Friday, February 27, 2015

A birthday present

My dear mother-in-law is the best cook in the world. I wish I could share with you the delicate scents of those yummy treats that come from her kitchen... Instead, let me show you what I made her for her birthday three weeks ago:

Oven mitt and ruffled apron | Twice the Fun

For the oven mitt, I used the pattern and tutorials over at
She Can Quilt and Nichol Magouirk. I was unsure about the heat-resistance of Thermolam, so I used a double layer. I'm happy to report that it works ;-) It also provides a nice structure for a little quilting.

It was the first time I made my own bias tape, following the tutorial at The Seasoned Homemaker, and it was easier than I had expected. Perfectionist that I am, I think the finish is great. For joining the ends of the bias tape, I vaguely remembered seeing a trick in one of my Craftsy classes, so I rewatched quite a few classes (any excuse to watch Craftsy classes will do for me, lol) until I found it in Tara Rebman's Quilt-As-You-Go Patchwork Bags (this is not an affiliate link, I just really like this class - and I don't have to mention that that bag is on my to-do list, right?). It's like magic. Once you've seen how it's done, it's actually possible to join bias tape nearly invisibly! Really!


Oh, and did you notice that nice little decorative seam?

For the apron, I used the instructions and pattern I found on Crazy Little Projects. I overdid it a little with the ruffles, but I still think it turned out pretty cute. I must admit that I also tried it on myself, and I'll have to adjust the pattern a little for my plus size if I ever get around to making one for myself, but it fits my mother-in-law perfectly. And she loves it (or she's just polite... Nah. She does love it ;-)). She even agreed to have her photo taken and shared here - "but without this" (pointing to her face) ;-)


There's some fabric left for one or two little projects that she might get for Easter. But shhh, don't tell her ;-)

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