The Working Apron

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. Now that the holiday is over, I can post my gifts I made this year. It was the year of the apron. Each one of my family got one that matched their style.
The tutorial below is the Working Apron. Made with hooks, so that the wearer can turn the bottom portion into a basket. Perfect for my mom who can collect eggs, take clippings to the compost pile, bring ingredients from her pantry to her kitchen, and on and on. Thanks Abby for modelling.

The pattern is busy, but there are two pockets on each side. Plus, it's reversible.
First thing you need, is an apron you like the fit to. If you don't have one, draw out a pattern onto the fabric you are using. Note: My favorite apron from the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, Ireland.

Need:
1 yard each of coordinating fabrics
2 hook/latch notions
1 "D" ring
Measurements:
26" across at hips, 36" long from middle of bib, 14" wide at bib
2 1/2 " x 32" for neck tie and waist ties ( need three altogether)
9" x 7" for pockets ( need four if doing reversible, two in one-sided)

1. Cut out all your pieces. Fold over tops of pockets about 1" and press and stitch. Press 1/2" on remaining edges and pin to apron where you want pockets. Sew on.
2. Sew waist and neck ties with right sides together on three sides (leaving small edge open to turn). Turn out and press. Top stitch if desired.
3. Lay right sides together of main apron pieces. Pin waist ties at sides, with the unstitched side of tie flush with raw edges of apron. Make sure your ties are facing inside your apron when you sew.
4. For the neck tie. Cut the tie four inches at one end. This will be your D ring holder. Place the D ring on the tie and fold over. Sew 1/2" below ring to secure it in place. Then, pin to the inside of the right side of the bib area. Again, make sure it lays inside your apron. (Man, I wish I had taken a picture of this!)

4. Now you should have a basic form of an apron, with little areas showing where the ties are. Sew sides and top together. AGAIN, make sure you don't sew your ties on accident. (Are you wondering why I mention this so much....Been there, did that!)
5. Turn apron right sides out and you have an apron. Press all edges. At the bottom, turn in 1/2" and press. Top stitch everything.
6. Last step is to apply the hooks that make the "basket". I found the easiest way to do this is to wear the apron and pull the bottom up. This makes a perfect fit for you. I hand stitched these and found decorative hook and latches at Walmart that looked great with the style of fabric.

Once complete, here is what it looks like when the "basket" is in use on the reverse side of apron.

Happy Sewing!

Hummingbird food storage

Well,  since I've just posted something on making hummingbird food, I thought I'd make something cool to go with it. I had this neat bottle that once contained apple flavored lemonade. Needless to say, I bought it for the bottle only. It wasn't good...at all.
After cleaning the bottle and removing the labels under hot soapy water, this is what it looked like.

I went off the french writing on the top of the bottle for the design.

I researched the french translation for hummingbird, and came up with two. And, I didn't know which one was correct. So, I put them both on the bottle using a paint pen. I got it from the craft section from WalMart.
The front is shown above, below is the back. Since I'm always forgetting how to mix it, I put the recipe on the back...in french. It makes it kinda fun.  Enjoy!

"Mixture: one part sugar, four parts water", front "Calibri, ouiseau mouche" hummingbird

Humming Birds

I felt like a bad mom today. While standing at my kitchen sink, a humming bird came to my feeder, sat on the little perch, tried to eat, then left hungry.
I haven't filled it since summer. Well, now that winter is here and no more flowers are blooming, I needed to do 'spring cleaning' on my feeder.
As usual, I needed to look up on line to find the mix ratio. I went to google, found http://www.howtoenjoyhummingbirds.com/ Great sight for just what I needed. And provided a nice pic.

So now, after soaking my feeder, giving it a good scrub down (baby bottle brushes are great for this), it is now soaking in a 10% bleach solution. My pot is now cooling with a 4:1 ratio of water and sugar. I have noticed that sites say not to add red food coloring to the mix. I tried it and I got less birds feeding than the bright red juice.
I get excited to see them stop by, and looking forward to showing my son them as they fly by.

Pajama fix for adjustable straps

I am a rather large breasted woman who lives in very hot summers. My favorite clothes are pajamas and scrubs (for work, of course). I am a thrift store junkie, and love to find great deals. Normally, I don't buy certain things at thrift stores (eg. bras, panties, pajamas). The one below just called my name. So for 50 cents and a good bleach washing, this find was wonderful.
But, this maxi style garment has adjustable straps. I have other pajamas with this same feature. After sleeping, I came to realize, the "adjustable" was a bother rather than a plus. The neck line seemed to plummet mid-sleep and no longer covered what needed to be covered.
Quick fix: adjust the straps to your liking, and sew them that way.

For obvious reasons, I did not want to model. But this is what it looked like after a nights sleep. Even on a hanger, you can see the shape is not flattering.

Once sewn, the results are obvious. a much nicer fit that wont slip during sleep.

A close up look reveals how easy this was. But it made a big difference.
Happy Sewing!

The Best Ever Bandana Blanket

Pictured above is a layout of six bandanas. These make a great medium for a "throw around" quilt. These blankets are the best for our family. We often refer to them as, The Camp Blanket. Oridginally, they were designed to go around your shoulders and made for sitting around the campfire in the summer, when the nights are chilly in the mountains.

