Sneek Peek at New Pattern

I have been working on a new pattern for a few weeks now and would like to get you a sneak peek at the apron.

I have made this Sweetheart Apron from a picture of a vintage apron from the 50's. The pattern will be ready for sale very shortly in both hard copy and PDF format thanks to my fabulous niece Alisa.

I think I might have to do a Mama Byrd's Sweet Heart Apron Giveaway. The pattern comes in three sizes Small which fits 2T to about 6T, Medium which fits larger children to teens and Large which fits adults.
I can't wait till this one is done! It is so much fun and works up really fast and only take 1 to 1 1/3 yards of fabric!
Here is the small size apron. It only take about 1/3 to 1/2 yard fabric to make.

Challenge 2009 and a little bit of Honesty

If you have a weak stomach then this post is not for you. I have contemplated posting this for months but never had the guts. Then I saw a post at Skip to my Lou that gave me some courage. Granted her room doesn't look half as bad as mine but it looks bad enough. :o)
I am one crafty Mama. I sew like a Madd woman and can whip out just about what ever I need to Johnny on the spot. I am very laid back and can go with the flow and change on a dime if needed. This craftiness has a price though. I live in a mess.
My crafting is usually guilt ridden because I can think of about a dozen other things that I need to do. So, when I craft I get in the sewing room as fast as I can, sew like a tornado and get back out to do the dishes or something like that. The craft supplies are usually left where ever I put them last and the pile grows. Also my house is in the middle of a construction zone as we add onto the house to move my mom in here. As we work on other rooms, their contents gets left in my craft room. That doesn't help. Also when company is coming with no notice, the contents of the living room gets dumped in the middle of the floor of my sewing room. That doesn't help me either. (thank you DH and D kids)
Then my sewing closet, instead of holding neat little boxes of crafty supplies, contains about 2000 pounds of wheat storage that is waiting for pantry room to put it.
Also this is my room after about 3 weeks of insane Christmas sewing projects and a new pattern design.
Result.....
My sewing room makes me sick every time I pass it and I HATE to have people come into it to get supplies from me. I have tried all kinds of tactics that work for a month or two but then the clutter creeps back in as in crazy stress of my life goes out of control again.
So I am going at it like AA or the basic steps of repentance.
I AM ADMITTING I HAVE A PROBLEM.
(are you wondering what the other steps of repentance are?..... I would be at this point, ....
they are 1 admit you did something wrong, make amends or fix it if you can, apologize for doing the thing to the person you hurt (self, others, God) and promise never to do it again and pray for forgiveness)
Back to the mess now.
Here is my plan. I had to shock my self into reality so I figured I would come clean and admit that I don't live in organized crafty land. I will admit that my craft space is the black hole of Calcutta (what ever that is).
AND....
I am posting pictures of my craft room on the first of every month this year to show my progress and keep myself accountable for my actions.
Trust me I am sick about the state of this room and more embarrassed that you can imagine that you are seeing my craft guts strung out all over the place. I contemplated cleaning it up a bit before the shots but that wouldn't be honest.
So here are the scary details of my craft room. Please run now if you are weak, this is very Scary!
View through the front door of my craft room.


View through the back door of my craft room.

Yes my craft room has a back door. The contractor cut one so heat from the wood stove could get in there and keep me warm.

My SAD sewing table.

I really can sew there, honest.

My cutting table/desk.

No I can't cut stuff there right now.

My wall of fabric storage.

DH built these for me last year to help me organize and it did work of 3 or 4 months. Then the clutter came back.

Closet O' Crap

Honestly there are no excuses here. Can't think of one, except for the 2000 pounds of wheat in there somewhere.

There I have purged and told all. There are no more secrets in that room.
Now onward and upward. I am bent on cleaning and organizing the mell of a hess (to quot my dad) and bring order once and for all to my favorite room (after the kitchen).
I do plan on enlisting some help. I will be using the Fly Lady and the Slob Sisters since they are the ones that understand the cluttered person's mind and do realize that we are not lazy but just don't have a clue about order. Sorry we just don't get it but we ARE able to learn and do work very hard. We just need pointers. :o)
So I would like to issue the challenge to any of the rest of you out there that have been living with a deep dark cluttered secret and would like some public help to get it organized, to do just that. Go public and get it done. We will all be here to cheer you on.

