Sewing Bee #3: Hostess Apron pattern & tutorial

One of the most useful accessories a homemaker can own is a good apron.  I like mine to have good deep pockets—they come in so handy while cleaning house.  Below is the pattern for a hostess or half-apron I drafted for a sewing class I taught. (Thanks to Lulu for modeling it and a dress I made from a vintage pattern)

Cut out the pieces to the measurements as shown. (The seam allowances are included – 5/8 in allowed)

For the skirt piece, cut it out as shown, then round the outside (selvage edges) edges. You can do this by taking a dinner plate and tracing the edge with a pencil then cutting on the line.

Sew a rolled hem all the way around the sides and bottom of the apron.  Set aside.

Pocket Preparation and Placement:

Fold top of pocket over (to the inside) 1 inch and press. Cut a piece of bias tape the width of the pocket and pin an inch below the folded top edge. Stitch in place. Fold under and press remaining sides 1/4 inch.

Place pocket 5 1/2 inches down from top edge and 8 1/2 inches in from side edge. Back stitch at the top sides of the pocket for reinforcement and sew around sides and bottom.

Gather top edge of skirt to 16 inches wide and set aside.

For the waistband:

Sew the two waistband pieces together—matching the 4 1/2 inch ends together. (You should have a piece close to the 30” long) Fold it in half lengthwise RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER. The wrong sides of the fabric will be to the outside. Stitch as shown below, leaving 16” in the middle open. Turn the piece inside out and press.

Next, pin the gathered edge (right sides together!) to one side of the opening and sew in place. Sew the remaining side by hand, using a blind stitch or whatever suits you.

Press and Enjoy!

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Here are a few ideas for posts for our sewing bee:

• Tutorials: these can be for anything from how to put in a zipper to how to make your own pattern. These can be for clothing and accessories, for things for your home (curtains, tablecloths, bedspreads, throw pillows) or how to fix and repair things.
• Resources: websites and companies where you have purchased patterns, supplies and materials. Give us a review of different ones.
• Book Reviews: There are scores of sewing books out there and it is always nice to read a review about one from a lady who has used it.
• Favorite Patterns
• Also, if you know of a great tutorial online, share the link here
• In short, anything you’d like to share!

Guidelines for sharing in the Sewing Bee:

• Join by using the link widget below. Submit your link and it will show up in the list at the bottom.
• Grab a button from the sidebar to the right and place it in your Sewing Bee post. (If for some reason you are unable to get the button, please place a link back to this) This is so others can join in the fun too!
• If you do not have a blog but would like to share something for the Sewing Bee, write it, email it to me (withallofthyheart@gmail.com) and I’ll post it as a guest post. (Be sure and send a photo of yourself too!)
• As a courtesy to others, please make sure all of the posts submitted here are God-honoring. Keep it classy ladies ;)

Enter your Link Below:

Home again, home again!

Friday afternoon we moved back home! Can you tell I’m excited? We are back to our little first home, though it resembles a storage room right now. There are still scores of boxes and suitcases to be unpacked and put away. It’s so good to be home and surrounded by my own things. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed being here until we returned.

As a result of all of the busy-ness going on around here the Sewing Bee post may be a little late getting up tomorrow.

Hurray, we’re home!

Domestic Bliss and Trophy Bucks

Sequestered in their calm domestic bower,
   They sat together.  He in manhood’s prime
And she a matron in her fullest flower.
   The mantel clock gave forth a warning chime.
She put her work aside; his bright cigar
   Grew pale, and crumbled in an ashen heap.
The lights went out, save one remaining star
   That watched beside the children in their sleep.
She hummed a little song and nestled near,
   As side by side they went to their repose.
His arm about her waist, he whispered “Dear,”
   And pressed his lips upon her mouth’s full rose—
The sacred sweetness of their wedded life
   Breathed in that kiss of husband and of wife.

~Domestic Bliss, by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Before a girl marries she has dreams and ideas about how her home will be one day. I had mine planned right 

down to the color of the kitchen cabinets and tea-time at three o’clock in the afternoon everyday.

 We girls dream of how we will run it, how it will be ordered and how things will be in our very own home.

