What's white and blue and sparkles all over?

An apron perfect for a bride-to-be who's skill in the kitchen is limited baking cupcakes. (I can say that - she freely admits she doesn't cook.)

The underskirt is adorned with a wide ruffle of sheer sparkly blue fabric with pearl encrusted flowers.

While the upper skirt is an Alexander Henry fabric (starling) trimmed with vintage blue rick-rack that has just a touch of sparkle on it.

Won't she look adorable wearing this apron while she serves her delicious cupcakes?

One of my friend's is getting married soon and her co-worker's threw a recipe shower for her. Everyone brought a dish to share and gave her a copy of the recipe. Since I knew I wouldn't be able to make it to the shower in time to share the food, I did the next best thing. Whipped up a one of a kind apron fit for her.

Modifying McCall's 5825 view B

This McCall's pattern is for four retro inspired apron designs as well as an apron mitt. Knowing I only had two hours to cut, sew and wrap this apron I opted for a simple view - view B.

It was simple to achieve the full skirted look I was going for on this apron by adding a large ruffle to the underskirt.

• Cut the sheer fabric 18" x 65".
• Finish all four edges - the edges on this apron are serged.
  
• Run long gathering stitches along one 65" edge.
• Measure 6" from the waist of the underskirt and mark.
• Pin the ruffle along the line marked pulling gathers to fit.
• Sew in place.

The rest of the apron can be completed following the instructions. The upper and under skirts are sewn together at the waist before adding the waistband and ties. The ties are very long so they can be tied in the back, wrapped in back and tied in front, or tie off to the side like I did for an off-center look.

All in all the apron took 90 minutes. And that includes the time I spent re threading the serger (twice) and clean up.

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Knit peasant top from Vogue 8581 - take one

I know I didn't need a pattern for a peasant top. After all, with my treasure of 1970s patterns I'm sure I have a few buried somewhere.

But when I saw Vogue 8581 in the Vogue pattern book, I thought of a top that had quickly become a favorite of mine over the past few months. One that was very similar in styling to this pattern. (In fact, it's the blue one I'm wearing in my photo on this blog.) Before I thought about it and realized I could create a knit shirt with an existing peasant blouse pattern this one was in my shopping cart and on its way home with me.

(photo from www.voguepatterns.com)

My daughter saw it and decided she'd really like version A - the short sleeve one on the envelope. As she doesn't let me sew for her too often I jumped at the chance. I choose a red knit out of my fabric stash, as that is a gorgeous color on my daughter, and began sewing.

The top is rated very easy. Which it is. What it is not is quick to sew.

Here's what I would do differently.

• The instructions have you gather the front, back and sleeve upper edges before sewing the sleeves to the front and back. If your knit is lightweight, don't do this. You'll achieve a more even distribution of gathers if you gather the neck edge with one long session of stitches.

• The instructions have you sew the neckband to the neck edge, right sides together, then turn the neck band to the inside of the neck edge and slip stitch in place. Ugh. I secured the neck edge with a stretch stitch, but in the future I would fold the neck band in half before sewing the neck edge and serging the edges.

• The bottom fullness is pulled in with elastic. Don't bother using the pattern guide included for you to measure the elastic. For a size 14 the guide is 39" long. The hip measurement for a size 14 is only 38". To get the look illustrated on the front cover you'll want the hip elastic to be fairly snug.
  

Other than that, the rest went together quickly. I will say though, this is one low neckline. I was a bit concerned about the fit on my daughter after I had completed it. Sure enough, I will need to take the neck band off, remove about 3" in the shoulder area, and reattach the neck band.


She's anxious for the alterations so she can enjoy the top in the few warm weather months we have remaining. Plus she said she'll model it for us after I fix the fit. Trust me, it's much cuter on my daughter than on GiGi, my dress from.

Then take two will be coming up very soon. This time a purple long sleeve version to move her into the fall season.

Have any of you sewn this one? What did you think about the neck band instructions? Pin It

Flashback Friday - 1971 and the green floral pantsuit

Now you didn't the it was me that had the green floral pantsuit did you? No, no, no, not I.

My darling sister, at about age two, had this wonderful matching green floral vest and pants. Sewn for her by her adoring big sister - me - using Simplicity 8897. Note that the pattern was a super jiffy simple-to-sew pattern. Seems I've always had a fondness for those quick to sew projects.


Anyway, my mother and I loved this little outfit. And she hated it. As you can see from the expression on her face in this photo.

