Monday, December 30, 2013

1940s Kitchen Apron

I just finished sewing a kitchen apron from a real vintage pattern my grandma gave me. This was my first experience using a REAL vintage pattern- usually I use reproduction patterns that have been updated for modern sewing. There are definitely some major differences between vintage and modern patterns!

























For one thing, the instructions are much more concise (half a  page as opposed to 3-4 full pages). Here is a modern pattern on the left compared to the vintage one on the right:



It's a good thing I already have a good bit of sewing experience, or I think I would have been totally confused about the instructions. Another difference between vintage and modern is that older patterns do not have any markings printed on them, only punch holes. Here's another comparison of modern(left) to vintage(right):


























Some of the terminology was different as well, and I had to remember to sew 1/2" seam allowances instead of 5/8". I was a little intimidated at first but once I got started it really wasn't too difficult. Here is my finished product:



I had some leftover chevron fabric from the kitchen shade I made, so I used it as an accent fabric on the apron. After all the time I spent sewing it, I'm almost too afraid of staining it to use it though! Haha. I'm such a form over functionist.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Origami Ornaments

Every year at Christmas I try to add a few new ornaments to our collection. This year I decided to make some origami doves. These are pretty easy to make and inexpensive too. The paper I used was $5 for 20 sheets; add $1 worth of ribbon and you have 20 ornaments for $6. I found the pattern for the dove in a book I checked out from the library(free!)



























Another Christmas "ornament" showed up at our house around the time we put up our tree. Meet Claude (Monet), our neighborhood stray cat. He's a perfect little orange tabby, and perfect for us because he is a(mostly) outdoor cat and requires very little care(: