Best Apron Pattern

A Sturdy Apron

Good Morning! I'm happy to continue my blogging, and today I would like to share with you the apron that I made for my boyfriend's mother. Her birthday is Christmas and she cooks up quite the storm for us when we visit!  Good Italian food is messy business!

The Design

When I went to a quilt retreat last fall, one of the give-a ways was a pattern for an adjustable apron.The apron straps and  the neck were all one piece so the bib of the apron could be fit to just the right spot on the user without having to tie a knot behind your neck. I loved it! Of course I had that apron pattern in mind, and left it until last minute to begin because I thought I was all set to whip it up in an afternoon......wrong!! I managed to only make it home with one of the pages of instructions. Pieceful didn't bring that pattern with her to Florida and when I tried to chat with the lady who made the pattern on Facebook she lost her power due to a snow storm! I turned to the internet and found lots of styles. I decided I would take the features I liked the most and make a hybrid apron!

I used the adjustable strap idea from the original idea and made them super long so that they could wrap around to be tied in front. As an easy way to make the pockets for the adjustable strap, I followed an idea from a blog to make the apron two sided so it is reversible as well! I took measurements from yet another blog though because I wanted the apron to be long enough for good coverage. The result? A great apron! Having the weight of two materials is really nice and helps the apron to lie flat against you and the adjustable straps allow you to get the best fit!

 The gifted apron was worn all day! Which means she cooked all day. Which means we ate all day!

The pocket to run the strap through runs the length of each 'arm'.

Reversible!

There will be many more of these made! I can tell already. In fact, I have requests from my mother and an uncle already.

Stay Tuned

My next post will show you how to made dish scrubbies on a loom. A great pairing to go with the apron for a gift set.

Respectfully,

Harmony

Casserole Carrier Picture Tutorial

Photo Tutorial

I am about to lead you through my first Photo Tutorial of a casserole carrier! I take no credit for the pattern. I found the pattern at allpeoplequilt.com. Click here for the link.

I decided to photo document the steps following this pattern because I myself had some seam-ripping moments, but I feel that the end product has great result. Hopefully my photos, along with their pattern (found in the link above) will save you any frustration!

Because I respect copyright laws, I am not going to copy their pattern. Please see their website for specifics, but feel free to use my photos to help clear up any confusion. I will include some helpful hints that I learned the hard way too! Enjoy :)

Materials

Most projects move along smoothly if you gather necessary materials ahead of time. You will need the following items. Granted the music is optional for some, but the very first step for me! The right playlist can just set the mood!

Cut Material

Disclaimer: I may have mixed up the pictures of the pocket pieces, please use measurements from the pattern! These will at least show you how many pieces of material that you need!

Straps

Pocket Backing (x2)

Pocket Flap 1

Pocket Flap 2

Batting: 2 Pieces (One pocket, one carrier)

Outer Carrier Large: 1 Piece

Outer Carrier Small: 2 Pieces (there is a cut down the middle)

 

Assemble Straps

Assemble Pocket

I won't lie, I had a difficult time visualizing this on my first attempt. I think it will be most helpful to begin by showing you the pocket as a finished product. As seen in the picture, the spoon is jutting out of the pocket, but it can be tucked into the upper flap to be hidden completely. My apologies for choosing the polka dot material to work with. It looks great in person but is rather dizzying in pictures!

*In layering photo, materials are placed staggered on each other so you can see each material. When sewing, they should be directly on top of each other.

Pocket Finished Product

Layering (Bottom to Top): Batting, Pocket Backing right side up, Pocket Flap 1 & 2 (w/ folded edges in middle/selvages at short ends) folded edges should overlap, Remaining Pocket Backing right-side down

Sew long sides, creating tube.

Mark and sew to form pocket. We don't want to loose anything!

Here is the pocket! I've open the flap where they over lap and you can see the pocket backing.

