Apron Pattern and Finish

 I saw a Youtube video last month about someone making an full apron that was style that I thought would be perfect for a gift item.  I modified the pattern I saw a little and made it curvy.  I drew the pattern for the apron body on brown paper.  The loops and pockets were cut from simple rectangles and the straps were cut from 4" strips of fabric.  I cut two pieces of the body of the apron so I could put it together without any hemming or binding of the edges.  It was extra easy and looks super neat. 

The best part of the apron is the fabric I used.  I used Pioneer Woman fabric.  She has a line of the cutest prints.  Walmart sells 3 yard cuts already packed up just pick it up from the shelf, no waiting for someone to cut it for you.  The 3 yard cut cost  about $21.00.  There was plenty of fabric to make the apron just the way I wanted to with a little fabric left over.  I made the first apron for dear daughter and I loved it so much I made myself an apron with the same fabric.    

Duvet Cover

 I was looking for a duvet cover for my comforter a couple of weeks ago and couldn't find one I liked.  I ended up buying two queen sheets from Amazon in the color I wanted and sewing them together.  I left an opening at the bottom and made 7 buttonholes to secure the opening  It was just what I wanted.

Here's a picture of it on the bed.

Teddy Bear Making

I started making teddy bears when I was in high school.  My brother commissioned me to make a bear for his girlfriend.  He bought all the supplies and I did all the work.  I used a pattern from a pattern company and I don't believe the joints were articulated but it did turn out super cute.  I wish I had a picutre of that bear, but that was long before computers and blogging so I never thought about taking a picture.  I think I made that in 1973 or 1974.  I didn't make any bears after that for a long time.  

I think my daughter was 5 or 6 (1981 or 1982) when I made her a bear from cotton fabric.  I used a pattern from McCalls, I think.  She still  has that teddy bear.  That bear used buttons to make the joints for the legs and arms to move.  It was fun to make and she loves it.

I got the bear making bug again in the 1990's when I found a website called Labour of Love (it was a Canadian company) that carried teddy bear and doll making supplies.  I bought a book about how to make teddy bears which included a basic pattern, along with the book I bought several mohair fake fur fat quarters to make the bears and some joint disks to use in the neck, arms and legs.  None of those materials were available to me locally.  It's a fun pattern and that teddy bear turn out super cute.  See the bears in the picture below.  

My dear daughter got a fake fur mohair bear in 2003 for her birthday.  I used a pretty golden colored mohair fur to make that one.  I stuffed it with excelsior (wood shavings) and that was interesting to use.  I haven't made a teddy bear since then.

It's time for me to take inventory of my teddy bear making supplies that I bought so long ago.  I know I still have a bunch of excelsior and about two fat quarters of mohair, but I'm not sure how many disks and cotter pins I have for the joints or how many eyes I have in different shade and naps.  It also carried how to books that included patters.  

I have to take inventory of my supplies to see what I have to make bears and get started using those supplies up.  I love making teddy bears.  Here is a picture of bears that I made for me.  They are Mary and Jack.  I named them after my parents.

Scrappy Crossbody Bag Finished.

    This bag was so much fun to make.  I just picked some of my favorite  fabric scraps and I made up my own colorful bag.

Secret Sewing Reveal

    I found a fun cross body purse pattern tutorial by Debbie Shore.  It is a simple free pattern and I had to make one.  This was my secret sewing and I loved the finished bag so much I had to give it to dear daughter before her birthday.  

    Here is the link to the youtube tutorial:  Crossbody Purse By Debbie Shore.  The tutorial is pretty good.  There is one spot that she doesn't explain and I had to do some research to get my fabrics oriented correctly.  When she is doing the zipper pocket, what she calls a letterbox zip, and she places her pocket fabric against the fabric for the back of the bag she doesn't explain that the fabrics are placed right sides together, because her pocket fabric does not have a right or wrong side.  The rest of the tutorial is very good, but she goes very fast and I had to pause that video A LOT to get all the instructions while I was making my bag.  

    I used blue scraps for this bag.  Most strips were about 2" wide some were wider some were narrower.  I used a foundation piece to sew the strips to.  I made the front, back, flap and strap with scraps.  I had enough of one fabric for the lining.  And I made the patch pocked from another fabric.  I had the fusible fleece and the zipper in my stash.  I had to buy the 18mm magnetic snaps.  I ordered the snaps from an etsy seller and had them in a week.  

   Here is the finished bag.  Dear daughter loved it.

   I will be making more of this bag.  I already have another scrappy bag in the works for me.  I used a bunch of different colors for my bag.  So fun.

A Crafting Failure and Secret Birthday Sewing

    I tried three times to make mouse ears for a future trip to Walt Disney World.  It looks so simple in the youtube videos and I figured I can cut fabric, use a sewing machine, hand sewing needle, and glue gun, how hard can it be.  As it turns out, it was not easy for me.

    The first set of ears turned out like round potatoes.  The second set were floppy and wouldn't stand up on the headband and the third set were just wrong.  I have officially given up.  I wasted about 15 dollars in supplies so it wasn't a terribly expensive experiment, but I hate to fail at something I really wanted to be good at.

In the future, if I want ears, I will be buying any ears from etsy sellers or Amazon.  I'll let the professionals make the ears from now on.

    I wasn't going to do any secret birthday sewing this year, but I found something I just could not resist making.  It's something I already know how to make so it won't be a failure.  I had all the material I needed in my fabric stash.  I'm making this scrappy and it should be extra cute.  I did have to buy one notion that I don't normally keep on hand, but it was small and inexpensive and will certainly enhance the project so it will be worth the wait (I should have it next week) to get it.  Here is a sneak peek at my start.  As always, I will share the whole thing as soon as soon as it is gifted.