Still Alive

I'm still here. I haven't given up sewing. But I really have been concentrating on my art.

I'm not an everyday blogger. I don't want to put something on my blog that isn't worth your time reading.

Please check out my art blog at tintsandhues.blogspot.com

Perplexed

I am perplexed these days. For the few of you who read this blog, you know that I designed a one-of-kind apron for Janine of "The Pink Teapot". She was involved in the design process all along the way. I sent her drawings of the design, pictures of the fabrics and any changes that were needed along the way were approved by her. And, as a thank you gift, I made her a matching business card holder using an Amy Butler pattern. I held up my end of the deal and was ready by her requested timeframe.

However, Janine did not remit her payment for quite some time. I understand that things do happen and so I just waited and when I received payment, I mailed the apron to her - nicely packed with tissue paper and enclosed in a plastic bag to prevent damage.

I've not seen anything on her blog or heard anything from her about the apron. She's now enthralled with the Jessie Steele brand, I think. I think what most perplexes me is that Janine claims to be an etiquette expert, and at least in my opinion, she's really breached etiquette big time with me. I was taught that you should thank folks for a gift, even if you don't like it.

I had originally promised that I would not make any more aprons in her design so that hers, would in deed, be a one of a kind. But now I'm not so sure about that.

Continuing on with the rant thread here, let me talk about the Apronista, who was suppose to feature one of my aprons in January and I would sponsor a give-away of that apron. I never heard anything from her either.

I guess that they are both on to bigger and better options. I shall try to do the same.

Working on other projects...

I'm happy to report that I've been juried into the CPSA's Explore This 5 exhibition and the "Paint the Town" show in Fuquay Varina, NC.

But this means that there won't be a lot of apron making going on. So posting will be sparse for a while.

Fat Quarters

Happy New Year. I hope you all had wonderful holidays!

What can you do with three fat quarters?

If you sew them together you can make a reversible apron, like this one.

The pocket is set on the diagonal and made from the same prints. The bias tape is made from the same prints as well and alternates as it goes around the apron.

Here's a pic of the other side.

These prints remind me of the old-timey feed
and flour sacks that Grandma used for aprons and pillowcases.

Real Gingerbread

I have lots of cookbooks and lots of gingerbread recipes, but this one from King Arthur Flour is one of the best I've tasted in a l-o-n-g while (since Grandma Dovie made gingerbread!). Best of all, you can make this with whole wheat flour and you can't tell!

King Arthur Flour Gingerbread

• 2 1/4 cups King Arthur white whole wheat flour, or 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon each cloves and nutmeg
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup diced crystallized ginger (optional) <- I didn't use any of this
  

Directions:

1) Grease and flour a 9" square pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F. ( This was too thick for my taste in the 9-inch pan so I used a 12 x 7 or so dish.)

2) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

3) Melt the butter in a heatproof measuring cup. Add the molasses to the cup, and pour into the dry ingredients in the bowl, mixing to moisten.

4) Add the water, stirring until everything is moistened. Whisk together the egg and buttermilk. Stir into the batter until it's evenly combined. Stir in the crystallized ginger.

5) Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cake just begins to pull away from the edge of the pan.

6) Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes before slicing; gingerbread is best served warm with whipped cream or ice cream.

You can find the original recipes with pictures here.

A Finished Object

I have finished Janine's Tea Set apron.

I think the sashes are long enough that she should be able to wrap them around and tie a nice bow in the front.

The teapot and cups are machine appliqued.

Sometimes it helps to be an engineer with all that drafting and design training. 'Cause, no sir, that is not bought scallop trim. It is custom drafted, cut and sewn for this particular apron.

I am my own worst critic, but even I think this is kinda' cute. I particularly like the graphic quality that the Amsterdam material imparts to the appliques. It looks vintage and modern at the same time. Janine did a great job picking out the materials.

She has an entry on her blog at thepinkteapot.blogspot.com.

Drumroll, Please

The winner of the fruit cocktail apron is commenter 26, who is Theresa.

The winner was picked by the random number generator at random.org.


Thanks to all who posted a comment and thanks to sewmamasew for hosting the giveaway. Wasn't it fun?

The Design Process

I'm designing and making an apron for Janine of the The Pink Teapot. She wants it to have the same color pallette as her blog. So here's the fabrics she has picked out. The pink is Amy Butler. The black is Kona Black. The print is called "Amsterdam" and is by Cranston. I've washed everything and ironed it.

A big plug here for Fabric.com. They have the best selection of fabric and their staff is so nice and helpful.



It needs to be pink with a black scalloped edge:

Got that part done.













It needs a teaset appliqued on it.

Well, I got the teapot done. I'm thinking about
a button on the top of the lid as an accent. This teapot was quite difficult to applique. Lot's of curves and turns, but so far it looks pretty good.

