Aloha!

Usually, when I head into my sewing studio I have some idea about what I want to make and what fabric I will be using. When making an apron, I'm trying to picture the woman who will want the apron and why it will be particular to her. It's never about me, but about the woman who will one day own that apron.

Then, there are apron-making days that are personal to me. You see, one year ago this week I was having a wonderful vacation in Hawaii! When I went into my studio to choose a fabric and apron pattern, this fabric cryed out at me and said, "Remember what you doing one year ago today? You were swimming in the turquoise waters of Hanalei Bay! You slept on the edge of a cliff and listened to the ocean crash! You hiked to the top of a mountain and saw untold beauty!"

So, while I was sewing away, making something practical for someone else, I was also sewing in my memories of paradise!

A Few Flew Over My Nest

"What was she thinking?" I am sure many of this blog's stalkers were wondering why all of the sudden I've added embroidered birds to my Etsy store. I hope this picture better explains what I am thinking. When put together into an arrangement, they can make a nice collage.

These feathered friends are so detailed and have the appearance of a pen and ink drawing. It is only when up close you notice that they are made up of 15,000+ stitches. Combined with an Ikea frame, I think they make a nice addition to any room or, even better, a thoughtful gift.

I have had these embroidery designs for several months, and have been waiting to do something with them. I have always planned on stitching them onto watercolor paper and hanging them in our bedroom. It has just taken us for-ev-er to get to this place. For weeks and weeks and weeks (actually months) we have been slowly redoing our bedroom. There was furniture to be bought, furniture to be sold, furniture to be repainted, and furniture to be built! Then, there was the painting and redecorating. Finally, the last thing left to do...put something on a long, blank wall.

Voila! Now, when you peer into our bedroom, you no longer see a blank wall, but a collage of feathered friends that beckon you to enter and relax.

New!

These are definitely not aprons! I've decided to add something completely different to my Etsy store. I fell in love with the details of these designs the minute I laid eyes on them. The are stitched on watercolor paper which makes them perfect for framing.



Of course, aprons are always my first LOVE and here is the first apron from Amy Butler's newest collection called LOVE!

I'm in love with LOVE

It is impossible not to love Amy Butler's newest line of fabrics appropriately named LOVE! The colors are impossibly cheerful and the designs take me straight back to the 70's. I am so inspired by these designs and colors...I can hardly wait to turn them into luscious aprons!

An Untalented Hack

I have just returned from the Quilt Market in Houston which is part of the annual International Quilt Festival. I was in search of fresh ideas for my Etsy store, hoping for both information and inspiration! It didn't take me very long to realize that there is talent and then there is TALENT. Sadly, after viewing the quilts on display as well as the various vendor booths, I have determined that this level of talent completely escapes me.

They say that ignorance is bliss and such was the case with me. While there, I realized that I had entered a realm of sewing that I did not know existed. Overwhelmed and completely outclassed, I had moments of doubt about my alleged sewing abilities.

Still, all was not lost. I will continue to pursue apron sewing with the same passion and enthusiasm as before. I will still sew in my emotions and feelings, and then blog about them here. Most of all, I will always be inspired by the generations of apron-wearing women who came before me. My true passion is to connect these women with you, one apron at a time.

My, My, My...

I believe I read somewhere on the Etsy site that their sellers live and die by their pictures. Well, if you've visited my Etsy store you will notice that I am much better at sewing than I am at photography. However, in my defense, I will say that I have done pretty well with my Nikon point-and-shoot camera.

Still, my husband and I felt it was time to crank it up a notch so we legged it over to the camera store to see what digital slr cameras had to offer that the ol' point-and-shoot didn't. Like Jasmine and Aladdin sang, "It's a whole new world..."

I have truly never felt so ignorant in my whole life. While the new camera does take ah-maz-ing pictures, before snapping a few shots, I have to stop and read the manual for 15 minutes just to sort of know what to do. True, there is the auto-focus, but that only takes you so far.

So, here are two shots of the same apron...with old camera and new camera.