Love These Aprons!

I just got done making these aprons for the holidays and I just love them!  I had originally bought patterns for many different styles, but this one looked the most classic to me.  I made them in large and medium in adult sizes and in large and medium children's sizes.  My favorite thing about this pattern is that the neck strap is entirely adjustable by simply sliding the strap that goes around the waist.  No D-ring adjusters or tying at the neck for the right fit.   

Grace models the children's large

Grace makes her own First Communion Dress

My daughter, Grace, makes her First Communion this year.  Custom dictates that she wear a white dress.  However, if you knew my daughter, you would

Beautiful!

  have a hard time imagining her in a dress and smiling at the same time. 

    My solution, let her design and make her own.  That did it!  She picked out her own pattern and made her own modifications and picked out her own fabrics.  We then called in Grandma Karen for help and girl-time. 

    Grace really did do her share of the pinning and cutting.  When we got to the sewing, she set the speed on the Janome to the slowest setting (usually she goes full throttle on the Singer).  I thought that she could bump it up to the medium speed, but she said she would prefer it on "super-granny-slo-mo".  I tell you what, that is a perfect 5/8" seam allowance.  I can't ask more than that. 



Grace wanted a butterflly on the front



     By the time the seams on the skirt were done, she was ready to go outside and play which was perfect timing.  We had her come in and try on the bodice and then the unhemmed dress.  Seh decided that it needed a butterfly on the bottom and the length should be just above the ankles (Surprise for me).  I finishe the dress with a secret message on the inside with room enough for the next wearer to put their information should it be used agian. 

    The end result was just what I hoped for.  My daughter in a white dress for her First Holy Communion.

 



When it was all done, she agreed that she liked this dress and it was so comfortable, that she wouldn't mind if I made her another in a different color. 



<>Now, on the viel and shoes, we have a different story.  No veil or circlet of any kind.  Only ribbon and flowers (and she didn't even  want that). 

My Mom and Grace cutting pieces



     And the shoes, this is where a parent picks their battles.  White Keds tennis shoes. 

     I know that what Mom or Dad says goes, but when it comes to something like this, I want her focus to be on Christ, not her itchy dress or her shoes that don't feel good or the piece of hardware on her head.  First Communion is a time to celebrate and nobody wants to smile and enjoy if they're uncomfortable.   She's a tomboy and I love her that way, the way God made her!



 



Bath Craft Show

      Grace and I were vendors at the Bath Spring Craft Show this past Saturday.  We were pretty busy at first but then things dwindled down by lunch.  There were plenty of people there but not many were carrying anything.  It was worth it to go, but i wasn't impressed.  I still think that if I'm going to do any real business that I need to leave this area completely. 

        Still, we had fun even though it was a long day!  Grace made me an embroidery sign and some business cards.  She was even handing them out to people.  I had asked her to grab some of my business cards at home and I watched her get into the right cabinet and grab in the right direction but I didn't look to see what she actually pulled out.  When we got to the craft show and asked what she did witht the cards, she gave me some blank index cards.  Whoops!  We did eventually find some cards in some stuff left over from the last craft show but the ones she made were pretty cute. 

       We got home around 6pm that afternoon, the boys got stuff loaded in, Kenny had hamburger on the stove frying, I finished making the tacos, had a beer and went to bed!

My Lovely Big Tote Bags

 

These are my lovely new tote bags!  My Aunt Rhonda made some of these for some of my cousins and they turned out so neat I thought I would give it a go.  They turned out pretty fun to make.  This is kind of ironic because i am one of those wierd women that has only one purse at a time, ever, and usually I am either just carrying my wallet or cash in the back pocket.  But I am loving the purses!  Again I am running into the problem of having more ideas than time.  What to do, what to do.

These bags are a generous 16"W X 20"H and has fleece sandwiched between the liner and ouside for a sturdier bag.  they also have 5 inside pockets and a magnetic snap closure.  I sold  my one and only OSU bag right off the bat and got orders for 2 more so now I am ordering more of the polka dot fabric because they are no longer carrying it at my local fabric store.  I can't wait till it comes in! 

First Craft Show

I had my first ever craft show Sunday!  My friend Amy, ASR DeZingns at http://asrdezigns.blogspot.com/, and I went together for backup support plus I offer embroidery on-site for many of her items.  We are counting it as a learning experience and that is primarily why we went.  We sold alomost nothing due to the fact that about 20 people showed up throughout the course of the day.  We knew that it was going to have a poor showing when we decided to attend, but seeing that it was our first time out, we decide to see it through.  The reason  was that we could make all of our mistakes at this slow craft show so that we would be better prepared for the bigger ones.  We have another craft show again this Saturday at Bath.  I heard that it is expected to be a good one.  They have been doing it for years and always have a full venue and plenty of traffic.  We are not yet considered "seasoned", but at least we aren't going to look like total idiots when we get there. 

That's Amy putting some finishing touches on one of her reversable bags.

What a week!

This week is going to be as packed as last week.  I hope I get some productivity out of it this time.  It was like I was running 100mph in one place last week!  This weeks accomplishments shall be finishing the ottoman covers and a dozen or so pillows for a client, a dress alteration that will have me almost totally un-assembling and re-assembling a dress, learning how to make a non-asymetrical dress french bustle (that's going to be fun) , quilt one day with my mom, a sewing lesson with one of my favorite aunts where I'm going to make her integrate all her lessons into a project, some other minor alterations for people, and be a mom, chef, computer programer, wife and all the other grand things that are going to pop onto my agenda this fine week!

Phew!  I want to go back to bed just thinking about it all!

I am the Iron Maiden!

I like the look and feel of fabric before its washed for most of my projects, and that the quilt does shrink just a little after it's quilted is, in my opinion, an improvement.  However, if I embroider on something that is not pre-shrunk, that could be bad news.  So I decided that I would just wash everything.  And I do mean all of it.  I have a bit of an inventory, so it took a few days.  Well, of course now it all needs ironed. I like to iron, but not his much or on a skinny little ironing board.  This is the fix!  I bought 2 yds. of insul-bright and 2 yds. of silver ironing board cover, serged the 2 pieces together, and boom, there you go.  The whole project took 5 minutes.  My kitchen table is an ironing board fit to lay out fabric at its full width with not nearly so much fighting and re-positioning.  When I'm done, I just fold it up and tuck it behind my alterations tote.
     If you want to do this, I rcommend making the ironing cover so that it hangs down over the edges a bit on at least the front and back of the , this will help keep the pad from shifting.  Mine doesn't shift too much and I think this is precisely why.  Now my wonderful Aunts have done this but they used a smaller pad and tacked it to a piece of OSB or particle board.  Then they slide it behind something when not in use.  This is also a good idea.  It depends solely on what works for you.  As for me, I LOVE my ironing pad!