Summer crafting: Apron - free sewing pattern

Hi!



I would like to share with you a pattern for this apron. It is about a size L, but to be honest, I am just guessing.

This is my first ever sewing pattern, so please, be patient with me if I am not perfect - but I will never get better if I don't start somewhere, right?

I didn't have the courage to make a pdf version of my pattern (also, I thought I want to use my time for other things rather than learning this) so I am going to talk you through the steps of making your own pattern. Please, don't run away in panic, it is really simple, and the result is going to be cute.

Today I am giving you the pattern, tomorrow the instructions on how to sew the apron.

IMPORTANT: the pattern does not contain seam allowance, don't forget to add it later. You will need 2 cm all around! I usually just add it as I am cutting, but perhaps I should start adding it on paper, to be more precise.

Anyway,you will need:

- pattern paper (I use Ikea's drawing paper roll for children, cheap and good. But you could use some newspaper or
brown wrapping paper, whatever you have at hand.)

- paper scissors

- ruler (I use a quilting ruler, it is perfect for drawing perpendicular lines, but if you don't have that, a straight
ruler and a triangle one is just as good.)

- pencil, eraser, pen


First we are going to draw the middle of the apron.

For this, you need to draw a straight line at the paper's edge. (If you are more comfortable to adding the seam allowance to the paper pattern, draw this line 2 cm from the edge!) I started at the top of my paper, see the pictures.

The line should be 65 cm long. Mark a point 21 cm from the left end, so basically you divided your line into a 21 and a 44 cm long piece.

Draw perpendicular (straight angle, 90 degrees) lines from three points on this line: at the beginning, mark 13 cm down this line, at the 21 cm-point, mark 10 cm on this line, and finally at the end, mark 14 cm on this line.

Here is what it will look like now. Sorry for the bad picture, I hope you will see what I mean. Please, believe me when I say that the lines are at a straight angle to the first one, in the picture, because of the camera angle, it does not look like it. :(

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

Now connect the ends of the lines. I took pictures of the left side (this will be the apron's top) and the right side (the bottom) separately, hopefully this will give you a better idea.


Left side (top):

Right side (bottom):

Mark your pattern piece as you see in the picture: the first line we drew will be the FOLD line. Label your pattern: write that this is the middle part of the apron, and you need to cut one piece on the fold.

This part is ready, only if you want to, add 2 cm seam allowance all around. Then you can cut it out.


Now comes the side part of the apron.


We start with a straight line again, at the paper's straight edge (I drew it on the other side of the same piece of paper), this needs to be 43,5 cm long.
Draw two perpendicular lines at the two ends: one needs to be 20 cm, the other 30 cm long.
It is almost ready, I just like to add a few curves so the apron looks better, but if you want to simplify things, you can just go ahead and work with the straight lines, it would work.


To add a curve at the 20 cm side, do this: measure 5 cm back from the 20 cm mark. Then draw a short line at the 20 cm mark towards the left, and mark 2 cm on it. Connect these two points with a slightly curving line. I hope the picture will help with it.

To add a curve to the 30 cm side, mark the middle of the line (15 cm), draw a short line to the right, and mark 2 cm on it. Connect this point to the two ends with a slight curve. I drew a few pencil lines before I got it right, then used a pen to redraw the best version and erased the rest. Don't fret about it, it does not have to be perfect. (But if you have a French curve ruler, which I don't, you can draw this probably much better.) Connect the ends with a ruler.

This is what you will get:

Label your piece, if you prefer, add the sewing allowance, 2 cm all along, and cut out 2 pieces.

IMPORTANT: when you cut out two pieces, make sure they are mirror images of each other! The easiest way to do this is to fold your fabric in half, pin the pattern on top and cut the two pieces at the same time. They will be the exact same measurements but facing each other. This is what we want.


Next: we are join to draw the pockets.

Draw a rectangle that 20 cm by 15 cm.

On the bottom line measure 4 cm from the left end to the right and connect this point to the left upper corner.
On the right side, find the middle of the 15 cm line (7,5 cm), draw a line to the right, mark 1,5 cm and connect this point with the ends of the line in a curve, the same way we did before.

This is what you will get. I marked the cutting line with red (unless you want to add the sewing allowance to your pattern, in that case this is the sewing line.

We will need two pieces of this, too, mirror images again.


