Please welcome the long-awaited Tea Towel Apron.  So exciting that Scarlet even got to come out of the craft room to model it:

 
It's not quite the Throwback Thursday project I initially planned...but it was so much fun designing it!  I based it off of this tutorial from Martha (she calls it a "dish towel" apron, not nearly as classy).  But her top was square, which I didn't want.

 
So I changed it.  Then I decided the entire thing in two matching tea towels was...well...dull.  So I added a flap:

 
The flap is not stitched along the bottom, so it can be used for drying hands and things.  I thought it nice to have a separate little hand-drying apron attached to the larger apron. That way your clothes stay covered even while you're drying your hands.  Is that important? Not sure. But it sure makes for a cute apron!

This was made from a set of tea towels I bought at Target (they came two towels to a set, so I used one and a half sets).  I also own the matching table runner...which will make it hard to let go of this apron. I mean, imagine what a clever hostess I would be, what with my apron matching my table and all.

The ties for the neck and waist were super easy, made from cotton twill tape.  I've considered writing a little tutorial to show you how I did it (the whole apron, not just the ties). Maybe later this week?

By now, you know how it works: Leave a comment on this post by next Wednesday, and you'll be entered to win this apron.  Completely random, completely free. 

Remember this bag from Sketchbook Crafts? I was so in love with it, but couldn't bring myself to spend that kind of money on a purse. Crazy Husband, who just doesn't understand how complicated this sewing thing is, suggested I just make my own. Really, because it's just that easy?!  

Motivated by Mr. Plaid's confidence, I decided to modify the Charming Handbag project (from Bend The Rules Sewing, of course), to try to get the feel of Sketchbook Crafts' bag. I used what I had in the stash, which was a somewhat stretchy dark blue heavy cotton (no idea what it is, really, found it at Joann's in the Red Tag fabric section last Christmas).   For the pintucks, I used a grey and white shirting (also from the Red Tag section).

I just sort of winged it on the pintucks, but I was pretty happy with how they turned out.  I just made the pintucks in the grey fabric, then sewed the pintucked fabric to the front outside piece before putting the bag together. 

 
Here you can see the grey fabric and tiny stripes a little better. One of my favorite parts of the Charming Handbag is the casing for the handles. It gives the bag such a cute little pucker.  

Smaller than the original bag that I loved, but a fun modification of the original pattern.  

Before I link to someone's tutorial, I generally ask for their approval.  In my email to them, I explain the idea behind Throwback Thursday and Win-It Wednesday.  One of them once responded, telling me how "brave" I was promising to show a finished project before I'd even started it.  At the time, I didn't think much of it. 

This bathmat, though, almost had me rethinking things...It looked and sounded easy enough, cutting the squares all the same size was the biggest problem I expected to encounter.  Turns out, that part was pretty easy.

It wasn't until I started sewing the squares together, and then sewing the rows together, that I started getting a little nervous.  I was having a difficult time getting everything to line up perfectly.  But it turns out, this project was really very forgiving, and even if the squares don't line up in perfect rows, it still comes up looking really, really good (humble, huh?).

You'll notice I didn't include the optional embroidered footprints.  I think it's a really fun idea, to trace your feet and embroider them. But I started thinking, does the lucky winner of this bathmat really want to step out of the tub onto a stranger's footprints every day? Would you want your husband stepping on my feet everyday? Maybe you wouldn't mind, I'm not sure. But I didn't want to creep anyone out. 

I used some of my favorite scraps, and if you've been reading awhile, you probably recognize some of them.  This is the last of some of these fabrics, and I can say that I'm not that sad to see some of it go. I thought I'd never tire of that Alexander Henry fabric, but after the placemats, I think I've finally seen enough of it.  I do, however, have a new Alexander Henry fabric (birdseed!) that I'm dying to use for a project. I think I have the perfect thing in mind...Soon...

 
I like this photo of the bathmat in my bathroom. I like how the patchwork squares (24 in.) turned out almost the exact same size as the travertine squares (18 in.) on the floor. I thought it'd be too many squares, but in the end, I think it's fun.  No matter, because this particular bathmat is off to someone else's home. But I'm feeling reassured that the next version will look quite nice in my bathroom.  I also like that you can see a tiny square of my current fuzzy, boring, tan bathmat.

I even cut up my favorite pink towel to use as the back of the mat. I toyed with the idea of using one of our old scrap towels, but those are pretty much covered in paint, and I was thinking that might also freak out the winner. So, a triple-washed, seldom used, favorite pink towel provides the backing. 

Meg's tutorial was great. Straight-forward, easy to follow and fun. The concept was simple enough, really, that once the dimensions were figured for you (lesson learned: pay close attention to the seam allowances!), the whole project was a matter of common sense. It came together really easily. I cut enough squares that I already have a good start on my next one, which will feature browns and blues with maybe just a hint of red here and there. I'm excited to get started on it.

Leave a comment on this post by next Wednesday, and you'll be entered into a random drawing to win the recycled bath mat. Free!

I love the Kidlet!  It was easy to make, thanks to the wonderful tutorial from JC Handmade, and it was fun too. I loved using all of my scraps for the patchwork pockets.

While I love the look of patchwork, I've only recently begun to give it a try.  The "scraps" above are from apparel fabric I bought at Joann's at the end of last fall.  I was thinking of making some skirts/dresses out of it for the girls.  I did get one twirly skirt made from it, but have plenty more fabric sitting around. Maybe some new school clothes...

