Stitch-By-Stitch: An Eye Mask and a Whole Wardrobe of Aprons

I know a bunch of you purchased the Stitch by Stitch book. What do you think? Have you gotten started? Chosen fabrics? Please leave a comment or a link below and let me know so we can go check it out.

This week's Stitch-by-Stitch project was an eye mask. While we don't need a family's worth of these, we did have one genuine, urgent need for one. Michael's new job has him working the overnight desk at USAToday from 7PM to 3AM. Every day. Then, he comes home and attempts to sleep.

Katie made him a mask from navy blue flannel and she used a ribbon we had hanging around to tie it. She filled it with lavender but left out the dried lentils because he's sleeping in it.  He was most appreciative.

In order to gain more experience from some of the skills taught with the eye mask project (insides and outsides, stitiching around curves, ties), we turned our attention to aprons. A ridiculous number of aprons. I've lost count it's so ridiculous.

First the girls each made an apron of the fabric Katie used to back her quilt. Yes, we still have more of that fabric. I used an old apron we decorated for a Tomie de Paola apple printing project, way back when Michael and Christian were little. It served as a very nice template for the medium sized girls. It's a bit large for Karoline, but she wanted hers to be just like Katie's and Gracie's. I traced the outline of the old apron onto a double thickness (wrong sides together) of the quilt fabric.

Then, knowing that all four girls would want their aprons that day, I opted to use ribbon ties instead of making fabric ties. I pinned the ribbon in place to the right side of one of fabric pieces. Then, I gathered all of the ends in the middle and pinned them so that they would not accidentally get sewn into a seam.

We sandwiched the other fabric piece on top so that the right sides were together and we stitch all the way around, leaving a hole big enough for my hand to fit through at the bottom.

Then, the great inside out magic. It never gets old. Reach in the hole and pull the inside out through the hole. We did it over and over again. After turning to the right side out, I pressed all the way around, tucking under that open edge at the bottom. And the girls top-stitched it closed and top-stitched the whole apron.

For Sarah, I used an even smaller template as a pattern. Michael printed on this apron when he was not-quite-three, just Sarah's age now. I think we have archeological evidence that we grow attached to our aprons around here. I remember so many messy, happy times with this particular garment.

We repeated the above process in miniature. 

Four happy girls, ready for a new year's worth of domestic adventures, on the Feast of St. Martha. Definitely a new tradition.

 
 
(I promise Gracie's fits. She just wouldn't let us tie for her.)
 

I want to be able to sew garments. And I'm trying to be patient and let myself work all the way through Stitch by Stitch, knowing that there is garment sewing at the end. But when I really stop to consider my every day wardrobe, it's pretty much the same year 'round: t-shirt of some sort (vary the sleeve length with the seasons) and jeans (either full length or capris). And an apron. I have some old aprons--one denim, one red-and white picnic check, one to match the canvas one above, and another canvas that used to have a French Quarter motif screened on it, but that has long since washed away. I wear those all the time and they all look pretty terrible. And here's the thing about aprons: the say "I'm home and I'm planning on staying here awhile." So, why not have that message be a beautiful one? One that sings that the people at home are worth a little extra effort to look pretty and the work I'm doing is worthy of its own dignified attire. And there is one apron I love. That apron is the one I made several years ago.

I love that apron. It fits well, reverses beautifully. It's pretty much the perfect apron for me.I made it from a pattern in this book.  So why not make a bunch? That way, I have a pretty apron that really does function as a wardrobe piece, even when I'm "just" at home with my kids. I want to use these fabrics, I want to make things that are useful and beautiful and, frankly, my skills are limited. But aprons I can do. And boy did I:

This one is called Summer House, it reverses from a bright blue, to a pretty pink paisley floral print.

 

This one is Dogwood Trail. I don't have a finished picture and I'm too lazy to get up and take one right now, but this is kind of my "I'm in denial that summer is ending" apron.

 

And this is the "it's going to be fall and fall is beautiful, too" apron. I think the idea of an autumn with a Bohemian Soul sounds just fine.

There's is something very right about sewing with fabric called Grace Evergreen Flowers and Grace Evergreen Paisley. I'm thinking this is Christmas-y without being super fa-la-la-la.

This one is my favorite, so far (well, maybe it's a tie with Bohemian Soul). It's just such a happy country french kitchen look . And vertical stripes are always a good thing, right? And a pretty little floral. The thing with the stripes, the pattern in the book cuts that one yard of each fabric really tight. It's darn near impossible to have enough fabric to make the ties if you're trying to work with the stripes, hence the ribbons. Also, I decided that these look more finished if they are topstitched all the way around. So I did.

