Textile Wash Day, and some FUN NEWS!

Aprons and other kitchen textiles fresh from the dryer and ready for pressing.

I wash my kitchen textiles (aprons, kitchen towels) about once a month. To avoid all of the ties getting tangled up with each other, each apron gets it's ties done in a slip knot. I dry the aprons and towels together for about 25 minutes, taking them out of the dryer when they are still just a little bit damp - this makes pressing go much faster. Some of the aprons can be just hand pressed, but I iron all of the ties. I just can't wear an apron with folded, wrinkled ties.


I store my textiles in two orange crates next to the fridge. The aprons have their own shelf, and there's a spot for the cloth napkins and kitchen towels.

FUN NEWS!

I sent Gabrielle at designmom a link to the spring update for Practically Necessary last week. She wrote a post about it, and Sunday I received my first order from someone who saw the post - Thanks Gabrielle!

Orphan Pockets

I have a small bin of pockets, and pocket parts. These are all pockets I made while I was designing something that just didn't quite work. Some are from Christmas aprons, one is a Bev pocket that I just didn't remember right, and a couple didn't pass inspection by employee #1. I've only used 1 pocket from this stash after the fact, but I hold onto them anyway. You just never know!

Practically Necessary Updated!

I just finished updating PN with lots of new styles, and a clearer focus (I hope!). Please check it out and let me know what you think (and report any bugs or misspellings!). I'm hoping that Jenny fits the bill as "the new Caroline".

Fabric and buckle detail from Jenny.

The fabric has a similar quality - vertical stripes, dark in color, small print. The Jenny fabric also comes out of the dryer looking great, and has a very nice drape. Irene is also new and the fabric is fantastic: the print is adorable, and the soft hand and nice drape make for a very nice apron.

Irene

When I saw the fabric at TROY I recognized it immediately from a child's apron I have in my collection - it's a very good reproduction.

Vintage Child's Apron

Derby Lite is skating in the Forest Park St. Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday. Yesterday I spent the afternoon with Queen B working on the Giant Rollerskate of World Domination:
Yes, it's a bit of a gearshift to go from sewing sparkly pink vinyl to working on a new apron, but I'm versatile and I love a really BIG project!

New Blue from Practically Necessary

I had a very productive trip to TROY fabrics last week. I was primarily looking for fabric to make my next "Caroline" type apron: easy care cotton, vertical stripes, small print, lots of contrast. I looked at this fabric briefly, then I looked at what seemed like 1,000 bolts of fabric. I came back to this one and decided it was the one. I also picked out a sweet novelty fabric, and another that I think I will return for a second bolt of the blue stripe. This fabric reminds me of the fabric in my favorite full apron - a thrifted number that was well worn when I got it, and is still going strong.




I hope to update the PN website in the next week or so. I'll include this apron in the update, along with 5 or 6 new styles. I'm still working on a name for the New Blue, If you have any ideas please leave them in a comment - if I choose your suggestion I'll send you something special from PN.

iMac 20 Cozy

The minute I took the styrofoam cover off my new iMac I knew I needed to make a cozy for it. It's reflective black screen shows every spec of dust and kids fingerprint. I considered a few different barkcloths before I decided on this games cloth. I thought the target was just perfect. The backing is black denim, and I made slits for the vents.

I used the styrofoam cover as the pattern, which I will hold onto in the event that someone sees it and realizes just how much they need a computer screen cozy too.

Valentines

I really love to make my own valentines. This year I scored at Paper Source, they had a big selection of red papers and envelopes at 50% off. Each valentine is different and I used 2 of my fabrics: the Who's Counting fabric from one of my aprons, and some vintage car fabric I made a blouse out of a few years ago. I spent a few hours this weekend working on them. I just love to push the little elements around until I am happy with the results, glue it all down, and then move onto the next one. Yesterday it hit 60 degrees - so I rode my Schwinn to the post office and mailed my funny Valentines.

What a Weekend!

I took these pics of our garden house. It's so nice to have a dog to watch the baby, and I sure hope the hazmat guy was able to rid the house of all the asbestos!

A warm weekend in Chicago in February is such a gift! Marc worked in the garden and on the patio slate, Leo and I payed catch on the front sidewalk, and Mae walked home from the movies [she saw Coraline with a friend and loved it!]



Leo after some good "catch".

Marc got alot of prep work done in the garden. We are going to plant vegetables this year so he had to move a lot of rocks!