We also need some ties for our apron. You will to cut two rectangles that are 60 x 9 cm for the neck ties, and two rectangles 80 x 9 cm for the waist. (This length is enough so that you can tie your apron in the back, the way we do in Hungary. However, if you prefer to bring it to the front and tie it there, like they often do it in Sweden, make it longer - just measure with a measuring tape.)

I haven't drawn this on paper, I just cut them from the fabric with a rotary cutter. If you prefer, please, draw the rectangles on paper and cut them out. You don't need sewing allowance for these.


Now your pattern is ready, find some lovely fabric and wait until tomorrow when I will walk you through the sewing process.

Please, let me know if there is anything that is not easy to understand and I will try to clarify.

Summer freebie "Primitive" and a textile art tutorial

Hello, again.

Before I show you guys my "best piece so far" - according to my boyfriend (and perhaps myself, too), I want to give you a little present for your patience.

This mini sampler I created inspired by the "primitive" embroidery style. I think it would look really lovely on a cushion or a wall hanging for the summer. I hope lots of my readers will like it and make it. Use your brightest colours. :)

Just click on the picture and you get to the pdf.

And now, here is a little tutorial how to create a piece of fabric art.

I have to say, I am sure I didn't invent this. I have read lots of different instructions and watched countless videos and I am sure they influenced me, but I cannot find any particular one that I followed. I just followed my own heart and head with this project.

I have no pictures of the steps, but it is not so difficult to imagine, I promise :)


First of all, you need a sleepless night. After tossing around in bed for a while, get out and turn on the lights. Take a piece of scrap fabric from your drawer, fold it in half, pick up a pair of scissors and cut out a shape. I cut out a bird, but you can make whatever you like. It doesn't even have to be "something". For me the whole thing was really an improvisation, I didn't draw the shape, but if you feel safer that way, go ahead and draw or use a printed pattern.
By folding the fabric, you get two pieces that are identical but facing each other.

Pick another, slightly bigger piece of fabric, pin the shape to it and sew around with the sewing machine a few times. You can also add extra lines, apart from the outline. In my case I added the beak, the legs and the wings of the bird. Again, you can draw the lines in advance, but I didn't, it doesn't have to be perfect. When you sew the second or third round, you don't have to be precise and follow the first line, on the contrary. Be free, enjoy the process and don't worry too much. You can turn under the edge of your appliqué or leave it to fray, as I did.
If you don't have a sewing machine or love sewing by hand, this can be easily done without a machine, too.

Repeat with the other piece - try to make the second piece similar to the first - or not.

And voila, you have made a lovely piece of fabric art.

Extra: if you feel like it, you can sit down next day and embroider some words on it. I embroidered the word "bird" in English, Swedish and Hungarian and used some sparkly metallic embroidery thread.


This is the result:

Oops, I took the second picture in different light. The first one is truer to the real colours.



I love them so much that now I am having a difficulty deciding what to make of them. I think they will become a decoration on a bag. Or a cushion. Or an apron. Or…

Happy summer crafting to everyone. See you soon, with a sewing pattern, of all things!

Summer holidays = crafting

Hello, hello, my dear readers. I hope you are all having a lovely summer.

Thank you if you are still around, and sorry for not writing for so long. May and half of June was really busy at school, and it was even more difficult because I didn't feel very well. In the beginning of July I had two friends over from Hungary, so I had to prepare for that a little (cleaning! brrrr…). We had a great time though, so I have to say it was worth every minute. Then we went to the mountain area in Sweden for a family event. Want to see some pictures?

My friends in Stockholm.

My friends and me on Åland.

Stephen and me in the mountains - what a silly selfie, isn't it? :D


And now, finally, I am here.

I didn't write my blog but I have been crafting all the same, perhaps not as much as I like to, but there are lots of things to show. So now I am going to write a post every (other?) day, showing you the different things I made or am in the middle of making. There will be some free patterns, too!

Let's start with the most exciting thing: I have been accepted to university! Hipp-hipp-hurray! In August I will start a textile course in Umeå. My only regret is that it is very far away, around a 1000 kms, so I will have to fly - and it won't be cheap. It is a distance course, so I only need to go three times in a term, so perhaps it is not going to be that bad. I applied for another course in Lindköping, that would have been much closer but they requested a teacher degree for admission, and my Hungarian degrees are still not accepted here. :(

Anyway, in Umeå the requirement was some kind of a textile-related course, but for those who might not have it they offered a practical test to prove they know some basic textile skills. They posted an assignment online in May, and we had 3 weeks to complete a project. The topic was: playing with ten-year-olds. We had to send in the project itself, also the plans and sketches (not my strong point) and a 2-page long "reflection" - in Swedish. I made an educational game: a puzzle of the Nordic countries, with "cards" to mach the names of the countries/seas, the capitals and the flags. I used multiple layers (felt, iron-on interfacing and cotton fabric) to sew the puzzle pieces, used velcro to attach the cards, and embroidery to make the flags and the writing on the cards. Here are some pictures:

The background and the puzzle pieces.

