Easy Upcycle Tutorial: Make a Cute Apron from Placemats

 As soon as I saw these two placemats, I thought they'd look better as an apron. And when I say this is an easy upcycle, I really mean easy. All the edges are finished; you've just got to sew the pieces together. The pockets are optional, but you'll probably have enough fabric, and I think they really add to the overall cuteness of the apron. This project is pretty simple and leaves a lot of room for any embellishments you'd like. I whipped up the apron and the tutorial both in no time at all, and  I think you'll be impressed with how fast you can do the same!

How to Make the Apron Body

1. First, decide how long you want the apron to be, and arrange the pieces to fit that length.  I let them overlap quite a bit, a good four inches or more. That overlap is what you'll use to make the pockets. Of course, the pocket can be made out of any other fabric, so don't worry if you don't have a lot of extra here.

2. Pin in place, and sew across the middle to join the pieces. I wanted that white edge to show the middle, so I just stitched over the existing seam. If your placemats don't have a finished edge that you want to be visible, flip it over and stitch with right sides together so that when you unfold it, you just won't see that seam at all.

 

3.  Cut two lengths of ribbon for the waist ties and snip the ends triangularly. I used a 1 inch wide white ribbon. You could use lengths of fabric if you like, or whatever matches your placements; it's up to you.

 

4. Pin the unsnipped ends of the ribbon to the wrong side of the apron at the place where the placemats are joined together, lining up where you'll stitch them with an existing seam. Stitch across. Do the same for both sides.

                                                    

5.  Cut another length of ribbon for the neck part, a bit longer than you think you'll need. I used a 1/4" white ribbon for this part, but again, use whatever you like or have on hand.

6. Put the apron on, and hold up the top. Pin the ends of the neck ribbon in place so it holds up the top how you want it to sit.

 

7. Stitch the ribbon ends on over the existing seam. If you don't want to make pockets, you're finished! It still looks great without them. If you do want to add the pockets, keep scrolling down.

 

How to Make the Apron Pockets

1.  Lay the apron flat, and fold the top over, exposing the overlap between the placemats.

 

2. Cut straight across. 

3. If you want, you can make a long shallow pocket, and leave this piece as is. I wanted two little ones, so I cut it in half. If you want one deep pocket, still go ahead and cut it in half. 

 

4. If you want one deep pocket, sew these two pieces wrong sides together on the long edge. If you want two small ones, fold over the long side and pin. Then stitch straight across, finishing this edge.

5. Pin your pocket where you want it to sit on the apron. The side you just finished should be the top of the pocket. You still have one unfinished side, so remember to fold it under when you pin.

 

Here's what mine looked like with the pockets all pinned on. 

                                                          

6. Stitch around the pocket- carefully, because you'll be able to see these seams! And that's it!  My placemats had a pretty busy pattern, so I stopped here, but you might want to add some cute ruffles or fabric flowers. I think I'll still use my other apron for baking- it's got more surface area to wipe floury hands, but this one will be lots of fun for cooking.

Linked to My Romantic Home link party

Flashback: Sock Monkeys!

Over the weekend, I was thrifting and came across this super fun fabric.  The selvage is helpfully labeled; it's called "5 Funky Monkeys" by Erin Michael. She's got a whole line of monkey fabrics that you can see here at Moda Fabrics.

Anyway, the pattern reminded me of the two sock monkeys I made a few years ago. I dug them out for a photo shoot, and I still think they're pretty cute- even though their faces are a bit odd looking.

Crafters have been making sock monkeys since the 1930s when the Nelson Knitting Company started making the original Rockford red-heeled socks. Mothers in the Great Depression saw a great opportunity for a new kind of homemade toy. The sock monkey bandwagon is still going strong today- if you need proof, check out all the variations for sale on etsy. Whoa.

If you'd like to make your own, it's extremely easy. The hardest part is acquiring the socks, and they are for sale on a variety of websites. Here's an example on Amazon. I'm certain that I got mine at Fleet Farm, although it was a few years ago, and they came with directions for a sock monkey as well as a sock elephant. Of course, you don't need to use Rockford socks to make your monkey. It's their homemade nature that makes them so cute, and any color or pattern combination can do that!