  What many of us do not take into consideration is the fact that the husband in the home will likely have his own opinions and ideas about how he wants things done in his home. And those ideas just might not line up completely with yours. Even with my very easy-going, laid-back husband, there have been a few bumps in the road in our journey towards domestic bliss.
 Here is an example of domestic dreams clashing:

As I have mentioned before, my husband is an avid and dedicated hunter. I fulfilled one of his dreams by not only having land to hunt on (for free!) but also that I like venison (or deer meat, as we call it). His mother has never been able to eat deer meat, no matter how it is prepared, so having a wife that liked what he brought home meant a lot to him.
  Being the avid hunter that he is, my Jacob likes to have his trophies stuffed and mounted and displayed on the walls of our home. His mom has always loved this aspect of hunting and joyfully displays all of the trophies that her husband and until recently, her son would bring home.
  Unfortunately, mounts are not my cup of decorating tea.  My father and brothers have always hunted, but the extent of their trophy keeping was to mount the skull and antlers on the shop wall. While I love the rustic country look—which is how I have most of my home decorated—mounts on the wall have never really appealed to me except in a man’s office or study. But not in my livingroom….Trophy mounts were not in my plans.
  Guess what? When I married my sweet Jacob not only did I get him, but also his small herd of mounts. At the time it was only Dasher and Dancer (a whitetail buck and an axis buck), but soon our game preserve will welcome Wilbur (a Pineywoods hog skull) and Billy, a Corsican ram’s head. (Those are my nicknames for them—don’t tell Jacob! ;) )
  Our apartment back home is about half the size of where we are living now and we are running out of wall space. It was really starting to bother me because it didn’t fit into MY plans, it didn’t match up with what I wanted, I didn’t want to seem like a redneck, I, ME, MY……..What’s wrong with this picture? Yes, there is a lot of ME and MY opinions in it.
  I had to stop and remember that it’s  not just my home, it’s our home. If I had wanted a house where I got everything my way and completely to my tastes, I shouldn’t have gotten married.
  One of my responsibilities as a wife is to be the homemaker—to make our house a home. We as homemakers are supposed to make our homes havens and places of joy and relaxation for our families. It should be a pleasure to come home because that is where you are most comfortable and where the things that matter to you and are important to you are. I have to remember that what may not be important to me, may be very important to my husband. Something that might be a source of irritation for me may the thing that really makes our dwelling feel like home to him.
  And to be honest, my wonderful husband lets me have my way in everything concerning the house—except the mounts. Those are the only things he asked for and really wanted. Sure, I could have thrown a fit and insisted that we leave them at his parent’s house and he probably would have eventually given in to me.But it means a lot to him to be able to display his trophies in his own home.  It helps make it home. Just like the things that mean a lot to me—my great grandmother’s dishes, the doilies that I made—help make it home. He doesn’t complain about the feminine touches I’ve added here and there. It convicts me about how I’ve felt about his things.
  Marriage is about two people compromising on their desires and giving in to each other. And not just “Ok, I’ll let YOU win this time, but I’m not going to let you forget it!” It means to do it without grudging or complaining. It’s about thinking about the other person and what is important to them and putting them first before yourself. No one said it would be easy, but everyone says how wonderful the rewards of it are.
  Domestic bliss is not something that just “happens” when you return from your honeymoon or after you’ve been married a while. You have to work for it and sometimes the work is hard. You have to deny yourself—no one likes doing that! But if you are committed to making things work, you’ll do whatever is necessary, no matter how much of an inconvenience it is to you personally.
  So I’ve decided to get over my dislike for trophy mounts in the livingroom because Jacob likes them. I’ve decided to start taking even more pride in what a great hunter he is and to appreciate his trophies.
That doesn’t mean that I’ll stop being concerned about wall space though!;)