OMG it's supposed to be 60 tomorrow!!

Little Red Hen #3

I have finished Little Red Hen #3. It's impossible for me to really capture this apron in a photo - this is my best attempt yet. This version has the "Who Will?" in yellow at the request of the buyer - the yellow does read off of the blue better than the red and I'm happy with the way it looks. I hope she is too! I showed my brother-in-law Mike the finished apron last night - he recited some of the lines from the poem, it made my day to see him "get it"!

Those naughty animals! They will get no bread!

Spring Update Preview

Well it's only February 3rd and it's really cold in Chicago today, but I am thinking spring via some new apron styles! I love the way my label looks on the back of "Maryanne".

Maryanne - there will be 2 of these available, she was made from a tablecloth cut right down the middle!

I was working on a new pocket for Mae, when I noticed how perfectly it went with my sewing machine cover! I quickly put together an apron made from the same fabric and I just love the way it looks with the new Mae pocket. I will be able to make about 10 of this one - I call her "Jenny".

"Mae" with her updated pocket, also the pocket for "Jenny"

"Cocktail?" is a one of a kind. I have had the hand-embroidered cloth in my stash for so long (I added cocktail?). It will be part of Collection 2 on Practically Necessary very soon!

Caroline Order in Progress

I'm working on my order of 5 Caroline's from Pam at Salad Girl. First I cut the fabric, which is where I realized I didn't have enough fabric to make all 5 of the aprons in the same manner. I had to improvise and make one of the aprons with a strip of fabric at the bottom. I think it looks really cute, I hope Pam thinks so!

I'm feeling very nostalgic about this fabric. It was the first fabric I bought a full bolt of (eventually I bought 3 of them), and Caroline has always been my most popular model. I decided I really had to have another one (the prototype is mine but I have made significant design improvements to it since then). I went through my scraps of Caroline fabric and pulled out 4 strips and sewed them together. I really liked the way the selvedge looked showing - not something I usually like.


In progress - the very last Caroline apron! The fabric was a closeout and it's not being manufactured anymore. I wrote the company (Print Concepts Inc.) to inquire about it, but I haven't heard back from them. Next on my list for Practically Necessary is to find the next "Caroline" fabric - pretty, dark, sturdy, and in a perfect world, vertically striped!

Little Red Hen, Amy's Apron, and 5 Caroline Half Aprons - Yesterday Was a Big Day!

Wow! Yesterday I finished the first of 2 Little Red Hen aprons, I got a mailing address for advice columnist Amy Dickinson at the Trib so I can finally get her apron to her! I also got an order for the last 5 Caroline half aprons (that fabric is no longer available - arrgg!) from Pam at Saladgirl Dressings.

Folded and ready to go. All of my custom orders get a vintage hankie in the pocket. I have to make a Little Red Hen for myself, primarily as a record and a showcase for my work. I hate to admit it but I could never wipe my hands on this one!





WHO WILL? Now in a serif font done in a chain stitch.

Those cheeky animals! This time I did the NOT I in a split stitch, my new favorite stitch for lettering.

Inner bib. I love this little vintage button. I'm also very happy with the buttonhole feature on my Brother - it makes such neat and perfect little buttonholes!

Caroline is now out of stock! This was one of my very first aprons, and was always my most popular model. I have to get to my favorite wholesale fabric warehouse and see if I can find something as pretty, durable, and stain hiding as this beautiful fabric... wish me luck!

Practically Necessary Master Pattern Book

I started putting my designs in this book soon after I started PN. At first I just put them in a notebook I used while creating the whole concept, but I soon realized that I needed a book for that purpose alone. It's just a nice quality sketch pad. I covered the cover with fabric and added one of my labels.

Like many of my aprons, the top two on this page are one-of-a-kinds (see the top one - "Twiggy" below). The bottom apron is Kristina, I have made her twice, and have enough fabric to make her 2 more times.

The hand-embroidered towel that became the pocket had been in my stash forever! I added the line "There's a place for us."

The blue apron on top is made from fabric given to me by the lovely graygoosie. It's modeled after one of my favorite full aprons (a thrift shop find). The middle model is my "Tart Cherries" apron. The bottom apron is the apron I made for Amy Dickinson, which truth be told I have not gotten to her yet. I think it's time to email her at the Tribune and see if I can get my message through!

