Chickens Everywhere

It’s been all aprons all the time this week. Yesterday, I pulled out the One Yard Apron pattern from Lori Holt at Bee in my Bonnet. I’ve got a few remnants of fabric in my stash that aren’t quite big enough for a full-length apron but make perfect half-aprons. The One Yard Apron pattern requires one yard of fabric in total, but that can be made up of several different pieces. The design provides a lot of opportunity to be creative.

The amount of chicken-themed fabric in my stash is rather alarming, even to me. I did not realize how much I had accumulated. (Cow fabric is running a close second.) The apron turned out nicely, I think.

I am not a big fan of half-aprons, as a rule. I am messy enough that I need a full coverage apron. These are fun to sew, though. And that chicken wire fabric is a great accent—I’ve got several yards in both red and yellow.

[The pattern does not call for topstitching the upper edge of that waistband, but looking at this photo, I may go ahead and do that anyway, just for neatness’s sake.]

I am going to have to have a marathon scrap-cutting session soon. I’ve been sorting leftovers into piles as I go along: pieces large enough to be used for other projects, pieces to be cut into 5” squares, pieces to be put into the string pile, etc. My supply of 5” squares is running low thanks to the tied comforters we have been making at sewing, so an infusion of fabric there will be most welcome.

I’m still carrying around my Metro Hipster bag that I made from brown waxed canvas. I love the style of that bag and it gets a lot of comments. That top zippered opening, though, continues to drive me nuts. I want to make it again, slightly larger, with a plain top opening with a magnetic closure. But check this out:

This is the newest pattern from Anna at Noodlehead, The Hillside Tote. I bought the pattern 10 seconds after it was released (no lie—I was sitting at my computer waiting for the blog post announcing its availability). She describes it as kind of a mashup between her Wool + Wax Tote (I’ve made that one) and the Redwood Tote (the one I carried most of the summer). I want to make this bag, too.

The big garage door is supposed to be installed on the new shop today. I know the husband still has lots of work to do in that building before he can move all his stuff over there, but every so often, I like to fantasize about my workshop space that’s going to be in the old garage when it’s all cleared out. Perhaps I’ll start a Pinterest board with some ideas.