Angel Apron

Here's an "angel" apron swap package I sent out awhile ago - just didn't get around to posting. Let me warn you: NOTHING about this swap really goes together very well except that it all fit the theme, which was Cupcakes, Cherries, and Mary Engelbreit, Oh My! So...a bit of each - here's the apron, which has M.E. and cherries. Pic's a little washed out...the top flounce is M.E. fabric, and the dark fabric is cherries.

I made these cupcakey potholders:

And rounded it out with this M.E. bag. I LOVE this bag! It almost didn't make it into the box!

Here's the back. There's a pocket-on-the-pocket, with a zipper - how fun!

Here's a closeup of the pocket. Of course, there were other goodies I included, but didn't get a picture of them. I love creating "angel" swap packages!







APP's Potholder Swap - What I Got!

Been a bit tardy about posting this - be assured my partner did send her potholder on time - I'm just late to post about it :-(  Actually, I was coming up on my 100th post and thought I should do a giveaway, but wanted to actually HAVE something to give away before I posted! Well, then I saw someone else's blog where they had fudged on a milestone post and did a giveaway WELL AFTER the actually milestone occurred. So I thought "Brilliant! I shall fudge on MY 100th post, too! Because fudge is chocolate, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with chocolate!" My, how I can talk myself into or out of just about anything, LOL! So, here is the beautiful potholder and other things that my wonderful partner, Susie, sent me! I aboslutely love it all! I love the fabric so much! And look at the tea towel, with a hanging loop - soooo pretty, pretty, pretty!!!

As if the beautiful potholder and towel weren't enough, she also sent this delicate etched glass oval! It's hanging in my (FORMER) office window in this photo, but it'll be going in my living room window at home as soon as I unpack it - more about why it's my FORMER office window in the next post.

But the things that tickled me the most were these little gold-tone paper clips! They are so delicate! And so small! Susie said she had gotten them from someone and was "doling" them out to special people. My, I guess that must make me a special person and even though there are only two in the picture below (with the seam gauge for scale), she sent me THREE of them! I'm feeling all quite warm and fuzzy, Susie :-) Thanks so much for everything!

Monkeyin' Around

Made some kitchen stuff for a friend's son, Chad, who has purchased his very own first home. Kathy (mom) and coworkers rummaged through their houses for household items they could spare, to get him set up. Kathy said the one thing she was sorely lacking was any potholders she could give to the cause. So I said "I'll make him some!" Wanting them to be dignified enough for a guy, I Monkeyed around and came up with these:

I used wide-wale corduroy on the back of the potholders. It was on sale at Joann's and I thought it would add texture, as well as a bit of extra thickness, protection, and of course, manliness! I've since made others with corduroy backings just because I like it so much!

I also found some bar towels at Target that had a decorative stripe in coordinating colors. I added a bit of Monkey fabric to two of them and left the other two plain.

But, my favorite item is this reusable grocery bag I made him from one of hubby's old, worn shirts. Chad had already been scouring ads and figuring out the best grocery stores to shop in, so I figured he might actually USE a reusable grocery bag.

I cut the bag out of the center, including the well-worn shirt pocket, and added a cuff, and the back-neck tag for interest.

Here's Kathy at Chad's housewarming party.

Look at the totally cool coffee table one of Chad's guy-friends gave him! It's made from pistons. Chad's friend recently had a baby, so those sharp bits underneath aren't baby-friendly, but all Chad has to be careful of are his friends who might possibly get inebriated at one of his parties, rolling around on the floor...small price to pay for such awesome furniture! Happy Housewarming!

Potholder Swap - Why Wasn't This Easy-Peasy???

When I signed up for Aunt Pitty Pat's Potholder Swap, it was supposed to be "quick-and-dirty"...well, maybe "quick-and-clean" since potholders ARE to be used around food, LOL! But, I thought

"This will be easy-peasy! Just make a potholder! Not an APRON and a potholder and candy and tuck-ins and...and. Just a potholder! How difficult could it be?"

Well, I have always suspected, but now there is proof-positive, that I can make ANYTHING difficult, without really trying! I pondered and fussed and "auditioned" various fabrics and patterns and made potholder after potholder (well, ok...maybe just 4 plus the one I finally sent...). I guess, when it was just supposed to be a potholder, my little pea-brain decided it had to be 'One Spectacular Potholder.' Like a potholder with rainbows, ruffles, glitter, flashing lights, a 100-piece orchestra, and 50 dancing girls with black net stockings. I fell a little short of all that...but at some point I just had to get it in the mail. So here's the potholder, sans rainbows, ruffles, blah, blah, blah...all that stuff I mentioned:

Here's the back - there's a hand-sized pocket and you can use that to grab hot stuff from either side.

