*thirtyfour 10.29.11

 A little bit hippie, a little bit princess and a Little bit rock and roll.
An apron fit for dear Hope.
She has been my apron model on more than one occasion.

I cant wait to see this what this little girl will be like when she grows up.
She is so full of spirit.
So full of dreams.
So full of life.

I heard once that what you wanted to be when you were little plays into what you are when you grow up.
If that is the case lil miss Hope has a lot of living to do!

I always wanted to dress up like a gypsy for Halloween.
I guess that one played out.

I can also remember loving to play "store" and "library" with my friend Dia.
I have played enough store as an adult.
I do really enjoy it.
Library I still have yet to experience.


This is the first time I have done two aprons in one day!
They were for sisters.

*thirtythree 10.29.11

 Strawberry shortcake anyone?
This apron was a special undertaking for Hannahs second bitrhday.
Something for a girl who can name all the veggies in my cookbook.
She also does a very great elephant imitation.

Our time at Nomads is drawing to an end for now.
We only have a few days left.

It has been a wonderful season here.
We got much built on the land.
And much built with the friendships here too.

We also were given 10 chickens!
Yeah!
Fresh eggs!

My last year has been about learning where the things I use and eat come from.
I started off strong in January as with most new years resolutions.
A few months into the year I started to lose steam.

Then in the summer it seemed like the books and info were finding me.

I just finished Barbara Kinsglovers Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
Such a great book for eating local inspiration and ideas.
Nigel and I spent most of August eating from local farmers markets and using stuff out of our own garden.
It was so fun!
And tasty!

A time for every season.

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*thirtytwo 10.27.11

Clothes pin apron.

I love this one.

Green and brown and hummingbirds.
You cant go wrong there!

I am selling my aprons at a craft show today.
The first one.
I feel nervous.
Like my first day of school or something.


This apron is one big pocket.

Perfect for hanging clothes out and keeping the pins handy.

*thirtyone 10.26.11

I crossed a new line today.
I am not sure what the line is called.

If you are in my immediate family you may want to stop reading.

First of all I would like to say this.
I was brought up in a very clean home.
My room was a mess as a teenager, but the rest of the house was clean.
I dont know how my mom did it with 7 kids in the house, but she did.
Saturday mornings were floor scrubbing time.

My husband and I currently have a "different" sort of lifestyle.
We live in a bus.
We travel around.
We are very often outdoors.
We work odd jobs and sell crafts to make ends meet.

I am learning that there are some things to get used to in this lifestyle that hadn't occurred to me.

Things like when you park your bus in Alabama in the summer it is very very normal to have bugs inside your home. If there were not bugs, something may be wrong!

And things like when you leave your bus in a field for months on end a mouse WILL find its way in. Anything food related should be stored in glass or metal. Mice CAN chew through plasitic. Very messy when it is a bottle of veggie oil and a mouse is so short it chews through the bottom of the full bottle.

And things like today.
The new line crossed.

I went to make some fried rice for lunch.
I took the rice out and noticed there were a few tiny little bugs crawling around in it.
In the past this would go straight into the trash.
But today I really wanted that fried rice.
So I thought to myself.
It is said you should always wash your rice first, maybe this is why.
So I rinsed and I rinsed and I rinsed that rice.
Then I cooked it up and I ate it.

Oh the apron.
A full size.
Made from a curtian.
Does anyone hear The Sound of Music?

thirty 10.25.11

I thought I would pose for the apron thirty photo.
Thirty aprons.
I think I may try to make it to 100!

Today was a crazy day on the bus.
I woke up and started sewing.
I still had my jammies on!
This is not the norm, no matter what my mother may say.

It was just one of those days.
It also happened to be one of those days where we had lots of visitors to the bus!
The land has been pretty full of people. We had the pilgrimage, and a work week, and our friend Chuck from bread of life came out to share with us last night.

So people were stopping by the bus to say Hello or goodbye, depending in their direction.
Really not a day for me to be in my jammies!

I switched into my clothes in between visitors and made a crazy apron to go with the crazy day.

Stripes, polka dots, and flowers! The stripes come from a linen dress.
I left the button holes from the dress showing on one side of the apron.
A fun little touch.
The flowers are an amazing find I got at a thrift shop a few weeks ago.
They are linen as well.
I think it is meant to be a napkin.

It makes a perfect big double pocket.
My dear friend Lana tells me she likes the big pockets. Then she can wipe her dirty hands inside the pockets and the apron stays looking clean!

