Apron project

there was a big article in the feature section of our local paper in the past week about aprons

if you've been reading this blog for a while, you may recall that I made myself an apron a while back

who knew that for once I was on the cutting edge of fashion!?
so I decided yesterday that it might be worth while to make a couple of these for my Etsy store

(after all, the last sale I made from there was for an apron - DUH!)

I decided, however, not to use the pattern I used for my own apron which is very much the "keeping clean while doing messing projects" version

no, I think an apron that is also a fashion statement would be a better seller

and this pattern is the one I'm using -- just the skirt covering version there on the bottom right hand side

and this pattern was my grandmother's -- old enough that the address of the pattern company doesn't have a zip code, which puts it in the mid 1900's (don't you love how OLD that sounds - well, heck, I'm from the mid 1900's -- how old does that make me -- oh, never mind!)

anyway, I went surfing through my fabric stash of things suitable for making clothing (ie: bigger than a 2 x 3 inch scrap) where I discovered this lovely piece of fabric that I'm guessing is from the same era

(I'm not positive about the date as it is from a group of fabrics my sister gave me a while back that had been given to her)

this is the coolest fabric for a print -- I had forgotten what these things from back then were like

for one, it's definitely a printed fabric, but the color and the definition of the item printed is clear -- if muted -- on the BACK of the fabric too

and the subtle shadings of color are amazing

yesterday I did all of the prep work --- pressing, cutting, cutting the bias strips, selecting the lace trim --- and I'm really looking forward to putting this together

(oh, and while I was in that box, I also found some other fabric and trim to do at least one more)
a few more beads got done

yes, I know, they aren't all the same color

they are all red, but some of them are a deep red, some of them are a red with an AB finish and one of them is a red with a AB matte finish

I have only 3 more to make before I will start doing the "net" to encircle the stone that will be the focal bead

looking good!

(see, a good thing came out of those extra hours sitting in the chair with the ice on my back)


the last aspen tree has been attached to the Trees piece -- it is amazing! so now it's on to the redwoods -- and I've been thinking about the "leaves" for the redwood -- I'll be experimenting with the sewing machine and a couple of techniques that I think will create the effect I want

quilting of one corner of the Hoffman Challenge has been completed, and I started the second corner last night

and the second sunflower is coming right along too
finished another afghan square last night --- only one more needed to complete this box!

another strip for the afghan would be complete except the cables I had joined together came apart and dropped a bunch of stitches which required some careful "tinking" and re knitting -- at least I didn't have to rip it back to the beginning!

and the Christmas sweater is 8.537% complete


time to get moving --- off to an applique group meeting this morning!