As for what I'm going to do with the "5 Funky Monkeys" fabric, I'll let you know when I figure it out. Regardless, how can it not turn out cute?

Book Recommendation: Chic and Simple Sewing by Christine Haynes

I anticipated that my first book recommendation on this blog would be something a bit more novelish, but then I checked out Christine Hayne's Chic and Simple Sewing from the library and can't think of anything I'd rather promote right now. I haven't ordered my own copy yet, but my library book is due soon, and I think I'll have to. This book is great for anyone who already makes their own clothes, and is the perfect book for anyone who would like to try. Haynes, a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, lives in Los Angeles, promoting her clothing line (every item of which is handmade) and teaching sewing classes. Check out Haynes' website here and order a copy of the book from her site here.

Although Chic and Simple Sewing depends on the use of patterns, which are neatly inserted into a pocket in the front cover, they are extremely versatile and easy to use; you might use the same pattern to make a nightie as a dress, for example. This book is written with the beginning sewer in mind, and Haynes walks the reader through a number of sewing techniques in the beginning of the book, enough to get you through any of the projects. If you're an experienced sewer, the book is still a great guide. All of the projects have infinite possibilities for embellishments and could be made with any number of fabrics or styles. Haynes offers suggestions, but emphasizes again and again that these patterns are meant to be versatile. That's the great thing about sewing your own clothes, after all: even with a pattern, it's all about customization to fit your own style.

One of my favorite parts of the book is how it's organized. The projects are arranged seasonally, although most of them could be made for any time of year depending on the fabric used. Still, it's fun to see how a cute dress could be worn in the winter, or how a jacket could work for spring or fall.

So far, I've attempted making the jacket, and have plans in the works for the nightie. Haynes makes her jacket out of a busy brown and white light fabric. I chose a plain red wool blend. One suggestion I have for beginning sewers using Haynes' book is to use busier patterned fabrics. One of the best thing about the book is the plain nature of the patterns, and I found that my plain red jacket isn't looking as chic as I'd like. I'm considering how best to fix this and give it a more special feel.

Easy Pocket Pillow Cover Tutorial

My parents recently got some new furniture, and my mom asked me to cover a pillow I had made a few years ago so it'd match her new chair. This was my first time buying upholstery fabric, and it's crazy how expensive that stuff can get. Luckily, JoAnn's was having a huge fabric sale, so I got a great deal in just the shade and texture I was looking for. However, like most projects on this site, you can use any kind of fabric you want.

Next step? Figure out a removable pillow cover without using buttons, zippers, or any kind of notion that'll slow down the project. And, like usual, I'm not afraid to cut a few corners to save on time and stress (just don't tell my mom).

This easy pocket pillow cover tutorial is the result.

1. Cut the fabric. For a pillow approximately 13 in by 14 in, I started with a large piece about 36 in x 27 in. This gave me a lot of room to play around with the overlap for the pocket and how tight I wanted the sides to fit. If you’ve made a pillow case before and are sure of the fit you want, feel free to start with something smaller, at least for the width- I wouldn't go any smaller for the length- I used every inch.

2. Consider finishing your edges. You’ll probably want to start with finished sides on the short edges, since these will form the pocket. Although the edges will only be visible on the inside, you don’t want them to fray. Do this whatever way you’re comfortable. For me, one of the edges was the selvage, and I just left it that way- might not be kosher, but it's easy and quick. I zigzagged stitched along the other. At this point, since I wasn’t sure how much I’d be trimming off the long edges, I decided that I would trim the excess off later with pinking shears- this will also prevent fraying.

3. Once you’ve finished the edges, fold over each of the short sides about 1.5 inches, and stitch flat with a straight stitch. These seams will be visible on the back of the pillow, so do them as straight as you can!

4. At this point, what you’ve done probably seems like boring preliminary stuff. But be proud of yourself- you’ve only got two seams to go, and this pillow case is finished! Lay your fabric out and put the pillow on top, like you’re going to wrap it as a present. Fold up the short edges so you can see how the pocket will overlap. Mine does, about 1.5 inches.

