The Alice Apron!

I had a request for an apron inspired by Alice in Wonderland. It was so much fun to dream up and to make, and it's (finally!) all done.













Here was the original sketch:



And the result:







The white over apron can actually be removed, there are buttons on the top (under the collar) and on the waist where it attaches, and this is how the apron looks without it.


The neck strap is adjustable, and also uses buttons.



This was a fun one, I hope she enjoys it!

Regency Inspired Apron With a Twist!

I decided to use my new ruffler foot and make a Regency Inspired Apron that was gathered rather than pleated. I quite like the result!







It's up on Etsy here. :-)

Fun With Ruffles!

I'm so excited, I got a ruffler foot! It did take me a while to figure out how to use it, but once I did I couldn't wait to make something with it. So of course, I made an apron. :-)



It's amazing how much time it saves (and thread, since it gathers and attaches at the same time.) I did both the ruffle around the bottom, and the gathering for the waist with the ruffler.





It also makes pleats, so I may have to come up with another project to test those out as well!

Oh, and of course this apron is up for sale at my Etsy shop. :-)

Petticoats!

A while back I ordered a simple cotton petticoat off of Etsy, trimmed with a lovely eyelet lace on the bottom. When I got it, it was longer than I had imagined...I still use it for several of my longer skirts, especially when it's cold outside! It really does help keep you warmer.

But since then, I've been wanting to make a shorter one to wear with some of my shorter (as in, calf-length) skirts, and with a bit more pouf to it!

I was as Walmart the other day browsing the $1.50 fabric section, and I found some...uh...I don't know, nylon something? I'm not quite sure what it is, lol, but it's synthetic and has a nice stiffness to it, and I thought it would make a great petticoat! I also grabbed some $1.50 tulle to accompany it.

So I figured a petticoat is simple enough, one tier of fabric big enough to go around the hips, elastic for the waist, then another tier or two with more fabric each time for fullness. This was my first attempt:





It's shorter than I had planned because I stopped at the second tier after realizing it was definitely poufy, but it was poufy all around and wasn't all that flattering with the kind of skirts I was planning on wearing it with. It kind of just made me look like I had a huge bottom half! I had also doubled the amount of tulle on the back rather than putting a single layer like I had on the front...



Needless to say, I underestimated tulle's pouf factor!

I thought a bit about where I wanted the fullness to be in the petticoat. I realized I wanted it on the sides and a bit in the back, but I didn't want it much in the front.

So I began again, this time making sure to gather the fabric mostly on the sides and a bit in the back, but to keep it flat in the front. And this was the result:









I'm quite pleased with the result, it's full in just the right places. It's amazing to me how this simple piece of underclothing can add so much! Here are some comparisons of a couple of my skirts with and without the petticoat.

Scrap Organization!

So I had scraps coming out my ears, all different sizes and colors, and I got the sudden urge to organize them all! I need certain sizes for tissue holders, certain sizes for notebook covers (my newest item which I'll post about soon!), and I can use the smallest little scraps for cards. But I hate digging through scraps, unfolding them, figuring out how big they are and what I can use them for, and just generally making a mess before I even begin. So I decided to separate out the different sizes and organize them by color.

Ta-da!



I got a few of those storage containers that snap together (I LOVE those, SO handy!) and made three different groups. The first is the one seen on top, in the top box I put all my blank cards and envelopes, and in the bottom box are scraps separated into plastic baggies by color. Delicious!!

Then I made a box for the tissue holder scraps.



On top are ones that have been cut out and fused together, they're ready to be sewn. The box below that are scraps that have been cut and matched together, but need to be fused and sewn, and then the two boxes below that are various scraps arranged by color.

The last box is the one for notebook covers.



In the top I have paired up fabrics that are cut and ready to be sewn, along with interfacing cut to the right size. The rest of the boxes are all just scraps arranged by color!



Aaahhh...seeing a place for everything and everything in its place just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :-)

Pink and Brown Toile Child Sized Aprons

Just finished a couple custom aprons for two little girls. :-)

Some Mother/Daughter Half Aprons