for Betty and Joan …

Posted on Mar 26, 2012 | 0 comments

… who wouldn’t entertain without a proper hostess apron. Mad Men is back and I just had to celebrate with something appropriately festive. Some red organza and taffeta seemed to fit the mood. A whiskey sour and some Chex mix and I was ready for the premiere!

For pre-game entertainment, I also had a fresh copy of The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook to peruse. The show does a terrific job mining the details of the times and this book is the perfect companion for those of us who are food obsessed. It all rings perfectly true. The history. The canapes. The Waldorf salad. The pineapple upside down cake. And of course, the cocktails … though only the Martini held sway in our household. In our house the food was the focus, and mom owned both Julia Child’s books and Peg Bracken’s “I Hate to Cook Book!”

Of course, with the full on-slaught of the 60s coming, aprons will be tossed aside as symbols of female repression. Peggy and Megan will not be tying on an apron any time soon. So I guess I’ll have to start looking for some mod fabric to make an apron for Sally to wear when she cracks open the Betty Crocker Boys’ & Girls’ Cookbook in an attempt to win her father’s favor …

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babies are grand

Posted on Jan 31, 2012 | 0 comments

And the first grandbabies in a family are a joy. But the first great-grandbaby? Well, that’s a special gift. And one that requires special gifts!

My brother’s first grandchild was born this winter and has inspired a mountain of baby themed sewing ideas. Quilts, jammies, hats, bibs … but the one that I actually followed through on is the decorated onesie.

Onesies (those little t-shirts with the snap crotch) are the perfect project for my play-time. They are small, inexpensive, and provide the cutest round canvas for decorating. Plus, infants won’t complain about how you dress them even it is totally silly. Though since they were not for my child (or grandchild), I did stay on the rational side.

I’ve made many, many iron-on transfer t-shirts in my day, so I started there. Wrote baby’s name on a “Hello, my name is” sticker, scanned it, printed it on transfer paper, and ironed it on. Ta da!

(Though I do have a love/hate relationship with the transfers. Some stick, some burn easily. Does anyone have a brand they recommend?)

Next was applique. This is definitely a keeper idea. Since I often give my brother neckties for his birthday*, I thought his grandson should have his own. Just cut out the shape in fabric and fusible web, iron it down, and stitch around the edge. Done.

Next are flower corsages for friends with girls. Or characters from their favorite books. Or initials. Or a cupcake for that first birthday. Or maybe just put a bird on it …


*This year’s birthday tie was a good one. Check out the Pillow Tie: “because most functions that require a tie … deserve to be slept through.”

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table aprons, aka coasters …

Posted on Jan 15, 2012 | 0 comments

Aprons for your table?! Definitely. Looking at our old plastic coasters, I realized we were overdue for an upgrade. Time to add some style to the coffee table and protect it as well.

I had some gorgeous jewel-tone cottons with gold accents in my stash that just called out to be quilted into a small something special. The new challenges in this project included quilting with metallic thread and finding insulated batting. Finding the batting turned out to be easy … window quilt batting with a mylar layer. And sewing with the metallic thread was a breeze after I picked up a few pointers from the wonderful owner of our local quilt shop (Catherine Gentile at the Button Box Quilt Shop) … thread the machine properly with the thread coming over the top of the spool, loosen the top tension because this thread can be stretchier than regular cotton, use a needle with a large eye, and take your time.

Forty coasters later, it was well past time to try one out! Cheers!

(There are a couple of sets still available for sale in my etsy shop!)

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happy holidays!

Posted on Dec 28, 2011 | 0 comments

Last minute shopping in the Boston area? Just need a little something for the holidays? Check out the holiday gallery for holiday specific aprons, bibs, and bags.

Stay tuned as the year goes by for new treats for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, 4th of July, and more! Email me for holiday ordering information.

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mom jeans …

Posted on Dec 7, 2011 | 0 comments

Uh oh, I was informed that I’ve got “Mom jeans.” How did that ever happen?!

Fortunately, we have ways of dealing with this type of fashion misstep. Armed with a rotary cutter, 6″ ruler, thread, an old towel and a flannel sheet I made quick work of those jeans (and a couple other old pairs lifted from my husband’s closet – shhh, don’t tell).

I needed a new rug for in front of the sink … and another for the side door.

For the sink rug, I just made simple 6″ quilt blocks, used an old towel for batting, and a flannel sheet for backing. Stitched in the ditch and pulled some denim from my stash for the binding. For the side door, I wanted a little more texture for wiping snowy feet so I constructed that rug with rag seams.

 

All in all a relatively quick project and no more “mom jeans.” My children are pleased ….

What are “mom jeans”? Here’s a quick primer recommended by my daughter …

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aprons for babies

Posted on Nov 25, 2011 | 0 comments

Okay, we’re talking bibs. But really, what are bibs but tiny aprons? On infants they are just so cute. And on slightly bigger babies, they are nothing less than a laundry life-saver.

There are very few rules in making baby aprons. Fabric-piecing. Applique. Ric rac (yay!). Upcycled t-shirts. Cotton. Oilcloth. Terry cloth. Just make it soft, no small buttons to choke on, and make sure all of the pins are removed!

And maybe some matching booties to complete the outfit? No matter how you like them, they’re the perfect canvas for cute.

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bias tape: it seemed so simple at the time …

Posted on Nov 15, 2011 | 0 comments

Launching into making vintage-styled aprons brought an unanticipated sewing challenge … bias tape. Yards and yards of bias tape. It sounded so simple, so direct. “Bind raw edges with double fold bias tape.” Right …

The first challenge? Buying the bias tape. Easy, just go to the fabric store. Look at all those colors! Well, color trends are, well, trends. Pick up a great vintage-look fabric and finding a coordinating color bias tape can be all but impossible. So, back to the fabric bolts to find fabric to match an existing tape.

The second challenge? That soft, lovely cotton calico is calling out to made into an apron. The commercial coordinating bias tape, well, it’s stiff polyester. It’s got an unhealthy sheen. It spoils the drape of the apron. It makes the cotton fabric cry out in shame. We’re not happy.

The obvious solution? Make my own bias tape. And you know what? It’s easy. It opens up a whole world of color and print possibilities. And, it makes my aprons so very happy!

All you need is some coordinating fabric, scissors, and an iron. To make larger quantities, add a rotary cutter and cute little bias tape making tool.

There are many excellent bias tape making tutorials on the internet, so I won’t add my own. Here are a few examples that I enjoyed. Two are pictorial and the other is a video.

Colette Patterns’ sewing tips website: The Coletterie
(also a great source of vintage inspired sewing patterns!)

Dana Willard’s tutorials, patterns, recipes, and more: Dana Made It
(love her Rollie Pollie bean bag chair pattern! and she has recipes!)

Amy Karol’s fun weblog: Angry Chicken
(you tube tutorial with humor, how can you not be inspired by an angry chicken?!)

Another day I’ll go into my adventures in actually applying the bias tape …

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