This apron, with its pretty blooms and sunny yellow reverse, is at its new home in Charlottesville. It's perfect for this kitchen, I think.

Wish I'd snapped a shot of it there.

The boys needed aprons too. And so they made theirs.

 
 

 
 Heavy duty denim that reverses to a bandana print (Robert Kaufman's American Heritage. I bought it locally and can't find a current link).

Mary Beth chose Paris Aparment coordinates: Sunny Le Chintz Moderne and Dusty Rose la Salle du Soleil.

There's one more Paris Apartment in my future, of this and this. I'm fairly certain that even if I sew nothing else from Simple Sewing, I've gotten my money's worth out of the apron pattern:-).

Skills We Learned:

Stitching Curves

Insides and Outsides

Making Ties

Filling and Stuffing

Slip Stitch

Our Stitch-by Stitch projects so far:

Reversible Totes

See our knitting needle cases and Kindle case here

See our Fancy Napkins here.

Praying Our Way Back to School

You can read about my back-to-school prayers here. What are the ways you get yourself ready for the new school year?

My Latest Obsession

When my sister and I were little, we played this game called "house." But it wasn't your typical "house." We would pretend that we were grownups with husbands and babies. Still sounds typical. We'd gather dolls and doll accoutrements. Still typical. And then, we would sit for hours with the Ethan Allen catalog and "pick out our houses." We kept lists. The whole idea was that when we played house, we were supposed to pretend that we were the kitchen on page 94 or the green and white sunroom on page 112. Hours, I tell you. We spent hours clipping pictures and making lists.

So, a few nights ago I had a text conversation with my sister, who is now a pretty amazing interior decorator with a gigantic fancy house and a sunroom that looks exactly like the one remember in the catalog.

Krysti: Hey. <<snip--chatter ya'll woudln't really understand>>

Me: <<snip. Chatter back>> I was just about to call you anyway. In need of massive redecorating here. Will you help me?

Krysti:  Tell me when. Give me a budget and a color scheme. <huge joke there--"budget" has a different meaning for each of us;-)>

Me: Whenever you can come. Are you still living at the beach?

Krysti: Let me know what types of rooms and color so I can start to pull stuff.

Me: The whole house needs repainting and reupholstering and drapes and probably furniture.

Krysti: What colors do you like?

Me: Handmade by Benjamin Moore. After that, it's all about the bluebells and maybe some red. And there's my pottery.

Krysti: So navy grey with cranberry or tan?

Huh? Who said that? Where's the Ethan Allen catalog? I need a point of reference.

Me:  You have to come see. 

Krysti: Do you have an idea notebook?

Me: Oh. My. Goodness. I do. I'll send you a link.

And so I introduced my sister to the 2011 version of our favorite "picking our houses" childhood game:

 Pinterest

I went to the Fat Quarter Shop and started pinning colors. And now I'm obsessed. With color and with the Fat Quarter Shop. And I don't even quilt. Yet. But I have a quilt design wall on Pinterest. Because I will. Oh yes, I will. I know I will because I had this sense that my sister and I were about a mile off on understanding exactly what I was shooting for. So I googled decorating style definitions and found the one that best suited me. Or the me I want to be:

Country Cottage:

This style is relaxed and casual.  Think cozy farmhouse with warm woods, rustic furniture and antiques  {that's the nicest way to say my house is full of my extended family's very nice hand-me-downs}.  Use colors of red, green, blue and yellow with floral, striped and checked fabrics.  Accessories include quilts, stoneware pottery, twig baskets, embroidered linens and books.

Well, I've got the books, the baskets, and plenty of stoneware. I'm embroidering. Obviously, I must learn  to quilt. And to assemble a lovely collection of floral, striped and checked fabrics. While I'm finding links for Krysti, I might as well plan Christmas projects.

How's this collection for this snuggly throw?

The Fat Quarter Shop is an online quilt shop that specializes in yardage, fat quarter bundles, charm packs, jelly rolls, quilt kits and patterns. And they cater to those of us --ahem--impulsive types who want to start yesterday. They ship every order the same day to customers all over the world!

