All right, y’all, time for something different – another round of HOME SEWING PROJECTS (heh heh heh!). No wait, come back! I promise it’s at least somewhat interesting!
So, as I’ve mentioned repeatedly – I moved this month! Yay! From a basement apartment in the middle of the woods, to a second floor apartment with masses of windows in my favorite part of Nashville. Literally movin’ on up, here! :B Since things go all kinds of haywire during moving month (from packing, to moving, to unpacking, to figuring out your new neighborhood bar, etc etc), I knew I probably shouldn’t devote myself to trying to make a whole outfit or something crazy for this month’s MSN project. Never mind that I actually unpacked and set up everything in 3 days hahaha. I decided to focus my efforts on sprucing up and decorating, to get the new place real pretty instead. Not to mention, this gave me an opportunity to actually shop the home decor selection at Mood Fabrics. Yes! I don’t normally sew with home decor fabrics, like, ever (too stiff to wear, at least for me!), so that whole side of the website was so fresh and new and different and ahh I love it.
First up is a basic (but so useful!) apron, made using this Blue and White Striped Linen. I know, aprons are generally one of those things that people make when they are first learning how to sew haha. To be completely honest – I’ve never actually sewn an apron before (as with all my adult learning, I jumped straight into the “difficult” stuff). But I knew I needed one because I am a helluva messy cook – I get splatters everywhere and I’m always wiping my hands off on my clothes. I’m also a really clean cook – in the sense that I clean as I cook (seriously – I won’t even sit down to eat until all the cooking dishes are washed, unless there’s something that needs to be soaked. A sink full of dirty dishes stresses me out!) – so I’m also usually covered with water by the end of the prep. Using an apron might actually make me feel more like a grown-up. Plus it would be cool to wear one while whipping up a delicious meal to impress whatever man I have over. If that ever happens. BTW, Tinder is incredibly depressing hahaha. ANYWAY, MOVING ON NOW.
I didn’t use a pattern to make this, just this adjustable Unisex Apron tutorial from Purl Soho. You basically make a series of measurements directly onto the fabric to get your pattern. From there, it’s just a lot of folding, pressing, and topstitching. The tutorial was really easy to follow, and this linen was even easier to sew up. I did find that the straps were a bit too low to hit my waist – so to fix this, I folded over the top by another couple of inches and topstitched it down, which shortened the apron enough so that everything hit me in the right spot. A better fix would be to reduce the angle and length of the diagonal cuts, obviously, but since my pieces were already cut at this point, this was a quick and dirty fix!
Other changes I made to the ~design~ was to leave off the pocket (what’s the pocket for, anyway? Dirty spoons? Secret snacks? Seriously, I am not putting my phone in that mess) and also to change the webbing to some 1″ twill tape. I did try the webbing, but it was WAY too stiff to be comfortable or even tie easily. The twill tape is nice and soft and it’s much more comfortable. I also topstitched along the edge of the apron where the twill tape goes around the neck, because otherwise it tends to slide off when you’re putting it on. The topstitching anchors everything so it stays in place at the neck, but the sides/back are still adjustable 🙂
Once I finished with the apron, I realized I had quite a bit of fabric left over (I had bought 2 yards). Not enough to make a full garment, but certainly enough for some kitchen linens! Yeah, Friday night just got WILD up in here!
I was able to squeeze out 7 cloth napkins, and 3 dishtowels. Yay! For the napkins (pictured above), I cut 13″x13″ squares (I know there are lots of sizes for cloth napkins, but I personally like mine to be about 12″ square) and folded each edge under 1/2″ twice, and then topstitched. Really easy, and very fast when you sew it assembly-line style 🙂 This was definitely not the most exciting project, but it is certainly useful! I am trying to move away from using disposable products as much as I can, including paper products like napkins, mostly cos I’m sick of having to buy them over and over. Plus, cloth really does wipe your face off better than paper does. Now if I could just get my visiting friends to stop using paper towels to dry their hands (whyyyy do people do this, use a real towel ffs).
The dishtowels have a finished measurement of 25″ x 14.5″, and were sewn in the same manner as the napkins. Again, definitely a useful thing for my kitchen! I prefer smooth tea towels over the really plush terrycloth kind, at least for kitchen use, and these work exactly the same way. I love the blue stripes and I love how they look in my (admittedly boring off-white) apartment kitchen 🙂
Now, linen does tend to wrinkle up like crazy and this particular linen was no exception! I will point out that it was very stiff and flat when it arrived, but washing it made it soften up very nicely. I actually washed my linen 3x in hot water (and dried on extra hot) before cutting into it, to get it to shrink as much as possible and also because that does help with preventing future wrinkles. As you can see, they still wrinkle when they are laundered, but it’s not terrible. I’ve learned that just giving them a good shake after pull them out of the wash helps a lot. I do put mine in the dryer, however, line-drying will also prevent wrinkles as well.