Assemble Outer Carrier Section

IMPORTANT!! If using material with a directional print, take a moment to think ahead and place straps carefully. The edge that you place the raw edge of the straps on will be on the bottom of the carrier. the other side will wrap around to cover the pocket. Clear as mud? I thought so! Scroll down to the third picture of this section to see how the straps will line up on the bottom of the carrier. If you aren't careful, the print of  one of the pieces could end up upside down! Speaking from experience here ;) If you are still in doubt, pin and play with your material for a bit before you make any stitches. 

Also, measure carefully. The straps need to line up when the two small pieces are assembled. To make this easier for me, I changed the 3 3/8" measurement to 3 1/4" because it was easier to see.

Strap on one Outer Carrier Small piece. Make sure the handle isn't twisted!

Sew up the strap six inches. I chose to add a box stitch at the top to reinforce and add strength. Casseroles can be hefty!

Here is how the pieces should look in order for the prints to face the same direction. Notice how the straps are carefully placed to line up together.

Assemble Carrier

IMPORTANT!! When sewing the unit together, make sure ALL layers are caught (especially around the pocket). If you have a walking foot, I would suggest using it as there is a lot of material being sewn .

*In layering photo, materials are placed staggered on each other so you can see each material. When sewing, they should be directly on top of each other.

Layering (Bottom to Top): Batting, Outer Carrier Large right-side up, Pocket (centered carefully), Outer Carrier Small right-side down

Corner Cutting. I simply used a cup, but feel free to print their pattern if you desire.

Repin, cut and sew! You are nearly there!

 

 

Finished Product

After turning right side out and stitching up the hole here is your finished product! After taking this picture I decided to go back and top stitch around the outer section. I found it has a much more finished look and the batting feels more secure too. This is merely a matter of taste though!

Stay Tuned

My next few blogs will be out soon! In one I will be showing off the wonderful sewing gifts I got for Christmas and in another I will show you my latest loom knitting projects!

Respectfully,

Harmony

Pieceful's Sister's Gift

Thanks-mas!

Pieceful loved being a snow-bird so much last year, they left for their warm Florida home nearly a month earlier this year! Because they were heading south at the beginning of December our extended family decided to have Thanks-mas. We shared lovely Thanksgiving traditions such as a lovely big meal, shopping at the outlets on Black Friday and this year we also went to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra (wonderful show) we also started the Christmas season that long weekend to by exchanging gifts with Pieceful's side of the family.

Pieceful gave this lovely red, white and black quilt to her sister! It was much admired and will look really great on their black leather couch!

I, Harmony, gave the casserole carriers from my last post to my aunts. Stay tuned for the Casserole Carrier Picture Tutorial!

Respectfully,

Harmony

Quick Update!

Good Afternoon!

Just a quick update on what I have been working on!

Cutting

I spent today cutting the material out for a number of gifts I will be giving between now and December. I really don't care for the cutting process of projects so I find that if I get a bunch finished at once, I'm much happier in the long run. Here is the list of what was cut today.

Lunch Bags

Casserole Carrier

Diaper Bag

Dust Cover

It doesn't sound like much, but it feels great to have done!

Stay Tuned!

I also started photo documenting for a tutorial that I will post on how to make the casserole carrier found on allpeoplequilt.com. I am making this for Pieceful for Christmas. I can safely post about it since she asked for it and knows that she is getting it!

Respectfully,

Harmony

Done!

I have been working on  this cream and red pinwheel quilt since the middle of August and am delighted to report it is finished .The quilt is for my sister-in-law and will be backed with a cream and red toile fabric. It will be off to the quilter's  but  since we will be headed south soon, I do not expect it to be done until after the first of the year. I will have it mailed to me to be bound . Here's hoping that Maryann and Pat get down to visit so the delivery can be made in person! (Hint, hint)

Harmony came to visit this weekend and took the picture for me. The beautiful smile in the picture belongs to a wonderful friend who LOVES to sew. She finished a Christmas present for her grandmother and is eagerly planning more sewing sessions!  

Evan's Quilt

This is a quilt the Pieceful made for her nephew's high school graduation! I am posting it as she is having some technical difficulties, but she will share more about in either a later post, or the comments below! In the following picture you can see some of the front as well as the dollar bill backing.