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EOA # 20

Sewing Bee #2: The Easiest Way to Gather Fabric

  I have a love/hate relationship with gathering fabric. I have to do almost all the time—whether it is for ruffles, skirts, sleeves, you name it. I didn’t  like struggling with the thread, afraid it was about to break and undo all my work—especially on a big project like a very full skirt on a dress. And I wasn’t pleased with how it looked when I used a needle and thread by hand to place the gathering stitches in.
   A few years ago a dear old neighbor lady of mine showed me the easiest and most reliable way to gather fabric. There is no fear of the thread breaking, and you can gather monumental amounts of fabric at once and it won’t go anywhere. I used this technique when I made the skirt of my wedding dress. My wedding dress used nearly 30 yards of material, mostly in the skirt!  It turned out lovely, though about half-way through the process of making it, I began to wonder what I was thinking when I designed it.
I hope this helps you as much as it helped me and makes your fabric gathering a more pleasant experience :)

A) Tie a long piece of embroidery thread or crochet thread around a long straight pin and pin a little ahead of where you want to begin gathering. This is your gathering thread.
B) Place the fabric with the gathering thread centered under the presser foot of your machine.
C & D) Set your machine on the zigzag setting. I set my stitch length to about 1.4, but use whatever works best for you. Zigzag over the gathering thread, making sure to keep it in the center of the stitches. In other words, make sure you do not sew through the gathering thread.
E & F) When you have zigzagged the entire length of what needs to be gathered, simply pull the gathering thread and proceed as usual for gathering. (Make sure that the gathering thread knot doesn’t slip off the straight pin.) Once you have your fabric pinned in place (for example, a skirt gathered to a waistband) you can take out the original straight pin with the knot on it.
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Thanks to all of the new followers that joined us last week! I'm thrilled to have you!

Here are a few ideas for posts for our sewing bee:

• Tutorials: these can be for anything from how to put in a zipper to how to make your own pattern. These can be for clothing and accessories, for things for your home (curtains, tablecloths, bedspreads, throw pillows) or how to fix and repair things.
• Resources: websites and companies where you have purchased patterns, supplies and materials. Give us a review of different ones.
• Book Reviews: There are scores of sewing books out there and it is always nice to read a review about one from a lady who has used it.
• Favorite Patterns
• Also, if you know of a great tutorial online, share the link here
• In short, anything you’d like to share!

Guidelines for sharing in the Sewing Bee:

• Join by using the link widget below. Submit your link and it will show up in the list at the bottom.
• Grab a button from the sidebar to the right and place it in your Sewing Bee post. (If for some reason you are unable to get the button, please place a link back to this) This is so others can join in the fun too!
• If you do not have a blog but would like to share something for the Sewing Bee, write it, email it to me (withallofthyheart@gmail.com) and I’ll post it as a guest post. (Be sure and send a photo of yourself too!)
• As a courtesy to others, please make sure all of the posts submitted here are God-honoring. Keep it classy ladies ;)

Enter your Link Here:

Another sweet Award

Thanks to JES from Heroines of the Faith for bestowing the Versatile Blogger award on my little blog. I was so surprised and delighted when I was informed that I had received it.

Here is how it works:
This award comes with some rules: 

• Thank the award-giver and link back to them in your post. 
• Share 7 random things about yourself. 
• Nominate 5 fellow bloggers and let them know about it.

According to the Rules ~ Seven Random Things about Myself:

1. I’m the oldest of a homeschooling family of 7 children—my baby sister was born three months before my wedding.
2. I am a girly girl in every sense of the word—ruffles, high heels, hats, tea parties, you name it. Glamour and frou-frou are a way of life for me ;) To please my husband though, I occasionally pull out my western wear and much-loved cowgirl boots. He bought them for me on our honeymoon <3
3. My hair almost reaches my knees.
4. I love little kids. I love to visit with them and hear things from their little perspective.
5. Coffee is my “cup of motivation” in the morning. I’m not a morning person at all.
6. I love my family’s midwife, Alice. When my Jacob and I first started courting, I told him that I was going to have homebirths and my midwife’s name was Alice, and if he was not OK with that, we could part ways.
7. I miss having a milkcow around the house. Whenever we move back to the country, I’m going to get one.

My five nominees for THE VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD are (drumroll please)… And again, I have tried to include females of all ages and stages in order to support the theme of this site:

Melody at Day by Day

Allison at The Good Girl Writing Way

   Heather at Southron Creations

Andrea at Sunset Hours

Lisa at Olive Plants All Around my Table

 

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Rebecca

Roasted Vegetable and Chicken Primavera

This is a very simple, tasty meal I tried recently. It was hit and I wanted to share it with y’all. I can see this being a great recipe to use when your garden is producing more veggies than you know what do with. I know my Mom and I were always on the look out for new veggie recipes.