My last home project doesn’t involve sewing at all – just fabric and hot glue 🙂
I’ve had this cool gold floor lamp for several years (and my grandpa had it in his home for even MORE years before I got my hands on it), but the drum shade has definitely seen better days. It’s pretty old and brittle and will crack if you so much as look at it funny. I also wasn’t a big fan of the yellow-y off-white color, especially not for my new place. Rather than try to buy a new drum shade (because those things are $$$ – if you can even find one!), I recovered this one!
The fabric is this beauuuuutiful Peacock Geometric Chenille. The colors were perfect for my new living room, and I just love the chenille texture! The fabric was wide enough so that I only needed a half yard to cover my lampshade, but I may end up buying more to cover some pillows for my couch as well 🙂 Because it’s THAT beautiful!
Anyway, covering the shade was really simple! I cut the fabric to be a couple inches taller than what I needed to cover the shade, and then turned under one long edge by 1/4″ and hot glued that to the wrong side of the fabric (since it does fray a lot, you’ll want to cover your raw edges or double turn them). Then I carefully wrapped the shade with the fabric, hot gluing as I went. The edge at the top of the shade was left raw, and then covered with this gold metallic braid. The bottom has an overlap of about 2″ of fabric (the edge with the 1/4″ turn under). When I came back around to where I started, I turned the fabric under 1/4″ and glued it down before overlapping. Done and done!
Here is the shade in all it’s glory, in my NEW LIVING ROOM 😀 😀 😀 (psst – see that chair in the background? I recovered that bad boy a couple of years ago – also thanks to Mood Fabrics! 😉 ). Also, I totally knit that white blanket – using size 50 needles and fluffy wool roving that basically feels like a cloud. It’s a simple k2 p2 rib, and just big enough for me + my cat to cuddle up. Ravelry notes are here, if you are interested!
Ok, so real talk – sewing things for the home doesn’t exactly top my list of favorite things to make, but it’s fun to switch things up every now and then! Not to mention, in a world where greys and chevrons are the current fashion, it’s really nice to have full control over my decor (even if it means I have to be a little bit more hands-on than just throwing something in my shopping cart at Target). What about you? Do you even sew (or hot glue) for your home?
Note: Fabrics were provided to me by Mood Fabrics, as part of my involvement with the Mood Sewing Network.
LLADYBIRD 
Yay for reusables! They are unethically sourced, but the flour sack towels that they sell at Sams Club, cut in half and hemed, are crazy good replacements for paper towels. Hide the paper towels under the sink and put your fabric towels in a basket in plain view and people will figure it out. (Pro-Tip: figure out a “hamper” situation for your dishtowels. I use a Chicobag hung on a couple of grocery bag hooks under the sink.) Seriously, you don’t need disposables for anything that can go down the drain. I only use paper towels for grease, raw meat handling, or diy stuff like caulk.
Congrats on the new digs.
Oops. Forgot then original reason for commenting.
Kick ass no-bulk mitered corner tutorial: http://www.sew4home.com/tips-resources/sewing-tips-tricks/how-sew-corner-aka-mitered-hem
This is AWESOME! Thank you!
Oh, that’s a good point on hiding the paper towels. Sometimes I don’t think about the most obvious solutions haha. I totally agree with you about not using disposables for anything that can go down the drain. I feel the same way about ZipLoc bags – until I find a good replacement, I’m just washing and reusing the ones I have. Except when I put raw meat in those, that shit can just be thrown away 🙂
I got off the ziplock train years ago by buying mason jars. That might be tough for you since you’ve got limited storage space in an apartment, but only having two sizes of lids to worry about is huge. I even freeze in mine (leave lots of head space at the top.)
I love glass storage since it goes through the dishwasher so well. With the exception of my good knives and cast iron skillet, if it doesn’t go in the dishwasher, it doesn’t get to live in my house.
Something like the old Snapware Mods might be a good choice. (Hard to find now. Boo.) The containers nest, and the lids work for different sizes.
Pockets in aprons are for when you forgot to bring your butter or eggs to room temp and are too lazy to wait!
That’s actually really brilliant! haha!
I am loving the Peacock Geometric Chenille, fun and funky.
