And Now For Something Completely Different...

Having been largely focused on either crochet work or the evolution of my work space, I decided to change it up a little and take a look back at one of my first major sewing endeavors.

In 2008, after succumbing to lay-offs (like a good portion of the nation), I had an opportunity to learn how to sew. Well, maybe for my mother's sake I should say I had an opportunity to re-learn how to sew. Because I'm one of those thick-headed people who needs to take a go at things quite a few times before I really get the hang of it. Anyway, a dear friend of mine who has quite the knack for sewing was gracious enough to have me over to her sewing haven for a weekly session of how-to. Her benefit? Extra hands to get her work done. My benefit? Having life experience under my belt and less fear of the sewing machine to 'make it stick' this time. 

After a year of working together, for my birthday this same dear friend gave me a pattern and fabric for an apron.  This thoughtful, lovely and relatively simple gift would ultimately prove to be a powerful inspiration and springboard for me creatively.  But more about that another day (because I certainly have plenty of creations, and photos thereof, to blog about). She had no way of knowing what kind of monster she'd be creating. ;)

Anyway, the fateful pattern was from McCalls Fashion Accessories: Retro Aprons (M5643). Of the three pattern choices in the pack - Posies's Kitchen, Sophia's Dinner (yes 'dinner', not 'diner') and Lucie's Cafe - I chose to make Posie's Kitchen. The fabric seemed to scream for it. And that, then, my friends is what you see in the images here. Not too shabby for a day's work... or a first serious attempt at following a pattern for an article of (somewhat) clothing!

I had the pink striped fabric in my stash. The buttons were a fun find at the local JoAnn Fabric Store