Summer Sewing Projects

This summer I had several sewing projects in the works and they were all for a very special Bridal Shower for my niece. My list of projects included Aprons, Face Masks and a Tablerunner and I wanted all of them to coordinate with the color scheme and theme of the shower. I already had the patterns that I was going to use however it took several trips to the fabric stores to finally settle on fabric. Once the decision was made and I had my supplies I got started. 

The aprons were first. One for the Bride to Be and matching aprons for Miss E and me. Our matching aprons were very similar in style to the Brides apron so I worked on them assembly   style. When I got to the point of attaching the bias tape along the edges I noticed the pink did not match the color on our aprons very well so I decided to make my own. Thankfully I had just enough leftover fabric. 

For the pockets on the brides apron I cut out a pockets from the floral fabric and placed them behind the white fabric. Since it was so sheer the flowers were visible but muted and soft. This coordinated our aprons with the Brides. My initial plan was to have the guests sign her apron in the pink border I attached above the ruffle however I ended up changing my mind. 

Another change I made as I went along was to only put one pocket on the matching aprons and two on the Brides apron. In addition, I added the word BRIDE at the top in jeweled letters. 

Of course we all needed matching face masks so those were next. 

For the Bride to Be, Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom I added flowers that I had cutout of the floral fabric. On the mothers face masks I ironed the flowers onto the font and then added a few leftover jewels to give them a little sparkle. For the brides face mask I ironed the flowers on the inside of the lining so that it would match her apron pockets and  also added a jewel to the front. 

Just like the brides, our face masks matched our pockets too. Also, instead of a ruffled apron edge, the bottom of our aprons were scalloped. The pattern did not come that way so I created my own scalloped edge. 

All of the face masks had adjustable silver metallic elastic for the ear straps and included adjustable and removable  nose wires. The Mother of the Bride and the Mother of the Groom had matching face masks. 

The Grandmother of the Bride also got a face mask. I made hers from a soft peach metallic floral fabric and lined hers with matching gold metallic. 

Another project was a  table runner that coordinated with the aprons. Instead of having everyone sign the brides apron I decided to make a table runner to have each guest sign which I had also done for our daughter in laws shower. 

Just like before, I created a monogram to add to the middle. However, the colors were not transferring well. They looked perfect on paper before I transferred them but once on the fabric the colors were off. After spending some time trying to fix the issue I reluctantly decided it was better to leave it off and get onto the next project. 

We set up an old desk and put the table runner on top with instructions, pens, a hexagon that Mr. Wonderful made out of old pallet boards and of course flowers. 

Once the sewing was finished there were other projects on the list such as banners, crowns, labels, chargers, etc.  I will be back soon with more fun projects to share from our Backyard Bridal Shower. 

Happy Sunny Saturday!

*new* Christmas Face Masks

'Tis the season for some festive face masks.

Thanksgiving weekend I made Miss E a fun Christmas face mask to take home and wear during the holiday season. Then, a few days later, I made myself one just like it although there was only enough fabric left with the candy cane border for one side on my mask. That is okay though because then we will be able to tell them apart if she brings hers when she comes to visit. 

The Holly Face Masks were so festive I decided to make a few more Christmas masks just for fun. 

You can never have too many face masks these days. 

It is also handy to keep an extra in the car.

Of course there is always one in my purse and 

another near the front door. 

DIY Christmas Face Masks to spread the joy but not the germs! 

Happy Thursday!

"NEW" ~ summer & fall Face Masks

It has become clear that you can never have enough face masks these days, at least for us, so I decided to have a supply on hand. In order to keep things simple and limit shopping trips I challenged myself to make them with fabric from my stash which has been fun. I have found all types of great fabrics and trims that I had forgotten about and have now made into something useful.

At the same time I have been making changes and improvements to my face masks such as adjustable elastic for a comfortable fit around the ears and now a new removable nose wire.

On some face masks I had intentionally made them without nose wire since there are some that do not care for that feature. For my trial run with the removable wire I added a small pocket in the back of one I had already finished to see how I liked it. It worked great and so now I sew an outside nose wire pocket to the back when making the masks. I also discovered Pipe Cleaner wire which I happened to have in my craft supplies. I really like it because it stays in place and it is so soft. 

Sometimes you need a face mask that is a little more dressy so I made a few from some metallic cotton fabric.

Denim is very versatile and this denim happens to be extra soft. I have made several of these and they are lined with either red and white gingham or red paisley hankie print fabric. 

It is never too earlier to prepare for fall. It will be here before we know it.  Hopefully these will match an outfit or can be used for a special occasion but, either way, they will be put to good use.  

There are more face masks in the works so I will be back with more.

Happy Tuesday!