5. All right, that was just to show the progress you’ve made. Now, unfold it, and do the same thing, but so the wrong side of the fabric is facing you. Pull the fabric tightly, and pin all the way down one side where you’d like the seam to fall against the pillow. Use a lot of pins so you know exactly where to place the seam. It might not be a straight line- mine flares out at the ends slightly to accommodate the corners. Again, make sure you’re doing this with the right sides of the fabric together.

6. Carefully pull the pillow out without displacing any of your pins. Now, stitch straight down that line of pins. I’m impatient, so I flipped that sucker right side out to see how it would look when I stuff it with the pillow.

7. Not bad so far. Now, repeat five above, and turn the pillowcase back inside out, and pin the remaining side. Make sure you pin it so the overlap is nice and tight- you don’t want it to gap later, although if it does, you can always add a couple buttons and buttonholes (if you know me, you know that I’m trying to avoid that possibility at all costs). Pin all the way down like you did before.

8 Very carefully, pull the pillow out through the pocket without popping any of the seams off. Of course, there are ways to do this without pinning the pillow inside, but those methods require measuring, and that is also something that I like to avoid. I find that I use the seam ripper about the same amount either way. Stitch down the remaining side.

9. That’s it! Before you trim off the excess fabric, turn it right side out and make sure the pillow fits inside the way you want it to. Here’s my finished pillow. You can see that the pocket does gap a bit. So, I added a quick fix. 

 

10. Don’t worry, this is an easy fix. You can add a button and buttonhole, if you’re comfortable with that. but I did not. I added some hand stitches to the pocket, one on each side, still leaving a wide enough opening to pull the pillow through. It's hard to see in the photo, but there's a little pucker where each stitch is. While the pocket is still a little gappy, it's not going to fall open.

That's the pillow! All ready to go home to its brand new chair. :)

Thrifting Tips and Summer Finds

As we roll into fall, I'm feeling pretty good about the great thrift store purchases I've made this summer. Granted, thrifting isn't that thrifty if you do it as often as I do, but I made some great finds, which I can't help but share. My favorite thrift store is St. Vincent de Paul; I usually find it to be a bit less picked over and even cheaper than Goodwill. Savers is also great. But really, you can't go wrong with any second hand shop. While some vintage or consignment stores might get kind of pricey, nearly all of these shops are supporting recycling and some kind of philanthropic organization.

1. Before you get started, decide what you’re willing to clean. Can you throw it in the dishwasher or washer? Can you easily wipe it down? If it’s clothing, is it dry clean only? All things to consider. I’ll buy just about anything second hand if I know I can easily and satisfactorily clean it, but I’ll generally stop at pillows or cushions; these are items that are difficult to clean, and you don’t know exactly what might be inside.

2. Check out the households section. I always find great things here. In addition to some Pyrex bowls, which have become indispensable in my new place (in fact, I baked the English Muffin Bread in the largest one), I also came across these cute kitchen canisters ($1.50 for each of the small, $2 for the large). It's also easy to walk away with a basket or two, like the one pictured. By the way, don't forget to check out the dishes. You can find whole dining sets of all styles for just a few bucks.  I also love this cute teapot ($2) and vase (.50) that I found at St. Vincent de Paul.

3. Don't forget about the furniture! It's easy to drop a ton of money on new furniture at just about any store, but often, the furniture in second hand stores is in near-perfect condition, or at least some character. Granted, this sewing table, which I picked up at Savers for $5, is not in perfect condition at all, but I'm looking forward to sprucing it up by covering the drawers with wallpaper or fabric

4. Keep an eye on sales. Thrift stores often have half-off sales on items with special-colored tags. The Savers near my home just had a 50% of everything in the store sale for Labor Day.

5. This is probably my favorite tip. Thrift stores are the perfect place to find craft supplies. My favorite St. Vincent de Paul has drawers of fabric and yarn, crates of craft books, and every kind of notion I need. I always pick up some .25 zippers and elastic, ribbon, and more. Those are the items that'll cost 3.99 or so at a craft or fabric store, and up the price of what would otherwise be an inexpensive project.