Here is a better shot of the fantastic quilting!

More Later!

Done!

Finished Projects

Just a short post today to show the finished products of yesterday's post!

Snack Bags

Some are lined with the light teal color others are lined with the same material as the outside. I really like the print used on a project this size!

 

Mail Bags

I think my middle school students will appreciate this funky print for their important papers! This pattern is so simple. I could have been done both in about 30 minutes but I unfortunately had what I thought was machine trouble. I got a bit panicky because I'm going to a quilt retreat in two weeks and I don't have time to get my machine to a shop. It turns out I was using an old bobbin that was the wrong size for my machine. Simple fix (after over an hour of frustration), and even better I took the time to brush the dust out of my machine so it is running super smooth!

 

 Camera Settings

I've also spent some time playing with the settings on my camera to take better pictures of printed material. I think I'm getting better, but am always looking for tips!

Stay tuned! Tomorrow I am cutting the material for Dad's quilt.

Respectfully,

Harmony

Excited!

September

Good morning! The first of September has brought a nice crisp fall-like morning. I LOVE it! When I woke up this morning it was like Christmas morning because I have some new projects I get to work on and I'm very eager to start!

First thing is first though, I had to start my day by throwing on a nice comfy hoody, my hat (I like to wear a ball cap when I sew, it keeps my hair out of my face), and my slippers! I bought the comfiest slippers years ago and I still look forward to putting them on every chance I get.

Once dressed, I made a bagel thin with apple butter and a pot of tea. Can't think clearly enough to cut fabric without a strong pot of black tea!

That material you see in the background is a little foreshadowing of the project that I am most excited about today!

Snack Bags

Last year I made some plastic lined snack bags for my boyfriend and I to pack our school lunches in. They have worked very well and I have to watch them closely because I have some colleagues who have sticky fingers ;) One colleague in particular asked if I would please make some for her daughter who was going through approximately five plastic bags everyday. Anything for our environment! So of course, I said I would. Below is a picture of one of my snack bags that has seen much use and the material I will use to make her bags (left over material from a diaper bag).

Mailbag Duo

Last year I made a pair of mailbags to use on my school bulletin board in the hallway. I don't get to that school until mid-day, but students can still have access to what they need in order to be prepared for class ahead of time. They proved to be so handy that I desperately need to make more! I use them to keep important papers, assignments and extra copies in for each of my performing groups (bands and choruses). Last year I had a pouch for Middle Level (both band and chorus together) and a pouch for High School. The kids truly used them, but requested that each group have their own bag so they can find things faster. Very reasonable (and actually quite mature) request! School colors are black, orange and white. I will be sewing up two more mailbags in this great fabric.

Christmas

Finally, the project that I've really been waiting to talk about! My father is like most fathers...incredibly difficult to shop for. This year, for Christmas he is getting his very own quilted throw! To start, it took me awhile to find a pattern that I thought would suit him. Wouldn't you know after a lot of searching I ended up going through the same old issue of The Quilter Magazine that I got my Summer Blooms wall hanging out of and there was the perfect pattern! It is called Once Upon a Dream. Here is the picture from the magazine:

Next came material choice. I thought for sure I would be doing lots of shopping around to find the 'just right' material. Locally, I have three stores to choose from. A quilt shop, Marden's (a discount store), and Walmart. The day after picking the pattern, I was waiting while my boyfriend got his back-to-school haircut so I wandered down to the fabric department. I don't know how it happened, but these fabrics just appeared in my basket!!

My father is a retired forester. Nothing frilly or flashy for him! I will use the green in place of the white, the tan and dark brown will be the light and dark blue solids and the leaf print will be substituted for their medallion print.

Time to get cutting! My goal is to complete the snack bags and mailbags this weekend. It shouldn't be too difficult as I've made them before and it's a long weekend. My goal for the quilt is to get the quilt cut out and bagged because I am going to take it with me on my very first quilt retreat in two weeks!

Stay tuned for more! I'll post pictures of completed projects.

Respectfully,

Harmony

Still Here!

