CraftSanity with Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood

Here's a sneak peek at the apron I'm making for the "Sassy Apron Swap." The deadline is fast approaching and the good news is it's finished except for the ties. I can't decide what I want to do for the ties, but plan to force a decision tomorrow evening so I can send this sassy thing to my partner.

If I don't package it up soon, I fear that I might not be able to let it go. Let's just say I've grown quite attached to this little number. I just made this apron yesterday and I'm already clutching onto it like it's a family heirloom or something. So it's a bit of a problem that I've fallen in love with this apron and think it just might be my new favorite.

I know, I'm pretty fickle when it comes to aprons. The one I'm working on is usually the favorite. This is a bit of an emotional struggle especially now that I know I can't keep it. (I'm kidding, I think I'm going to be fine at the post office. They'll let me stay with the package until it gets loaded onto the truck, right?)

Anyway, I'm hoping that my swap partner digs this apron, too, and that I don't screw it up when I sew on the ties.

P.S. If all goes well, I'll have CraftSanity episode 71 ready for you tomorrow.

It's been a little hectic around here lately. So hectic, in fact, that I forgot about mail delivery today. Usually this is one of the highlights of my day, but today I didn't even ask my husband if he got the mail as I always do. So, I was mighty surprised when I came in the door and spotted an airmail package on the counter from Beth in Australia.

The customs tag on the package detailed the contents as: "apron."

My sassy apron swap pal is from Australia. Awesome!

I couldn't tear into the parcel fast enough and was delighted by the lovely hand appliqued apron that I found inside.

Beth wrote a lovely letter that tells the story behind the apron that was inspired by the drought the folks in Melbourne experienced last spring. You can read more about that on Beth's blog. The reverse side is blue with two clouds embroidered on it, which is particularly symbolic given the flooding that has occurred recently in the Murray-Darling river system that was plagued by drought.

I'm very impressed by the construction of this apron. Beth used the reversible apron pattern from Lotta Jansdotter's "Simple Sewing" book, but there's nothing simple about her design. There are pockets hidden behind the tan print fabric and the appliques are really something to see. The photo above doesn't do them justice.

The best part of receiving this apron is that my daughters absolutely love it. "Mom, there's an animal on there!" my 2-year-old said, quite delighted by that blue-eyed sheep. Yep. We're digging this apron. Thank you so much, Beth! Very nice work!

Okay. So this is side A of my new "Emmeline Apron." This is the side I donned at work. This is the side that is my favorite. This is the side that I will sport this weekend when I serve punch to all the crafty ladies who come to the bookmaking workshop I'm organizing at the Y. (I wasn't kidding when I said I wear aprons primarily outside the kitchen.)

Some of you Amy Butler fans may recognize this fabulous print. It's her "Belle" print for Rowan fabrics. The pink print in the post below is "Charm" for FreeSpirit. I LOVE her fabric. It's a bit challenging to find here in West Michigan, but that's probably a blessing in disguise because I swear that stuff is like crack. I can't get enough. (Well, I think it's like crack. Thankfully, I've never spiraled into illicit drug use and can't say what that's like for sure.)

Anyway, I'm posting Side A, a day after Side B and holding my breath that I'm not overwhelming you with my admittedly ridiculous, never-ending praise for this apron pattern. But I love aprons, and really LOVE this one, so pardon me while I ride this gleeful apron-loving wave. Okay. I think I've said my peace on this issue. (If you still want to hear more about this apron listen to the aftershow at the very end of this week's podcast.)

Okay, get ready, I'm about to blog about something non-apron related. Yeah, I think I might still be capable of that. Wish me luck. I'm kinda nervous. Here goes...

And the winner is...
Abby, the 3-year-old V.P. of Fun here at CraftSanity randomly selected a winner of Betz White's "Warm Fuzzies" book. And the winner is...... (imagine a drum roll...) MELISSA in Harmony, PA! Congrats, Melissa. I think you're going to have a blast with this book. It will pop up in your mailbox soon, so get those wool sweaters ready to felt and transform into something fabulous.

Sunshine and happiness: I thought the day was going to go south this morning when the girls decided to hold an impromptu spitting contest involving sippy cups of milk and my brand new area rug. My back was turned for like 30 seconds. Where they got this idea baffles me, but my word. So, I was momentarily peeved about that, but felt a whole lot better when actual sunshine hit my face later in the day.

When the sun came out this afternoon it made the clouds over Grand Rapids look absolutely beautiful. (I'm a big cloud watcher. Love those big fluffy clouds.) I've really missed the sun and think it's a big, HUGE deal when it shines down on all of us shivering under an ample blanket of lake effect snow.

Before long it will be summer and I will be running outside again and wearing aprons over my favorite tank tops. (In case you're wondering, I don't wear aprons when I run. I think that would be pushing it, even for me.)

Even though I had plenty of other things to do, I couldn't hold off on this apron project.

