Side Openings on Bibs and Aprons

 

Have had requests for side openings on Bibs and Aprons. The results are shown on one of my Crumb Catching Adult Bibs up above.

Note: Clicking on the photos will enlarge the photos.

Wasn't hard at all to do at all...

Just made a simple change on my 6 inch circular cut-out. Just squared off just one of the corners. That simple!

For the bibs and aprons:

Started off with two strips of fabric 14 inches wide by about 30 inches long for the bib. When starting out, I pinned the two pieces of fabric together with the right sides inwards and the wrong sides outwards.  I turned up 2 1/2 inches to form the crumb catching pocket on this bib, which I allowed for in the length of 30 inches on  both of the fabric strips.

For the apron:  Change the length to 10 to 15 inches longer. You can turn from 5 to 8 inches to form the pockets on the apron.  Plus optional wrap around- tie in the back- straps, with each one being about 30 to 45 inches long.

On the wrong side of one of the 2 fabric strips that I pinned together I centered my altered cut-out, about 4 inched down from the top and about 4 inches in from the sides. Traced the cardboard cut out onto just one side of the fabric. The tracing line became my cutting line afterwards.

 Note: A cereal box came in handy for making up the altered circular cut-out.

Rounded off the top 2 corners on the pinned fabrics. Cut the altered circle out of both layers of fabric. Then cut an opening in the side, above ones heart.

Continued on as usual with sewing a 1/4 inch around the edges.  Started off near the center of the bottom of the bib. Followed the raw edges all the way around the outer part of the bib and the neck area. Went up one side, around the neck cut-out, across the top, and down the other side and cross the bottom, with leaving about a 3 inch opening for turning the bib...  Should look like the above photo, but, on the wrong side of the fabric and without the Velcro on it.

Note: If you need a larger opening for the neck area increase your 1/4 inch row of sewing to either 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch. If doing that, when done you must trim the top of the bib seam to 1/4 inch in the neck area. That is a very important step, otherwise you will have problems after turning the fabric to the right side and top stitching same.

Turn the bib completely inside out through that 3 inch opening. Iron off the bib. Top stitch the bib... Or pin the outer parts of the edges as I did, which you can tell from the white side because I didn't iron it off before top stitching, with hand pressing the edges as I pinned... Just didn't want to break my iron out and did it the old fashioned way... It should look like the above on both sides of the bib after those steps. You are looking at the back of the bib in the above photo.

Turn up about 2 1/2 to 3 inches to form the crumb catching pocket from the back side of the fabric to the front side. That's why you use contrasting fabric for the back of the bib... Top stitch one side down and continue across the bottom and up the other side. Be sure to back stitch in the beginning and the ending of your stitching. It should look like the above photo after the pocket is formed. This step is optional.

For the apron: On the apron you can form 2 pockets by running a row of stitches upwards from the bottom in the center of the apron long pocket to the top of the pocket. Be sure to back stitch at both ends when doing this step.

For the side closure we choose the Velcro. You can actually also use either snaps or buttons and button holes if you prefer to do so. I used two inch long strips of Velcro... It's your option. When completed, should look like the above photo on both sides.

The front neck area opened.

 

 

The front neck area closed.

 

 

The back neck area opened

 

 

The back neck area closed

 

 

The front of the bib

 

 

The back of the bib.

 

The apron: The apron is pretty much the same, except for the length of it and, optionally,  ties added  to it around the waist area to tie in the back or to wrap around and tie in the front of the apron... Style and location of pockets are optional and may vary.  Individual 6 to 8 inch square pockets can be added instead of using the row of pockets as shown on the bib... All your choice, of course.

You can see 3 more of my Adult Bibs/Crumb Catchers  that have the opening in the back of them  by clicking here 
 

Charlie G's Apron

Here's a photo of Charlie G wearing one of the two aprons I made for him recently. Besides his loving to cook, he had me make one for him to wear while he worked in his home/hobby wood shop where he makes lawn ornaments and, most recently doll beds and doll cribs.

The fabric is denim for the body of the aprons with the ties made out of a blue and green John Deere cotton plaid. It's hard to see all of the pockets. There is one at the top section of the apron along with a row of them going across the width of the bottom of the apron, all from the denim fabric too. 

The two aprons are pretty much identical. Except that one of the aprons has a zipper on it, going across a section of one of the bottom pockets for when he goes to the flea markets with the wooden items he hand makes.

