Monday, September 8, 2008

The History of Aprons



Some of you may have read this before, and if you have, it's worth re-reading. I good friend of mine sent it to me recently and I wanted to share it with all of you who love aprons and "the good old days"! Thanks Jennifer!


The History of 'APRONS'

I don't think our kids know what an apron is. The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven. It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids. And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove. Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron. From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner. It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that "old-time apron" that served so many purposes.

REMEMBER: Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool - and her granddaughters set their's on the window sill to thaw.
These days they would go crazy trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. And I don't think I ever caught any illness from my grandmother's apron.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Taggie Project and the Big Yellow Bus


Just sharing a project I completed for a Great customer of mine - thanks again!

These are little taggies going to 3 little babies - little triplets. Everyone... pause for a moment of prayer for their parents. What a blessing!
And...here is my girl coming off of the school bus for the first time. What a brave girl! She rode home for the first time Wednesday. She said that she got a little teary eyed because she couldn't remember her Bus #, but we've written it on her backpack now and quizzed her over and over since then. I think she's enjoying it a bit more. Riding the bus is a rite of passage in my book - of course I was tortured into riding it through high school when I was a kid! (Don't worry Sweet Pea, I won't make you do that)
Her brother just about turns himself inside out, he's so excited to see that big yellow bus stop in front of our house!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Vintage Goodie Turned into a Vintage Cutie

One of these days I'll do a tutorial on how to make these. It's a little Tag Blanket and Burp Clothe/Changing Pad set. I love making these because they allow me to be extra creative and use up some of the little pieces of fabric I have laying around.
I made these for a great customer of mine - Athena. Thanks again!
I'm trying to "work" my business extra this month in an attempt to pay for my trip to Round Top in a few weeks. I love the saying, "Work makes Work" - I don't know who said it first, but it makes sense to me, in more ways than one. In relating to my Whoopsie Daisies, I don't get any work, unless I "work".......so,.........gotta get to work. C Ya

Friday, August 29, 2008

Boys Plaid Patchwork Shorts

My family is having our picture taken in a few weeks and I was looking for something for the kids to wear. I spotted these shorts from Kelly's Kids, but didn't want to pay the money for them, mainly because I knew if I found similar fabric I could just make them myself.
I used this pattern from Simplicity. I found the material at Joann's. It was a little tricky working with this fabric, mainly because of the patchwork. There are a lot of seams to deal with.
Here's what I came up with! (No, I didn't mess up the leg, it's just how he's standing. I had to take the picture quick! He doesn't hold still for very long)



I'm also planning to make this dress for my girl. I'll let you know how that turns out.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

My Little Girl is Growing Up

My girl started Kindergarten on Monday. She did great! I did just fine - a few tears here and there, but all in all, so far, so good. My boy is absolutely obsessed with the school buses and he wants to ride one "NOW"! Today is day 3 of school and I've been taking her and picking her up. Next week I think we're going to try having her take the bus home. This will produce squeals of delight from my boy. He'll be glued to the front window watching for his sissy's bus 1 hour before it's supposed to arrive.
The start of Kindergarten has been a little more emotional than I expected. All last week I was in knots, worrying about silly things. I woke up one morning at 3:30am and couldn't fall back to sleep because I was worried I'd forget to charge the battery on my camera. I was worried because I didn't have a "special" breakfast planned for her, didn't have a "special enough" outfit for her to wear, and on and on. It's crazy I know - but I just didn't want to screw up her first day. I live in a community where most residents are very blessed with resources beyond what's truly needed. I need to constantly stop myself and remember that she's not going to care about all that later on (well, she might be ticked off if I didn't have a picture of her on the first day though).
I'm just glad that she is happy and willing to trot off to school and so far, has come home happy and ready to tell me about her day.
As I was leaving her school this morning, I passed a Kindergarten teacher wrangling a screaming, kicking, crying boy. I really admired that teacher for her patience. It's not an easy job being a teacher....duh. I also left with compassion for that little boy's mother. She was leaning against the wall just sobbing into her hands. It's hard enough sending your baby to school for the first time, but I can't imagine doing it if your child was miserable. It's not easy being a mom either......
Keep all of the Kindergarten Mommies in your thoughts and prayers these next few weeks, and pray for all of the little ones just starting out, that they may thrive and grow into happy, well-rounded kids.


Monday, August 25, 2008

Free Handmade Envelope Tutorial

Paper crafting is somewhat new to me, so I was quite impressed with myself this morning when I sat down to make these homemade envelopes. Paper crafts require time to create away from children - and since my #1 girl started Kindergarten this morning (more on that later!) and my #1 boy is sleeping, I was able to spend a little quiet time myself creating these........

I had been trying to find envelopes that would fit a 4x6 picture. I thought I'd been so clever having photo thank you cards made, but then was frustrated because I couldn't find envelopes to fit them. I think these turned out cuter than anything I could've purchased.

Step #1: Using an envelope that you currently have, in the dimensions that you need, open it up all the way.
Step #2: Trace the envelope onto your desired paper. I used scrapbook paper that was actually in a Christmas pack. I bought this huge package of it several years ago when I thought I'd get into scrapbooking (that didn't really happen!)Step #3 - Cut it out. I used just regular scissors from my junk drawer in the kitchen. I'm sure you could use something more precise if you're not very steady with your hands.Step #4 - Fold in the sides. I used a plastic ruler to help fold the edges.


Step #5 - Somehow glue the edges down. I used these cute litte pieces of tape I found in my long forgotten box of scrapbooking stuff.And............. Viola - a loverly handcrafted envelope you can be proud of! Let me know if you have any questions -

Friday, August 22, 2008

Aprons Around the Globe


I've noticed quite a few hits from this website - "10marifet I would include a picture from their site, but since I can't read turkish, I can't figure out how to do that.
Apparently, they love me in Turkey. I'm number 7 on the list. It's another great place to find apron tutorials. If you click on them, they'll bring up other blogs in English.
I love the fact that women around the globe are sharing their love and interest in aprons and sewing. The internet is great for many reasons, but think about how we can reach out to one another just by typing on a computer. Obviously some terrible things can happen just by typing some words on a computer, but I'm comforted by the fact that as women - we can somehow join hands. I'm convinced that women can change the world.
If you're coming to me from 10marifet - welcome!! And thanks for stopping by!
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