Bandanas are cheap, have all pre-finished edges, and come in a huge variety. Every summer, a new selection of bandanas comes out at our local big box store. The best part: a dollar a piece.

1) Assemble you supplies: 12 bandanas (coordinating colors or your kids favorite combination), batting (crib size), thread

2) Arrange one side of your quilt, as seen in the picture above. With this quilt, I have decided to do "Fire and Ice" Varigated warm colors with a contrast in the middle, and cool colors for the back.

3) Sew together, with right sides together. Note: the natural rolled hem of the bandana is your wrong side. Do the same with the back side of the quilt.

4) On a large surface, lay out one side of the quilt, right side down. The "ice" side of this quilt is down. Then lay out the batting. Trim around the sides so that 1 inch of the bandanas are seen. These are going to be sewn together via topstitching.

5) Lay the top of the quilt on the batting. Place pins around the edges and a few anchoring the batting to the quilt. This will help keep the batting from moving around too much as you sew the edges.

6) Once the edges are complete, topstitch on the borders of each bandana junction. I also made large "X" on each bandana.

As you can see, we love these blankets, each blanket minus the red,black & white, have two designs. This is side one.....

Side two, my 5 year old, rather than hold up his sister blanket for display, decided to take a rest in the warm sun.

The best part about these blankets....They get softer with each wash.
Happy Sewing!

House Cleaning

Of all the things that we just have to do in life, housecleaning is in the top three. Death and taxes are up there too. I prefer cleaning house. In order to do this job a little easier, I have devised a system. The cleaning basket. Included are all the things you would need and a few added incentives. Home made cleaner (Vinegar and water), Window cleaner (Ammonia and water), Comet, air freshener when your done, sponge, rag, duster, coarse scrub brush and a small box with grocery bags in for trash and odds and ends. I also bring a tote with me to toss any item that doesnt belong in that room. So later, I can deposit said items in the right place. "A place for anything, and everything in its place".
One other thing I put in my basket. A timer. I find it almost fun to race against the clock. Bedrooms and baths get ten minutes. Larger areas, fifteen. You'd be suprised how much you can get done when you know there is a time limit. Plus, you get less destracted.
With three kids in the house, rooms get messy when I turn around. My day off gets nabbed by major house cleaning, so it's easier to spot clean on the days I work.
One more thing....an Ipod works great for this, set the timer on you device and listen to music, upbeat and quick rhythm, makes it more fun.
Happy House Cleaning

The Lunch Sack Tutorial

This is the Lunch Sack. Designed after a brown paper bag, but so much prettier. I made one for each child, but the kindergartener NEEDED the Buzz Lightyear metal one. This one is for me, and now I have the best "brown bag" in the fridge at work.

Bare with me, this is my very first tutorial.

What you will need:
                                   2 pieces of fabric measuring 24" x 12"  (one is you cover, the other is lining)
                                   1 piece of interfacing measuring 24" x 12" (use heavier weight for more stability)
                                    Small tab of Velcro (optional)

1.)  First, cut out your pieces. I have chosen this great fabric that was a remenant at Joanne's. I also used a medium weight interfacing.
2.)  With right sides together and interfacing placed on the lining side, sew together three sides. Turn right side out and press.

3.)At this point, you have two options. You could sew up the sides and have and extra detail of the liner showing on the outside, or you could turn inside out and sew up the edges making a nice clean seam. I chose the first option.

4.)This step is a little hard to see, but I have pleated the bottom. Once folded, liner side out, take the side seams and fold so the seam is verticle and in the middle of the fabric. Sew across the fabric, one inch above to tip. This should make a triangle. If you have chosen the side seams on the outside, be sure to have to liner edges pressed outwards before you do this, or else your seam will not look right. This step creates the bottom of you bag and makes the space you need to hold your lunch.

5.) To do the flap of the sack, fold inward the edges as shown from the top of the bag section and taper inwards. This creates an angle of your flap. Press and pin once folded. Carefully fold the top of the flap in. Again, press and pin. Top stitch around the edges starting at the top of the bag. I also topstitched across the back of the bag where the flap starts, thus making a natural crease in which the flap to fold over.
6.) Since I wanted a "sack", I stopped here. But, you can add a tab of Velcro to the top of the bag and flap for closure.
7.) Lastly, I like nice clean edges. So, I folded each side to make creases that you would find in a brown paper bag. Simply fold where needed and topstitch very close to the edge. I did the same with the base. This makes my bag hold it's shape well, even with odd sized items inside.

This photo shows the details of the edges. I gently tapered the back to meet up close to the seam.
Happy Sewing!

My first post

Ok, so I decided to start blogging. I follow a lot of blogs about crafting, gardening and have created several things that I would love to share. So here I am. My hope is to share my trials and error with you so that you may feel the joy I have when creating. So, in the morning, I am going to share my latest sewing machine project : The Lunch Sack. I fully believe that school lunches, even though they are improving, are still far from good for you. Last year, my two high school daughter spent over a thousand dollars....just on junk sold at school. Needless to say I was appalled at their purchases that the school allowed them to credit. This year, they are brining sack lunches. And if someone buys a school lunch, they will be tarred and feathered! Not really, but they know I will be very upset. My youngest has started kindergarden, so I can start fresh with him. The only thing he gets at school is milk (white, no flavored). So, stay tuned for my first tutorial. Enjoy!