Make a Cute Vintage Style Apron

I love aprons! I made my first apron just a couple months ago for a bridal shower. While I wouldn't call them fast projects, they are pretty easy to make. I made the apron in this post for my friend, Kathy and I'm pretty sure she loves it.

This isn't really a tutorial so much as a "walk through." I didn't take pictures while I was making the apron, but the pieces are not hard to put together.

Piece 1: The Top

The top is based on the Tea and Crumpets knock off apron pattern over at Sewing in No Man's Land (her post includes two aprons, scroll down until you see a white a teal apron called Tea and Crumpets). If you scroll about halfway down the page, she has links to download the pattern pieces via Google Docs and gives you great instructions with pictures about how to make the top.

I made the top from some khaki cotton. At the bottom of the top (where it would attach to the waist), I finished it with a piece of thin fabric that I double folded (think bias tape....without the bias).

Piece 2: The Waist Band

The waist band has three pieces. The front center piece is made in the print fabric with the khaki edging and then two side pieces that are from the khaki only. 

You can make edging for the front part using the technique Sewing in No Man's Land describes on her Tea and Crumpets post OR do what I did.

I cut the printed piece to be 4 inches wide and the khaki piece to be about 5 inches wide. I lined up the top edges, right sides together and sewed them together. Then I had to shift the fabric to line up the bottom edges with right sides together and sewed that down. When I flipped it right sides out, the khaki part is bigger, so when you look at the printed side, there is little khaki stripe along the top and the bottom.

Piece 3: The Skirt

The skirt was very simple: 1 rectangle of printed fabric (maybe 30 x 24?) and a rectangle of muslin that was the same size. I sewed them right sides together (with an opening) and then flipped it, pressed it and top stitched around the edges.

Assembly:

To put the pieces together, I center the top and skirt on the waist band then pinned them in place. Then, I top stitched the center part of the waist band, being sure to catch the other pieces as a cruised by. 

Are my pictures not making sense? Check out my video walk through to see if that helps:

Footprint Towels

Mother's day is not quite a month away and I thought it would be fun to show you a project a made a while ago as a gift for one of my son's grandmothers. I think projects like this are perfect for grandparents of little ones and what better occasion than Mother's Day to make it?

I did not write a tutorial for it because it is so simple, it really isn't necessary. Also, wrangling a toddler to make footprints and taking pictures at the same time? Ha!

I used Flour Sack Dish Towels and Tulip Soft Fabric Paint.  I made the foot prints first and then painted in the details in black.  Here are some closer pictures of each one:

A Green Family's Gift Guide

Have you seen the piece that Fox did this week on the 7 foods you should never eat? These are things green moms have been talking about for a while, so I'm glad to see it getting some mainstream attention! Seeing lists like this can be overwhelming, though. I mean, how do you live without canned tomatoes?! (ps I have an answer).  If you have a green family on your list who is interested in cleaning up their family's food act, these might be some great presents to consider giving (or putting on your own list for Santa!).

What: A Pressure Canner (and canning supplies)

Why? Commercially canned foods almost universally contain the hormone-disrupting chemical, BPA. High acid foods like tomatoes, cause even more BPA to leach into food than with lower acid ones. BUT you can can your own tomatoes, beans and more at home. In glass jars. This severely reduces the amount of  BPA that your family is exposed to - especailly if you are big on canned food items like diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Where to get it: This pressure canner from Presto  is affordable and basic. For a little bit more you can get a canning starter set that includes everything you need except for jars. You'll want to make sure you get a pressure canner that comes with a pressure gauge. You can pick up jars in varying sizes at your local grocery store.


What: A Glass Popcorn Popper

Why? Chemicals that line bags of microwave popcorn like PFOA are linked to human infertility and certain types of cancer. Manufacturers are promising to phase these chemicals out by 2015. But let's be honest. That's a long ways away. In the meantime, do microwave popcorn the non-toxic way with this rad popcorn popper  (which on my personal Christmas list this year). There are a variety of air poppers on the market, too. But this one won't blow a fuse and it can also go in the dishwasher.

Where to get it: This is pretty much the only glass popcorn popper I've seen on the market. Pair it with a sampler of different kinds of popping corn. You can pick up fun popcorns at Whole Foods or Target, or get a ready-made sampler from Etsy Seller DellCoveSpices.


What: A CSA Membership

Why? Many kinds of non-Organic produce like apples and potatoes still retain traces of the pesticides used to grow them on or even in the fruit or veggie itself. Plus when the fruits and veggies at your corner store had to fly halfway across the globe to get there, the carbon footprint is high and their nutritional value is reduced. Enter the CSA: CSA stands for "Community Supported Agriculture." You pre-pay a local farmer for a share of the harvest and every week you get a box full of locally grown (many times organic) produce and sometimes eggs or milk, too!

Where to get it? Check out Local Harvest for more information about CSAs and for help locating a CSA program in your neck of the woods.


What: Glass Food Storage Containers

Why? Even if you use BPA-free plastic containers for your leftovers, other hormone disrupting chemicals called phthalates can still be lurking. In fact, some BPA-free plastics have even higher levels of phthalates than those that kept BPA in the mix (read: bad news). In a world of green-washing and marketing hype, go with glass. Know for sure that you're keeping crazy chemicals out of your leftovers and use pretty containers that can also go in the freezer, microwave, oven and dishwasher.

Where to get it? The Pyrex set above is available online and at most department and home stores like Target or Bed, Bath and Beyond. Other brands make similar products but Pyrex is the one we use and love in our home.


What: Non-Toxic Nail Polish

Why? Most nail polishes contain a long list of highly toxic ingredients like formaldehyde, phthalates, actone and more (read more about it here). These chemicals don't just go on your nails - they get into your lungs even long after the polish is dry as the chemicals continue to off-gas for days. Keep toxic chemicals off your hands and out of your lungs by using non-toxic polishes like the ones from Piggy Paint or Gaiam.

Where to get it? Amazon sells lots of colors and gift sets from the Piggy Paint line. Also check naturals stores like Whole Foods or your local cloth diaper store (the Cotton Babies store in Vancouver carries these!). Hint: "Like" Piggy Paint on Facebook as they frequently post promo codes for discounts on certain colors or sets.

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I hope I've given you some great ideas as you shop for loved ones or put together your own wish lists. If you're a green mom or dad, leave a comment and share what you're jonesing for this year!

This is a non-sponsored post. All opinions are 100% mine. No free products or compensation were given by the companies mentioned above for including their products or naming them in this guide. Some of the links above are my affiliate links. See my affiliate links note in the sidebar.

DIY Ginger Syrup for homemade soda

My family has been trying to find healthier alternatives to traditional soda. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is not only horrible for you, but almost all of it is made from genetically modified corn - which we oppose on moral grounds. Plus drinking lots of extra calories is bad for you. Diet sodas aren't too much better. And with all the hub-bub going around about caramel coloring causing cancer, it's enough to make you give up soda altogether.

Except I'm addicted. I think it's the bubbles. I find plain club soda has a weird bitter taste so I still need it flavored somehow. And it needs to be inexpensive.

I've seen a few recipes for infused syrups that you can use to make homemade sodas floating around online about thought I'd give it a shot.  I love that I have 100% control over what goes into it and it's not pricey! It turned out pretty tasty, too, if I do say so myself. Plus I think it makes a fun inexpensive gift. So without further ado...