I issue this challenge to everyone that reads this post.

***edited to add***
My plan for January:
Set the timer for 15 minutes everyday and de-clutter in the sewing room for those 15 minutes.
When the timer rings, turn it off and walk away.

Why fifteen minutes - you can do anything for just 15 minutes. It is long enough to get some real work done, and short enough that you don't burn out. The ADD person can keep on task for 15 minutes at a time.
The key is that you stay on that task ONLY for your 15 minutes. If you find things that need to be put somewhere else then put them in a basket, bag, or box and put them away when the timer goes off. If you don't you will distract yourself into another room or other task and get nowhere fast.
Now we will see what that does for me and I will take pictures again on Feb 1st and see where I get. :o)

New Apron Swap

Hello, all my swapping friends!

It is time for a new swap for a new year.

My dear friend Shawnee, of the Flirty Apron Swap, and I are teaming up together to offer you the Sassy/Flirty Apron Swap.

The name of the swap is

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

It is a Valentine's Day apron swap.

Think Pink, Pink Pink!

Red and white work too. :o)

To sign up for this swap, click on the buy now button to be directed to the registration form.

I should tell you now that this swap is different from the other swaps I have done with you.

This apron swap has a $5 charge.

I know this is different from the ones I have done with you in the past.

The $5 is kind of a swap insurance if you want to call it that. The money goes to help provide fabulous prized and to help cover apron angel expenses. The payment is set up through paypal. If you can't do paypal I can work with you, just contact me and we will figure it out. :o)

Sign-ups run from now till January 9th or until the swap fills up so get your spot now. We can only take a limited number this month and next month.

For more information about the swap check out the new swap blog at Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice!

There are two teams for this swap for sign up and organizational convenience for me and Shawnee. You will all be entered into the same swap regardless of what person you sign up under. The team bit just helps me and Shawnee keep track of people and hopefully cut down on our work loads.

Fabulous Nativity Set!

Check out this fabulous Nativity Scene PDF that I found over at Etsy. (Ok my niece designed it and made it But it is fabulous)


It is so simple but so lovely and quick to work up. I love the embellishments she includes. You can follow her design or do your own thing with the directions she included.
She has them on sale right now as her introductory PDF. If you are quick you can get one and get it made before Christmas! (yes I am that kind of crafter.)

Go get your copy at Becky Jane Creations!

Gingerbread Goodness!

I had some left over brown fabric and had to make a couple of extra Gingerbread aprons.




My great nieces Renata and Gwenny were sweet enough (with a candy bribe) to pose in my Little Gingerbread Apron. It is size 2-4T and is waiting to be snatched up over at my Etsy store.
I also made a grown up version size M-XL. It should fit a size 10-18 US.

My cat Ginger had to help check the whole photo process out. Sad thing was it was below freezing outside when I shot the pictures. My fingers went numb with the cold.

Here is some of the pink frosting detail.

The brown apron is trimmed with light pink ribbon frosting with white rick-rack trim at the top and bottom. The ties are pink ribbon.

Tradition

Every year for the last 30+ years my mom has made a hand made ornament for her family members. I was about 3 when she started making them. I remember all of them and helped make several of them when I was little. It is always a treat to see what she decides on and how she takes the idea and makes it her own.

This year she made felt horses adorned with sequins. They are quite marvelous.

The tree covered with them is really quite something. She wasn't going to put them up this year because she will be moving before Christmas so there wasn't going to be a tree at grandma's house for the first time ever. I am glad she gave it and let my little girls put them on for her.

Here are some more shots. Enjoy!





