MAKE 2 SHABBY LINEN APRONS - TAKES ME ABOUT 30 MINUTES TO MAKE BOTH!

Hello Ya'll

Hope everyone has been well.

 

I have been meaning to make this tutorial for quite

awhile now, but things kept getting in the way.

A while back I bought a lovely linen skirt. I just could

not resist this beautiful linen skirt from Chaps.

 

I bought this white lovely skirt from the thrift

store. It is 100% linen. These linen skirts

run about 3 to $4 at my thrift store. It is a steal

at that price!!! Just make sure to buy a skirt

that does not have any stains and buy a big skirt!

Sorry ladies, no pun intended.

And wash or dry clean them first before using!

Yea - I know that you will do that.

I know that I have said it

many times, please do not get tired of listening to

me say it. BUT I LOVE LINEN!! Especially

white, blue or pinks!!

 

This time I am going to take this long lovely skirt

and make 2 SHABBY APRONS!! The idea here

is to make each Apron different. These would make

great CHRISTMAS PRESENTS!!

 

This particular linen skirt that I am using says to Dry

Clean. I will wash it because I do not care if it shrinks

a little. It will have to learn that I will wash it in my

washer or hand wash it. It is just an apron so there is

not any need to get picky with it.

Just have fun!

 

Also this skirt had a side zipper, so look for that if

you are going to make 2 aprons. Which 2 aprons

are more economical and price thrifty!

Make one for yourself and a friend.

The only materials needed is a large linen skirt,

sewing machine, matching thread, lots of cotton lace.

 

This is Apron 1. It has only a center pocket.

 

Still Apron 1, just a close up.  

The back of Apron 1. Shows ties.

This is Apron 2. Not a good photo

I admit. This Apron has 2 pockets. Sorry
that the photo and the next 2 photos are
a little blurry.

Both pockets are aligned side

by side leaving a few inches

between them.

Hopefully a better view of the bottom.

There are 6 rows of cotton lace

sewed to the bottom.

This is my white skirt showing the tag.

The lining which was slinky showed the Dry Cleaning

tag. NOW LETS GET STARTED.

STEP 1 - is to turn the skirt inside out and cut out

the slinky underskirt. Be sure to cut close to the stitching

of the waste band - BUT DO NOT CUT THE WASTEBAND

or you are in trouble!! (chuckle)

STEP 2. Now, turn the skirt right side out and place it on your

table. Smooth it out so there is not any wrinkles

on it. Then place an existing simple

 apron on top of the skirt making sure there are

not any wrinkles. If you notice you will see that

my blue band on this old apron top aligns with the

waste band on the white linen skirt.

STEP 3. Now, follow your old apron and

cut the sides all the way to the top of the skirt.

If you notice I cut my apron bigger than my

old apron. I like them a little roomier and not so

form fitting. Also I did not touch the hem area.

Leave it hemmed. If the skirt is a little longer,

then that's okay. Now you should have

2 APRONS cut out.

STEP 4 - these are the sides left from cutting the

white aprons out of the skirt. DO NOT THROW

THESE AWAY!!!!

You will need to use these sides for ties.

STEP 5. For your neck and waste ties.

Take one of the sides above and leave it

folded. On the outside edge cut strips 2 or 2.5 inches

wide down the long length. Cut 6 strips. Repeat

this for the next side and cut 6 more strips. These

6 strips are for the other apron.

STEP 6. I took 2 strips and sewed them together, one

on top of the other. NO HEMMING. See how I sewed

them together. I sewed twice so that nothing would

unravel. Repeat this step again. These are your waste

bands. They need to be longer. The other 2 strips are

for the neck.

Now, repeat this STEP for the ties for the next apron

if you are making 2.

STEP 7. Now I know you cannot see it on the above

photo, but I did just run a running stitch down the

length of each tie so the sides would not ravel any

further than the stitching.

 Now, lets look at the waste band of the skirt which

should be the top of your apron.

STEP 8. Your waste band should open like this on

both sides.

STEP 9. Just slip in one of the ties.

STEP 10.Start at the top of the apron and sew

down all the way to the bottom of the skirt.

STEP 11. See I sewed all the way down to the

bottom. NOW, REPEAT STEPS 9 AND 10

for the other tie.

STEP 12. For the first Apron, (no photo,

sorry). I cut one pocket out of one of the existing

white sides of my skirt. Remember those

sides. This pocket is cut on one of those

seams. This pocket is big. Try your apron on,

and see where you would like to put a pocket

or look at your existing apron and put the pocket

in the same place. I pinned my pocket down

where I wanted it I did not turn under the sides.

Remember these Aprons are shabby!

The photo of the Apron is a little

more straighter. I hope you can see it

okay.

STEP 13. Now just sew the pocket down. Do not

worry about any hems. Just do not break your

sewing machine needle while sewing over the

pins.  

See, all done.

STEP 14. Sorry, I forgot a photo for the neck ties.

Just run a seam down the length of each tie so as

they do not unravel any further than the seam.

Then position them where you want them. Look

at your existing Apron to get an idea of where

to place them. Also hold the Apron up to you

to get an idea. Once you know where you want

the neck ties, then sew them down on the under-

side of the top of the Apron. Do not turn under any

seam - just sew it down!!

If you choose you can

sew these ties on the front of your Apron and

add a button for cuteness!!!!

Then take the ends of the ties and tie a bow!!!

ALL DONE.

Now, since you have finished the first Apron, you

will be much faster sewing the second Apron.

To make the Aprons different, all I added was

white cotton lace that I have had for years.

I cut 2 pockets from the left-over

side of the white skirt. Cut any size that

you want allowing that your skirt has enough

fabric for you. If you need to, use the seams like I did

when cutting out your pockets. Before sewing the pocket to this

Apron, all I did was sew a strip of this white lace

to the top of the pocket. Pin the pockets down

onto your Apron where you want, spacing them a

few inches apart. Again do not turn the pockets

under for a hem unless you want to.

After you sew on your neck ties like is stated above.

Then just add a strip of cotton lace

to the top of the Apron.

Place the lace on the hem of the waste band

that is located at the top of the Apron. Do not

turn under for a hem unless you want to. Add

as many layers of lace as you want. I only

added one strip.

At the bottom of this Apron - I added 6

rows of cotton lace. I did not turn under any of the

lace for a hem. Just start each lace strip at

one end of the Apron and sew to the other

side. Cut it. For the next lace strip position

the lace strip a little above the other lace

strip and sew down like before. Sew as many

lace strips as you want.

I hope you make these Aprons. They

turn out very pretty!!



Cutlery Boxes made into Sewing Boxes or whatever!

Hello Everyone!

 

Today I am talking about Cutlery Boxes.

We have all seen them, used them and

then disposed of them when we finish of them.

Because basically

our styles change or we just tire of

them. Or maybe they broke.

 

Well, these are nice sized boxes. I took

the pictures of these wooden boxes

back in 2009 with the intention of making

something out of them back then. I completely forgot

about these boxes until about a month

ago when I found them again. Anything

can get lost at my house.

 

You can make these boxes into anything

you desire. I happen to love sewing boxes,

thread boxes, any kind of a box really.

These boxes can be purchased at thrift

stores or perhaps you already have

1 or 2 of them hanging around in your

attic. Oh, another thing - some of

these boxes have a cardboard bottom.

That is okay, some boxes are all

cardboard.

Should you get one of these boxes

just be careful when you paint or

strip stain from the bottom of the box

because
of the cardboard. Some of these cutlery boxes

are stained in nice colors.

I have 3 of these cutlery boxes and 2 of

them have cardboard bottoms.

No biggy!

 

The pictures you see is one of these

cutlery boxes made into a sewing

box. I made this Shabby Chic box for my

friend Catherine. I made it so she

could put it beside her sewing machine and her

Serger machine to hold scissors, threads, pincushions.

These things would be within arms reach and hopefully

would look nice on her table. But really, Catherine, you

can use this box for whatever your heart desires.

You should be

receiving it soon. This is part of her surprise.

I did put other things in the box for her, that I

am not showing, hope she likes it all!

 

So - now start looking at those

cutlery boxes!!!

 

 These cutlery boxes are about 14 to 15 inches wide,

10.5 inches long and 3 inches deep. Both are different

colors. The top one is a reddish color while the bottom

one is an old brown color. My 3rd box not pictured here

is a pretty brown. All of these boxes will be painted or

papered inside and out.