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the following:

1 medium zucchini, sliced or julienned (the thinner the better); mushrooms, quartered; 2-3 medium tomatoes, quartered; 1 medium onion, chopped; 1 medium bell pepper, chopped; 2 cloves garlic, chopped

Drizzle veggies with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. (I also added some crushed red pepper, but go easy on it as it gave it a real bite.) Toss to coat.

Transfer to a shallow baking dish and bake for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally until veggies are tender and lightly browned. (The tomatoes will turn  to mush)

OPTIONAL: About half-way through roasting the veggies, you can cut up the grilled chicken and toss it in with the veggies. This makes it even better!

Other ingredients:

Pasta: I used spaghetti, as that was what I had on hand, though I think any would do.

Grilled chicken breast .The original recipe I found called for chicken sausage, but it is much better with grilled chicken breast.

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and pour into large mixing bowl. Add roasted veggies and sliced chicken breast and toss.

Serves 4.

Enjoy!

Sewing Bee

Welcome to Country Mouse Musings’ Sewing Bee!
    Many years ago our great and great-great grandmothers would get together with the ladies in their communities for quilting and sewing bees. Many times they would help a soon-to-be bride finish filling her hopechest with pillowcases, tablecloths, curtains or whatever else she needed to set up housekeeping in her new home.
   Sewing bees allowed older women to pass on knowledge and skills to younger women and girls and presented an opportunity for them to develop friendships and bonds that would last for years.
Sewing—whether for the home or clothing—is quickly becoming a lost art and skill. Sewing to me is an essential part of homemaking. There was a time when a homemaker very literally made everything in her home—from the quilts on the beds to curtains at the windows to the clothing the family wore. It was a given that a woman could sew and make what her family needed. Sadly, that is not the case these days. It still amazes me that there are some women that do not know how to do something as simple as sewing on a button! Thankfully with today’s technology and resources, learning to sew or adding to one’s knowledge is fairly easy. It is my hope that the Sewing Bee link-up will be a place for us to share what we know and learn from each other.
   
Here are six reasons to learn to sew:

 1. You can create beautiful, unique clothing tailored especially for you, exactly how you want them.

2. You can "modestify" clothing you buy, or alter something from the store and make it work for you.

3. It can be a money saver. (Especially if you can do all of your own mending and not have to send your clothing out. It amazes me how many women can't sew a button on and have to send things to the dry cleaners to be mended.)

4. It can be a money maker and a good industry from your home.

5. It is a way to express yourself and personality everywhere--your clothing, your home, etc.

6. It's FUN! 
 
 Here are a few ideas for posts for our sewing bee:

• Tutorials: these can be for anything from how to put in a zipper to how to make your own pattern. These can be for clothing and accessories, for things for your home (curtains, tablecloths, bedspreads, throw pillows) or how to fix and repair things.
• Resources: websites and companies where you have purchased patterns, supplies and materials. Give us a review of different ones.
• Book Reviews: There are scores of sewing books out there and it is always nice to read a review about one from a lady who has used it.
• Favorite Patterns
• Also, if you know of a great tutorial online, share the link here
• In short, anything you’d like to share!

Guidelines for sharing in the Sewing Bee:

• Join by using the link widget below. Submit your link and it will show up in the list at the bottom.
• Grab a button from below and place it in your Sewing Bee post. (If for some reason you are unable to get the button, please place a link back to this) This is so others can join in the fun too!
• If you do not have a blog but would like to share something for the Sewing Bee, write it, email it to me (withallofthyheart@gmail.com) and I’ll post it as a guest post. (Be sure and send a photo of yourself too!)
• As a courtesy to others, please make sure all of the posts submitted here are God-honoring. Keep it classy ladies ;)

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A few first anniversary images

 

One Year ago today…

This year of being married to my best friend has been the best ever!

Are you a Lady?