6. Let's not forget about fashion finds! No matter what your style is, and whether you're concerned with brand names or vintage looks, you can usually find a good deal. As a younger shopper, I find that the best place to shop for second hand clothes is St. Vinnie's. Their hours (10-4 on weekdays, yuck), cater mostly to retired shoppers and is less likely to be picked over, whereas Goodwill is usually packed with younger people.  I was really excited about this cute blue dress ($3), and while I don't usually pay attention to brand names, I couldn't pass up a Fossil bag for $2. I also find shorts and skirts, and one of my friends likes to tease me because I can't pass up a cardigan.

 

7. Finally, don't pass up something just because it's a little too big. You can often make adjustments to a garment, or reuse a unique fabric for something new. Upcycling ideas, like my Too-Big Skirt to Cute Strapless dress, are all over the internet. Check them out!

Tutorial: Easy Ruffled Scarf

It's just about time for scarf weather! Usually when people think of making a scarf, they consider knitting or crocheting, but there are so many easy fabric scarves that anyone can make for any kind of weather- some with no sewing! Here is my finished ruffled scarf: 

Scarves with lots of volume and fabric are everywhere right now. You can make this easy ruffled scarf out of just about any material you like. Different fabric textures will drastically change the way it looks. I just used a light blue and white cotton that I had purchased on a whim quite some time ago, but I think I'll make another using more fall-appropriate colors.

1. To make the scarf, first cut your fabric into a long rectangle. You can see how long mine is in the picture, but to get a scarf that length, I started with a rectangle long enough to reach my knees on both sides, about 14 inches wide. Better to go too long with the rectangle than too short, by the way- it's really the ruffling that determines how long the scarf is, and you have a lot of control over this later.

  

Fold the scarf in half the long way, with right sides together. If you like the way your fabric looks on both sides, you could skip this step, but then you'll probably have to finish your fabric edges all the way around. Doubling up like this also gives the scarf a bit more stiffness and volume; the choice is yours. Pin (if you feel like it) and sew around one end of the folded rectangle and the long side. Leave the final edge open and turn right side out.

3. Fold the raw edges of that third open side in, and stitch across, closing up the rectangle.

4. Now the tedious part. Baste down the center of the scarf. You can choose to do this with the machine, but for something this large, it's best to baste by hand. Choose a thread color that contrasts the fabric. You're going to sew large stitches all the way down the center. I usually knot one end of the thread and leave the other loose. Don't worry, you'll cut these out later. It's easy to get the thread knotted up since you're probably starting with a long piece. It's okay if you have to do it in pieces. I did half the scarf at a time.

  

5. Pull the thread to scrunch up the fabric, creating the ruffle. Play around with it to see how much ruffle you want and how long you want the scarf to be. It's difficult to keep the ruffles in place between now and when you sew them in, so it's best not to be too picky. I did some pinning, but ultimately, a lot of the ruffling has to be redone while you're sewing.

                                                 

6. Now you're going to sew straight down the center, over the same line you basted. This seam will stay in, so use a matching thread color! Sew over the ruffles, keeping them in place. In some places, I pulled the sides of the ruffle in towards the center, changing up the width of the scarf. It's okay if things are uneven, that's part of the charm of this kind of scarf. Keep an eye on the consistency of the ruffles, though- you don't want to have big pieces without any ruffles at all!

                                                

7. Once you've sewn all the way down, pull out the stitches you basted- the big ones in the contrasting color. You might have to cut some, but it shouldn't be hard to get rid of these.

That's the scarf! If you don't like the length or some parts of the ruffles, you can always whip out the seam ripper and readjust.

And if this is too much sewing for you, there are ways to make it even easier. For example, you can buy a plain flat scarf (often $5-15 at department stores) and just do the ruffling. Or, use a knit fabric, like a t-shirt type material. These often won't fray, so you all you have to do is cut the rectangle and ruffle it up (or not!).

Finally, this is my first tutorial- let me know if you have any questions or if some parts are difficult to follow. Enjoy!

Cute Boxy Makeup Pouch

I've been slacking on the projects lately, but I blame it on poor internet connections, and starting my first week of grad school courses. However, I bought a used sewing table last weekend for my new room and once I get my routine underway, I'll whip up some new things. In the works right now is a jacket- made from a pattern, but a very simple one, so hopefully you'll see that posted soon.

