My first Christmas gift is made! Yay me :) This year we are doing a homemade Christmas because I have been student teaching the past 12 weeks, and with only one income, we are needing to be a bit scrappy. So, all my wonderful (at least in my mind) ideas and projects will become part of your viewing pleasure... Lucky you! :)
My first project was a child's apron. I got the original idea from this pinterest idea. However, I didn't find the cutsie potholder. The ones I saw were all mellow and clam and just not quite right for a little girl's apron. Apparently these shoppers don't like the cute girlie potholders in their kitchens... So, I settled for two plain dish towels in a pretty purple color-little girl's favorite color.
Please keep in mind that I am not a professional seamstress. I just get by...
As you can see, my lighting is not so good. Sorry, but my phone is the best camera I have. The color is closer to the picture on the right. We also have the most lovely 70's colored carpet in our basement. Yes, we have to deal with that everyday, so you will have to too. Sorry. The left picture is what I started with times two. The picture on the right is what I cut in half for the top half of the apron.
I started with the top half of the apron. I folded it and sewed it to the size I wanted, making sure I sewed up the sides I had just cut to ensure no fraying would take place. You certainly don't have to, but I lined up those spaces/lines that are on many terry cloth dish towels. I wanted to make it easy and for me, and sewing on a pre made line was easier than trying to get a straight line any other way. As you can see, I lined up the foot of the sewing machine to the already there line. Yay for easy!
Then I added some ribbon to tie around the neck. I simply sewed it into the fold on the back of the towel.
If anyone really knows me, they would know that I goof up on things quite often, like this... I sewed the ribbon for the neck to the front of the apron top. I'm such a genius! So, if you make this or any sewing project for that matter, make sure you don't do what I did. Learn from my mistakes.
As I sat there wondering what I wanted to do I contemplated a seem ripper, but those stitches were TINY. I figured I would just cut it off and fix it later. You will see how in a minute or two, depending on how fast you read this turing-out-to-be-quite-lengthy-post.
Walah! Finished with my apron top with my little ribbon mishap clearly there.
Now for the bottom half...
I had extra towel fabric that I did not want to waste, so I decided to add a pocket. Again, I wanted to match up the lines as best as I could. Clearly, I did great on the vertical lines; not so great on the horizontal lines. It's okay, it's only a simply project for my daughter. Besides, it kinda stands out this way.
I sewed the pocket edges under, again, using the already there lines to make it easy.
I wanted the pocket to stand out a bit, so I added a little green ribbon to the top of the pocket. Luckily for me, I was thinking this time and added the ribbon before I sewed the pocket to the apron part.
The next step is to add the two halves together. I centered the top half with the bottom half, and then turned the top half upside down over the bottom; sewed the two together and had something that finally resembled an apron.
I wanted to add a ribbon around the waste as a way to tie the apron in the back. I centered the ribbon and pinned it. Then simply sewed it on. This was probably the most difficult part of the project because I wanted to make sure I had the ribbon covering the bottom half all the way across, as well as coving the top half just part of the way. It sounds confusing, but it really isn't that bad, and it really wasn't that hard.
Finished apron sans embellishments. If you look at the original that sparked my creativity (ha!) it has a cute little pattern on the potholder and the towel. I knew I wanted to add something to my plain apron. I also needed a way to hide the ribbon mess-up on top.
Thus enter ribbon flowers...
Start with a felt circle and a knot tied at the end of the ribbon.
Begin twisting and wrapping the ribbon around the knot hot glueing as you go. I'm sure you can use some other type of glue, but hot glue was easy and quick for me. Be sure the you are twisting the same way each time. With this flower I was twisting out.
This flower I was twisting in. Once you do a couple of these, it becomes really easy and they actually look better the more you do. Hum, imagine that, getting better with practice. You know, my mother told me that would be the case with my piano practicing as a kid. Why I didn't believe her, I'm not quite sure. Now trying to instill that in my own kids is probably as hard as it was for my mother. Sorry mom!
Again, I was twisting in with this one. I found that twisting in was easier for me, but give it a shot and see what works for you. Continue twisting and gluing until you have covered the felt or run out of ribbon. Tuck the end of the ribbon under and glue to the bottom of the flower. If you have extra felt showing, just trim it away.
All my flowers. I think they turned out so cute!
Remember how I said that hot glue was quick and easy for me? Well it was, but it came with a cost. Ouch! I burned myself several times and finally realized that if I left it on my thumb I didn't burn it as badly. Instead, I collected a nice little glob of dried hot glue on my thumb.
Last step. Organize and reorganize the flowers on the apron until you are satisfied with their positions. Here is how mine turned out.
Remember that ribbon mess up? Yah, can you see it now?
No one will ever know. Except for the fact that I just told the world...
I wanted to post a shot with the apron on, but because I didn't want to show my little girl, I used a stand in while the girls were at school. Thanks little man! It's quite big on him, but it will work well for my little girl.
Yay, one gift down several to go.