Yesterday I had a rather unpleasant experience. I had made a quick trip to the grocery store to grab a few things for supper and much to my dismay found when I came out of the store that I had a flat tire. This was the first time anything like this has ever happened to me. Thankfully, I held it together, calmly put my groceries in the car and sent a text to my husband telling him what happened and asking what I needed to do.

   Seconds later my phone rang and Jacob sounded like he was about to leave work and come get me as he told me what to do. He said to get a couple cans of fix-a-flat and that should fix it so I could get home. Then he asked if I knew how to use it. I laughed a little and said no. I grew up with a Daddy and two brothers who took care of everything for we ladies. He explained what I needed to do and said to call him if I needed him.

  I trudged back in the store and bought what I needed and set out to fix the tire. I did exactly as he told me and everything worked out fine and I made it home without incident.  I was talking to my mom about it later that day and she said that she was proud of me ;) I didn’t beg him to leave work and come fix it. I handled it. She said I was a helpmeet and not a “dumb cluck” (a term from Created to Be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl)

I was glad everything worked out so well, but one thing really ruffled my feathers. For the entire fifteen or so minutes that I sat there working on my tire (and I had some trouble at first) I know of at least six men that walked by, looked at me and kept walking. And some of the men were the grandfatherly type—the type you would expect to stop and help! I was stunned that not one man stopped at least to check on me.  Where I grew up, men stop and help ladies. I guess that is one of the advantages of living in a small town.

I was just about to get mad and go on a rant about what this world is coming to—where men won’t stop to help a lady—when I realized that most of the time women get offended when a man offers to help them. Many women are so soaked and saturated in feminist lies that they won’t let a man be a gentleman. I would have welcomed some help, but they didn’t know that.

This makes me think of an incident my mother and I witnessed one day. We were headed into a store and there was a woman just ahead of us. A gentleman was headed out and held open the door for all of us. The woman in front of us huffed and puffed and said “I can get the door myself!” and opened the other door and stormed through. My mom and I were mortified that a woman could be so rude to a man who was just using common courtesy. We walked through the door he was holding open and thanked him and said that we appreciated it.

  Women can be so afraid of being perceived as weak and unable to take care of themselves.  This causes them to act out in ways that are unbecoming to them. Unnecessary rudeness that does nothing except potentially hurt another woman later down road is often the result. Do they not realize that they are affecting the future and others by how they are acting? They shun anything they consider “girlie” and do not want to be ladylike. They think ladies are weak. (These are usually the ones who rant about chivalry being dead and they are in fact the ones who helped murder it!)

A woman can’t be a lady if she will not let a man be a gentleman. Now I realize that there are some men who are NOT gentlemen in any sense of the word. A lady gives a man a chance and the opportunity to be a gentleman. A lady allows a gentleman to help her, but that doesn’t mean she can’t help herself. A lady is not a weakling. In fact, I think it takes more strength in some cases to be helped than to do it yourself.

I try to encourage the gentlemen around me and let them know that they and their efforts are appreciated. When boys are little gentlemen I try to lavish them with praise.  I realize that real gentlemen are few and far between, but the same could be said of real ladies. Perhaps if we strive to be ladies, perhaps more gentlemen will come out of hiding ;)

 

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Rebecca

Linking up today with:

Encourage One Another

 

Update and an Announcement!

This is Country Mouse Musings’ 100th post! I can’t believe it. I didn’t think that I could have 100 posts in under a year, but I did ;)
We were blessed to have Jacob’s parents come and stay for the weekend with us. We had a wonderful time while they were here and ran into some old friends of theirs. My mother-in-law and I had a wonderful girls-day-out shopping—we love to go to thrift stores together and we found some really good bargains.
We were able to make it to the Texas Circuit Finals rodeo and Jacob was able to meet Trevor Brazile. For those of you who don’t know who he is, he holds the most world titles of any professional cowboy—16! He is the best of the best. He is also a very bold Christian, so that makes him even better :)

Me and my Jacob at the Circuit Finals

  Unfortunately, the weekend wasn’t all fun and games. A nasty cold has taken up residence here and I’ve been fighting it. Now it looks like Jacob is coming down with it as well. Does anyone have any cold remedies (other than all of the OTC ones?) I’m not against taking medicine, but if there is a more natural remedy I prefer to try it first.
Now, on to the announcement:

