Elly-made's Gallery

Pattern:
none

Fabric:
apron purchased at my favorite store in Pottstown, Memories & More. It’s a cute little consignment shop on High Street.
back fabric purchased on Etsy (I have a hard time turning a blind eye to the fabric destash listings)

Process:
Simple really. First, I washed the apron several times in an effort to remove all the stains and mildew spots. I wasn’t completely successful. I only hope the few remaining stains lend it character.

Next, I fused interfacing to the wrong side of the apron to beef up the light-weight fabric and to help preserve the embroidery work.

Then, I removed the pocket as it had seen better days. Using the old pocket as a template, I cut out 2 more pockets. After positioning the pockets, I basted them to the apron by hand because I didn’t trust my ability to sew them on straight in one try.

Then came the fun part, piecing the apron together. With right sides together, I stitched all around the apron leaving only the top edge free.

Upon turning the apron right-side-out, I ironed the crap out of it. The only thing left to do was make the ties. I made them in the same manner that I made them for my last 2 aprons. As a friend of mine always says, “Why reinvent the wheel?”

It’s a subtle change, but I think my tweaking will allow this apron to be worn with pride for another few years.

Unfortunately, it can’t be worn by Elly. It’s a bit too long for her.

Pattern:
none

Fabric:
main fabric recycled from a jean dress that no longer fit
yellow fabric used in ties and the stars was recycled from a pajama shirt
bias tape was purchased from local sewing store

Process:
Simple really. First, I cut the bodice of the dress off. Then I trimmed the skirt so that it measured 18 inches in width at the waist and 20 inches in length.

Next, I sewed the bias trim all around the sides and bottom of the skirt encasing the raw edges.

Then, I cut 4 stars out of the yellow fabric using a cookie cutter. Using light-weight fusible paper, I adhered the stars to the skirt. With a satin stitch, I sewed around the edges of each star. Buttons were sewn into the middle for added interest.

To make the ties, I cut out 4-inch wide strips from the yellow fabric. I then sewed the strips together to make 1 long strip that measured approx 72 ins. With wrong sides together, I folded the strip length-wise and pressed. Then, I folded the raw edges of the strip into the crease made with the iron. I pressed again for good measure. Finally, I centered the tie over the skirt, pinned it in place, and topstitched near the edge.

Voila! In just a few days, I made an apron. This one I will be giving away at Christmastime. It’s a pity that Elly isn’t big enough to wear it because she was terribly proud when Daddy helped her tie it on.

Pattern:
Nana’s Reversible Half Apron

Fabric:
The Madonna square was purchased in Playa del Carmen. Fabric content is unknown. Since it was very light-weight, I beefed it up with some fusible interfacing.
The yellow fabric is 100% cotton. It was purchased from Marie Madeline’s online fabric store.

Review:
Crystal’s tutorial is great! She doesn’t include a mountain of step-by-step photos. It’s simple and straight-forward. The tutorial lists the materials and basic instructions. It might not be detailed enough for the beginner sewer, but it worked for my needs. I didn’t follow it to the letter, opting not to gather the top since it would have hid the Madonna’s face.

Several months ago, I found this pattern on Sew Liberated’s blog. When contemplating what to buy for people on my Christmas list, I remembered it. It would be the perfect for several people on my list. Yet, I chose to make it for just one person,who shall remain nameless since s/he pops by my blog periodically in search of recent shots of Elly. Although I love to quilt, it’s one of those hobbies that I can only do in short spurts. Otherwise, I get dreadfully bored and nothing gets accomplished. I think it’s all the cutting that turns me off or maybe it’s all the piecing.

Stats:
Pattern: I used Sew Liberated’s free pattern as a guideline, but altered the measurements and fabrics. The quilt top is nothing more than 77 3-inch squares. Thus, I cut 20 3.5″ squares out of 4 fat quarters.

Fabric: Sew Liberated recommended using cotton for the quilt top and terry cloth for the back. Unable to locate terry cloth at my local fabric stores, I opted to buy a ready-made  bath mat from Walmart.

Review: I just love how this came out! I have to make one for our bathroom next year. It had one downside though: it was a pain to quilt. The bath mat was almost too thick to run through my machine. I had to adjust the pressure foot to accommodate thicker fabrics as well as coax the fabric through the machine.