It has been so long since I have blogged that I hope I haven't forgotten how. This summer has been nice and busy on many fronts. Quilting and sewing  has added to that busyness. Graduation quilts for my niece and nephew have been quilted and bound . It is hard to believe that they will both be headed to different schools in Boston next week. Such an exciting time for them both, Jocelyn's request was for a  black and white quilt and is pictured here. I need to get technical assistance from Harmony before I can upload Evan's quilt, though. It is waiting in a saved file but I can not seem to retrieve it!

I am fortunate to quilt once a week with a group of friends here in Maine. Currently I am working on a  king sized pinwheel quilt in red and cream. This is a gift for a sister - in- law. I am using an Eleanor Burns book  to construct this quilt. Her directions are nice and clear and the process is enjoyable. This is a BIG quilt and will take me many more Monday's.

I have continued my second Sunday Christmas gift project . During June and July I worked on a UFO that I intend to give to my daughter.I quilted it myself on my Janome. She has already seen some of the project  so I am not saving it as a Christmas surprise. I am posting a  picture of it here. The Brenda Henning pattern  made a larger lap size quilt but I reduced the number of blocks for a wall hanging. I have enough blocks left to make a smaller version for my sewing room! My sewing room has been a  place to retreat from our unusually warm weather this summer. I have happily stitched away and made a new sewing machine mat  along with some redwork  pillows. I will have to get out the camera again! I'm off to work on a special pillow tonight. This is an embroidered pillow done in grey floss. The  picture I am stitching is original artwork done in June by a little kindergarten friend of mine. Won't his grandmother be surprised to receive this gift!

Flowers

Getting Ready

Sorry for the lapse in time since updating, I've been home from spending three weeks working at a summer camp for about two weeks now, but they have been a very busy two weeks as I have been preparing for a new school year. Normally getting my rooms ready for school is fairly routine, but this year there have been a lot of staff changes, including an all new administration at one school (eight days ago this change occurred!) so there have been a lot of extra little things to attend to. Needless to say, I am VERY eager to begin this school year and it is a good  think because we start Monday!

Machine Applique

I tried my hand at machine applique for the first time recently! I had a baby shower the week after I returned home from summer camp. Luckily, I knew this before I left and was able to whip up this diaper bag and the quick change bags found on this earlier blog. But Pieceful gave me an old issue of The Quilter Magazine and I this picture for Summer Blooms. And I decided that I really wanted to try it out for this little girls room. Here is a picture of my version!

I am quite proud of it. With the exception of the boarder I was able to use all scraps. As it turns out, my machine's "button hole" stitch is really just a zig-zag. Which I suppose I knew because I've done button holes before, but it didn't quite compute! I think I need to play around with some stitches before doing any more. This project was a challenge as a beginner in some ways, but I like being thrown in to things! How else do you learn? I would recommend this wall hanging as there is a good balance of straight edge, curves/circles and points to practice on.

Stay tuned for more!

Respectfully, 

Harmony

IT'S BEEN A LOOONNNNG TIME!

I am downright embarrassed about the amount of time that has elapsed since my last post!I have been busy around the house and in the flower garden since our return to Maine! That doesn't mean that quilting has been at a standstill, though! June brought with it two special graduations and I was able to finish dorm quilts for the graduates. My nephew's has been signed, sealed and delivered ! My niece has seen her quilt but I have just finished the binding . I will take pictures before I head to southern Maine to deliver it.

I have been able to sew most Mondays with a group of friends that meets year round at a local clubhouse. I so enjoy my time there. I have finished up two UFO's from my fabric closet. Both of them  were started at  Maine Quilt show  classes a few years ago. I am putting the finishing touches on one and will count that as my 2nd Sunday Christmas project. The other one is hanging on my covered deck! Very cheerful!

I am off to stitch a little before firing up the grill. Enjoy the rest of your day.

With needle and thread,
Pieceful

Baby Gifts!