Which is why I plan on sewing an adult size version for an upcoming birthday. A milestone birthday that she is not looking forward to. Which is why all of her older siblings have been having a great time this summer teasing her. Because that's what siblings do right? Of course she knows we're teasing and that we love her to pieces.

But I will say, I can't wait to see her face when she opens her present this year. Hmmm, I wonder if I'll be able to convince her to model it for us? Pin It

Simplicity 4118 sleeveless sheath dress

The sleeveless sheath dress was completed just in time for the wave of hot weather in next week's forecast. The fabric, a stretch woven, was purchased locally from Hancock Fabrics about two months ago. The dress is fully lined with Ambiance lining, which feels so nice. I coordinated the lining with the golden yellow of the dress, just because it makes me smile to see that bright cheery color hidden on the inside. I had trouble locating a 2" ring for the belt, so I ended up purchasing a belt buckle and having my husband snip the center bar off and filing the edges smooth. I'm lovin' the big bold floral and am really happy with the dress... what do you think? Pin It

Favorite sewing books

What's your favorite sewing book?

It's hard to pick one as there are so many and each serves a different purpose.

But if I had to choose one general sewing book it would be my Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing. My copy, published in 1976, was found in a second hand book store marked down to $3. A steal for the amount of information it contains and how often I reference it.

These are the others are in my top ten list under the category "general sewing instruction, fitting and fabric."

If we're talking inspiration or specific techniques I have other fabric books that fit those categories.

What sewing book do you find yourself referring to over and over again?

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Too much stuff means too little sewing

Too much stuff. Too much stuff. Too much stuff. That has been the running theme in our household over the past six months as we've been working on lightening the load.

Like most everyone else in this economic downturn, we choose to use what we have rather than purchase new unless it was necessary. As part of that we decided to go through the house room by room and donate items we didn't use on a regular basis.

Beginning in the kitchen. To the thrift store went extra sets of dishes, glasses and serving pieces as well as multiple settings of placemats, napkins and napkins rings. I no longer host dinner parties, and when I do they are much more casual than they used to be. Why should I hang onto these things when someone else could be enjoying them?

Next stop, the bathroom. With deep vanity cabinets and a linen closet inside the main bathroom it was easy to tuck items away where they were out of sight, out of mind. First step was to donate towels and decorative items that no longer fit our decor. Next I began tackling the personal items. Have you ever purchased an item of make up only to bring it home and realize it doesn't' work for you? I have. And I kept them all. Tucked way back in the vanity cabinet. Good grief, what a waste of space (not to mention the money wasted). Once I tossed all the old cosmetics I sorted everything else into nice little plastic storage boxes. One box now contains all of the first aid items, one contains makeup, one contains extra toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss...well, you get the picture. And now the cabinets look very neat when opened.

Then of course there were the closets. And not just the closets, but the large plastic storage boxes filled with clothing of all different sizes. I was brutal going through my items. I go through my closet when the seasons change so I didn't expect to have much to donate. However, this time I was more critical. If it doesn't fit or I hated the way I looked when I wore it. Why waste space with something I don't love? Someone else will love and cherish it.

Oh, yes, I can't forget the books and CDs. I love books and music. I mean, who doesn't? But after awhile they take up a whole lotta room . So off to Half Price books with four boxes (think computer paper boxes) filled with books, including fabulous cookbooks and sewing books. We didn't get much money for them, but it sure was nice to get them out of the house. Next time we'll donate them to the library instead for their book sale.

Finally, the sewing room. This, by far, has been the hardest area for me to purge. A few boxes of patterns have gone to Pattern Rescue, others to a local thrift store that I know resells them, while others end up in my Etsy pattern shop as time permits. This past weekend, rather than sewing like I had planned, I went through every piece of fabric to determine if I really, really, really wanted to sew it up. If I wasn't sure, it went into the donation pile. I still own quite a few pieces of fabric, but now I own pieces I love.

Rest assured this has not been done quickly. It has been a multi-month process. Over the past six months we have made three large donations, as in multiple boxes and bags, to charities. It seems that every time we make a donation it gets easier and easier to let go of the other stuff we don't really need. It is such a freeing experience. It also makes it much easier to purchase what we need rather than what we want.

I plan to get back to the sewing machine in a day or two, but right now I need to finish going through another box of old patterns. Who knows, they might end up in your favorite thrift store! Pin It