Shhh! It's a Secret.

If my sister ever decides to boot up her computer and look at my blog, this will totally ruin her Christmas surprise, but the chances of that happening are slim, so I'm posting this anyway. I finally finished the two Emmeline Aprons that I wanted to sew. They are identical. One is for me and the other is Janae's Christmas gift. The Emmeline pattern is reversible, so I basically made this apron four times. This is my favorite side.

Nathan took the picture, so it's farther away than I would have liked, but beggars can't be choosers. The ties are actually brown with white polka dots. The other side is this fabric.I feel inclined to review this pattern since I made it twice. It was a little frustrating the first time through because I somehow missed a cutting step and then was missing a piece when I started sewing. The apron is adorable, but it's heavy. To make a single reversible apron requires 3 3/4 yards of fabric!!! That is enough to make an entire outfit. I really wish it had a single-side option, and maybe if I were more of a seamstress, I would have figured out a way to just make one side and have it be finished-looking in the back. As it was, I just followed the instructions, but I'll probably never wear it with the quilted print side out. I really loved the brown floral and debated whether to make both sides the same. I picked this second print because I thought Janae might like it better, and I did want both of our aprons to be alike.

As a side note, I used an entire spool of thread making two aprons, then I had to buy another one and I've use about a 1/4 of it, too. That seemed excessive. This pattern was way more labor intensive than the Home Ec. one I used years ago. However, I have been really watching apron patterns lately, and this one is one of the cutest I've seen. The high waistband takes some getting used to, though. I have to say it's fun to have an apron that is prettier than half the clothes I wear. I even bought it a special hook at... (where else?) Hobby Lobby. (By the way, all you Washingtonians are out of luck. Hobby Lobby is Mountain states and eastward. No stores on the west coast at all.)

So, when I bought eight yards of fabric for these aprons, I hit the end of the bolt on the quilted pattern, and they offered me the extra 3/4 of a yard at 50% off. Of course I bought it. It was a bargain. With the left over fabric, I made this hostess apron. Mostly, I was just trying out the pattern, which is to say that I didn't use a pattern. I made it up as I went along. It turned out cute, but I already have an apron from this fabric. So, I was wondering... Does anyone want this one? I'd be happy to give it away. I very seldom wear half aprons, because I always seem to spatter my shirt with grease when I'm cooking. I need full aprons. I used several pieces from the Emmeline pattern to make it. The ruffle is two straps sewn together, and the waistband is the bodice of the Emmeline pattern. I used the same wide straps, so they are long enough to bring around and tie in front.

If you would like to own this hostess apron, just leave me a comment. And, you have to promise not to be critical of my limited sewing skills.