Camp

Very soon I will be packing up to spend three weeks at summer camp! While there I co-lead the Counselor-In-Training program. This will be my ninth summer working at this camp! It is difficult for me to comprehend that this year the group of young girls I had in my cabin my first year (when they were 7) are now sixteen and will be in the CIT program!! Before I head to camp though, I have a few stops to make! Also, there is a Baby Shower planned for the weekend that I return from camp so I have been getting ready for that too.

College Gifts

Before I arrive at camp I will get to stop in and deliver late graduation presents to my cousins! I got them both bins of school supplies and odds and ends (batteries, Tylenol etc.). My cousins are ten years younger than me and live a fair piece away so it will be nice to see them.

Grab Bags

I will also have the chance to stop in and finally see my best friend as a new Mommy! It's been quite a while since I've had a good visit with Beth so I can't wait to catch up. On Pinterest I saw some great version of handy Grab Bags for new Moms. I made two versions. One for Beth and one for the baby shower for my friend Sarah that I will be attending when I return from camp.

Grab a Bite

My first Grab Bag is intended for dining purposes! I made some cute little bibs then added 2 wash clothes, hand wipes and a little bibs then put them all into their own little drawstring pouch. Quick and easy to throw into the diaper bag or glove compartment!

 Quick Change

The next Grab Bag is for a quick, convenient diaper change. Each bag has a diaper, wipes, a little trash bag

The material that I used is left over from the Diaper Bag that she will be getting too! Sorry for the poor picture, I was in a bit of a rush to get this posted before I have to get packing!

Stay tuned. I will be at camp for three weeks but I know that Pieceful will have some posts during that time!

Respectfully,

Harmony

Summer Vacation

Quick Update!

I realize that it has been some time since my last blog, but life got very hectic with the end of the school year! Just because I wasn't typing doesn't mean I wasn't crafting though! I'll show you a few things I've been working on  but first I would like to share with you some very wonderful news! In my last blog I shared with you the story of making a 'Designer' hospital gown my friend Ashley waiting for a double lung transplant (see earlier post here). Well, my gown got there just in time! On day 540 of waiting, she got the call! She is now the proud owner of a new set of lungs!  She is recovering remarkably well, but it will be a long road for her yet so please do keep her in your prayers. Here is a picture of her in her gown just before surgery.

I have since made another 'Designer' hosiptal gown. This one looks quite different. One of my very dear teaching friends has a  13 year old son and he was just recently listed for a heart transplant. This will be his second! It just amazed me how science can give to quality of life. Being a teenage boy from Northern Maine, he clearly loves to hunt! So, I thought it only fitting to make him a camouflage and hunter's orange gown for his big hunt for a heart! Lucky for me the kid has a great sense of humor!

More Recent

We bought a new couch! I thought that perhaps it was also time to update the throw pillows too since I was still using the same cases that Pieceful made for me in college. I love to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle so you may recognize this fabric as the same material that I made a diaper bag out of, but the colors go very well with the brown of the couch! I'll show you the old cases to the new cases. The front is the first picture and the back is the second.

From:

To:

 Pinterest

These next projects I got the ideas for on Pinterest! Where would we be in life without Mod Podge? I certainly wouldn't have this trendy new Kitchen Mat or Mouse Pad! I simply Mod Podge-ed fabric on! The kitchen mat was a foam mat that I found 50% off at WalMart. The original had great big oranges on the front. My kitchen walls are yellow so I used this cute bee material! Now that summer vacation is here I have the time to play with my camera more as you will see in the photo below.

Quilt Retreat

For my birthday this year Pieceful is taking me on a Quilt Retreat! I am very excited as it will be my first. It's not until this fall, but I already have a list of supplies to bring. I will need to bring a gift for a game we will play. As I was making my Mouse Pad I thought of a fun (inexpensive) gift so I have been watching the sales racks at WalMart and what do you know - I already found nearly everything I need! So I've made up the gift and tucked it away all ready to go. My gift idea is a Colorful Computer Station! There are flower pens, a Mouse Pad, a Frame to use as a Dry Erase board (I have one of these by my bed...they work so well!) and I'm on the look out for a nice patriotic note pad to complete it! I have spent less than $5 and I think it will be practical too!

Stay tuned for more!

Respectfully,

Harmony