A Girlie Apron

One of the gifts I made for Christmas this year was an apron. It was my first attempt at sewing without a pattern and if I were getting graded, it shows it's imperfections.  I was encouraged though because when I looked more closely at many professionally sewn items they all had imperfections so I know I am not the only imperfect gal at a sewing machine! Here are the steps I took to make this one...
First, I took out a few of my own aprons, compared, measured, changed and adjusted.  Allowing for a 1/2 inch seam allowance I drew my finished pattern on parchment paper, which is holding up quite well(I'm making a couple more) and aligning it on the fold of my main fabric I cut.

I then cut a matching (but much shorter) piece for the facing out of the contrasting fabric as I couldn't figure out another way to make a sort of sweet-heart neck line. I'm sure someone else has a much better (ahem, correct) way to make a sweetheart neckline, (please share!) this is just how I was able to finagle it.

Next I made all the ties, again from the contrasting fabric.  I decided on a two inch thick tie for around the neck and 1/2 inch for the two around the waist then allowed for seam allowances and cut.  I folded them in half right sides together and stiched and turned them right side out.  Finishing the short edges was done by pinking them and folding them in about 1/2 inch, pressing and straight stitching. 

Finally, it was time to put it all together. I placed the main apron piece and the facing right sides together. Next, placed the two neck ties inbetween the apron and facing piece at their appropriate places and pinned. Did the same thing for the waist ties. Stitched around the edges and pressed and clipped seams and turned it right side out.

I just wanted a slight gather on the ruffle so I cut a length of the contrasting fabric one and a half the width of the apron. I finished the bottom by turning it up twice, pressing and stitching. Then basted (is that how you spell the past tense of baste?) and gathered, matching the centers of the fabric to be sure it was even, pin right sides together and sew! I pressed the seam open, cut with my pinking shears close to the seam and called it a finished edge.

The sides were finished the same as the bottom all the way so that the ruffle was even with the apron body.  I added some finishing touches like topstitching along the neckline, reinforcing the waist ties on the right side, adding a pocket and voila an apron!

It really was a fun adventure with my sewing machine!  I will most likely not make another with the 'fake' sweatheart neckline until I find out how to without pulling my hair out do it the right way.  The rest was a fun way to involve a bit of myself in a gift for someone special.  I'm planning another for my husband when he bbq's, without the ruffle of course!

Making Memories

I'm just gonna flat out say it, this time of year I especially miss my Mom, Dad, Sister and Bro and their families.  They live 2000 miles east of me and I miss them. 

Christmas time is still amazingly fun and joyous even when you are missing people, Jesus is after all the very best gift!  One of the things I do when I'm missing them is think of memories like making gingerbread houses and singing happy birthday to Jesus and making rolls and my Dad stoking the fire and my Mom baking and a gazillion Nutcracker performances! My memories are enough to cheer my heart!

Plus dare my heart shed a quiet tear for the past and no sooner do my present and future come running towards me bearing sunshine!

Just a few that have been captured on film, uh, I guess I mean on disk.

In Case You're Looking

If you need me for the next couple weeks, I can be found behind my sewing machine or stumped trying to make up a pattern for something much more advance than my sewing abilities.  I'm having fun and I need the pressure of a deadline for more motivation, so here I go to sit and figure and play and create.
I will not be able to share all of what I'm up to yet out here where everyone can see it, I'll keep those it in the closet of my mind for now.  I can share a few things though.

So far, I have made some gift bags from scraps of fabric, remnants, and an old t-shirt.  Thanks to Make it From Scratch for the link to make these super easy and cute gift bags.  It is a pretty good project for a beginning seamstress and many can be made in a fairly short time.
I also made one out of an old green t-shirt. I didn't take it's photo but I just sliced it off under the arm pits and sewed those straight edges together to make the bottom of the gift bag. The finished bottom edges of the shirt became the top of the bag and for this one I sewed velcro onto the open end I figured it would be fun for some of them to still make noise when they opened!

