For the Happy Couple

So some friends of ours decided to tie the knot, and we couldn't be happier for them.  I realized I just HAD to make something for them.  She was already excited about a quilt she plans to make from the place mats used at the reception, so I thought I'd make something a little different--potholders and an apron!  My friend Erin does a lot of cooking, so I figured it'd be something she could actually use.  Plus, you can't really have too many potholders OR aprons.

I already had an idea of the colors and prints she likes, so I found these matching fabrics at Hobby Lobby.  He's a Smith, so I decided to go with a monogram S.  

I printed out a letter S using a standard word processing software (I personally use OpenOffice) and traced it (backwards!) onto some Wonder Under and fused it onto the gray fabric.

Cutting and fusing is my favorite part.  Too bad it couldn't stay this way--these items have to be highly washable.

I set my Singer Simple machine to a short, narrow zig zag stitch.   Curves can get pretty tricky!

Now, how did I know what to cut for these potholders?  My loving hubby brought me a souvenir from his trip to Maine:

The book has a cute collection of projects that features a unique way to frame objects.  Instead of traditional binding, you construct a frame with the help of a special ruler (or template that's provided in the book).  The pieces look like this before they're assembled.

When the frame is assembled, it looks like this, with beautiful mitered corners:

I then proceeded to "stuff" the potholders into the frame.  If you're curious, the potholders are made of two matching layers of fabric, with polyester batting and Insul-Bright in between.  I quilted straight lines by machine with the help of my brand new walking foot.  

Now for the tricky part:  to line everything up so you only have to sew one seam:

It took a few tries, but they look alright:

I found a cute tutorial for making an apron from scratch at Sugar Bee Crafts.  I'll admit, I was rather skeptical when I blindly started following her cutting instructions, but it came together beautifully.  The only mod I'd make is to cut wider ties, as she suggested.

I affixed a homemade label to the inside:

Hello, crooked stitching!

And here's the final product:   Not too shabby!

And my I've-had-too-much-caffeine-and-now-it's-midnight face modeling my creations:

Maybe next time I'll have more courage and attempt a ruffle at the bottom.

But here's the happy couple:

Their wedding was absolutely gorgeous!  I hope the newlyweds enjoy these gifts for a good while.


I've got a few more things up my sleeve, so until next time, God Bless!