Yeah, it’s pretty awesome! 🙂
I bought a big old apron after going to cookery school in Thailand, I was convinced it made me all profesh! Anyway at cookery school we used the pocket to hang a tea towel over so we always had one to hand for picking up hot pans, wiping stuff up or whatever. I’m like you, veeeerry messy cook but I’m sure it’s because we’re too busy making awesome food to worry about things like not getting mess on ourselves!
That is a VERY good point about the tea towel! I tend to throw mine around as I use them, so I can never find them while I’m cooking haha. It would make sense to keep one in your apron pocket, so it’s always nearby!
Congratulations on your new place! Great light and colors that you’ve added.I’ll look at my antique lamp shades, great ideas – thanks!
Thank you! I’m really happy with how it’s coming together 🙂
OH HEY!! Sometimes home sewing is what gets me out of a funk! I just made a pillow out of a chenille bedspread I dug out of the trash….. and pompoms I got in New York! LOVE LOVE LOVE the lampshade, I just sent my youngest a hot glue gun, you can do a lot with those. Your apartment has a great vibe that comes through all the way to California. Way to go with the movin on up!!!
I can see how home sewing would get you out of a funk – it’s still the fun of sewing (and having a finished project) without worrying about fit or, in some cases, durability! And thank you! You’ll have to come to Nashville and visit it sometime 😀
Re: apron pockets. I hate washing dishes (or doing almost anything else) without listening to podcasts. The pocket is a good spot for my elderly, cracked iPod.
I definitely sew for my home. I like the fact that there is something I’ve sewn in every room of the house, not just in my closet. I originally planned to make curtains for my current house, but then I moved in & realized that it’s a total shithole that didn’t deserve handmade curtains. We are moving again in a few weeks. Maybe I’ll feel more motivated to sew for the new place. Mostly I just hate buying something I know I could make myself.
I totally understand the feeling of not wanting to buy something you can make – although, for me it can get a little out of hand, to the point where I desperately need stuff but don’t have time to make it cos my list is too long! So there’s definitely a balance there. For stuff like home decor, though, I feel like it’s better to make it (if you can) because it’ll end up cheaper and way more custom than something you could buy (or at least buy on a budget!). I love the idea of having home sewn things in every room in the house. Now you’ve got me all inspired 🙂
Also, I LOVE washing dishes. I don’t know anyone else who feels that way, but it is absolutely my favorite chore hahaha.
I also kind of enjoy washing dishes! It’s “my job” in our house, while my partner tidies up our daughter’s toys after dinner & gives her a bath. I like to just put on a podcast & zone out, & then the kitchen is all nice & clean when we get up the next day.
I can definitely relate to the struggle of waiting too long to make things you actually need. I didn’t want to buy new jeans when I technically had the ability to sew my own, but I kept putting it off because it seemed like such a huge complicated project, while my jeans were worn to literal tatters. I bought some cozy sweater fabric to make a cardigan last August…& finally got around to making it two weeks ago. So now I’m all set for once it gets cold again in five months, I guess.
Great projects, your new place looks great! I like sewing for my home, things like simple curtains, table runners, and lots of quilts–big and small. I like small ones to hang on the walls, and change them every few months for a different look. Sewing is sewing, it’s all good! 😀
Very true! Any kind of sewing is good sewing 🙂 and thank you!! 🙂
Congrats on the new place!
I like sewing for my place for the same reason – stores are so saturated with whatever colour-flavour of the moment, and I like to decorate with colours that I like to live in. Plus, I have furnished an entire apartment with 2nd hand stuff, which lends itself to all kinds of interesting colours and textures.
i wish MY cats would let me have plants. I have been forced into a plant-free existence. No mercy for them here. Perhaps a covered terrarium…
Yeah, most of my place is secondhand as well (except where I’ve temporarily lost my mind in an IKEA a few times, ha!), so there’s definitely an art to getting everything to flow and look good together. I enjoy the challenge, though!
And, dude, my cat used to chew on my plants too. I bought her some wheatgrass that’s ALL hers and she leaves my shit alone now. She loves that wheatgrass and my plants are happy 🙂
Girl, you’ve been in your apartment for like a minute and it’s already cuter than mine. WTF. LOL, see you next week!
Hahaha I am a woman on a mission when it comes to decorating 😛 Can’t wait for our date! 😀
Yay for cool new apartments and colours instead of greys (why the hell are those trendy anyway – walking out the door and seeing only blacks and greys is depressing af – especially in summer).
I actually find sewing home decor incredibly boring, but even with the mass of products available today, I feel like so often you have to choose between „sew something pretty“ or „buy something ugly“ (or uber-expensive), in which case I always go with the first option.
