Apron Update

Since it rained the entire day on Tuesday, I figured it was a good enough day to really start working on the apron.  It also helped that Grandma happened to be visiting so was able to distract Rhiannon with her wiles and grandparent-magic.

Although my Mom is an accomplished sewer, I never managed to pick up on any of it.  I do remember her having Christine and I sew little pillows and hearts and beads with needle and thread when we were kids, and maybe a few lessons on a sewing machine, but the machine just freaked me out.  The thread goes here, then there, then around this thing, and then where??  I dreaded running out of bobbin thread because that meant that I’d have to rethread the machine again.  And speaking of the bobbin, how in the world does the needle “catch” the tread from the bobbin?  Magic, I suppose.  Maybe I’m a sewing-machine Luddite on the subconscious level.

I ended up inheriting my Mom’s old green Singer sewing machine years ago as well as Paul’s Mom’s machine.  I’ve used it to hem many a pant leg, made dozens of pillow cases, simple curtains and even a duvet cover.  But anything other than a straight stitch was beyond my capabilities. 

Right before leaving Illinois for Krazo Acres, my Mom bought me a brand new sewing machine as a going away present.  Not sure if it was because she actually thought I’d be having to make my own clothing out of flour sacks (I was moving to the Ozarks you know) or what.  But it was shiny and new and even had little numbers right on the machine showing you exactly how to thread the thing!  There were also instruction printed on the cover of the bobbin on how it went, and to top it all off, a little doodad that threads the needle for you!  A-Freaking-Mazing.

So even though I have this new and easy-peasy sewing machine, I still have done nothing other than a straight stitch.  But that’s ok!  Because thank the heathen gods, that is all that is required for an apron, right?  Right??

Well, I suppose that would be true if I didn’t pick a pattern with stupid ruffles.  There is a section where it says to “gather ruffles” next to a cryptic picture of the shoulder pieces with a largish-stitch showing on the edge you’re supposed to be doing the gathering.  Except, it doesn’t tell you how to do this gathering sorta stitch.  I’m assuming that it’s a large, loose stitch that you’ll eventually pull one end & it will ruffle up the material.  But how do I do it??  And don’t these pattern people understand that I am a complete moron when it comes to sewing?  And they have the audacity to put the word “Easy” on the pattern in bold red letters.  False advertising if you asked me.

As usual, I regress…..

Since Grandma and Rhiannon were pretty much entertaining each other, I had an opportunity to start on the dreaded and feared highly anticipated Apron Sew-Off apron.  With some guidance and help from Mom, I was able to pin and cut out all the pieces. 

Susan "helping" me with the pattern instructions.

Even though Rhiannon was busy with Grandma or mesmerized by a SpongeBob video, there were still several close calls, mishaps and other activities pretty much non-conducive to sewing.  All I could imagine was having to chase down a screaming and kicking toddler with pins stuck in her soft little feet.  Luckily nothing like that happened.

Notice the toddler about to run across my carefully laid out pattern.
Oh, and the bag of multi-colored puff balls and pipe cleaners from the
craft bin that was pilfered through just moments earlier.

After Paul got home from work, I was able to sew the pieces together that didn’t require any “gathering” or the like, so now I just have to get another lesson from Mom on how to do that.  And then try to decipher the rest of the hieroglyphics printed on the so-called “instruction” sheet.

I may yet get this thing done before Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving of 2012, that is.