*twentynine 10.24.2010

Making aprons for me usually involves some sort of cooking as well.
There is always something to cook for around here.
So in between hems and gathers I am cooking.
It is very convenient to live in a bus for this cooking and sewing dance.
All I have to do is turn around and I am in the kitchen.

Today we are having some people around for a bon fire.
Desserts is on the menu.

I have been craving these bars my mom used to make.
Magic Cookie Bars.
Also know as 7 layer bars.
They are SO yum!
You can click on the link for the recipe.
They turned out great even though I baked them for a bit too long.
The hazard of sewing and baking
I always forget things in the oven!

The apron for today comes from a skirt.
I gave it a round pocket.
And a button.
Love.
I think the waistline material comes from my sister. I believe it was a tablecloth at one time.

*twentyeight

A skirt turned apron for my dear friend Shallyn.
This one was all fun to create.
The skirt pretty much speaks for itself.

I added the pocket.
And of course the very fun orange buttons!

I am getting obsessed with buttons.

Nomads Land in the background.
A pretty place to call home for a while.

*twentyseven 10.20.11

Todays apron is for...
well...
ME!

There have been two stray dogs on the land this week.
One of them chewed up my apron that was hanging on the clothesline!
And I mean chewed up!
(See bottom photo for evidence.)

This apron was a practical apron.
It hangs on the clothes line with its pocket full of clothespins.
Then when you go to hang our clothes out you tie the apron around your waist.
No running back and forth for the pegs.
Then you wear it when you take your nice air dried clothes off the line.
No more trying to see how many pegs you can fit in your hands before you dash to the clothespin bucket.
Just slip them right into the pocket.

Needless to say I had to make a replacement for the dog chewed clothespin apron!

I made this apron using part of an old linen dress and a cute little bag I had lying around.

*twentysix 10.19.11

I went round and round with how to make an apron for 1 month old Posey.
I didn't want a normal apron.
Apron strings dont seem comfy to lie on.
I had in my mind for quite a while the idea of sewing an apron onto a onsie.
I still think it is a very cute idea
But then a onsie fits for only three months.
Then I thought about making a skirt instead of an apron.
When I got down to it yesterday it just seemed too complicated.

What I did end up making is this very cute baby smock apron!
I figure it can double as a bib.
And will hopefully fit for longer than 3 months!
I gave it an itty bitty baby pocket for storing food in:)
That will give mom something fun to clean up.

And so the aprons for mom and the three girls has come to a close.
I think they will look very nice all dressed up in the kitchen together.

twentyfive 10.18.11

Work party happening on the land today!
We were expecting the group to come late tonight but part of them showed up early!
Crazy fun.
I ran around like a chicken with its head cut off for a bit.
And then I went and hid in my bus and made my apron of the day.

I wanted to do something bright and fun today.
I wanted to try out a round pocket.

This is a skirt turned apron.
The pocket turned out great.
I am sensing more round pockets in my future.

I learned a new trick with pockets that is opening up a whole new world to me.

You cut two squares or in this case circles.
Sew them together with the right sides in.
Leaving a hole to flip them inside out.
You flip them.
Iron them.
And bobs your uncle.(That's kiwi slang, for what I am not sure, but I guess it means the pockets are easy peasy.)

This trick has revolutionized pocket making for me.
Yeah for pockets!

*twentyfour 10.17.11

For Pippa.
An apron to match her big sister.
Little sisters usually like to be like their big sisters.
For a time anyways.


I walked somewhere around 8 miles yesterday for the Nomad Pilgrimage.
The only thing that is sore is my big toe!
I love walking.
My favorite place to walk is the beach.
I feel safe on the beach because there are usually people around.
And the waves are so loud that I can talk to myself and other people cant hear me.
I hope.

The pilgrimage was great.
I didnt walk it all but I enjoyed the parts I did.

 I am having a lot of fun with the family apron set!

  Almost done.

*twentythree 10.12.11

Apron number two for my beautiful friend Lacey and her girls.
This one is for lil Olive.

I am enjoying making this set and reflecting on the times I have had with my dear friend.

We met in a bar.
Its true.
I cant remember which one.
It has nothing to do with my state of mind at the time, I just have a bad memory for such details.
I do remember Lacey and I ended up over by the payphone praying for each other.
I believe it had something to do about a young lad called Casey.
He must have been causing problems.
I guess the prayers had some effect because Casey is now Laceys hubbie and they have three lovely girls!


It is a drizzly day on the land.
I sewed to the August Rush soundtrack.
My lil friend Hope was over as well.
She organized the top of my sewing basket!
A girl after my own heart.