 

Look inside of these boxes and strip out all of the

dividers and or felt that you see. Clean her up!

 

I have painted this one white with ordinary craft

paint.

 

Here is the front of Catherine's box. I used empty

thread spools for the feet. I wrapped white lace

around each spool and topped it off with some sheer

pink ribbon. The box is papered with

shabby chic scrapbook paper that I downloaded

from the internet.  This paper is so pretty! It is one

of my favorites.  The good thing about having

feet on this box is that it gives her a place to store

some cross stitch leaflets for future projects. Or she

can store her sewing machine books there.  I glued

a cute pink sheer ribbon with a ribbon rose in the

indention of the box on the front.

 

To decorate the top of the box -

First, I glued down

another shabby chic paper and trimmed it with lace.

I put 4 pink sheer bows at each corner.

Second, I dyed some cheesecloth with

Kool-aid in pink and blue, mixed in some

white cheesecloth and glued it to the top of the box. 

Third, I used 2 cream colored cherubs that hang

on the wall! Included with them was the pretty

flowers that you see here. They are so

sweet but a little heavy. They are glued down good, but

still be careful when opening the box.

Fourth, after letting the cherubs dry and that took

about 4 days to do so. I then added some craft pearls and

bunched up the cheesecloth around the cute cherubs.

I also added little pieces of cheesecloth here and

there between the flowers.

The pink sheer bow you see has a white button in the

middle of it. 

I cannot even begin to tell you how

pretty the top of the box is. It turned out lovely. I am

pleased with the overall look of it.

 

Here is the left side of the box.

 

I thought that this was the right side - but it is not.

I must have thought that I was looking at the right

side. Sorry.

 

Here is the back of the box where the hinges are.

 

This is what the inside of the box looks like. Catherine

loves pink, white and red. I did not use anything that

was red. I used a pink flannel to

line the box and then put lace around the sides

on the top of the lid and the sides of the bottom half

of the box. All of the lace inside and outside of the

box are the same lace.

 

I glued on white pockets from Aida cloth and

glued on sheer pink bows. These pockets are a

little tight. I forgot to give each one a little slack,

so please be careful if you put something in them.

In one of the pockets I gave her a cherub magnetic

needle holder for her cross stitch.

 

We cut some pretty bright white string. My hubby

screwed each string into the box on each side

so the lid could stay up and the box not topple

over because of the weight of the cherubs.

I gave her some surprises on the inside of

the box which I hope she likes!

Have a lot of fun!!

Thank you for visiting me.

Conny

 



MY SHABBY GUEST BEDROOM

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to my blog.

 

Since my eyes are still healing,

I thought that I would show you

my shabby guest bedroom.

 

Welcome to my Guest Bedroom.

 

I like soft furnishings. And I adore

curtains unfortunately due to my

allergy's - I try to refrain from having

curtains in my home. But that does not

stop me from collecting or buying them.

Much of my stuff is in my attic. Periodically

the stuff in my attic comes down and the

stuff in the house goes up to the attic.

There is no door to this room. I had considered

having one put up there but everyone

loved it so much with the curtains that

I have decided against buying any

doors to put up there. The curtains help

to give the room a shabby look. The

curtains are Rachel Ashwells shabby

curtains. Sometimes I open them up,

sometimes they are closed. You can

see a tinge of blue behind the curtains.

 

 This is the view by my front door. I

really do think that a door would

interfere with the foyer or the bedroom.

Glad that I decided against a door.

 

Inside the room. This was the first room

that ever got painted. Yellow always

suited this room. The blue shower curtain

is also by Rachel Ashwell. I do not

mind it being short. It helps in the

shabby look. I wanted this room tiled

so my dear sweet hubby tiled it on the

diagonal for me. When there is not any

thing in this room believe me it makes

the room look bigger. It took my hubby

4 weekends to tile it once he got the

measurements right. I love this room.

 

 To the left of the door is an expanding

coatrack that I painted pink. It holds

ladies things. This gets changed often

but as for now this is what hangs from

it. An old wool-like jacket I think that

is from the 50's. Not sure though. Behind

it is a light pink scarf. A darker pink scarf

hangs in front of the jacket. A sweet

pink slip hangs beside it all. Yellow

and blue look so good together.
I wonder what happened to the side of

this photo??

 

Here is a close up of the coatrack hanging.