Today's project is just a little one, loosely based on Three Bears' little boxy pouch tutorial, found here. And mostly, today I'd like to extol internet tutorials, which are my favorite way to complete a project. Even if you don't follow it exactly, tutorials can help you with tricky things that a beginner (or anyone, really) might otherwise use the seam ripper on again and again, like the corners on a boxy pouch. There's tutorials for just about any kind of project, and if you're all about avoiding patterns and precise measurements, like me, there's no better way to get ideas. Especially since tutorials are often free.

Three Bears' tutorial is great, especially the tips for sewing zippers, which is usually a major pain, but I did change it a bit. My boxy pouch, which I use to hold makeup, has a light blue lining of a heavier cotton, which I added just by cutting extra pieces and layering them to the outer fabric while I sewed. I thought that the size of fabric used in the tutorial would be too small, so I increased it by something like 75%. This ended up being too big, and the pouch didn't hold its shape that well, so I did some tucking and reshaping on the top to pull in the excess fabric. Mine is thus a shorter and squatter version than the original.

I also stuck a square piece of cardboard in the bottom of mine, which gives it a bit of shape and some more oomph for carrying around all that makeup. Plus it keeps the fabric from getting grungy as fast. And that's it: a great tutorial and a simple project that I use every day!

Non-Project Post: 1970s Magazines

I was recently thrifting and came across a stack of 1970s women's magazines, which I  wish I could subscribe to today- for their content, as well as their $3/year price!

I loved perusing old recipes and detailed how-to's (knit a shrug sweater, make a quilted purse) and snickering at dated styles and terms of speech (“a clothespin necklace is sure to be popular with the younger set!”). You might see a few in future posts, and I'll be sure to point them out. The majority of these projects were made with items these women had on hand already, and that's the best kind of project, as far as I'm concerned.

I couldn't help noticing the difference between these magazines and their counterparts of today, such as Good Housekeeping or Simple Living. While the 1970s wasn't that long ago at all, magazines have taken on a completely different focus in those short decades. Today's magazine readers rarely interact with one another, and if they do, it's completely anonymous, arguably for good reason.

These 1970s readers, however, reached out to one another with their full contact information, requesting pen pals,or items to trade.  Mrs. Betty Cupp wrote in the May 1978  issue of Women's Circle that, “I have lots of things to trade: 5 old dolls, a shoe box full of old postcards, an Elvis record, a J.F.K. Album, newspaper clippings on J.F.K's death, recipes, and much more.” One woman, after sharing about her husband's recent tragic death, reported in a subsequent issue that she received over a thousand letters of support from other readers!

Women's lifestyle articles evoked varying reactions. Lady's Circle's March 1977 issue had two related articles: “Do You Want to Go Back To Work- But Don't Know How to Go About it?” and “Whose Job Should Come First...Your Job or Your Husband's?” Overall, these articles gave non-gender polarized advice, which I found more valuable than the average advice column in today's Glamour or Cosmo, at any rate. While a good resume today might hold more points than secretarial skills, cooking for a family, or having a mother who will babysit, anyone should know how to spin their skills to impress a potential employer, regardless of the decade.

But I've got to backtrack a little bit. Women's lib wasn't exactly a new topic by the late 1970s, so the above articles weren't  a surprise.  But after reading a couple other articles, I wasn't entirely convinced at the timelessness of all topics. Take Cindy Ann from Women's Circle's July 1975 issue. She responded to another reader's query, “Are husbands ever justified in spanking their wives?” with the affirmative, “Mine certainly is!”  After a long column arguing her position with her own story, she concludes with, “So if your husband spanks you, remember that he does it because he loves you. Remember to paddle your tots and teens...so that their husbands won't have to.” Not exactly the advice that today's liberated woman would give or accept.

I'd love to write more on any of these topics, but I'm not an historian- just an interested reader. With the possible exception of Cindy Ann, I'd like to be friends with any of these women; their interests seem pretty similar to mine, and I love the community they create within each issue. To me, these magazines are more similar to current internet communities than their printed magazine counterparts today.  After all, if you wanted to trade fridgies for vintage doilies, isn't the internet the first place you'd go?