunch of green onions, chopped

6 slices lean bacon, cooked crisp

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Velveeta cheese, chopped

4 cups milk, 2% is my choice use whatever you prefer

2 pats butter, I never use oleo or margarine, just the real thing

salt and pepper

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Brown bacon to crisp, not dry however, and set aside.  In same skillet save a tablespoon of bacon drippings and saute the onion and celery until almost tender.

Peel potatoes (wash and leave skins on if you prefer), chop into bite size chunks and place in pan of boiling water that has been salted. Cook until potatoes are just tender but not falling apart, only takes 10-15 minutes.  Drain completely,  return to fire and add rest of ingredients, bringing back to hot but not boiling, stirring until the Velveeta melts.  Reduce fire to low temp for 10 minutes to bring out best flavor.

Serve hot with chopped parsley and shredded cheddar on top.  Sour cream can also be used on top but soup is very rich without it.

I love to serve it with Salmon Patties and broiled asparagus that has been smothered in olive oil and garlic salt.

Yummy, I am ready to cook up some Cheesy Potato Soup!

Pretty incredible that my small apartment has provided me with a great deal of enjoyment already in just trying to get the basic decorating in place.

Today the bathroom.  One of the things I loved about this apartment complex besides the fact everyone here is past the age of loud partying, fighting, and driving through the parking lot at speeds that make old folks like me shudder is the fact that my bathroom is designed for a wheelchair.  Thank God I am not bound to a wheelchair but the advantage is a wide door and a bigger than normal bathroom for an apartment this size.

Here is the empty and blank bathroom before I began adding my personal items and touches of color.

It was important to maintain my budget and give it a new look utilizing as many things in my possession as possible.  So picking up some inexpensive towels and a couple of rugs helped me decide to make a topper for the shower to give it a softer look in the room.

Without windows in the room I thought going soft and gentle with colors would be a nice touch instead of the dark shades I had previously.  I felt very fortunate to find a rug that had all of the colors I wanted to use and purchased that first.  From there on it was match some towels, pick a fabric for a topper and at Hobby Lobby I found a trim for the curtain with all three of the colors   Just was meant to be right.

Sometimes you have something special and that is true of this beautiful wreath.  I purchased it seven years ago and paid $80.00 for it so I wanted to get my money out of it and feel like I have already done that.  However, this wreath just never get’s tiresome and it has always been in my bedroom.  I found the perfect home for it here and it looks like new!  The beautiful jar of potpourri makes a nice compliment to the rooms colors for a finishing touch.

Only one room to go blogger friends.

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