1940s Apron • Peaches 'n' Cream

What?!! No magazine scans? 

Don't worry! They'll be back next week. Friday is my magazine scan/whatever other random project that's worth blogging day, and this apron was just begging to be posted.

This lovely fabric started out life as a blouse. I had just finished making my very first blouse and thought that I loved it, so started cutting out another. Just about then, I figured out that I actually didn't like the fit....at all.

So, the poor pieces of fabric languished in the scrap box until a few weeks back, when I wanted to make an apron for my mom. The blouse bodice pieces ended up being the perfect size to form the skirt of the apron! I wanted some sort of accent fabric with it, but nothing that I had remotely matched it.

We happened to be going to JoAnn a few days later, so I was able to find the lovely floral fabric to go with it.

Even though I had sewn the skirt together, I really had no idea what design I was going to make; I didn't want it to be like anything we already had. I finally decided to make a simple bib-style apron with seam binding on all of the edges.

I didn't use a pattern for the top, so genius that I am, I cut it out so that it laid perfectly flat when on a flat surface. Not a very good idea. Sewing the seams at an angle, and a couple of darts fixed that problem, however, and made it lay quite nicely! There's no law against darts in an apron, right?

I used a seam binding foot to sew the binding onto the skirt, but it actually didn't work that well. I just hand-folded it onto the bib of the apron when I sewed it, and it worked great, even with all of those curves.

Ordinarily I sew seam binding on invisibly, but for an apron with this much binding that had to be finished in an evening, I wasn't about to attempt it.

I just love that floral fabric! I have its twin in a darker shade that I have made into a 1900s-ish skirt and a 1950s blouse.

It was so much fun to turn this fabric into something so useful and pretty! I'm so glad it never got made into a blouse. :)

The dress that Thelma Lou is wearing is one that my mom made recently. She found the pattern picture on Pinterest, and fell in love with it. Unfortunately, the pattern is no longer available, but she was able to reproduce it without one!

Just look at that pattern matching! She's so good at that sort of thing. I have yet to attempt it, but I'm sure my tries won't be near as good. I didn't inherit her perfectionist trait, I'm afraid, so it's something I have to work at. She is a constant inspiration! :)