Merry Christmas

A Brother Like That

December 2nd - Day 2 of the 24 Days of Christmas

Scripture :
Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God , The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Song:
"Once in Royal David's City"

Story:

A Brother Like That
A friend of mine named Paul received a new car from his brother as a pre-Christmas present. On Christmas Eve, when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin 'was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it.
"Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.
Paul nodded, "My brother gave it to me for Christmas."
The boy looked astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you, and it didn't cost you anything? Gosh I wish. . ."
He hesitated, and Paul knew what he was going to wish. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.
"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."
Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively added, "Would you like a ride in my new car?"
"Oh, yes, I'd love that!",
After a short ride the urchin turned, and with his eyes aglow said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?"
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again.
"Will you stop right where those steps are?" the boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then in a little while, Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He 'was carrying his little polio-crippled brother. He sat down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up right against him and pointed to the car.
"There she is, Buddy, just like l told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas, and it didn't cost him a cent, and someday I'm gonna give you one just like it; then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you about.
Paul got out and lifted the little lad into the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.
That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when He said, "IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE..."
Author Unknown

The Last Straw

I would like to share a little bit of our Christmas traditions with you. My house is currently upside down as the contractor tries to finish things up on my side and on my mom's side of the house. As a result we have a living room that is torn apart and a kitchen that is also torn apart. These two rooms are vital to most of our Christmas traditions of baking and tree decorating and such I have had to think hard about how to make our Home have the Christmas spirit for my children. I was feeling a little blue about this until my little ones reminded me about a book my sister Eileen made for me. She made it with her Relief Society group and has been one of our all time favorite Christmas gifts ever. It is an advent book filled with stories, songs and scriptures about Christmas. Each day has a scripture that tells you about the birth of Christ, a religious Christmas carol and an inspirational story.
Last night being the first night, we read "The Last Straw". It is one of our favorites. I can't find an exact copy of the story but this one is close enough to what we read. The mother in the story is frustrated with the bickering her children do so much of and how it is killing the Christmas spirit in her home. She remembers a tradition from her childhood where the family would put straws into a cradle to prepare for the arrival of the Christ child. Each straw represented a good deed done by family members for each other. The family drew names each week and then did secret acts of kindness for that family member all week. It really is a charming little story.
We changed it a little and this year we get to put pennies in a piggy bank for each act of kindness we do. On Christmas day we get to open the bank and count out what we did and the use that in the next week to do something as a family to celebrate a month of family kindness. The kids are hoping to save enough pennies to go do JJ's and get an ice cream cone. :o) I love how they enjoy simple pleasures and weren't greedy asking for an X Box or something like that. Sweet!
Here is the list of things we read last night in case you want to read them too as a family.

Dec 1st

Scripture:
Isaiah 7:14
".......Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

Song:
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Music here

Story:
"The Last Straw"


I would love to hear about your family Christmas Traditions and how you bring the true meaning of Christmas to your homes.

Auction Items

Tomorrow is the first ending day for several of the Auction items for Sweet Baby Josephine. (BTW I got to hold and love and squeeze her for Thanksgiving with a mask on)

Here are some of my favorites that you can go check out. The bidding has been so much fun to watch and there have been some real surprises.

Silver Ring

Sapphire Blue Vixen Corsets Bodice

You can see more of these at Damsel In This Dress at Ebay.

Puppy Pouch

Kenneth Lane Vintage Owl Necklace

Christmas half Apron

Baby Sling

Hand Batiked Fabric from Africa

Fair Isle Hat Knitted

Wool Baby Jacket

Ceramic Bowl by Joe Bennion

Sassy Aprons Made by ME

There is one large one and two small ones. You can put them together for a Mommy and Me set.

Black Sassy Half Apron

Ugly Fabric Table Runner

1930's reproduction Quilt

Sampler Quilt

These quilts were all made by my mother. Some of them have been hand quilted as well. Several siblings and grand children have been bidding over them. It will be interesting to see who gets them.

Benefit for Josephine Elizabeth

I would like you to meet Miss Josephine.

