Aprons & Tea Parties: Simplicity 8152

One of the best combinations is family and sewing. It had been a project in the making for almost 2 years, but the ladies of my family finally all settled on a date, pattern, and place, got together and decided to make cute little aprons. We chose Simplicity 8152.  Although it took a few days (and tea parties😉), we finally got them done. There were 5 of us total, but 9 (or 10?) aprons to be sewn!

After packing all our fabric, bias tape, sewing machines, and standard sewing supplies into the car, we dashed over to my grandmother's house for our ladies' day. We dined on fine china, drank Earl Grey and English Breakfast out of fancy little tea cups, and snacked on little macarons, eclairs, and finger sandwiches. Oh yeah, right, and we made aprons. This is what we came up with. There are some notes about each in the caption area. Since we are still sifting through pictures and finishing aprons, I'll add updates as they come. Believe it or not, there's more!

Finished the plans.....after the aprons 😂

Mine. LOVE the lime green bias tape.

My grandmother's variations. One is going to her sister in France! Gumbo print. 

A better look at the altered neckline.

Mom's finished apron with cheerful yellow bias finishing and with the modified neck. Appropriate for the gardening family 🌱

Becky's apron in a delicate floral and bright yellow bias. Reminds me of summer.

My aunt's apron -- complete with retro theme! All we need now are our classic Pyrex and Fire King sets!

Close-up of the retro pattern. Love the little teapots.

A lemony apron for Rachel (that I made). 10/10 tempted to steal!

Another apron completed for a cousin with classic Minnie Mouse.

The pattern was fairly easy to follow (except the section about the tie loops). We all agreed that we would sew the bias tape to the wrong side first and then stitch to the front, so we could make sure  to get a good, clean and even seam. Why do patterns always direct you to do the opposite? Seems a little counter-productive. Speaking of counter-productive, here is a funny: My fabric had to be cut a certain way to keep the text right-side-up, and I, trying to be efficient, layered two fabrics and never thought twice about....until I started pinning things together. My mother very lovingly let me use her fabric  since we are using the same kind and said she would make hers the next time. Thanks, Mom! ❤ 

Some changes we made:

Mine has extended ruffles.

My grandmother took away the arched half of the back piece and just had the back go around the neck and there are no slots to slide the ties through. 

Yays:

Loved the way the bias tape highlighted the lovely shape over the apron, especially the arched back.

Ruffles give a more feminine look, but without them the apron looks just as good or sharp.

Nays:

Some of us didn't like how there was so much going on at the back, so we altered the pattern to just go around the neck. 

Some views of the parties:

Becky brought her 1951 Singer Featherweight. We all marveled, of course. 😍

The cutting table.

Time for cutting and trying to be time-efficient. Before a big, bad mistake 😭 Can you see where I'm about to go wrong??

Photo Credit: Mom!

Conclusion: Success! We are dubbing it "Crafty Teatime."❤ Time to make it a tradition.
Our Motto: Measure Once, Cut Twice.😂😆 Mistake intended.

Ringing in the New Year // One Piece Dresses Are the Best: Dress C

This might be cheating, but I am going to make my New Year's Resolutions after I've completed them. What are they? Complete the sewing projects you plan. This little lilac number was planned the Christmas Break started when I bought the fabric to celebrate being out of school for two weeks, added to my Sketchbook Project sketchbook, and sewn up during the first week of January. For someone who works roughly 60 hours/week, I think I'm doing great.😂

As the post title indicates, this is Dress C from Machiko Kayayki's One Piece Dress is the Best. I've made this pattern before (for my trip to Thailand) when I was just beginning to sew my own clothes and distinctly remember two things: it was very easy to make and I hated it when I finished because I thought it looked too much like maternity clothing. However, the tides have turned, and it's one of my favorites now. 2020 Dress C is a revisitation.
It has a kimono style bodice with a loose empire waist, which is gathered all the way around, giving it an A-line look. Maybe even a "babydoll" look. And it has pockets.✔ The fabric I chose was part of my little splurge for making it to Christmas Break (I am an ESL tutor for the local school district.), and it is an lilac linen. Usually, I just fawn over linen in general, but the color is what did me in this time.

One change from the last dress is that I didn't add anything to the length and I really like it. I mean, it's still modest, but it feels a tad more summery. Last time, it stopped just below the knees. Also, there is a sign of progress in skill -- all the seams are finished. They're just zigzagged, but they are finished. I was also particularly eager to finish this one because I wanted to wear it on a date night! However, due to the inclement weather, that didn't work out.  

One of the things that really turned out better this time was the quality of the finishing on the sleeves. Pictured above is the inside view of the side seam. You can just make out the horizontal stitch I added at the halfway point between the sleeve opening and the skirt/bodice seam. Below is the first version I made of this dress, about 4 years ago, for comparison. All of the design features stand out so much more in the solid color version. I've included the first version I made below for comparison.

                               

Also, for reference, here is the song on my mood board, "Sunshine Girl" by moumoon. 😍💮 So very J-pop.

Happy Sewing and Happy New Year!🌸🎉