Projects Kitchen Linens 
Pull out your box of scraps, add some colorful trim, and you can transform a plain set of off-the-shelf kitchen towels into a great gift. Our cute tea towels are trimmed with a simple eight-square patchworked row and highlighted with bright red jumbo rick rack. They'll be fightin' over who gets to dry the dishes! Or... are you looking for green gift wrap ideas? Make a few of these adorable towels, then use them to wrap up a selection of kitchen gadgets to give a gift inside a gift.
The fifth and final tutorial in our series of retro hostess aprons is this Romantic Cottage Style beauty with its spun sugar ties, triple tier skirt and a detachable bib. We used fabulous floral fabric from the Garden Rose Collection by Rachel Ashwell for Treasures by Shabby Chic. Our organza neck ties are long enough to wrap scarf-like with a stylish side bow. Or, remove the bib and wear it as a half apron. Wrap the sheer waist ties around to the front and cover the buttonholes with a pretty bow.
Welcome to the final 2011 installment of our Free Spirit Fabrics Artist Trio Series. These collected articles are a way for you to meet some fabulous Free Spirit designers, try out a few special projects we've created in their featured fabric collections, and enter to win some gorgeous fabrics and other goodies courtesy of Free Spirit. We round out our "trio of Trios" with one of Sew4Home's favorite designers: Joel Dewberry. Since Thanksgiving is a time of traditions, we felt it would be the perfect time to feature Joel's latest collection: Heirloom. These fabrics are a treasure chest of stunning tones and patterns. Nostalgic designs mix with contemporary motifs and all are infused with rich jewel tones: garnet, ruby, gold, amethyst and more. Our kick-off project is today's vibrant apron design with decorative stitching accents and a clever towel loop.
Like whipped cream on a plain piece of pie or a marshmallow dropped in a mug of hot cocoa, decorative stitches can turn an ordinary project into something special. We started with a basic bib and skirt design in two natural colors of cotton duck, then added multiple lines of 9mm decorative stitching. The result: our charmingly rustic Scandinavian apron. It's perfect as a gift for your favorite holiday baker or wear it yourself while whipping up a little appelkaka (Swedish apple cake) or chockladbullar (Swedish cocoa balls).
You're a stylish one, Mr. Grinch. If I were a Who down in Whoville, this would be just what I'd wear to whip up my holiday feast. The fourth in our series of retro hostess apron tutorials is the all-out-fun of Be A Grinch! Created with three of Robert Kaufman's whimsical Suess® prints, the bib and skirt of this apron are actually two separate pieces that button together along the waistband.
We have a monstrous crush on The Ghastlies collection from Alexander Henry Fabrics. "In Ghastlie Manor on Ghastlie Street, there's a Ghastlie family you need to meet." The designs are reminiscent of the work of Charles Addams, who brought the quirky Addams Family to life in 1938 in The New Yorker magazine and spawned a decades-long fascination with Morticia, Gomez and their fabulously freaky family. In fact, we can totally envision svelte Morticia wearing today's It's A Graveyard Smash Halloween Hostess apron. This is the second in our new series of retro hostess apron tutorials. With a fluttering batwing organza overlay, velvet waistband and a poison rose accent, you too can be hauntingly haute couture, serving bubbling potions to your ghastly guests.
The clink of ice swirling in glasses, card tables in the living room, cut crystal bowls of white mints with green centers, ashtrays... yes, there were lots of ashtrays. I have clear memories of peeking around the corner, watching the 'grown-ups' holding cards in their hands and cigarettes between their lips, laughing, talking, playing bridge. And orbiting through it all, my mother, handing out appetizers, picking up crumpled napkins, and wearing a crisp hostess apron and high heels. Our own little episode of Mad Men and the inspiration for the first in a series of hostess apron tutorials. Today's Cocktails At Eight apron tutorial features rich taffeta and frothy organza with a sprinkling of tiny, shiny bows.
Today in our ScrapBusters Series, we're cooking up a great kitchen project. Hot pads are perfect for scraps because they are small, simple shapes that cry out for mixing and matching. We 'stretched' our possibilities by making a long, two-handed version. Kind of like those 'idiot mittens' you used to have as a kid; one mitten on the each end of a string running through the arms of your coat. However, we didn't think 'idiot hot pads' sounded very good. I don't know about you, but I always set down my pot holders on opposite sides of the kitchen so when I need both to pull something out of the oven or off the stove, I never seem to have two within reach. Problem solved, and a very pretty solution to boot!
Happy 4th of July, Sew4Home friends! We hope you're celebrating the day with friends and family, firing up the grill and pulling out the spatula for a classic 4th barbeque! Our tough canvas BBQ apron is a serious sizzle shield with its handsome rivet accents and extra-large pockets for grill tongs, tools and those giant hot pad mitts. Why... I bet it would even hold a few packages of sparklers.
