Review 8: Amy's Apron by Wholly Kao

Apron in this photo made by Stephanie of Sew Cozy

This is for all of you who enjoy spending time in the kitchen whipping up a batch of something yummy! Here's a review of a cute apron DIY that has a slight vintage twist that I found on Wholly Kao's blog. Click here to see the full tutorial.

Creator: Esther of Wholly Kao

Timeline: ~4 hours

Estimated cost: 10$
1/4 yard cotton print: 0.56$ (2.25$/yd) at Mardens - Heart shaped top
3/4 yard cotton solids, various colors: 5.39$ (7.19$/yd) at FabricVille - Bottom apron
1/2 yard muslin: 3.60$ (7.19$/yd) at FabricVille - Fringe

Difficulty level: Intermediate sewer. Some difficulty to alter the pattern to fit properly.

Comments: 
I love the finished product of this apron! But, I did have a few sizing issues. I'd like to know what dimensions Esther cut her fabric for the apron pictured in her tutorial. I was forced to tailor the apron after if was done so that it would fit me right.

Here are the dimensions I used where the tutorial indicates to cut the fabric to the size that fits you best.
- Heart shaped top: 14"x10" (see pattern bellow)
- Bottom apron: 36"x18" (I sewed together 9 strips of 5"x18" with a 1/2" seam allowance)
- Neck strap: 20" long (when sewed on the apron, it measures 19")
- Ruffles: ~12' long (surprisingly long, but I needed every bit of it and they really add that special touch!)

Waist strap: Two problems.
1) 50" long was not long enough. With this length, I'm forced to tie the straps into a knot at the back. I would have preferred to have it long enough to tie into a bow at the side-front (maybe ~85" long would have been better).
2) The height of the muslin and cotton straps didn't match up (the cotton was taller than the muslin). Here's how I cut them:
- MUSLIN waist strap: 50" x 5" (like the pattern suggests)
- COTTON waist strap: 50" x 2.25"

I had to create pleats on the heart shaped top to adjust the fit. With the pattern bellow, you shouldn't have to!

I really struggled with the heart shaped top. So to help you guys out, here's a pattern of the heart shape I ended up with! Hopefully this will save you some time when you make your own Amy Apron. :)

Amy Apron Heart Shaped Top Pattern by Sew Cozy

The ruffles took me longer that I expected, so if you don't have a great amount of patience, I'd recommend buying some pre-made ruffles at the store like the tutorial suggests. Also, turning the straps inside out with no method was just plain ridiculous of me. Here's a little guide to turning fabric tubes inside out so you don't waste your time like I did!

Notice the handmade ruffles. I think they turned out pretty good! :)

And that's that! I can't wait to make a second one of these cute aprons now that I found a few tricks to go faster. And I'm working on a some oven mitts to go with it (I'll share that next week). Thank you Esther for the adorable Amy's Apron tutorial! :)

-Stephanie

Review 7: Fringe Triangle Garland by Natalie of Mint Love Social Club

Garland in this photo made by Stephanie of Sew Cozy

I'm in love! These garlands are my new favorite thing. Simple, yet festive, these fringe garlands will definitely liven any place up! Click here to see the full tutorial.

Creator: Natalie of Mint Love Social Club

Timeline: 40 minutes

Estimated cost (for the garland in these photos): ~5.50$
*NOTE: I altered the dimensions of the tutorial so that I could hang the garland up in my room or kitchen. As such, only half the fabric was needed (I cut rectangles of 12'' by 14'' instead of the 24'' by 28'' used in the original tutorial). The garland I made is a total of 10 feet (3 meters) long. Also, I used 1.5'' wide ribbon that I folded in half at the top instead of sewing together two strips of a narrower ribbon.

2 yards cotton solids in two tones: 2.26$ (1.13$/yd) at FabricVille - Fringe triangles
1 pack (3 sheets total) of 11 sq.ft. double-side metallic wrap: 1.13$ at DollarStore - Metallic fringe triangles
3m of ribbon: 2$ at Wal-Mart - Ribbon at top

Difficulty level: Beginner sewer. VERY easy. Doesn't have to be cut exactly straight and if you can sew a straight line, you can do this tutorial!

Comments: 
This tutorial was easy peasy! I definitely recommend you try it out to decorate your house for this Valantine's Day! It was no problem to shrink the size of the triangles in half so that I could hang it in a smaller room (the original garland was hung up outside).

I'm only wondering if just one layer of fabric could have been used for the triangles instead of two? That way, two garlands could be made with the amount of fabric I used for my one. I'll have to experiment with my next one.

I'm so excited by this tutorial! I'm planning to make some green garlands for St Patrick's day, cute pastel color ones for Easter, maybe red and white ones for the Olympics... The possibilities are endless! :D ...I might be a little too excited. But these simple garlands can really add that special touch to a room to put everyone in the holiday spirit, whatever holiday that may be!

Want to try it out for yourself? Go to Mint Love Social Club for the full tutorial (you won't regret it!).

-Stephanie