I didn't think that the print would work for the applique. I thought it was too big in scale, but it's lending itself to the design pretty well.

The applique is about 4 or 5 inches in height and about 6 inches in width, including the handle.

It's Blog Give-Away Day

It's the Fruit Cocktail Apron!

This is a half apron, made of medium weight purple denim and trimmed in a coordinating fruit and flowers print. Everything was pre-washed before construction, so you won't have any shrinkage problems. All of the bias tape trim is double stitched to keep it from fraying in the wash. ( I learned that one from personal experience!) The overlay makes 3 pockets so you have lots of room to put your potholder or oven mitt.

This is a nice slim fit and won't make you look like you ate all the holiday cookies.


A couple of closeups for detail:

The print pattern.














Detail of bias tape trim.












This is an easy one-size-fits-most and should easily fit up to a women's 2x size.

Leave a comment and I will randomly select one person to receive this apron.

Due to shipping cost, I need to restrict this to the US and Canada only. Comments added until midnight today, EST will be eligible.

Holy-moly, have you folks seen that list at sewmamasew! I'll leave the comments open until Friday.

Thanks for stopping by Dovie's Aprons. Come back soon.

Watch this Space!

I'm participating in blog-giveaway-day on Dec. 3. This is hosted by sewmamasew.com/blog.

Of course, the giveaway item will be a fabulous apron. Pics to be posted soon.

Be sure to check out sewmamasew's wonderful guide to handmade gifts during the month of November. There are tutorials for d-i-y-ers as well as links to shops and sellers.

Don't forget to stop by here and post a comment on Dec. 3.

Grand Opening

It's the grand opening of my etsy store!!!!

There are four aprons available for purchase. More will be added soon. Some are ones that have appeared here in the blog and others are newer designs.

Head on over to doviesaprons.etsy.com.

Woohoo!

reversibles

These are reversible aprons. They are made from those printed panels you can buy at your local fabric store. Only those panels are too thin to make a really useful apron. Please ignore that wet spot on the apron - it had rained the night before I took these shots.

Something Completely Different

And now for something completely different.....

I've made a business card case using the pattern from Amy Butler for inspiration. I didn't follow the pattern exactly and I used the scraps from other projects for this. But I'm pleased with the result. I'm considering this one the prototype. I've got some really, really nice fawn tan ultrasuede for a classy card keeper.



The unfolded version:


Here's the best part - it's washable. So after I've been hauling it around in my purse or had it at a show, I can wash it and throw it in the dryer. Press with an iron and it's has good as new.

Plus it's unique - it's easy to spot and not likely to sprout legs as some of my other cases have done in the past.

Coffee and Tea

The teapot applique apron. It matches the teacups apron. Great for mother/daughter, two friends or sisters that love to share tea. The material is lightweight denim, so it's sturdy too.



I just love this coffee print. The gingham trim really adds to this apron. It's a nice functional design.

Three Pies

It took all week. And I'm not sure I want to applique these pies on anything else, but I like the finished product. The pies are the stars of this apron. There are two pockets of the denim fabric, lined in the gingham trim. I didn't want the pockets to draw attention away from the appliques. The pies are an original design, although I did see an embroidery motif that resembled is somewhat somewhere on the internet.

This particular apron pattern is great for embellishment.

Isn't this just perfect for the baker in the family?



****Remember September 11, 2001 victims and their families****

Apronista

Dovie's Aprons was featured on The Apronista blog yesterday. Cool!

Even though my etsy store is very empty, if you see something that strikes your fancy, let me know.

If you're in the Raleigh/Garner, NC area, you can check out the aprons in person at the Garner United Methodist Church craft show on November 1, 2008.

Grandma (Dovie) would be proud.

Cherry Pie

 

How about a little pie to go along with yesterday's tea? This is a true vintage replication. I followed the 1955 pattern exactly. All the seams are bound in red bias tape. There are no exposed seams anywhere. It's even hand hemmed on the sides. I just couldn't stand hemming the bottom by hand, so it's blind stitched on the machine. The pockets are v-shaped and in the cherry print so that they blend in with the skirt and are lined in the red of the yoke.

So although the fabrics are not vintage, the look and the pattern sure are.

Tea Anyone?

It's been a few weeks since my last update. I've been busy making aprons and getting my artworks ready for the show. Here's the latest: A butcher style apron with stacked teacups appliques.

Make it yourself

What a great idea!!!

The clothing company SANS had a knit top in their collection called the square shirt. They sold them as fast as they could make them. When it was dropped from the current designs, they made the pattern available to the public, along with a SANS label, all for $6.00.

Check out the article here: http://springwise.com/weekly/2008-08-13.htm#sans

Wouldn't it be great if other clothing companies would do the same?