SEW many face masks

Yes, still making face masks. They are just so quick and easy to make and such a good way to use up some of my fabric. It is also great to be making something so useful and much needed right now. 

I currently have three patterns that I am using although the first two are still my favorite.

There are masks that I think will suit everyones style.

The more face masks I make the more ideas I have which means we have quite a few now and have also given many away. 

Recently I was asked about UofO face masks however we are Oregon State Beavers so there isn't any Oregon Duck fabric around our house. However, I aim to please so these two masks are what I came up with in a pinch. 

This is a new pattern I tried which also has the filter pocket in the back which is nice.

There are still more in progress which I hope to have finished soon but I have almost run out of elastic so I am scrambling to find some. No elastic means no more masks unless I can improvise. In the meantime I can get back to work on a new quilt that I just started.

Ah, so much sewing, so little time!

Have a Great Wednesday!

more DIY face masks

After I made my first face masks last week I decided to make a few more. It started with a one for my sister who loves pineapples. I had this pineapple print fabric in my stash which had her name written all over it. After seeing ours on Instagram she asked if I would make her one. Little did she know that I had one in progress.

While I was working on that one I started thinking about our niece who just got engaged a little over a month ago and it occurred to me that I should make a Bridal face mask. It was so much fun I already have another one started. 

By Friday I was preparing for our middle sons birthday and knew we needed masks. He loves golfing which made me think of a pink and yellow golf print I had.  Obviously that would not work for him but I made one with that fabric anyway and thought one of we girls could wear it or I could give it to our daughter who loves to golf. The guys though were left to choose from the other assorted DIY masks.

Now that face masks are recommended when going outside of the house due to COVID~19 we will be prepared. 

Happy Saturday!

An Ounce of Prevention....

...is Worth a Pound of Cure - Benjamin Franklin

That familiar quote seems to me to sum up the current effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We know that one of the ways to protect yourself besides social distancing and staying at home is to wear a face mask when it is necessary to go out in public. However, face masks are currently in short supply as we all know.  So we, like many others, do not have them. That is until now. 

A couple days ago I opened a drawer and discovered a bag of these cute character face masks. I am not sure where they came from but I thought they adorable and would be great to get out for a party or when our kids are able to come over again when this quarantine is finally over.  But,  it also got me thinking maybe I should try making a face mask.  

So I started looking through my fabric stash and as soon as I saw the Oregon State University fabric I new I should do it. I decided to make it pleated so that the print would show well when in use. It went together so quickly that I was ready to start another one. 

This time though I chose a batik fabric and changed the pattern. There were no pleats on the second one however I added a filter pocket even, though I do not have any certified filters, and then also a nose wire to make it more secure. 

To use up fabric scraps I pieced the top of the blue mask and liked how it turned out. After both were finished it became apparent that the Beaver mask would be for the hubs, if he would even wear it that is. He was a good sport though and tried it on and let me take a picture to show the kids since they are all Beavers too but then I remembered....

...I would see them all in a few hours. 

Just like everyone else, our family is following the mandatory COVID~19 rules.  We have been practicing social distancing, following the stay at home orders and are trying new things to keep in touch while in quarantine. Yesterday, instead of Sunday Supper we had a Tele-Supper which was Sunday Supper on Zoom! The hubs and I were so excited that we decided to wear our new face masks just for fun. Well, we took it a little further and also set up a fancy dinner table with linens, candles, flowers, fancy dishes and served a beautiful dinner for 2. It was so much fun! All the kids joined so even our children that live out of the state could be with us. We began around our usual time and we all had dinner together. In fact, it was the longest Sunday Supper I think we have ever had. It was great and we all agreed to do it again next week or until the restrictions are lifted. In the meantime, I think I will sew up a few more masks just in case anyone else needs one. 

Happy Monday!

SAY YES TO THE DRESS! ~ { DIY: BRIDE TRIBE face masks }

Planning a wedding during the coronavirus pandemic has its own set of unique challenges which includes shopping for your wedding dress. Like most businesses the rules are strict and the number of people allowed in the Bridal store is limited. Also, as you would expect, the shops require face masks so I jumped at the opportunity to sew some special masks for the occasion. 

They were all a little different however I tried to coordinate them with the words on the front. 

The term "Bride Tribe" is new to me so I thought that would be fun to add to the side. 

For the back filter pocket I used some pieces of wedding theme fabric. 

The Bride received a white version of the mask.

Her filter pocket was similar however I wanted to include an extra print so I cut out three pieces instead of two and also cut them a bit longer so that I could get everything to fit.

The brides face mask is a more casual style than her lace Wedding Face Mask although this one might be fun to take on the honeymoon if face masks are still required by that time. 

So this was my little contribution to the weekend

SAY YES TO THE DRESS

shopping extravaganza. 

Have a terrific Tuesday!