Josephine Elizabeth is the the beautiful daughter of my little brother Jon and his sweet wife Clara. Her beautiful story is posted on their blog.
Josephine was born with Trisomy 18. Trisomy 18 is a genetic disorder associated with the presence of extra material from chromosome 18. Fifty percent of infants with this condition do not survive beyond the first week of life. Only 5 -10% of infants survive to their first birthday. The outcome is fatal - however, each case is unique and there is no timeline for Josephine's survival. Josephine has many of the outward characteristics as well as all four of the heart defects associated with T-18.

My niece Angelic and I have come together to create a blog for Miss Josephine to host a benefit auction to help Jon and Clara with Josephine's medical expenses.

We are asking anyone how has been touched by Josephine's story, or by Trisomy 18 in any way to please bid on items in the auction.

If you would like to donate an item to be included in the auction please feel free to contact me through a post here or an email. The auction will be held through Ebay starting on November 26th.
As items are donated they will be posted at the Josephine Blog and here.
If you would like to make a monetary donation, that would be greatly appreciated as well.
THANK YOU!

One Yard Half Apron Tutorial

OK so I don't know what to call this apron but I do love it.

It meets my criteria for a good apron - fast, fun and easy to make and only takes one yard of fabric.

This apron makes a quick gift for birthdays, Christmas, Swaps, or just because you love your friends. It works up in about an hour or less.



Materials



1 yard cotton fabric (the fabric I used is Morning Call by Hoodie's Collection)



4 yard ric-rack trim in a coordinating color





Cutting instructions



Apron:

Lower section - 13" by width of fabric

Upper section - 8 1/2" by 27"

Waistband - 4" by 19"

Ties - 2 1/2" by width of fabric



Pocket:

2 pieces 6 by 6 1/2"



Sewing instructions:



1. Take the lower apron piece and gather the upper edge of it.



2. Pin the top of the lower section to the bottom of the upper apron section. Stitch in place.

You can top stitch this seam for a more professional look if you like.

Be sure to press the seam toward the top to catch it in the top stitching. (by the way I finish all my seams with the serger or with a zig-zag stitch, nothing ruins a fun apron faster than ravelled seams on the back. It is just plain tacky!)

3. Make a narrow hem on the sides and bottom of the joined apron pieces.



4. Gather the top edge of the upper apron section.



5. Pin the apron skirt to the waistband and adjust the gathers. Be sure to leave 1/4" of waistband sticking out and each side of the apron. Stitch in place.



6. Fold the top edge of the waist band down 1/4" to the wrong side and press.



7. Sew up your apron ties. You can do this by folding them in half lengthwise and sewing down one long side and across the end and turning. OR... you can hem both long sides and one end of each tie by turn under a scant 1/4" and turning under again and top stitching. (sorry I forgot to take a picture)



8. Place the apron ties on the waist band right side down pointing toward the apron center and pin or baste in place.



9. Fold the apron waist band down toward the apron front with right sides together and stitch the short ends together. Turn the the right side out and press in place.



10. Top stitch along the base of the waist band catching the front and the back of the waist band making sure the apron skirt seam is inside the band. This will finish off your edges nicely.



11. Sew around the pocket piece leaving an opening at the bottom to turn.



12. Clip the corners and turn and press the pocket. Place 3 rows of the ric-rack trim on the pocket and stitch in place about 1/2" apart. Be sure to leave about 3/4" tails on the trim. Fold these under when attaching the pocket to the apron to make sure they are secure.



13. Position the pocket on the right or left side of your apron upper layer where it is comfortable for you. Top stitch around the sides and bottom of the pocket being sure to back stitch a few times at the top of the pocket to secure.

14. Sew ric-rack trim on the bottom of the apron in three rows about 1" apart. Be sure to leave tails and fold them under to the back side of the apron to secure in place. I am using just a straight stitch to secure the ric-rack.



You are now done and have a fast, fun, and flirty new apron.



This apron fits most. For a smaller or skinnier apron cut the waist band at 16". For a larger apron cut the waist band at about 22 inches and increase the upper portion to 30". The lower section can stay the same and will just have more or less gathers depending on if you are sizing up or down.