I also made this little throw pillow for my daughter.  I want to redecorate in her room and have fabric for a valance that coordinates with this fun one.  So it's turning out to be a sewing Christmas around here.  Also on the to make list, a baby doll blanket or two and a jedi cloak.  Then, if time allows, some doll clothes out of some old clothes my Mom sent from when we were kids.

Perhaps,

the funniest thing my son did this year I forgot to blog about.

About a week before Christmas we wrapped his present to his sister, a princess phone (we've been inundated with princesses :) this year) and put it under the tree.

Because it was small or by chance she just knew it would be her very favorite gift, she'd been carrying the wrapped package around all week. I thought it was cute and she's not really into unwrapping (unless it's tissue paper) so it didn't bother me.

My son would feel compelled to very gently (perhaps the gentlest I've seen him be) and slowly remove the box from her tiny hands while saying in a sing-song voice, "No, no sweetie we have to wait till Christmas, it's a phone!

Sunday

But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."

2 Corinthians 8:7-9,12-16 (NIV)

The emphasis in the above verses is mine. I have been reading and rereading these words since August and I was thrilled back then when I found these verses. They were just like water to quench my thirst. My desire to give is great it is just the direction the generosity takes that shifts.

When I first stumbled upon them, these words spoke to me as to what I want to do with my life - other than Mommy - I feel there is another purpose for me that has not yet become. One where I can use my deep feelings of giving and compassion on a daily basis, perhaps starting up a not for profit, for now my focus is my young children and if I still have a blog in the future we all may see how this plays out.

Now that this Christmas season is upon us I've decided to use my desire to give to those who are truly needy. Basically, I'm giving things that I would want to get which this year are not necessarily tangibles. Yeah, I'd love a new dishwasher, some really nice gloves for gardening and maybe a couple fruit trees for the backyard. But really, truly I LOVE giving and feel awkward receiving.

My husband on several Christmases has lavished me with gifts and while I do adore that he does this for me, honestly it makes me feel weird sitting there opening up gifts. It's just one of those uncomfortable moments all eyes watching and then at the end of it all a feeling of emptiness that lasts through a massive Christmas feast that would feed an entire village elsewhere in the world.

He does know this about me now, he asked before our wedding if I wanted a $5,000 ring or to go on a honeymoon for 10 days to Jamaica - ah, yeah I'd wear a bottle cap on my finger every day to go back to the warm water scuba diving fruit loving beautiful Jamaican people. But I've gotten off point slightly.

This Christmas season, I'm choosing NOT to get stressed out about the stuff and hoping that my plenty can provide for anothers need. How do you keep yourself charged and at peace this season? Care to share, leave me a comment or link up if you post.

Homemade gifts

Last month I spoke about making most of my Christmas gifts and promised to share. Most of my family got cookies, some of the canned goods I made this fall (applesauce, peaches, peach jam) and I also put the dry ingredients for some cookies in a jar. Those layered cookies were fun to do and SO easy but I think I may have lost the recipe - I guess I'll have to find a new one for next year!

For my parents and MIL I had been meaning to make these little plaques since Mother's Day - I thought they would be a nice Mother's/Father's day gift. When those holiday's past I forgot all about them until Christmas.

I went to my local craft store and purchased a rectangular shaped piece of wood, two different sized hearts and as many wooden stars as kids needed.

Then I just started painting away. Around the edge I used a tooth brush with metalic paint instead of a regular brush.

The stenciling made me nervous since I had to try to make it all perfectly centered. That didn't last long and I just crammed it all on. I used a pencil to draw the letters on and then traced over it with the marker. "Caution, Grandparents at play!" Is what the sign reads and then I listed all the grandkids names on stars. The kids names I just had to free hand on the stars because I didn't have a stencil the right size.

I added all my parents grandkids mine and my brothers in birth order since I thought it might get to confusing keeping it organized by families. I also put two extra stars since we are both expecting again - she's due any day now!

I just used hot glue to glue the heart and stars on and I figured that they could keep going up and around with new ones or hang a piece of twine underneath and staple the next batch of kids on to that!