And I'm very pleased to report that Meg's "Emmeline Apron" pattern seriously rocks! The instructions are fairly easy to follow (even on little sleep with two children dangling from me) and produce a very satisfying finished product. This is by far the best arpon pattern that I've come across to date.

I cut out the fabric pieces Friday and sewed them together Sunday. While Abby managed the pincushion and Amelia napped, I happily floored my machine.

This is the most involved apron I've ever made, but once I got going it went together without incident or swearing. I'm sure the next one I make will go even faster. Yes, there will definitely be more of these lovelies. The apron is reversible which is awesome. The photos of the other side turned out kind of funky, so I'll have to post another photo at a later date.

Overall, it was great to work on this project in an impatient, creative flurry and enjoy the end result. (Thanks, Meg, for designing such a fun pattern!)

And, of course, I had to test drive the new apron yesterday. I wore it to work (on the reverse side which I will show you later) and no one said a word. The silence can be interpreted in many ways, but I'm going to look at the bright side and assume that people are just getting used to me wearing aprons whenever I want. What fun!

Okay, so I think I've made it pretty clear that I like aprons. So it should come as no surprise that I signed up immediately after reading a blurb about Lucy's Sassy Apron Swap on whipup. I haven't received confirmation that I'm officially in yet, but the deadline is Jan. 20 so I think I'm good. Act fast if you want to participate in this great opportunity to celebrate the apron, too.




Oh, and check this out. These Heavenly Hostess aprons are so pretty. Unfortunately, they're made for full-figured women. I wish I would have discovered this site before I slimmed down. Crap! Now I need to find an apron like this for women with "nothing to speak of." Let me know if you know of such a place because I love this design.

Poor little Abby. Not only do I wear aprons out in public, but I also make my children model my creations. (Not in public.) Here Abby hits the wall between clicks of the camera shutter, shifting from cheerful cooperation to total exasperation. "Aw, Mom!"

Season's greetings, everyone! Here's a look at my new Christmas apron. I made seven aprons to give as gifts this year which turned out to be a bit suicidal. (I finished the last one at 1:51 a.m. on Christmas Eve.) Anyway, after three consecutive days of traveling around the state for extended family Christmas parties, we enjoyed a quiet day at home today. We had a lovely white Christmas here in West Michigan and best part is we didn't have to venture out in the cold.

Now that my holiday crafting is complete, I finally have time to produce a new podcast. So stay tuned!

Peace & Love,
Jennifer

I love aprons, but I don't like to wear them for cooking exclusively, especially not the really nice homemade ones.

So what's a crafty woman to do?

Wear them as outer wear, that's what.

After thinking for weeks that I really should start wearing aprons out of the house to work and wherever I please, I finally did it. I made a new apron (a very basic khaki-colored number with a quilted front pocket made from a mix of brown and blue prints) and wore it to work over a dress shirt-style dress (a $10 clearance rack find at Sears.)

To some, I probably looked like a waitress who got mixed up with some quilters on the way to work. but I didn't care. I was met with many confused looks throughout the day, but actually scored a few compliments. Overall, it proved to be a great social experiment.

Here are some of the most interesting responses:

* "Is that an apron?" asked the woman who sold me a tuna sandwich after my workout at the YMCA.
Yes," I said. "I like to make aprons and decided to start wearing them out."
"Oh, that's cool." she said, looking a little confused. "You look kind of Amish."
"Thanks," I said, amused.
Amish people rock when it comes to crafts, so her remark was fine with me.

* At the office, a male co-worker and fellow journalist asked me a series of questions about my apron, which I actually appreciated. Among other things, he wanted to know if I was trying to make a fashion statement. At first I said no, but then recanted a bit. I've never considered myself particularly fashionable, (I habitually wear running shoes with dress clothes.) but I guess I am making a statement when I wear one of the biggest symbols of female domestication to my day job. The cool part is that I did it voluntarily. I can wear an apron to cook or to do whatever the heck else I want and I LOVE that. We've come a long way, baby, and aprons, frankly, are for wherever we want to wear them.

* I had the same apron on over my jeans when I went out to grab the mail a couple days. A neighbor who doesn't normally talk to me actually stopped her car and asked: "Are you making dinner?"
"We just finished it," I said, stifling a laugh.
She didn't know I had just made mac & cheese out of the box (no apron required) and had been wearing an apron all day. (She also didn't know that the front pocket is lined with black and white fabric imprinted with "Three Stooges" sound effects: "Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk," "woob, woob, woob" and "Why I oughta!")

So I love aprons and I don't see that changing any time soon. I will continue to make them and buy them. If you love aprons, too, you should venture out sometime with one of your favs and see how the world responds. (Then tell me about it.) And if someone gets up in your grill about publicly displaying your affinity for aprons, smile your best June Cleaver smile and enjoy a good laugh once the passionate individual is out of earshot.

Perhaps we apron fans should join forces and have an International Wear An Apron Wherever Day. Just a thought. What do you think?

P.S. I'm working on my next podcast... so stay tuned.