I made cushion covers, curtains, table runners and oven mitts for my last apartment and while I’m usually a sewist who loves beautiful details and takes her time, all my ambition goes astray when it comes to sewing home decor. I just want to get the project done, so I don’t waste any time thinking about intricate details or seam finishes beyond the zig-zag stitch 😀
I KNOW! I hate all the greys – grey and black can be beautiful and stunning, but there is toooo much everywhere these days. Depressing and cold looking. Not a fan, at least not in my house 🙂
I tend to get really sloppy with my non-clothing projects, too, just cos I want them to be done! It’s a good exercise for making myself slow down and actually do things right. Well, I try anyway haha
Congratulations!!!Love the cool new place!!!!!!!!!!!! You did way better than me..3 days…aaaaaaaaahh.. I moved a month ago.. lets just say i still have work to do…lol hahaha
Thank you!! 🙂 It helps that I was SUPER excited to move (Back in town! Back to living alone! Back to having windows! YAAAAY), which propelled my unpacking. I also was able to take a few days off, so I could focus on getting set up and all that 🙂
That’s amazing!! 🙂 congrats again…
Admission of whatever (certainly not guilt 🙂 ) — I still have the apron I made in 4-H when I was in 5th grade! Need to get that out and wear it as I’m a wiper of hands as well (which is why I love jeans so much). Great tips on linen, thanks so much. And I love the way your lamp shade turned out; that fabric is simply amazing!!
That’s adorable! You should absolutely pull that thing out and wear it with pride. I would 🙂
Love the new digs! Your linens are beautiful. I completely agree on the cloth napkins–so much better for grubby hands, and I hate all the disposable stuff. I always procrastinate sewing for the home, but it feels so good when I get stuff like that done. I recently made pillow shams and covered (and built!!) two ottoman footstools for the living room. Glad I did it, it really spruces up the place!
Damn! I wish I was handy enough to build stuff. I definitely want to learn at some point (maybe not in this apartment, though, since I’m on the second floor! :)). Props to you, that is really awesome!
Your new apartment is beautiful and I love what you’ve made. 🙂
Thank you so much!
I love striped linen for kitchen textiles; thanks for reminding me that I can replace my tired old ones with my own two hands!! PS… a gentleman friend recently told me about Bumble, Tinder, but controlled from OUR side; check it out, m’k?
I’ve heard of Bumble before but never actually checked it out. I will have to look into it. Thank you!
Impressive job on that slipcover! That was my first home sewing project over 35 yrs ago but mine was not as complicated as yours. Nice save on the lampshade which is also something I would totally do. Thanks for sharing your new place. It looks very nice and not like you just moved in. I hope you will be very happy there.
Oh, I didn’t sew the slipcover! Haha! I meant the OTHER chair – the dining room chair with the basic padding in the seat 🙂 I can’t take credit for that beautiful armchair hahaha, it’s all original!
At any rate, thank you! I’m pretty happy with the new place 🙂
My hair stylist met a great Fire Fighter guy on Plenty of Fish; Tinder was only turning up weirdos for her.
I tried Plenty of Fish waaaaay back in the day (like 2009 maybe?) and that one definitely turned up the worst of the worst for me haha. Maybe it’s changed since then, though, that was a long time ago!
I love how you’ve furnished your apartment! It looks all mid-century. The lampshade is so pretty.
Thank you! Almost all of it is mid-century; I get most of my pieces from flea markets, estate sales, and friends 🙂 I try to buy used whenever I can get away with it!
Congratulations on your move! Your new apartment looks great. Excuse me for being boring, but I wouldn’t be without my aprons, and your lampshade looks great!!
Thank you!
Love your new place , hope you’ll be very happy there ! love , love , love that lampshade, I have lampshade frame in my garage , will have to unearth them and see if I can do as well !
Dressing your house is not quite as exciting as dressing yourself !
It’s not quite as exciting, but it DOES feel good to be able to make things your own (while, well, literally making them haha). And yes, you’ll have to find that frame and do a recover! It’s crazy how easy it is, and way cheaper than buying something already covered.
Making is always more exciting than buying ! Will definitely dig those frames out , will let you know how I get on ! (Or at least share the one I get right ! )
Yay for new digs!!!
I hate moving but I literally LOVE being in a new space. It’s rejuvenating. I moved a few months ago and have some old pillows that I keep saying I’m going to make envelope-style covers for (SO easy, yet so hard to force myself to do).
I love the lamp do over and the apron!
When I started sewing I had no time for “rectangular projects” and other easy things they tell beginners to try. And then when I finally made an apron I was hooked 🙂 I made like 5 and was luckily, smart enough to give them as gifts and not hoard them!
