Apron Time!! Crossback reversible Apron by Indygo Junction

Happy May everyone. This is going to be another very long month for us in Chicago!

I really wish that it was quite different but it is what it is and we must make the best of it and continue on!

With this corona virus lock-down continuing I decided that I really needed to make an apron. It has been on my sewing to-do list for several years. In fact, a couple years ago I made Aprons for all my family and never made one for me… I think at the time I may have burned out on sewing Aprons!!

Part of the reason I love living in downtown Chicago is that, under normal times, I could run out daily if I wanted to go pick up fresh bread or bakery items. Now, in the times of corona virus that has become difficult or near impossible. (with an underlying condition it is recommended that I have as little contact as possible) 

Being totally spoiled with such lovely fresh baked goodies local to me I decided that I needed to give it a try at home. I realized that I needed an Apron!

I had made this Indygo Junction Crossback Reversible Apron as gifts for my granddaughter’s kindergarten teachers last year and they really liked them. So , I made an awesome one for

me!! I traced mine out in size L/XL and I think it is perfect. It has nice coverage down the front, easy on and off and no worries about it loosening while wearing.  (I had made both a bigger and smaller ones before for others and had tried them on)

I had the perfect fabrics in my collection!  These fabrics really make me happy when I put on my apron!! The Klimt inspired fabric was a gift from The Couture Counsellor for my birthday several years ago and the yellow-green painterly squares are from my collection.

I made two changes to the pattern. The big one was to change up the neckline. I wanted to play with a sweetheart neckline inspired by a Pandemic time online learning Live Video Classes via Zoom with Sarah Veblen. (These are great! Checkthem out on her website!) This sweetheart neckline let me play with a new design feature and just added some fun to the pattern. The other change I made was to use pockets on both sides and I shifted them slightly forward.

I had just enough fabric leftover to make the Princess a matching Apron. 

Overall a fun and easy project that I needed!! Plus, I have been having fun wearing my new apron and baking some new things. I have made soft pretzels that I just love! Lots of low fat protein choc chip cookies and Artisan bread!

Happy Sewing!! Stay Safe!

And Princess Victoria and I want to remind you to Wash Your Hands!!

My life in times of a Coronavirus Pandemic- Part 2- photo post

Let's see if google has fixed their photo issues....If not I have devised a method to know which pics go where so I can re-load if necessary!

Illinois has now been in a Shelter-in -Place or Stay-AT -Home order now for 32 days and we are fully expecting that to be extended soon. Most likely through the month of May.

I know that many people around the world are in the same situation and in many ways I am lucky. I am still able to work my full time job and I have a nice apartment and I live alone. (Both a blessing and a curse!)  I am quite busy and the hardest part of all this is my worry that my pancreas will act up and I will need to go to the hospital. I really, really want to stay far away from the hospital! So , I am making very sure that I take care of my health. It is also very hard not being able to see my family and my friends or to just do the normal things of life.

It's like our whole world is just sitting On Hold while this pandemic sweeps across.

I also worry about my Mom- she is considered an essential worker and works in finance at the local hospital near her. Luckily they are in a separate building from the hospital and they are taking many precautions to keep the workers safe. Still stressful!!

Anyway.... onto the fun stuff (or maybe the more fun stuff) Pretty crazy how quickly my life as adapted and how my relative feelings about things have adjusted to this new temporary reality.

I have made a lot of masks- about 210 so far. Currently on a break from just sewing them as I find making them very stressful.  I am cutting some out while I cut out other projects- seems to soften all the feelings if I sneak them in here and there.

 I am very grateful for technology and wish ALL my virtual meetings were just fun ones!!!

Easter zoom with the family in our Easter Hats, Sew CHicago ASG neighborhood group monthly zoom meeting, Bi-weekly Zoom sewing meetings with Sarah Veblen (fun getting to know new sewing people on these!)  and of course my daily FaceTime meetings with the Princess.

We had alot fun on Easter with a big family Zoom that my sister set up. We had the family from all over the US and Netherlands on and it was great fun to be with everyone. Here are just a small collection of the hats! My mom made a sewing themed had which was super fun!

 For my hat I used all of the various flowers that I have made over the years and I took the opportunity to make 2 new ones. Silk carnations- that I added to my hat and I sewed each one on with basting stitches so that they can always be removed for later use.

Here I am all dressed up in my Easter outfit!  Yes, it was fun to get dressed for no one but myself!

I have also been having some fun baking- low fat chocolate chip cookies and homemade soft pretzels. These are so yummy! I made a big batch of 18 to freeze so I can pop them out at any time. SO I finally made myself an apron!!  (more on this in a later post)

 

 One of the other things that I have been doing is writing letters to people. I try to write a letter or note to someone every single day. I have always been a letter writer and a prolific pen pal was I was a younger before we had all this great technology. (oh man does that me sound OLD!!) I thought that the one thing I could do was to let people know that I am thinking of them and let them know they are not alone in all of this craziness. It has been so nice to get so many replies!! Living alone during a pandemic and social distancing is hard and seeing all these cards and notes is just uplifting.

I hope that wherever you are and however you are being effected by this pandemic that you have some good ways to help deal with this unique stress that we find our selves under. I am ever the optimist and always strive to make the best of my situation... so I will keep on doing that! Having this face to check-in with me on a daily basis sure does help!! It's also a 2 way street- I think it does her a bit of good as well too :)

Happy Sewing! or baking or napping or crafting or whatever you are doing to give yourself some joy every day!