A couple more one of a kinds, the bottom one "MP1971" is shown below.

This one features a vintage 1971 Vera linen calendar for the pockets. The recipients initials are MP. The fabric is a vintage tiny medallion print in greens and golds - all gone now!

I have put the instructions and patterns for all kinds of things in this book: the derby lite helmet panties, purses, change purses, and basket liners. I recently started a section for the Little House on the Prairie quilt too. It's nice to have everything so accessible when I want to repeat something, or just refer to the measurements for a particular size or style. I also enjoy just flipping through it and remembering the items I have made, it's like visiting old friends.

Little Red Hen Redux

Recently a gal in Arizona named Phyllis emailed an inquiry about ordering 2 Little Red Hen aprons. Probably 95% of people who contact me inquiring about something never actually order anything so I figured when I responded with a price and other details that would be the end of it. Well Phyllis did respond and really did want two Little Red Hen aprons - I had to get to work!

Little Red Hen was a custom order and I never thought I'd need to make it again, (it's not on my apron website, Phyllis must have seen it here on my blog) but I kept all of the stencils as I do with everything I make. I made a few improvements on the original, namely making WHO WILL HELP? on the bib and WHO WILL? spoken by the hen a sans serif font for better readability. I also made this type just a shade lighter for better contrast on the blue. Both subtle differences but definite improvements on the overall product.

Phyllis needs one of the aprons by next Tuesday, so I need to get this one in the mail on Wednesday. I made good progress today and I won't have any problem finishing on time.

Progress as of Monday evening on Little Red Hen #2.

Mourning Quilt - 1839

If I had to name a favorite quilt, this would be it. It was made by Elizabeth Roseberry Mitchell in 1839 and is part of the collection of the Kentucky Historical Society in Frankfort Kentucky. The following is paraphrased from the book America's Glorious Quilts. (Be sure to click on the image to view at full size, be patient, it's a large scan.)

In the center is a fenced graveyard with four coffins, each represents a deceased family member and bears their name. Quilting in the graveyard indicates room for 13 coffins.

Elizabeth's idea was that each of her family members would be represented on one of the coffins around the border and that when a person died their coffin would be moved into the graveyard (only 2 coffins were moved - from the bottom left corner). According to family history Elizabeth made this quilt after the death of her 2 young sons.

The combination of the illustrative quality of this quilt, and the frank way it deals with mortality fascinates me. I wonder if Elizabeth used the quilt or if it stayed tucked away. Did she consider it her masterpiece? (if she thought of her quilting that way).

My Masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter. You can see more images here.

I want to make another story quilt like The Scarlet Letter based on the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. It won't be designed in the same way with such a linear style contained in boxes. I picture it more like an illustrated map of the places they lived. I read all of the books last winter and I have plenty of notes, I just need to get started. What better project for a Long Winter, right?

Snowstorm!

This shot was taken just before Christmas - looks like an avalanche struck! Actually, this is a dollhouse in our backyard. This is the second dollhouse we have put in the backyard. You can see the first one here.

This dollhouse is a two-flat corner building. I don't think it was made from a kit. It was found at a yard sale by our friend Paul who has found much of our best art. It sat in the basement for 5 years and we decided to put it out in the yard just recently. It's a fun object to photograph. I'll shoot it in all seasons and document it's deterioration. I kind of wish we had a place for it in the house, but since we don't (and no one else ever asked for it) putting it in the yard and making an art project out of it seems like the best option.

Interior shot.

Update to my last post about the "Make it Simple" aprons: I finished the last 4 on Christmas day and sent them out the next day. I wanted to get them out before Christmas, but how I thought I could manage that I don't know!

Make it Simple - 8 Times

I got an order for 8 Anne aprons from Genevieve at Jewelbox Home. They are a give-away for a contest she had on her site. I made the 8 apron bodies, then completed one apron - I wanted to be sure I had all of the measurements right before cutting out everything. Once that one was complete and looked good, I did the rest of the cutting for the 7 remaining aprons. Today I am working on assembling 3 more.

3 pockets embroidered and ready for ric-rac.

I glue baste my ric-rac with Fabri-tac - I find it much easier and more accurate than sewing.

Sewn, turned, and finger-pressed. Finger pressing is one of the secrets to smooth pockets, or anything else that is turned (sewn inside out and turned right side out).

Close-up of the finished pocket.

1 down, 7 to go!