{farmhouse apron feature}

A while ago I made this sweet {farmhouse chic apron} ... it was, surprisingly my first sewing project ever, on a machine, even though I had been collecting fabric for years...and sewing little things by hand ...

... when I showed my pals, they encouraged me to send it in to (apron-ology) magazine. Imagine my surprise when they accepted it into their February 2012 issue!

I had posted a few photos but somehow when I was updating some computer/blogger information this post, among others, was lost. Since the apron is to be featured this month, I thought I should recreate the post ... so here it is.

... I am a collector of fabrics. I do not need a reason to buy them. I have stacks and stacks of favorite textiles lining the shelves of cupboards in the studio. One day I happened to move something and there was a little pile of neatly folded calico's ... and an apron was born.

... I have fond memories of a favorite grandmother wearing an {apron} at all times. She was the matriarch of a hard working farm. No matter which chore she was immersed in, you could find her bedecked with an {apron}.

... and while {Granny's} aprons were not neatly starched and spotless, they were {loved}. Each one of us grandchildren would find a way to bury ourselves within her {apron strings} ... she would dry our tears, wipes our mouths, and mop up our spills with her {apron}.

To don an {apron} is a wonderful thing for me ... a reminder of my past and the love that a sweet and wonderful woman gave to me. I think of her often, as I brush crumbs into my pocket ... Granny keeping her post tidy ...

... and so the {farmhouse style}. A gentle reminder of what I remember. What I {love}.

... enjoy!

{featured here}

{linking up to this great party here}

http://www.cloverandviolet.com/search/label/Stash%20Project

{burlap and ruffles}

I am a lover of {pillows}. Toss pillows, small or large are generally an inexpensive way to dress up a sofa, change up a bed or soften a porch swing.




Today I made this luscious beauty!
The added touch of silky {peonies} was such a lovely contrast to the burlap.

Recently I made these two pillows for a friend of mine ... I loved the mix of burlap and muslin, but wanted a pop of something a bit {dressier} for my own pillow ...

... on my newest pillow, the ruffles of shabby white muslin give the flowers so much added punch ...

 ... by extending the burlap over the end on the back side of the pillow and adding long tie closures the pillow has lots of extra {ruffly fluff} at one end ... which I {love} ...

... the floral center of the pillow is bordered with a vintage gauze like trim in a {fold-and-pleat} style ...

... the mix of textures is a great love of mine. The coarse burlap combined with soft muslin and a silky fabric just makes me want to reach out and touch it ...

... one day while I was in a fabric store I grabbed a bunch of this wonderful {silky} material. I am kicking myself for not making a note of what it actually was, because I know it was NOT silk. The price tag alone told me that. I think it may have been some sort of liner material. Whatever it was I love it and I will be hunting for more.

... the burlap was a different color. I usually gravitate to the natural brown color, but this day I found a shade just between brown and green. Not quite olive. It was lighter, interesting ...

... I am thinking of making a few more pillows similar to this to coordinate. They would make a beautiful {trio} on the sofa ... maybe one or two for the loveseat as well ...

... I used a candle to melt the edges of my {peonies} ...

... I love the way it makes some flowers darker and a bit shinier on the edges. It gives them character, much as you would see in nature ...

... one thing that I didn't really love about this project - sewing with burlap on my newish sewing machine. Those little hairs and loose weave make for quite a mess! 

... enjoy !

{ I will be linking this up to some great parties here}

{a birthday surprise and a money saver too}

Just when I resign myself to the fact that the days of {birthday woo-hoos!} are a thing of the past, my sweet daughter's surprise me with a very special gift. ...

... there is no end to the nice things that these three {young ladies} have done for me as of late. They have stepped in and taken over the most undesirable chores. They have goofed and joked and hooted until I have no choice but to hoot along. They have gone out of their individual ways to make me {smile} lately and I love them even more deeply for this. ...  

... for a long time now I have wanted this  - {see below}          

... a {kindle fire}. I am doing a major happy dance over here! 

I {LOVE LOVE LOVE}  to read and my {sweet girls} know it.

Of course they were kind enough to buy a cover to go along with this beautiful device, but upon opening it {they were as giddy as I was when it came to the unveiling} we realized that they had mistakenly purchased the cover for a {kindle touch}. Their collective thought was {bummer}. My next thought was {whew!} They had already spent WAY TOO MUCH on mom and I was happy to have them return it...

 ...SO today I decided to make one...BEFORE they could sneak off to yet another store to find another cover for me...

... you know I {LOVE WHITE} and {VINTAGE} anything, so I dug around my studio and found some fabric that was perfect for the job. Quilted. Antique white. Perfect.

... I ruffled four layers of antique gold tulle ...

...  added a layer of beautifully scrunched silky floral trim ...

... and a touch of looped vintage pink seam binding ...

... added some vintage eyelet ribbon for a tie closure ...

... I started this little project in order to save my girls a few dollars, but ended the day with a beautiful cover for my {reader} that I just adore ...

... and so it was a lovely birthday gift. A beautiful surprise. ...

... and a money saver too! ...

Enjoy!

{linking this up to some great parties here!}