The Fat Quarter Shop was founded in 2003 by Kimberly Jolly. An avid quilter, Kimberly began her shop as a side business while still working a corporate position. She was cutting, packing and shipping right out of her house during evenings and nights. From the very beginning, she committed to delivering top-notch service for every single order and customer. As the Fat Quarter Shop’s reputation grew, Kimberly decided to make it a full-time operation. Her husband Kevin joined her not long after, and with his help, lots of hard work, and a tireless commitment, the store began to grow.

Personally, once I get to the site, I sort of get sucked in. Who knew there were so many color and print possiblities? So many ways to make so many pretty things? It's an eye candy feast. 

 (this color scheme for the kitchen and family room? too cutesy?-- )

A great way to keep up-to-date with Fat Quarter's latest sales, specials and giveaways (and so to build a stash) is by following their blog, the Jolly Jabber  or by joining them on Twitter or Facebook.

They have a user-friendly website that makes it easy to find any collection, designer, manufacturer or theme. And they are super-friendly and super-enthusiastic in the customer service department. If you ever have a question about a fabric, quilt kit or need help just figuring it all out, they are there with expert, friendly accessible help.

(the studio? -- Proper Promenade)

(the kitchen and sunroom and maybe family room?--Gleam Flower Sugar)

So I pin. And pin. And pin. And pin. And my project list grows and grows and grows. I'm secretly hoping for a blizzard that snows us in all winter. Then, I can justify my stash and have plenty of time to create.

(wouldn't this fabric collection make the cutest baby quilt ever? there's a kit for that you know.)

I'm so going to learn to quilt.

Spotlight on Dance and a Giveaway!

Tomorrow begins the week of intensive dance camp at the Joan Izzo Academy of Dance. Mary Beth has been counting the days since the summer began. This is her place, a place she found to be utterly feminine and perfectly wonderful way back when she was the only girl with five brothers. Now, it is home away from home. She works hard to earn money to spend four evenings a week and every Saturday dancing in the company of some of her favorite people in the world.

Dance is a scary world for the mother of daughters. For all the beauty and grace on stage, the backstage scene be rather like a horror show: an obsession with body image, starvation model nutrition, girls being girls in the worst ways possible, long rehearsal nights and stressful demands for perfection. Joan Izzo keeps a watchful eye on all of that. And none of it is tolerated. She expects the girls to behave like daughters of God and she does everything possible to ensure that they do.

The secret to the difference at this studio is that the girls are taught from time they are very little that talent is a gift from God and dance is a way to glorify Him. The studio has served northern Virginia since 1996, providing young people with dance lessons by  highly qualified dance instructors, who incidentally become friends and mentors of the girls as they grow. The school beautifully blends a joyful dance learning experience with an excellent technical foundation which nurtures exceptionally excellent dancers year after year. No matter the genre -- hip hop, ballet, jazz, tap, or dance as a worshipful experience--the girls are taught to do all for the Glory of God. That means that the music is respectful. And costumes are tasteful. The young dancers learn and grow in an environment of mutual respect and camaraderie.

If you live in the northern Virginia area and you are even vaguely considering dance lessons for your daughter, I urge you to give Mrs. Izzo a call. Prepare to chat for awhile--she is passionate about what she does and seeks to get to know each and every student and her family personally. And here's where the giveaway comes in. I promised Mrs. Izzo I'd get the word out. So, call her and let her know you read this. And when you've talked, whether you decide to enroll or not, come back and leave a comment letting me know you called. Comments will close at midnight on Monday, August 22. Everyone who has checked out the studio will be eligible for a drawing to win one of our favorite art and dance picture books, Degas and the Little Dancer :

or an MP3 download or CD of our favorite dance music. 

Since this giveaway is limited to local folks with girls (or boys) who might want to dance, and since there are two prizes, chances are good you'll win.

Now, go call Ms. Joan at 703-327-8402 and come back and tell me all about it!

Sponsor Introduction: JM Handmade (psst--there's a sale)

I'm so pleased to introduce you to Joanne, of JM Handmade. She is a Catholic wife, mother, and graphic designer who learned to sew from her Portuguese mother. She loves to make darling handmade clothing, especially for her little girl. That love spills over into her Etsy shop where she offers beautiful clothing to you. Since she doesn't like to waste any bit of fabric, she makes many dresses and bloomer sets that are one-of-kind treasures.  

And we're getting to know Joanne right in time for her summer clearance sale on ready to ship items. In order to make room for new new fall items, Joanne is further discounting her summer items. She is graciously offering an additional 20% with code "SUMMER20" . The offer does not include made to order items, only ready to ship items that come in 1 size. Hurry! There is a limited quantity of summer super-cuteness over at JMHandmade!