Now if I can just get someone to do the rest of it!

Time to go make a Wild Rice and Fish casserole for the pot luck.

*twentytwo 10.11.11

Life is hopping at Nomads Land at the moment.
We are getting ready for the pilgrimage which is coming up a couple days and a work party that is happening next week.
There is always something to do around here.

I was enjoying a cup of tea this morning.
Reading the word for the day.
Catching a few moments of silence before the day started.

I was drinking out of one of my favorite mugs.
Created by the potter John Hunter.
I was noticing how perfect the little groove on the top of the handle was for putting ones thumb.
I was thinking about how the groove was most likely made by the potters own finger.
This started a train of thought.
The potters fingerprints are all over the mug.
My fingerprints are all over my aprons.
The Creators fingerprints are all over us.

Todays apron is the first of a set of four.
They are a special order for my friend Lacey and her three adorable daughters.
I think I will just give you a few sneak previews until all four are done and then I will show them all together.

*twentyone 10.07.11

 Lunch lady apron take one.

The lunch lady apron had me stumped for quite a while.
It is for a friends sister.
Who is a lunch lady.

I wanted it to be comfortable.
I wanted it to be practical.
Most of all I wanted it to be fun.

Something that she would want to wear.
Something to make the other lunch ladies jealous.
Something to redefine lunch lady to the students.

Here is what I came up with.

The ties cross in the back and then tie around the waist.
This makes it so it is not rubbing on your neck .
It also makes it easy to adjust for different sizes.
Comfortable.

I used a lightweight cotton fabric.
Easy to wash up.
I added two nice size pockets to store things in.
Practical.

Red accents.
A cute little flower up the top.
Fun.
Very Fun.

*twenty 10.05.11

Today I sewed my apron.
Took some photos of it.
Came up to blog.
Then I realized I had not thought about what to blog at all today!
Normally I am thinking about what to blog as I sew the apron.
Today my brain was elsewhere.

The joy of multi tasking.

I was thinking about how the Jesus Kitchen bus needs to be cleaned up.
I thought about what I was going to make for dinner.
I thought about looking up recipes for the spaetzle noodles Shallyn gave me.
I thought about, once again, how I am going to make that lunch lady apron!
I thought about the book I am reading. Gotta love Ted Dekker.

To be present in the present.
My constant challenge.

I also put a bit of thought into the apron I was making.
An apron fit for a princess.
I stocked up on tulle this week so there are six layers with three colors for the little girl who will wear this apron.
Can you ever have too much tulle?

The fabric from this apron is from a pillowcase I found.
The print is very cute but one of the little girls on it is upside down!
I added a pocket in just the right spot!
You can look inside the pocket if you want to see what the upside down girl is up to.

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*nineteen 10.04.11

A skirt turned apron.
This skirt did not sit in the back of a closet.

It is one of those pieces of fabric that is softened by much wear.
I love the feeling of a well loved piece of clothing.

I wanted to use some red thread to accent this apron.
I was winding up the bobbin only to find that my red thread was almost gone!
I sewed the ties and then decided to save the rest for the pocket.
I thought it was show up best there.
After sewing the pocket on I took a look and found it strange that the butterfly was flying upside down.
I took a closer look and realized that it was the pocket that was upside down!
Oops!
I briefly thought about leaving it.
Who uses an apron pocket anyways!
But then I came to my senses and began to unpick.
Oops!
I poked a hole through the well loved fabric!
I stitched up the hole and pinned the pocket over it.


I started sewing and praying the the red thread would last another round around the pocket.
There was just enough!
How satisfying.


Sometimes its the little things that matter.

*eighteen 10.03.11

My first day back to sewing after two weeks off and I felt a bit of pressure!
I received some new pieces of fabric on my way through Minneapolis.
This apron is the result of two such gifts.

I had my little 7 year old friend Hope over to my bus yesterday.
She was complimenting various items that I have.
Books, games, little things hanging on my walls.
After each compliment she would ask me where I got it.
I would almost always reply,"From a friend.""Wow, you have a lots of things from your friends!" was her reply.
It's true I do!
I rarely buy things myself.
Except for tea towels.
I may have a problem with those.
And chocolate of course!
I also rarely get rid of something someone has given me.
The proof of that is the pink flamingo holding a beach basket and an umbrella sitting on the dash of the bus.
Thanks John.

I finished sewing the pocket on today and it was still missing something.
It just didn't seem very interesting.
I thought I would try the strips of fabric coming up from the bottom hem and I love the result.

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