  Beginning next week, Country Mouse Musings will be hosting a Sewing Bee link up. I am very excited about it and I hope many of you will join in the fun.
Many years ago our great and great-great grandmothers would get together with the ladies in their communities for quilting and sewing bees. Many times they would help a soon-to-be bride finish filling her hopechest with pillowcases, tablecloths, curtains or whatever else she needed to set up housekeeping in her new home. 
Sewing bees allowed older women to pass on knowledge and skills to younger women and girls and presented an opportunity for them to develop friendships and bonds that would last for years.
Sewing—whether for the home or clothing—is quickly becoming a lost art and skill.  Sewing to me is an essential part of homemaking. There was a time when a homemaker very literally made everything in her home—from the quilts on the beds to curtains at the windows to the clothing the family wore. It was a given that a woman could sew and make what her family needed. Sadly, that is not the case these days. It still amazes me that there are some women that do not know how to do something as simple as sewing on a button!  Thankfully with today’s technology and resources, learning to sew or adding to one’s knowledge is fairly easy.  It is my hope that the Sewing Bee link-up will be a place for us to share what we know and learn from each other.
Here are some  ideas for the Sewing Bee link-up:
Tutorials and how-to’s,; sewing mistakes and fixes; altering clothing for something else;  “modest-ifying patterns and clothing; basic mending and repair skills; Sewing for your home; pattern reviews, pattern making, sewing technique book reviews, places to buy quality supplies….
In short, anything that has helped you better your sewing and you would like to share.

I am very excited and looking forward to seeing all that you share. Look for it next week!
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Rebecca

I have something to add…

to my last post. I failed to post a picture of the headbands I made! Here is a picture of the blue one—I made a brown one as well, but didn’t take a photo of it.

  Tutorial coming soon!

My current projects

I’ve been working on a few things for myself lately. My favorite so far is this grey, vintage inspired dress I made using Simplicity pattern #2053.

I’ve also been on a flower-making craze.

I ended up making two headbands and the flower pin below, and my little sister has already asked for a headband to match one of her outfits. I’m considering making them available from my Etsy store, and possibly a tutorial, if there’s an interest for one ;)

Goodbye, 2011, Hello 2012

2012 AD is here. Where did last year go? My head is still spinning from all the events of 2011. I feel as though I’ve barely caught my breath and here comes a new year.

The holidays and the New Year are come and gone and my home is empty of our company and quiet again. Back to our routine, just we two…

  Last year was full of milestones and transitions for me. At the beginning of the year Jacob and I married, went on a wonderful honeymoon, then settled down to domestic bliss in the city. I became a stay at home wife, instead of a stay at home daughter. Instead of many family members to fill my day, I suddenly only had one, and most of the day he was at work.

Last year was also full of weddings! It seemed like everyone we knew was getting married. My best and oldest childhood friend married six weeks after I did, not to mention several others who tied the knot soon after.

I reached the ripe old age of 23 last month. I really don’t feel like I am that old—I still feel like I’m seventeen!

I moved twice last year. I don’t like moving. I can see now that living an hour away from my family was just practice and preparation for living four hours away from them now.

I am so excited to see what this new year holds for us. I generally don’t make resolutions—though I will have a few goals I’d like to reach and areas I’d like to improve upon.

  For example, I would like to become a better manager of my time. I can get away with a lot of wasted time now, but once we have children, that won’t float.  I want to do better with menu planning and ordering how the house is run. I want our home to be a haven for Jacob and me. I don’t want it to be a place of disorder and be unable to be restful and peaceful.  I want to be more productive this year in my sewing and other domestic pursuits.

I want to be a better helpmeet this year. Last year was a transition year—from a daughter to a wife. Now that we are nearing our first anniversary, I want to make this year the best yet.

I want to grow more in my love for Jacob, but even more than that, I want to grow more and deeper in my love for God. I want to be what He wants me to be. I want to live my little everyday life in line with His will and His Word. I want to deal with and handle situations according to His word, and answer with a soft answer, full of grace and wisdom. I want to bless the people I come in contact with—whether they be church people or people at the store—and give them a glimpse of God’s love.

Well, I guess I have made a few resolutions. :) Happy New Year!