I embellished a tea towel with some of the fabric, (and don't get me started on how I fussed over making that purchased tea towel squared-up because it was sooooo off grain!).

I also made one of my Weads Necklaces in the same colors.

All together now:

Hope my partner liked it! And thanks, APP, for coordinating this little (but stressful!) swap :-)

Cupcakes, Cherries, and M.E., Oh My!

Here's what I made for Shawnee's latest Flirty Apron Swap:

My partner wanted a cupcake apron, so I obliged. Here is a closeup of the fabric. I added a tiny slice of blue at the hemline, just for the heck of it:

The bib sports a 3-D cupcake. The frosting swirls are actually narrow, gathered strips of white cotton knit. The sprinkles are bugle beads, and the cherry is also 3-D with a beaded stem.

Here are some of the goodies I included. I also sent a cupcake purse pattern and a cupcake pincushion, although I didn't make the pincushion, but it was cute.

And I wrapped it all up in a tote bag made from M.E. fabric (to fulfil all the swap elements).

And here's what I got from my partner, Barb (Dogmom Diva)! It's fabulous! I love the full apron - and my husband thought it was wonderful, too!

And the goodies she sent, oh my! There are some cupcake candles and it's all I can do NOT to eat them, they smell sooooo good! Black Cherry, yummm! She even included some scented matches - I didn't know there was such a thing! She also sent some sweet ribbon, a rubber stamp, the cutest cupcakey tags I've ever seen, and this awesome, embellished tin - it's adorable and I will be storing something very special in it, I'm sure! Thanks, Barb - everything is terrific, and I've already worn the apron!!!

Catching Up on Apron Swaps

Boy, life sure seems to get in the way sometimes...or maybe it's WORK that gets in the way! At any rate, I'm retiring on August 31, so maybe then I'll have more time for sewing AND blogging (although if all my retired friends are a gauge, I'll be wondering how I ever managed to work!). So here's my latest apron I sent out - this one was for Yarni Gras' Hot Mama Pin-Up Apron Swap. I had this Michael Miller fabric already in my stash and the colors turned out to be exactly what my partner wanted. I love this Simplicity pattern 4692, even though the faced scallops do take a bit of time to make them nice. 

I also made this potholder, with a unique hanging loop that I dreamed up:

 

I prettied up a dishtowel to go along with the theme:

 

And made a little recipe card folder, and included recipe cards. I added some Seattle Chocolates, and a journal and matching pen to complete the swap. The picture didn't turn out so well...but I have to tell you a little story - I was doing "Show-and-Tell" at work, and I untied the bow on the recipe card folder to show the inside to a coworker, and when I re-tied it, she said "What did you just do?" She had never seen anyone tie a bow by making the loops and then tyeing them together. I think I learned that trick from Martha years ago and have been tyeing bows like that ever since (not sure I can tie a bow the "other" way anymore!). So she learned something new and I'm sure she went right home and went bow-tyeing crazy :-)

This will go in the mail on Monday because I didn't get it sent when I had it all completed (like a week ago), and my partner is moving, so I had to wait to get her new address. I hope she loves it!

"Washington" Bags

I made these sets of grocery and produce bags for my office fund-raising auction. One grocery or tote bag and three produce bags. The grocery bag outer fabric is "Washington" by In The Beginning exclusively for Pacific Fabrics & Crafts stores. The produce bags are made of Bubble Organza from JoAnn's, and the fruits and vegetables fabric is Farmer's Market. I used pink and black polka dots and green and white polka dots for the lining. I added a pretty bow on each tote bag. The fabric is fabulous! There are soooo many "Washington" things to look at! From Seattle's unique Pike Place Market, to Mt. Saint Helen's (anniversary of the big blow is tomorrow!), along with crabs, fishing boats, Orcas, tulips, ferry boats, wheat, sea planes, Snoqualmie Falls, otters - so many "Washington" products and landmarks...oh and don't forget COFFEE! I bought 5 yards of this fabric and I might just have to go back for more :-)