Hankie Apron Tutorial

For this project you will need 3 hankies of similar
size that look nice together.

One will be used for the body of the apron.

One will be cut diagonally and used for the sides.

Another will be cut in half and used to make a ruffle across the bottom of the apron.

Arrange the hankies and decide which one you want to use for the body etc.

I used a rotary cutter to cut the hankies as shown below.

Cut one diagonally for sides.

Cut one straight across the middle to make the ruffle.

Version 1: 
If the sides are cut from a hankie that is smaller than the body hankie (like the one I used) center and pin sides to body right sides together.

 
Straight stitch leaving a 1/4" seam allowance. Finish raw edges to avoid fraying. I used  a simple zig-zag stitch for finishing but you can use whatever you want to.

There may be protruding ends where the sides are a little longer than the body. Clip these off so that the apron is even across the top and bottom.


Press seams toward body of apron.

 Stitch the two pieces that you cut for the ruffle together to form a long strip (right sides together, 1/4" seam allowance).

Using a basting stitch sew 1/4" in from edge. Pull threads to gather. Matching center fronts pin ruffle to apron right sides together.

Stitch using 1/3" seam allowance. Finish raw edge. Press apron.

Version 2:
If the sides are cut from a larger hankie attach the ruffle before pinning the sides to body. Then pin the sides to body and sides of ruffle, lining everything up at the bottom. Sew  







Attach ribbon, lace or bias tape to apron top to tie the apron with.

And you're done!!

 

This one is for sale in my Etsy shop.

WhatGirlsLike






Linking up with:
Pearls and Lace Thursday at Faith Grace Crafts

My Love of Vintage Hankies

I've loved vintage hankies since I was a little girl. Sometimes when I was sick my mom would get out the satin glove box she kept her hankies in and let me take them all out and look at them. When I grew up I started my own collection. 







Vintage hankies come in a variety of fabrics including linen, fine cotton and silk.





Some have bright floral prints.

 
Others have added embellishments such as handmade crocheted or tatted lace, hand embroidery or pulled thread open work.

 
They are small, easy to store and relatively inexpensive making them a perfect item to collect.
 
Hankies can be used is so many ways!

Over the next few weeks I'll be talking about how to use hankies in decorating and sewing projects. 

Knitting Myself a Vintage Hat

I decided to knit myself a warm hat. I hate stocking caps and all the others that cover your whole head. When I pull one of those off my head my hair gets full of static and sticks out everywhere! I remembered having a headband type of hat that tied under my chin when I was little. So I started looking for a pattern.
Some of them were not wide enough and the one that I found that was perfect had already been sold. While on one of my weekly trips to the thrift store (searching for vintage sewing patterns to stock my shop of course) I found this book with several hat patterns, yay!

I decided to make the one shown in the picture below on the left. But I didn't want a snowflake design so I left that out. I'm knitting it in blue yarn with a white edging.

Now, I have to tell you that I haven't knitted anything in a really long time. I didn't even remember how to cast on correctly! And except for the part that I had to pull out and redo, I've been going along pretty well. In fact I'm almost done with the blue and will soon be ready to crochet the edging and tie strings. I'll post a picture when it's finished.

Black Friday Blitz and Pattern Sale on Etsy!!

The PatternPatter Team is having a Black Friday listing blitz. Several of the team's shops are also running sales from 10% to 50% off !

If you love vintage patterns like I do,

you won't want to miss this event.

The participating PatternPatter shops will either have sale prices shown on the item's listing or the coupon code BFBLITZ. Check out the shop's announcement to see how long the sale will be running and if you will need to put in a coupon code.

Take a peek at this discussion thread where we will be posting our newly listed patterns on the 23rd.

PatternPatter Blitz New Listings

Or just browse through our shops. We have thousands of patterns listed for sale!!

Is It Time To Start Stocking My Shop For The Holidays Already??

Where does the time go?? I'm already working on making Christmas stockings for one of my Etsy shops. I'm trying to get all my costume patterns listed in my pattern shop to catch those that will be sewing Halloween costumes. Meanwhile I'm enjoying the harvest from my backyard veggie garden! That's my hubby tying up some of the tomato plants for me. I really restrained myself this year only 16 tomato plants this year!

Cherry Jam Recipe

The fruit trees are absolutely loaded with fruit this year!  I've made 3 batches of cherry jam and will be making another batch or two today. We've also pitted and frozen enough sour cherries for several pies this Fall and Winter.

I decided to try a batch with low sugar pectin. I have to say it has an odd consistency. So now I'm back to my favorite recipe with regular pectin.

Homemade Cherry Jam
from the CherryCorners kitchen

You will need a canning kettle with rack, jar lifter, tongs, wide mouthed funnel, seven 8 oz. canning jars, the same amount of jar rings and seals, ladle. 

Start with 3 lbs Sour Pie Cherries (after weighing the cherries pit and chop them) I coarsely chop for a chunky texture, but you can chop them finely for a smoother texture. Just remember to pulse if you are using a food processor, cherries are chopped not pureed. Follow the measurements below exactly or you jam may not set.

4 cups of chopped sour cherries

4 3/4 cups sugar

1 box of pectin

!/2 teaspoon butter or margarine

Bring the water in your canning kettle to a simmer. Wash jars, bands and seals in hot soapy water, rinse well. Set empty jars on rack in canning kettle to heat. Pour boiling water over assembled lids in saucepan. 

Measure sugar into a separate bowl.

Measure the exact amount of  chopped cherries into a 6-8 quart saucepan, stir in 1 box of pectin, add 1/2 tsp of butter or margarine (to prevent foaming). Bring mixture to full rolling boil (does not stop boiling when stirred) on high heat, stir constantly. 

Quickly stir in sugar. Bring back to a rolling boil and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Turn off heat and skim off any foam. (there shouldn't be any foam if you added the butter)

Remove 1 jar from canning kettle, drain the water out of jar and fill to within 1/8 inch of top. Wipe jar rim and threads with a a damp paper towel or cloth. Remove a 2 piece lid from saucepan or water and screw on tightly to jar. Place jar back on rack in canning kettle.Repeat until all jars are full (you should have seven 8 oz. jars of jam). Make sure water covers jars by 1 or 2 inches. Cover, bring to a gentle boil. Processing time varies by altitude. Following chart below, boil gently for recommended time. Remove and cool upright, let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.

Processing time for jam by altitude:

Sea level to 1,000 feet : 10 minutes
1,001 to 3,000 feet     :  15 minutes
3,001 to 6,000 feet     :  20 minutes
6,001 to 8,000 feet     :  25 minutes
8,001 to 10, 000 feet  :  30 minutes

Happy canning!