Ra Ra - Ta da

At the bottom end of our high street there is a fab little coffee shop, which has recently become my lifesaver!!

Hubs loathes shopping and I LOVE it - I love knick knack shopping - you know the sort where you amble from one place to another in search of spectacular finds....little bits and pieces of this and that, which may one day come in handy when the need to create hits. I'm not a fan of clothes shopping and food shopping is the bane of my life - but knick knack shopping - Oh!! I can never get enough of knick knack shopping :D
My Hubs loves his morning caffeine fix - and I love shopping - and that's where the coffee shop comes in handy - bribe the man with a decent cuppa (and if he's really lucky - a super sized blueberry muffin) and the world is your oyster - ahem!!!!!....well my favourite fabric store just happens to be a hop skip and a jump away from the coffee shop ;D ;D ;D

Of course he's a man and he doesn't understand - he thinks Im mad - barking mad - every time I step in to that fabric store, its another hour of my life gone - I could spend all day in there just touching and stroking all of the pretties....and he just doesn't get it!!!
However, time was short and the clock was ticking, (and his evil eye was giving me that look that says "quit filling our house with crafting junk"!!!!! ), so I whizzed around the rolls of fabric and managed to get everything I needed in 45 minutes - which has to be the shortest time I have ever spent there!!
Hubs and I dashed backed up the High St to meet up with one of my dearest pals - we have been mates since our boys were small and kinda drift in and out of one an other's lives - but that's how we like it - we can pick up where we left off - be it 6 days or 6 months since we last got together - we don't need to live in one an other's pockets to be friends, but we always know that we are there for each other whenever the sh*t hits the fan. Anyways, we went off to a local Italian for lots of catch up chatter and a spot of lunch - which was delish :D

With over filled tummies, we waddled home and I settled down to play with my fabric store finds and this is what I made .......Ra Ra - Ta Da!!!!:D











Silly me didn't think at the time to take step by step photos to share :(

However, it was really easy to make in just under a couple of hours - I'm a slow stitcher and I was watching a movie at the same time! LOL!

To make the basic apron.

* Take a piece of calico fabric and cut it to approx. 2 inches wider and 4 inches longer than you want your apron to be - mine measured 30 x 22 inches.
* Fold and pin fabric 1/2 inch all the way around outside edge - iron.
* Remove pins and fold and pin a further 1/2 inch all the way around outside edge - iron.
* Stitch around outside edge.
*Fold top of fabric over approx. 3 inches and stitch - leaving ends open.
* Cut two lengths of calico measuring approx. 5 x 24 inches.
* Fold and stitch to create two "ties" for your apron.
* Slip one end of each of the "ties" into the open sides, at the top of the apron, and stitch.

To decorate the apron.

*Cut 6 lengths of fabric measuring approx. 11 inches x the width of your apron + 1 inch - mine measured approx. 11 x 29 inches.
* Hem 1/2inch all the way around each fabric strip.
* Fold strips face to face in half length ways and stitch the two ends together - leaving the long side open.
* Turn the fabric the right way around.
* Pin your first strip to the bottom of the calico apron - pleating as you go - stitch in place.
* Layer next fabric strip so that bottom slightly overlaps the top of the first fabric strip.
* Pin, pleat and stitch in place.
* Repeat for the remaining strips of fabric until you reach the top of your apron.
* To tidy up the waistband I simply stitched a piece of gingham fabric so that it wrapped around the waistband.

To decorate even further, I hand stitched some canvas textile tags from GCD Studios Homespun collection by Melody Ross to the Ra Ra's of my apron - Ra Ra skirts - what a blast from the past!!!
I've spent more pennies today....on fabric so maybe I'll make another - with step by step photos next time!

Thanks for dropping by.
T.x.