Yep, I’ve been meaning to make pillow covers for almost 2 years! GAH! Why do we put these things off for so long? I don’t know about you, but I always feel soooo satisfied when it’s done – which you’d think would propel me to not but things off, but, it doesn’t.
I love cloth napkins and real plates and birdseye pique wipes. The cotton birdseye wipes up spills better than any paper towel thought of. Keep a basket handy (under the sink or something where the stained goods aren’t on display!) for the used ones, you can run the whole lot through the wash with bleach to whiten them back up. Or, if you like a bit of color in your wipes, Mood has birdseye pique in a lovely yellow amber color. You wouldn’t want to bleach them, but that’s what Oxyclean is for, right?
I like them 12×12 and just do a serged edge all the way around. There’s loads of listings on Etsy for them, but I see no reason to pay for something I can make myself.
Oh lord, birdseye is a gorgeous, absorbent fabric. I love my flour sack towels, but birdseye is just, ahh. I made burp clothes from birdseye, and they were so amazing.
Ooh! I’ve never heard of cotton birdseye before, but I will definitely look into it because it sounds exactly what I’m trying to source in my quest of paper towel elimination. Thank you for the suggestion!
Nice! You’ve inspired me to make dishtowels, haha! I almost never sew for the home either (why bother, Target is cheap and I’d rather make clothes!) BUT! I have been complaining for at least 6 months about the lack of cute dishtowels… and I didn’t even consider making them myself.
Yeah, i was the same way! Until I realized that 1. They are literally just a piece of fabric with hemmed edges; and 2. I actually like the smooth towels better than the plush ones anyway.
What a pretty room. I love the plants. Just made me realise I don’t have even one houseplant at home😉
Thank you! I didn’t keep plants either for a looong time cos I’ve always killed them by accident, but I’m trying to work on my green thumb 🙂 We’ll see how long these survive HAHA! 🙂
Oh I know exactly what you mean about cleaning as you cook! I can’t sit down to eat until the dishes are done and the stove is clean. It’s so much harder to deal with it later. I procrastinate on other things, but have to get this out if the way.
As far as sewing, I like garments, but quick house project can be so satisfying. A long time ago I found a tutorial for very cute pot holders and they’re the most used sewing project to date.
Enjoy the new place. It looks lovely.
Yep! I can’t eat until the kitchen is basically clean. I know most people don’t do that, but a messy space stresses me out (plus, the last thing I wanna do after a meal is clean everything up! Nope, gonna lay on the couch and digest instead haha).
I need to make some potholders. I realized the other day I don’t have any now (where did they go?), and I have to use towels to get things out of the oven hahaha
I love your knit blanket! Do you remember how much roving it took? Happy Canada Day and 4th of July everyone!
I’m actually not sure, sorry! It was part of a kit (we had a knitting workshop at Elizabeth Suzann and everything was included). I can tell you that the roving was from Camilla Fiber Company, and I had 2 giant skeins of it. But I’m not sure what the actual yardage was, unfortunately, since it wasn’t labeled.
Tons of good luck with your new place, Lauren! When are you going to show us your new sewing nest??
I’ll share it once it’s finished 🙂
Love your new place! And sewing for it is just so satisfactory.
It really is!
I’m with you on eliminating disposable stuff. I can’t remember the last time I bought paper towels – instead I use a dishtowel/teatowel, washcloth or rag, depending on how grubby the mess is. My tip: just stop buying paper towels.
Well, there are some things I just don’t want to wash after using them to clean up (like cat puke and stuff). So I will continue to buy paper towels for at least the really disgusting messes 🙂 But in general, I tend to not use them much and I think it’s a good idea to keep them off the counter!
Ah yes, cat puke 🙂 It happens that I washed cloths after using them on cat puke, but I can’t say I enjoyed it!
Cuuuute living room. I’ve always admired your home decor style from what I’ve seen on your blog over the years. I think I would sew more for my home if I could find home decor fabric I like. So much damask, so much beige. Mood has nice stuff but it’s hard to drop $45/yd on fabric, though I guess a yard could get you two pillow covers and that’s on par with Target prices!
Yeah, I agree that the prices for Home Decor fabric are pretty steep (cheaper at those big box craft stores, but part of them being cheap means that the selection is sorely lacking) and it can be painful to drop $45 on a yard of fabric just to make a couple pillows (although, again, agreed with you that that’s about what it works out to for Target pillow covers!). It’s obviously easier to justify those prices when someone else is footing the bill, but that doesn’t typically tend to be the case for most people! 🙂