The (Finished) Black Apple Apron!

I finished the apron!!!!

There's nothing like twelfth hour crafting. I was pinning and sewing up until 6:30 today, knowing I had to have this gift ready for 7:00. I was so excited to wrap it and give it to Jaqi of Il Filato Dolce as a going away gift. Jaqi and I have recently developed a pretty close friendship (and at lightning speed) after knowing each other for more than five years. I hope her journey to Portland goes as planned, and that everything is perfect in her new home!

In addition to "the apron that launched a million migraines", I also gave her a copy of David and I's favorite cook book, Apples for Jam. The photography is stunning and the recipes are so simple and rustic that they would make anyone feel like a rock star in the kitchen.

What is your favorite cookbook?

I'm sure you all want the real dirt on this project, so here it goes:

Apron Pattern: "Cafe Apron", Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter.

Embroidery Pattern: "The Black Apple" for Sublime Stitching.

Rick Rack trim Inspiration: "Farmgirl Pillow", Stitched in Time by Alicia Paulson.

All components, with the exception of the embroidery, were vintage and found on Etsy.

I hope you all love this FO as much as I do!

<3

Robbie.

Coming Up...

-Connor the Clown: His Journey Begins-A Work in Progress; The Bathroom.-The First Roll of Film From My Diana Mini

-Book Discussion; The Life of Pi

...and much more

How does your garden grow?

My fabric from PurlSoho came in!!!! I've already pre-washed it and I'm ready to start chopping it up. I never realized the importance of pre-washing until I read Simple Sewing and found out how much it could mess up an FO if you skip it.

I actually finished another sewing project and dyed some yarn, but you'll have to visit my Flickr page to see them. They're both for a swap that I'm not ready to send out yet.

The fabric all the way to the right is the Kokka print that I was drooling over last week. The other two are for something in my kitchen, but I'm not sure what :-)

Mr. Stripey is getting bigger. I should start measuring him, eh? Everything else is taking it's time growing. I planted a bunch of bulbs and some basil this week and I bought a hibiscus tree at Loew's. It has a bunch of buds so I'll get a good pic when it blooms.

<3

knitxcore.

We're throwin' down our push brooms, we're hangin' up our apron ties.

I'm probably the last person in blogland to catch this "sewing bug", but I finally ordered Lotta Jansdotter's "Simple Sewing". The patterns in it are soooo modern and cool! I was amazed by the doorstop I saw on someone else's blog and that's what initially sold me. But upon further inspection, I pretty much love everything. Aprons and potholders, bags galore, and even some cool organizational things fill the pages of this awesome new book. I'm in love!

I have already finished the apron part of my first project, I still need to make the pocket. I was going to use the yellow fabric from the picture at the top but, it's just a little too thin and I'm afraid it may rip off. Other than my fabric choice for the pocket, I'm pretty excited. The instructions are so clear, they made me feel like a rockstar while cutting and sewing in my craft room. I picked up that cute-sy fruit print at JoAnn's, believe it or not. I know it's the place that cool goes to die, but I wanted to jump in and start as soon as the book came. I have, however, ordered some AMAZING fabric at Purlsoho to start on another apron and a doorstop that I'm giving as a housewarming gift. KoKKa fabric is pretty much the cutest line I have ever seen, even though it can be a bit price-y I think it's worth for the unique, brightly colored prints.