The Apron is Done!

Remember my troubles getting the sewing machine to work?  I would like to take full credit for getting the machine functioning again and for ensuring it’s continued smooth operation.  However, my dear husband (AKA official taste tester and machine fixer) took the time to untangle my tangle of thread and chaos and set the machine straight.  As I went to work on the apron this past weekend Andy told me seriously, in a calm voice, “If anything goes wrong, come and get me right away.  Don’t try to fix anything yourself”  This was very reassuring and I attacked the apron with renewed confidence.

Winding the bobbin, before it all went to hell.

Laying out the pattern pieces for cutting.
Accurate cutting is key to getting  your bias tape to fit correctly.

Thankfully a lot of sewing on the machine wasn’t required and I spent much time hand sewing bows.  I really don’t enjoy bows.  It’s kind of a girly-girl thing and I’m not into that much (as I write about sewing an apron!).  These bows are lovely though, truly lovely.  If you’re ever sewing a project that calls for bows, don’t skimp!  They cover up mistakes and ugly spots!  Granted, if I were to actually use bows to cover up all of my mistakes then the entire edge would be a series of bows, perhaps some curly ribbons too.

Bows are your friend.

Back in Action!

Patience is key when making toffee sauce.

Hey there folks!  Sorry it’s been awhile.  There are no excuses for abandoning my legions of fans (hello again mom!) for roughly a month.  One thing I blame it on is my evil, evil sewing machine.  “Sewing machine?” you say, “It is simply an inanimate object created to ease the lives of humans, a sewing machine cannot be evil.”  And there, dear reader, is where you’re wrong.  My sewing machine has conspired against me and my effort to create my first paid-for apron.  Which is the reason I haven’t been posting.  This apron was supposed to be done the first week of August and then I could post about it and then move on to other projects.  Alas, no amount of hitting or yelling could move the machine to work like it knows it should.  I’ll post something once I get this *$@#ing machine to work.  Without Andy’s cool head and mechanical knowledge sewing just doesn’t happen.  So once the machine realizes it can sew just fine (and perhaps, I learn to put a bobbin in correctly) apron #2 post isn’t going to happen.  I’ve learned to accept that.

But we still have to eat.  And that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing for the past month.  Working and eating, some sleeping.  But not taking pictures and blogging.  Until today!

The makings of toffee sauce, without the brown sugar...

Sticky toffee pudding.  What more can be said?  Possibly... what is it?  I’d never heard of this dish until a seminal episode of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares where the sticky toffee pudding was the best dish in the whole restaurant, despite the head chef’s chagrin.  As I’ve mentioned before, I love toffee. So this dish intrigued me, despite never having made a British “pudding” (or an American pudding without use of a packet for that matter).  It’s like a cake, or a quick bread with dates and a toffee sauce.

Apronage

Sewing an apron seems very 1950s housewife. Since I dislike any "holly homemaker" labels, I would like to clarify as to why I chose to make an apron (apart from my inability to make a skirt). Since I was a youngster camping with my father, I was taught that napkins were frivolous. Why dirty up a napkin when you have a perfectly good sleeve at all times? Upon returning to the civilized world my mom was horrified at my manners; however, I was delighted at the convenience.

At any rate, I cook a lot, which means a lot of food get spill, splattered and splashed onto me. Therefore an apron would be a practical first time sewing project. Plus, I would be at liberty to wipe my dirty hands all over my apron.

This lovely apron took me 3 days to make, over a 3 month span of hemming and hawing. My greatest challenge to sewing was fear of the sewing machine. Andy knows how to work both our machines better than I do, so I needed his help to set up. I can do most of it now, except winding a bobbin. But the set up was a big mental hurdle.

I worked on the pocket in one day and finished it. It's quite the intricate little pocket. Deciphering the instructions for the pocket were reminiscent of an 8th grade grad standard, which my dad had to finish for me. The sewing project almost came to a frustrated halt, Andy saved the day with his mastery of sewing-instruction interpretation.

Making a stay-stitch.

After the pocket struggle, the rest of the apron was relatively simple. I highly recommend an apron as a starter project. Sizing isn't that difficult and if it doesn't turn out well, at least it's something you'd only wear in your own house. Overall, I enjoyed my sewing experience. If I can get more confidence with setting up the machine myself then I could possibly get quite good. Though I would like some basic practice before branching out too much. Anyone else need an apron?

Tipper enjoying her position of Sew Master and supervising my slip-stitch.