 

Most of the time the bed has so many pillows on it

that you cannot sit upon it. I pared them down just

for the picture. This is also Rachel Ashwells bedding.

I love her things. The pillow was cross stitched by

my daughter Pep back in Oklahoma. I sewed it into a pillow

and added baby pink lace around it. It has a backing of

pink.

 Generally I keep a couple of pillows side by side

in the blanket that is folded up at the edge of the

bed. I removed one so you could see beyond. I

will put the pillow back in later. This is a good

way to store extra pillows.

 

The bed is by Pottery Barn. I have had it for many

years. It has a trundle underneath for another person

to sleep. The bed ruffle is beautiful. It is cream and

I do not know who made it.

 

A close-up of the crocheted bedruffle.

 

Again shabby curtains are by Rachel Ashwell.

I try to refrain from putting holes in my walls to

hang curtains. Even though we own the house, if

we ever decide to move, I certainly do not want to

fix those holes. (My living room is the only room

in the house that has actual curtain rods).

There are cloth shades on these windows that we

installed years ago. They are only lowered when

guests occupy this room.

These blue curtains are hung up with tension rods.

The short cotton lace curtains are also held up by

tension rods.

 

You can see better how I keep the tiebacks on. I thread

them onto the tension rods. The only lace curtains

that I buy are cotton. Cotton lace curtains are soft

and they drape nicely. I steer away from polyester curtains.

 

The shabby clue curtains are 84 inches long. Sorry

about these curtain pics - the light comes in thru

these windows very nicely and it is hard to get

good pics. Here is some more of the tiled floor

that my hubby did.

 

When the trundle has to be pulled out - this little

stool and its belongings go into my dining room

until the guests go home. Most of the time the

3-tiered little wire stand is full of laces. I keep a few

books handy in the wicker magazine rack.

 

I love to store things in hat boxes.

 

In this hatbox are little

tapestry purses that I collected in Oklahoma.

Some of them, I used when we went to the Army balls.

 

At the end of the bed is a little leather footstool

that goes to my chair in the living room. I threw a

quilt on top and placed pillows on it. I wish I had a

trunk but I do not own one of them.

 

A close-up of the pillows. These change often also.

 

The screen generally hides a mess but for now

it is at the foot of the bed for showing purposes.

The dresser was my mothers that I received

after she died. The drawers hold shabby linens.

Under the dresser is a bed canopy that has not

yet been put up. I might glue some lace

under the dresser to hide these items. The top

is full of just fun things that I have had forever.

 

In the mirror you can see the back side of the screen.

I love those little wire dress manikins. Even though

I have not hung anything from it yet.  A shabby chic

lamp and another smaller pink lamp behind it.

 

I love mother of pear as is this white purse. Got it

in Oklahoma also along with many of the perfume

bottles that you will see.

 

The little ceramic piece on top of the mother of pearl

purse is actually a planter with an angel attached to

it. I put some folded hankies in that. Some small

Avon bottles on top of one mother of pearl purse.

A pink shabby cloth purse hangs from the mirror.

A wicker purse is beneath it. The pretty skinny piece

to the left of the pin shabby purse holds hat pins. I

dont wear hats but I love it just the same.

 

There is a dresser doily underneath all of this

stuff. 3 little jewelry boxes stack on top of each

other.  A mirrored jewelry box in front. Old

gloves in a glove box on the left side

 

The screen was given to me by a friend.

She no longer wanted it. It holds table

cloths and runners and purses. My daughter

Jan cross stitched me the afghan with

roses on it. This screen surely does

hide a big mess. Wanna see!

 

The inside of the screen holds a cross stitched

table cloth and a beautiful line skirt along with

doilies and such.

 

Here is the mess that the screen covers. It hides

some of the pillows that go on the bed. I have many

bed quilts on this black stool. This is not even 1/3rd

of bed quilts of what I own and have made thruout

the years.

 

In front on a white stool did hold these purses until

I put them on the dresser. All of the cotton laces are

in a white wire basket.

 

The pink flowered wall pictures add to the

shabbiness.They are hard to see when the

pillows are in the way.

 

I hope you enjoyed seeing my shabby guest

bedroom. I am not a designer as you can see.

Just love my stuff.

Thank you for visiting me!

Hopblogger