Under the Tulip Tree

Dish Towel Apron

I saw this super cute dish towel fabric a few months ago and my mind immediately started running through the possibilities. I could make dish towels of course and I still plan to, but since I've been on an apron kick lately I thought, why not aprons? I've only recently started wearing aprons on a daily basis and now that I am, I don't do anything in the kitchen (or in the garden or in the studio) without one. They are so handy! And useful! But you guys knew that already…

So here's my new little apron with four pockets in the front, two eyelets on the sides and two ties in the back, and I've been wearing it like crazy. And you know what? I made extras if you want one, too.

ANY

Afternoon Party Dress

Patterns: Butterick 5029 and New Look 6676
Views: B and E
Fabric: 100% cotton

You guys, it may not look like it but this dress was almost my complete undoing. Complete undoing. Most of the time a pattern undoes me because it doesn't fit. And this one did not fit. It's hard to tell from this picture but the bodice has two parts: the halter top and a separate gathered piece at the waist. The gathered part gets basted onto squares of lining and you can't really know if it's going to fit until the whole bodice is put together. When I finally put it together, the top was humongous and falling off me and the waist was too tight. Crikey. I fixed the waist (which was a pain and wasn't easy) but there was nothing I could do to salvage the ginormo top. (By the way, kudos to the woman who could actually fit that bust because I didn't even come close.) So I went back to the stupid fabric store to get more fabric and try the top again. Instead of using the Butterick pattern for it, though, I used a different view from New Look 6676 which I already knew fit. I widened the straps to look more like the original Butterick pattern and thank god that worked because I was already in so deep, who knows what I would've done to make that sucker work.

In hindsight, I should have made the dress in muslin first. Do you ever do that? That would have been a smart thing to do. Also, it's quite hard to pin things on yourself so I finally got a customizable dress form after needing one for years. So now that I'm armed with ten yards of muslin and a new dress form, ill-fitting bodices should be a thing of the past… right?

All that said, I really like how this dress turned out. I wore it over the weekend and it was one of the most wearable and low-maintenance dresses I've ever worn. Absolutely worth the trouble.

ANY

A Shirt and Bow Tie for Mr. P

A nine-year-old boy doesn't get dressed up very often. He might wear one of his dad's ties for Thanksgiving dinner but other than that, he'll probably wear hand-me-down t-shirts and cargo pants/shorts every single day. This particular boy has to go to a wedding this weekend, though, and his mother won't let him wear his "I swear it wasn't me" t-shirt. This is actually fine with the boy, as he is surprisingly supportive of his mother dressing him for the wedding.

His mother indulged herself a little as she set out to create the boy's outfit (she doesn't often get the opportunity to dress her son from head to toe). She immediately settled on a sweet little summer ensemble of a button-down shirt with a bow tie, Bermuda shorts, and boat shoes. She didn't find everything she was looking for in the shops (she never does) so she ventured out to the fabric store. The boy was intrigued by this since his mother is almost always perusing the fabric aisles for herself and only herself.

She used Simplicity 7030 and was so happy to find the last bit of a fabric she'd hoped to find—a slightly retro, navy and white little number. She was equally happy to find a nice grayish-blue woven for the tie (and the flat-front Bermuda shorts from the uniform section at Old Navy). She worked at the sewing machine all afternoon while the boy oohed and ahhed over her shoulder. This made her smile.

And when the boy's mother finally put him in his new outfit, she squealed and gasped with such delight that she made herself lightheaded and had to sit down. The boy wasn't surprised by this reaction at all. In fact, he hardly noticed.

After all, the boy may only be nine but he is very well versed in how mothers can respond to these types of things.

ANY

Green Shoulder Tie Dress

Pattern New Look 6676
View A
Fabric 100% cotton calico

I am quite partial to green clothes. Green jeans, green shoes, green tights—I love them all (not together, of course!). I like green dresses, too, and I tried to tone down the prissiness of this pattern by using a darker, earthier green fabric. It's not too prissy, is it? The pattern called for a ruffle at the bottom which I didn't like at all so I left that out and added some length to the hem instead. Now it's one of my favorite go-to, throw-it-in-the-wash, fry-it-in-the-dryer, kind of sundresses, and chances are you've already seen me around town in it at least 8,476 times.

ANY

Crochet Bag for Arden

It was her turn for a new bag. She saw Perry's piano bag and has been waiting patiently for me to make her one ever since. Instead of piano books, her bag is for crochet and drawing supplies. It's the same construction as Perry's only hers is big enough to hold a clipboard (a very desirable commodity around here).

The front is totally her design. She knew from the start that she wanted to embroider little images on separate pieces of fabric and collage them to the front. Can't remember where she got the embroidery patterns…

It's functional, practical, sweet, and so very her.

ANY

Piano Bag for Perry

After the heaviness of the past few days, I needed a little lighthearted sewing project to help take my mind off things. Gardening helps, too, but it's too soaking wet out there for me. This time, I decided on a project for Perry.

When he started taking piano lessons back in January, it became abundantly clear that some sort of bag or satchel or holding device would be necessary to contain the six slippery lesson books he needed to bring with him to class each week. And after having had them slip out of our hands and fall onto the floor for two months straight, it was finally time to put something together. The idea for this little design came together pretty quickly and he was very excited about it.

The construction is really simple: Two rectangles sewn up the sides, the back piece bigger so that it flaps over the front, and a long strap stitched to either side. I added some rows of turquoise stitching to the top, and the treble clef and the piano keys were cut loosely from fabric then top-stitched to the front. I wanted it to be a little rough and playful and not too plain.

He thinks it's just right. Someone else liked it, too. Can you guess who that was? Can you guess who wants me to make her one, too? That's right, and she's already picked out the fabric.

ANY

Classroom Quilt

I am not a quilter. I do not possess the exacting qualities that I believe one must possess in order to make a pretty quilt. But I made this quilt anyway. And it is not exact at all. But the fact that it's actually finished—and on time, no less!—is sort of surprising.

This quilt is for the auction our school is having next month. To help raise money for the school, parent volunteers from each classroom create something using the students' artwork, and then those projects are sold at the auction. This year, I was in charge of Perry's class. I got the idea for a quilt from another mom and I immediately thought about transferring the students' drawings onto fabric and turning them into squares for a quilt. I had each child do a drawing of his or her choice, scanned them into my computer, printed them onto iron-on transfer paper, ironed the images onto plain white cotton fabric, and then stitched it all together.

As I was about to attach the polka-dotted backing, I realized that it needed a classroom "stamp" of some sort—a little memento to remember who made it and where. So I pleaded with a stubborn little third-grader to make me another drawing and eventually, he obliged. Do you recognize his work?

I hope someone likes it and swoops it up at the auction. If not, I think I might have the perfect spot for it right here.

ANY