Arts and Craftsy?

Since last September, you've listened to me blather, on and on, about all the embroidery projects I worked on, up to -and now through Christmas. Yeah, I did have quite a few of those things going down then, didn't I?

I usually have some kind of a craft type thing I'm working on -sometimes actively, sometimes it may be dormant too for a long time, around the house, someplace.

Right now, I'm fairly close to completing the biggest table cloth I've done so far -this one being 50x70 inches. It has a whole lot of smallish flower-type things scattered across it that require satin stitching and this particular group of stuff is slowing me down a good bit. But I'm hoping to have it finished maybe as early as next weekend. If I keep at it and IF I am lucky too! I'll post a picture of it when it is completed, as I have done with all the other items I did for Christmas.

But I thought today, I'd give you a little glimpse at some other things I make or have made over the past couple of years too.

When my kids -especially Clate and Mandy were small, I used to do a good bit of sewing clothes for them. Coveralls, jumper-type dresses, skirts, pants, vests and a whole lot of cotton-knit tee shirts -short-sleeved, long-sleeved -with the rib-trimmed necklines too. I even made most of my slacks as well as oodles of knit tops for myself then too.

My sewing over the past ten years though has consisted largely of reversible vests, aprons and pull-over-the-head baby/toddler bibs. I still have about 20-30 some reversible vests, all packed away in a big box and stored someplace here. For almost a year, I was deeply engrossed in making these vests in various sizes -many for myself, for my daughters too, but I also made them and sold them on request as well as selling them at craft shows, or Christmas Open-House type things then too.

After the vests, I started making aprons and selling them -did quite a few of the aprons and sold them after my surgery six years ago -after I was finally about to sit for more than 5-10 minutes at a clip, that is. About that time too, with Maya being a tiny baby then, I also started to make baby bibs using fingertip towels or cute little tee towels made of terry cloth. These bibs all pull over the baby or child's head just like a tee shirt would because they have a stretchy rib-trim neck opening. They also cover from the chin down to the abdomen, across the shoulder and half-way down the back too on the child so they do cover and protect from a multitude of spillage and sins, ya know.

I have probably 10-15 aprons done up, in my storage pile of items for sale and at last count, I also had about 30 baby bibs too but right now, the bibs are on display at a local shop on a sort-of consignment basis.

But about a month ago, a friend from church phoned me, asking about the aprons I make because she had purchased one of a couple that I had donated to the annual Women's Bazaar at our church two years ago and wanted to know if I would consider making two aprons for her and also, two for her mothe-in-law. Sure, no problem, I told her. It was decided then that since she gets out and about more than I do that she would pick up the amount of fabric needed and bring it to me for me to make up the aprons then. This way, she controlled the fabric -texture, color, pattern, etc. -for the aprons.

Today, she stopped by and dropped four pieces of fabric off for me to make into the butcher-style aprons I make and I thought I would show you the fabrics I will be working with here in the near future.



I really liked all four pieces of fabric she selected and am looking forward to getting them cut out and sewing them together for her too, in the near future.

Now, I thought I'd show you too, some of my own aprons that I made and that I use.
This one is a Christmas print that I really like. The colors and the design makes me feel kind of zippy and I like to wear it especially when I am baking Christmas cookies -kind of puts me in the "mood" ya know.

The middle print here -a country-type design -is one I use a lot year-round.

This one -with the bright colors, fruits and florals, is one I like especially in the spring and summer.

And this one -is one I usually wear when I am doing our big meal for Christmas, sometimes THanksgiving too though. If you look back at the fabrics my friend brought, you'll notice that one of them is the same type of fabric as this apron above is made from too. I really love this material because made up into an apron, it looks really almost regal I think. Just a bit more on the snazzy side but it is still the same butcher-style basic pattern -straps over the neck, two large sectioned pockets across the bottom and ties in the back. Simple, yes -very. Functional -covering and protecting your clothing while you mix, stir, cook, bake -VERY!

These are some of the bibs I have made over the past 2-3 years for Kurtis and Maya. They are light-weight, cover almost every possible part where a baby or small child might need protection from messy spills and they are easy-care too -pop 'em in the washer and dryer and good to go all over again. They handle a whole lot of wear-and-tear, trust me!

So now, you've seen most of the things I tend to spend my time making -or some might say "crafting." Maybe some day -when I remember where I have them packed away -I'll show you some of the fluffy and furry boa style scarves I like to knit too!

These are all relatively easy items to make -all are also relatively inexpensive to make, fun and functional as well to use too. They make great little gifts for friends, co-workers, family -even kids! I made a mother-daughter set for the daughter and granddaughter of a friend of mine a couple years back. The mother's apron was an ice-blue, lightweight denim fabric with a tiny bit of lace trim across the bib and the granddaughter's was a pinafore, of the same fabric, but was edged in lace all around the edges. Just a cute little thing for a little girl to wear while helping her Mommy bake or cook.

I enjoy making these items but the only problem is that sometimes I will go for months, even a couple of years of a sewing drought, if you will -because it's also something I tend to have to either be totally in the mood to sew or I have to be "on a mission" meaning someone has specifically asked me to make something. (Like with the friend who brought the fabric here today. I probably won't get around to making the aprons for her till maybe April or May.)

My sewing tends to be more seasonal too now because my sewing machine is in my bedroom and in the winter months, my bedroom is very, very cold. So if I were to try to sit out there and sew anything now, I'd probably freeze my poor little fingers for sure! (That, plus I have to find the sewing machine right now too since it has a bunch of my clothes piled on it, in need of my finding some hangers to put them on and then, putting them all in the closet outside my room.)