*five 08.31.11

Well my handsome husband fixed my sewing machine for me last night. Apparently the tension thingamabob was falling out! Who knew?! He got it all back together and sewing today was smooth sailing. Only one broken thread.

I am very happy to have my machine up and running. It has been around for awhile and I would hate to see it go. My mom gave it to me quite a few years ago for a birthday. It was hers that she got when she was 17! I remember her using it lots when we were growing up to make us summer clothes. We loved picking out the fabric for our soon to be outfits. They were some bold fabrics let me tell you! I guess I probably learned to sew on this machine.

I had read about a sewing technique online and I decided to give it a try. 
 The term for it is a gather, so I guess I gathered.
"To gather the seam, two parallel lines are sewn on the right side of the fabric, a scant 1/4" apart. Long tails of thread are left for gathering. The bobbin threads (on the wrong side of the fabric) are held on either end of the seam and gently tugged, gathering the fabric evenly on the threads. Do not scrimp and only sew one thread of long length stitches; you will need both"
thesewingdictionary.com
It was such a cinch, no pun intended.

I used some very cute bird fabric today. Sewed some sweet little ribbons on the hem and added red ties for some fun. I also did all the stitching in red for some contrast.

*four 08.30.11

My plan for todays apron was to make a man apron,mostly so Nigel could wear it for the photo. We pulled out all my fabric and searched for worthy fabric. I found that I had little to work with that would suit a man apron. Manpron? Apparently all polka dots are out, even brown ones!

Well I found some lovely solids to work with. The blue and brown come from me and T. Both of us bought sheets that we used to cover our couches in our bus and or rv. The leftover made its way to my fabric cupboard and now to an apron. I have no idea where the rust fabric came from.

 Everything was going great until my machine started acting up. Some days are just not good sewing days.I changed the tension, I loosened belts, I tightened screws, I changed thread, I changed bobbins. Nothing could keep my thread from breaking today.

I must admit I was close to tears on a couple occasions. Anyone who has had a thread breaking day  may understand.

In the end I finished the apron by hand sewing!
I decided to work with the deconstructed look my machine was giving me. I had already decided to leave a few rough edges. So even though I wont win any sewing competitions with this one, I still think it turned out okay.

 Most importantly it is finished!

*three 08.29.11

Todays apron making got off to a slow start for two reasons. One, Nigel made some glorious fudge last night. The sugar high from last night made me very groggy this morning. Two, I started to read Little Women yesterday. Pulling me away from a good book is not always easy.
I am committed to this Apron a Day so I brewed up a cup of earl grey to get a bit of energy and got to work.

As I started I realized that the theme song from Married With Children was running through my head! "Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage." That is all all know of the song. "Strange," I thought and carried on. I am not sure if the image of Peg Bundy affected the apron design today, you can be the judge of that.

The pink polka dot fabric today comes from my good friends Josh and John. They rescued it for me from... well I will just say it, from the trash! Its true, it is washed, and it is very cute. The green polka dots may have came from them as well, but I have a feeling they are from Nigels mum.
I had already turned these fabrics into a tablecloth for myself a couple years ago. But as I never use the table cloth I decided to transform it.

Three quarters through the sewing and I realized Mrs.Bundy was still running through my head! I got up and turned on some Ani Difranco to try and solve that problem.  I guess that could have also influenced my sewing.
I was so proud of my pleats today that I thought I would leave a bit showing.
 The apron is finished and I realized it would look much better with this one if someone could wear it for the photo. Nigel turned down my offer to wear a pink apron and so I turned to a tree.
I am off  Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy are waiting for me on the bus.

*two 08.27.11

A month or so ago I was in a thrift shop and was sifting thru the table cloths, linens and fabrics.I pulled out a zip lock bag and hit the jack pot. It was full of little kids aprons, yet to be made for the most part. Some half started, some pieces cut out, some still just fabric, and one very cute one that was already finished.
I know a bargain when I see it.
I bought the whole bag for three bucks!

Today i decided to finish something that someone else had already started. I found myself thinking about the person who had had this fabric before me. What were they like? Who were the aprons intended for? Why were they not finished?
Maybe they had a big fabric stash like mine and never got around to it.
I picked out one that had the pattern printed onto the fabric and got to work.

I like to think about the stories behind things. Even as I was sewing the apron I realized that I am only a part of the story of these little pieces of fabric. They already have a history I know nothing about. I will pass them on to someone else and the story will continue.

Even the yellow formica table I set my machine on has a history. It was my Grandparents. Grandpa picked it out years ago when Grandma was not with him. I dont think she ever liked the color! Think of all the meals eaten around this table before I got my hands on it! It goes perfect with my yellow formica fridge.

I decided todays apron will go to my cute little niece Adeline. She got a kitchen for her two year birthday and I am sure she could use another apron for all that cooking.

Posted via Blogaway

one 08.26.11

Today I made my first apron for this little adventure. We are at Nomads Land. It is hot and I set the sewing machine up in the bus, with the ac on full blast. I turned on a little John Michael Talbot and got down to sewing. I picked the fabrics out really easily today.
In the middle of my project Nigel came in and started to insulate the front of the bus. Inches from my sewing machine. There was black stuff flying and drills drilling and loud noises that scared me when he broke a piece of insulation board.
I carried on.
As I started to sew the tie onto the apron I started thinking about how the thread always seems to jam up or run out in the most inopportune place. Usually right in the middle where you can obviously see it. As I was having these thoughts the bobbin ran out.
No joke.
It isn't too obvious.
On the end of the tie.
The apron is finished.
I like it.