This is how it looks put together.

You can also play Memory with the little cards. 2 in 1 :D I also made some simple bags to put the whole thing in but I forgot to take pictures.



I have one more photo to show you today: I stitched the free lapwing pattern from my previous post. I hope you like it.

See you soon :) Promise.

Another free lapwing pattern

Happy Easter!


I hope you all have a lovely time.

I am having a very quite spring break, staying at home, stitching a bit and not doing anything. Trying to reload spent batteries. :)


Here are some photos of what I have been doing lately:

I have crocheted quite a few of these bunnies and chicks and sold them to raise money for charity.

Some pillows with bunnies and a hedgehog, they were also sold.

Birds, not finished yet. Some of them will end up as bookmarks, some as… don't know yet. :) Any ideas?

And made a blouse for myself. Tried to practice how to follow a pattern really well, but it turned out horrible. I stretched the fabric on the bias, and the size was not really good either. In some places I needed a 52, in others it was too big. :D :D Anyway, managed to change here and there to make it all right. SO much about following a pattern. :)

Here is another version of the lapwing, this time in colour. Click on the picture.

Have fun stitching it.

Lapwing silhouette - bíbic sziluett

Először is hadd osszak meg veletek valami jópofát. Tegnap Stockholmba mentem a magyar nagykövetségre, szavazni. Amint ott várok, és beszélgetek a barátommal, azt mondja valaki: "Én ismerlek téged a blogodról. Ági vagy, ugye?"
Rita, örülök, hogy találkoztunk! :D :D


First, let me share something nice with you. I went to Stockholm yesterday, to the Hungarian embassy to vote. As I was waiting there, talking to my boyfriend, someone told me: "I know you from your blog. You are Agi, right?"
Rita, I am glad to have met you! :D :D



Mondtam már, hogy szeretem a madarakat? Itt, ahol lakom, sok bíbic fészkel a mezőn, nyáron, ha sétálok, mindig ott sivítoznak a magasban, megpróbálják elijeszteni az arra járót a fészkük közeléből.

Hímeztem egy ingyenes mintát, ahol csak egyszerű sziluett volt a madár, és nagyon hatásosnak találtam, úgyhogy megpróbáltam én is alkotni egyet. Ha tetszik, hímezzétek örömmel!


Have I mentioned that I love birds? Here where I live, there are lots of lapwings nesting on the fields. In summertime, if I go for a walk, they are always crying out in the air, trying to chase away anyone from their nests.

I have embroidered a freebie where the bird was a simple silhouette and found it really effective. So I tried to create one myself. If you like it, have fun stitching it.

PS. A másik nagy kedvencem a barázdabillegető! Another bird that I love a lot is wagtail!

Running bunnies

I have got into the Easter spirit. I have been crocheting bunnies, eggs and a baby chick, although they are not finished yet, so no pictures. I haven't followed any pattern, just went ahead and improvised, and it seemed to work.

I was also trying to put together an Easter bunny chart. I might have to do some more work (or rather playing) on this, but here is the first version. I tried many different colours for the bunnies' fur but couldn't settle for anything really. Finally I decided on something neutral, however, when I get down to stitching this, I am almost sure I would use some variegated thread, and perhaps some really crazy colour, too, like purple or blue. :D

Please feel free to improvise yourself and let me know how it turns out.

Happy stitching :)

Nature's Circle

Here is the result of my latest doodling with my cross stitch program. I called it Nature's Circle.

I am planning to stitch it on a bag I have been designing. Haven't decided on the colours yet. Anyway, I drew the pattern in two different colour-schemes, one with natural, soft colours and the other with brighter ones and love both.

But as usual, I would encourage everyone to try your own colours, choose from your thread stash and have fun with it.

I left the middle of the pattern empty, but actually thinking of filling in that part also. Will show you how it turns out when I can finally decide. Until then, go ahead and create your own version, if you like it.

Happy stitching :)