Doll Beds & Doll Cradles

American made.

 

Hand crafted in the USA by Charlie and Peggy

 

Click on the photos to enlarge them.

 

As Santa's helpers, here are some photos of the Doll Beds and Doll Cradles that Charlie and I have been working on which includes covered mattresses...  They are recommended for ages 5 and up.

The front and back on the cribs are the same.  The doll beds headboard is taller than the bottom part. The insides of the beds are painted white with the outside having a wooden grain look. 

The mattresses are polyester with the mattress covers being a white cotton-polyester fabric.

More views with dolls in the beds and cradles.

 

The beds will comfortably fit dolls up to about 20 inches long, whereas the cradles are for baby dolls up to about 17 inches long.   

There are no nuts, bolts, screws or the like in them. The beds and cribs each consist of 7 inter-locking pieces which are easily assembled. Adult guidance suggested for same.

 

7 Simple Assembly Steps

 

With the 7 interlocking pieces they can easily be taken apart and unassembled and reassembled when going to visit Grandma for a few days or the like, especially if taking the dolls along too. These assembly instructions are for both the beds and cribs.

 

Just put the mattresses into the beds and/or cribs after they are assembled.  Dolls are then ready for nap time and/or bedtime.

 

Bedding, such as pillows, pillow cases, sheets, top sheets, blankets,  decorative pillows and comforters can also be added. Peggy also makes some of them up. Photos taken by Peggy at a local Flea Market that she and Charlie attended with their doll beds and doll cribs.

Outfit # 2 for Theresa, an 18" doll

Same outfit, but, with different colored shoes. Can tone it up or down with same.

A New Outfit for 18" Doll "Theresa"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Dolly Club Member & Author

Came across one of the Karen's and the Dolly Club on blogspot.com recently and joined the group there. With my first granddaughter being 2 1/2 years old, I "got the fevor" of making doll clothes again. Just have to get started doing same. Seems like I haven't made any in ages, with having sons and no daughters. Picked up a pattern for making clothes for an 18 inch doll yesterday afternoon when going to Walmart's to buy myself a new pair of shoes. Some of my shoes are scratched up from Velvet, my black cat's claws. Hate to say it, but Velvet passed on earlier this month and most likely at Rainbow Ridge awaiting their masters to pick them up while enroute to heaven. She was about 14 1/2 years old. She was born on April 1, 1998, and a Bombay, which is like a minature black panther with yellow eyes. A "pantherine" you might say Velvet was. Both Sparky, my other cat, who is a Calico, who is three months younger than Velvet, and I will miss Velvet a whole bunch. Back to dolls... Bought my granddaughter an 18 inch doll for Christmas this year. It has long brown hair and brown eyes. Also bought myself one, with blonde hair and blue eyes to use as a manikin... Yea, right! Think I'll call my doll "Theresa" which is the name I had picked out if I ever had a daughter. It was my grandmothers middle name and the name I took for confirmation. Her first name was Winifred, where my middle name came from. Thus she, was Winifred Theresa, which actually is part of my name. I'm more or less known as Peggy Winifred Theresa, which is of Irish ancestory, same as my mother and my grandmother... When I make up some doll clothes, etc for Dolly and Theresa, I'll post some here and on the Dolly Club blogspot. I signed up to become an author over there. Speaking of "author" went to lunch with a friend whose black cat's name is "Author Author" earlier today. He has both a first and last name, both being Author...LOL. She is an author herself, with several books published. If you look over on the side where my links are, you'll find her listed there, Louise Barton, http://louisebartonsbooks.blogspot.com/ Tonight is New Years Eve. I decided to stay in. Had a couple of invites to go out, but, not really in the mood for celebrating. Still missing Velvet a lot. Sparky is still prancing around the house looking for Velvet, calling her all of the time with her Siamese sounding meows. Maybe I'll start making my first outfit for the dolls instead of running the roads with some of my senior peers tonight.

More of my sewing projects

Have completed several other sewing projects this past year, 2012, which include the following: 1) A Maxi Dress for myself:

2) Reversible Apron Vest for a friend:

3) A fishy Purse for my toddler granddaughter:

4) A swing skirt, using a vintage 1950's pattern Also in this collage of photos is another one I made in 2009:

5) A 2 piece sun/bathing suit. Made a minor change by adding some trim to the edges of it as shown in the photo collage after making the outfit.

6) Some Pillows: