Thursday, October 8, 2009

All Play, No Work

I guess I am back to "business" as usual. I just want to play in my sewing room and keep shoving the new quilt kits to the back burner.

No worries. I shall return to those soon enough. In the meantime I have fall, and holiday gifts and craft shows on my mind.


I found this FREE apron pattern by Susan Branch online and had to try it. I love the retro look and want to do it in some 30's reproduction prints as well as some modern trendy fabrics, I am thinking chocolate and turquoise polka dots and stripes. I tried it first in this fall print, for a special reason. But I am not telling why.

Now a few words about the pattern. It did not work for me really. The pattern calls for 1/4" bias tape. I wanted to line it with a cotton backing and the thickness just wouldn't work so the seams all fell apart when I finished pressing it because it was basically a 1/8" seam. So I started over and used 1/2" bias tape which did work OK but I had to add 1/4" to the seam allowance and topstitched the bias tape down. The real problem is that the pattern is very short waisted and I am pretty short, so I plan to lengthen the top if I can when I try it again.

I made a matching kitchen towel. I love these. I have been using the $2 hand towels from wally's and cut them in half, pleat them then add the topper with ties. It is a great way to use scraps from some of your other projects and you can use purchased 1/2" bias tape for the binding if you don't want to make your own strips for ties. I don't cut the strips on the bias since the topper part is straight, and it works fine and uses up some scraps. This is pretty much $1 gift and everybody can always use a new kitchen towel.

10 comments:

  1. Very pretty. I know what you mean about using bias tape. I avoid using purchased bias tape whenever possible, as it doesn't like me.

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  2. Thank you! You got my head spinning with some new ideas for some smaller items for craft shows. Love the apron.

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  3. WOW I LOVE THAT!!!! I will have to see that in person when I get there!!

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  4. I love givaway carnivals! Will be linking up for your giveaway. Thanks!

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  5. That is so pretty! I love it! Great job!

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  6. Hi, I'm Winda from The Netherlands. For a colleague who wil get married on july I would love to give the apron as on your site. How can I get the pattern? Thanks!

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  7. Hi Wanda, I am sorry to say that this pattern seems to have been deleted from the Susan Branch website. I have done a lot of searching and not found another like it :(

    Thanks for visiting!

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  8. Im searching too, but the link doesnt work...
    :(
    Cyrielle

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  9. It's still there. Here you go...
    http://shopping.susanbranch.com/pdf/apron.pdf

    Do please note that Susan has asked that the free pattern be only for personal use--you, gifts--but not for sale or personal gain.

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  10. Thank you so much for posting the link mejaka! I had searched for it a few times and not found it. I will try to fix the link in my post so others can enjoy the pattern too. It is so cute.

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