Aprons for Haiti : :

Oh, I love a good apron. Yes I do! So, when Craft Hope announced Project 17 : : Aprons for Haiti, I signed on right away to contribute at least one! Today, I'm happy to have two to share with high hopes of a few more to send in by the May 31st deadline.



For my first apron I used a bit of my Fabric Envy mail, pulling four fat quarters from the bundle of Hello Luscious that I won recently in a giveaway Andrea had on the Fabric Envy blog.



The colors in this collection are so pretty and sweet. It was a nice change from the brights I usually work with.



The idea I had for this apron was to create something beautiful and useful that wouldn't require too much fabric for easy construction and very little cutting. I ended up using just two full fat quarters for the main skirt of the apron, half of the third fat quarter for the waist band, and the straps needed about three quarters of the forth fat quarter to create this entire apron! I'm calling it my Flirty Fat Quarter Apron and I'll have a quick tutorial to share soon! Hopefully you're interested! *wink*



For my second apron I used my Fabric Lover's Apron Tutorial, choosing Loulouthi once again! I had all the pieces already cut, left from when I created that tutorial, so this one came together super quick, too! I've made four of these now myself and have loved being sent photos of this apron pattern made by some of you! Thank you!!



In case you are interested in joining Project 17, I pulled some of the information off of the Craft Hope Facebook page to share today, as well. In the words of Craft Hope --

PROJECT 17 :: APRONS FOR HAITI :
 
It is unlikely that the average Haitian woman will ever receive anything that is special and pretty, something just for herself. Daily life for the Haitian woman is grueling and backbreaking. Most have to carry 5-gallon buckets of water on their heads from miles away. Cooking is done in a pit in the ground from handmade charcoal. The few pieces of clothing they have are washed in the river and hung to dry.

To receive something as precious as an apron made with love from pretty new fabrics would go a long way in making a Haitian women feel special. We would love for you to join us as we sew and collect aprons for the women of Haiti!

Guidelines for Project Apron:
--Pretty-but-practical full or half aprons (nothing too frilly, ruffly or lacey)
--Washable fabrics only please
--Pockets are a plus
--You may include a handwritten note with your apron if you like. Someone will be available to translate when we deliver the aprons
 
--Please send all aprons to:
HAITI BY HAND
3333 Benton Road
Cedar Hill TN 37032

Again, the deadline for this project is May 31, 2012, so you can still have plenty of time to follow and share on the facebook page that was created while the Craft Hope website is being rebuilt. You can get all the additional details there, as well!

I hope you do join in and that you let me know if you do!!  ♥ Maureen 

p.s. Be sure to stop back from my new fabric giveaway beginning tomorrow morning! Here's a peek!!

Fabric Pompom Tutorial : :

First, let's have a look at my new Anthropologie placemats shall we?! Perfectly named after Quilting Circles, each has lovely runs of embroidery floss that resemble hand-quilted stitches, applique details, and these fun fabric pompoms dangling from the edges and corners -- which is what this post is all about! 





Do you like them? I love them so much I decided that my Fabric Lover's Apron needed an upgrade! If you'd like to try out this entire project for yourself you can find my apron tutorial here, or you can add this detail to any pillows, pillowcases, blankets, quilts, placemats, napkins, tablecloths/runners, clothing, you name it!



What you'll need : :

• Scrap fabric pieces measuring at least 2"x 2" each
• Purchased Pompoms
• Pearl Cotton or DMC embroidery floss
• Sharp scissors and an embroidery needle 
• Note * Click on any of my images for a larger picture

Making the Fabric Pompoms : :

1. Place the pompom in the center of the fabric scrap 2. Fold the edges of the fabric up around the pompom 3. Wrap the floss around the fabric right above the pompom 4. Knot thread ends together well, trim, and trim the fabric ends even




Continue making your Fabric Pompoms until you have the amount you need.



Fabric Pompoms Details : : 

I'm adding mine to my Fabric Lover's Apron, any item will use these same instructions.

1. Layout your design 2. Place the Fabric Pompom onto the item 3. Using a needle threaded with floss and knotted at one end, insert the needle at one side of the pompom pulling up through the back of the fabric item 4. Pull thread all the way through until it catches the knot 5. Insert the needle on the other side of the pompom, pulling back though the fabric so the floss is holding the pompom tightly in place 6. Knot well, close to the fabric, and trim away excess floss



Continue until all of your Fabric Pompoms are attached.



Voila! You're finished! 
 


Variation ideas : : You can reverse how you attach them so only the Fabric Pompom ball is showing for a less funky look. You can add them to a pillow this way or attach these just as you would purchased pompom fringe. Here is an example of that on a pillow of mine from Pier1.



I hope you enjoy this tutorial!!! This Fabric Pompom detail is something I'll certainly be adding to the edges of many of my own handmades!

Sewing News : :

I finally started my Bottled Rainbows Quilt! This is my first quilt block, Ruby Love Birds. I had originally planned on doing my quilt with simple squared up scraps and then had this wonderful idea a couple weeks ago to arrange my pieces with Mandalas in mind.

I will definitely plan my design out before I begin to sew next time -- this time I cut and sewed as I went and realized about half way that I would have preferred to have had a plan, oops. I do love the way the reverse side looks on this!! This is a quilt-as-you-go project, therefor with each block you instantly get that soft, puffy dimension -- LOVE that!

I spent some sewing time recently putting together a little something for our sweet friend Sohia, who just turned four this past weekend. I made her a very special Princess Flower Crown, following some wonderful felt flower tutorials I found via Pinterest. If anyone is interested, I'd be happy to send you the links.

And of course I had to make her a pillow, as well! Once again, Happy Birthday Sophia!!!

Finally, I received my first news from someone to have made my Fabric Lover's Apron!!! Catherine did such an amazing job! I hope she doesn't mind me sharing a photo here -- you can visit her blog to see the full post.

If any of you use my tutorial, please do let me know -- it really made my day!!!

Happy Sewing!