The idea was that the black and white Kidlet would make for a nice Grownlet.  Because, I'll be honest, I'm almost as guilty as the kids about leaving random odds and ends laying about.  This way, I can toss things into the living room Kidlet and haul it back to its rightful place in my own room.

The size of these is just right.  Big enough to gather random toys and things, but not so big that they'll hold the entire toy chest before needing to be emptied.  

I intend to make a wall of these for holding blocks and things in the playroom.  One row for the baby to access, and one high enough that only the Kindergartner can get to it. They would take up much less space than a wall of shelves, but still keep things handy and organized.

This tutorial was fantastic--loaded with pictures, easy to follow, and even had a few new tricks.  One in particular that I loved was the way the lining was sewn into bag with a little hole to pull the outside fabric through to turn everything right side out.  It's a great alternative to leaving a hole at the top of the bag that has to be caught when topstitching. I can almost never make that look perfect, and it can be a pretty glaring problem right there at the top of the bag.  You might need to check out the tutorial for that to make sense, but trust me, it's genius.

It's going to kill me, but I'll give away one Kidlet to a random reader! Just leave a comment on this post before next Wednesday and you'll be entered to win.  Absolutely free.

With the swap package finally out the door, I was finally able to breathe normally again.

I think I freaked out a little too much, only because this was my first swap.  It's extremely fun sewing for someone who is anxiously expecting your finished product!  It's also a fun challenge to try fitting into the parameters of what your partner likes/dislikes.

Not as much fun second-guessing the decisions you make along the way, but this was a great exercise in picking the fabric and finishing the project.  Even when I wanted to scrap (ha!) the whole thing and start over (not because I didn't like it, but because I found another really fun fabric and had some other great ideas...)  Too many choices in the fabric world.

I originally dreamt of some patchwork-type napkins, but in the end it didn't happen.  I did almost miss the deadline when I decided it would be fun to do a little machine applique, but cooler heads prevailed and I went with the solid-color napkin.  I actually love the simplicity of the pale yellow napkins, especially because the accent fabric (Alexander Henry, Kleo) on the placemat is a little bold. 

My partner also received some bonus cocktail-sized napkins in matching fabrics, because I thought they were cute.  By the way, I found the napkin making more challenging than the placemat making. Anyone else? All those tiny hems and folded corners...

One of the reasons I chose this swap was because the first project I made from Bend the Rules Sewing was the placemat.  I made a set of four for my grandma's birthday last year, along with matching coasters.  It was fun making these placemats almost exactly one year later and measuring my progress.  Things I remember struggling with the first time around were almost second-nature. 

Where my package was headed, there is no Trader Joe's.  I think that's a shame, because I love Trader Joe's.  So, I wanted to include a few of my favorite things from my favorite store.  Unfortunately, it turns out that 99% of my favorite things are perishable--mostly chocolate.  I went back and forth on whether their vanilla marshmallows would melt along the way, but finally decided they probably would.

Check out some of the other fantastic placemats over on the Flickr group.  I'm off to see if the next swap project is up for a vote yet. After the day off, I'm ready to start again!

Aside from a brief break for Independence Day, the majority of my free time this weekend has been dedicated to meeting the Swap deadline.  Just as fatigue was setting in, and everyone in the house was swearing that I would never do another swap ever again, a wonderful thing happened:

My swap package arrived from Emily! I love, love, love my new placemats and napkins.  She used Amy Butler prints, and "bent the rules" by doing this great patchwork top. They are so fun.

 
She also somehow tapped in to my current obsession with all things Asian and included this fun candy from her local Asian market.  (Note: Emily is from Raytown, Mo.  I grew up very near Raytown, and I cannot imagine that it now has a "local" Asian market...Must check this out.)

I love that the napkins are all different prints, and it was so nice having breakfast this morning on our matching placemats. 

This plate once contained Challah French Toast from the Contessa.  It just might be the very favorite breakfast around here.  Husband showed up from work on Thursday with flowers and Challah bread.  Subtle, no?

Receiving my swap package was just the boost I needed to get going on my placemats...and until my bobbin ran out, I thought I might actually get them finished tonight.  But I have a rule: If the bobbin runs out after 10 p.m., it is a sign that sewing should be finished for the evening. Because, frankly, it's all downhill from there.

Sarah raises an excellent point in her comment--I frequently forget to tell you where my fabrics came from.  The pink, blue, flowered striped fabric in the grocery bag is from Joann's red tag section, about a year ago.  It's a heavier weight, almost canvas. I bought it twice. The first time, I planned to make tote bags with it.  The second time, it was to coordinate with other fabrics on one of those toddler chairs (McCalls 9665) that I was making for the baby's birthday (last, um, fall).  The chair has been stalled for the last, um, year, but I'm thinking of finishing it for birthday No. 2.

As for the strength of these bags, as Jennifer wondered, the pink striped one is pretty solid. It's also a bit smaller, so I made it with the idea that it would be a "can" bag. I piled about 8-10 cans in there and it didn't seem to stretch too much.  The reinforced handles are very good--because they end up being sewn about three times, in three different ways. So I certainly don't think they would fall off on you. The bottom is pretty sturdy, but based on my rather informal test, I wouldn't do more than 6-8 cans in any one bag.  But it could definitely hold a mix of cans and boxes and things pretty well.

The bag from Wisdom of the Moon's tutorial might be even stronger, because it uses one long piece of fabric folded over with no real seam along the bottom. So, no seam to handle the stress of the cans, just the fabric itself. I haven't given the bags a real test run at the market, but I am pretty confident in their strength.  The french seams that the bags use are also supposed to make them quite a bit sturdier than some of the other regular totes out there...