Looking for the Giveaway?

it's been pointed out that as i continue to post, my GIVEAWAY is getting a bit lost!

rather than scrolling through the past few days posts (though i hope you'll give them a glance!), click on the image below to go straight to the giveaway!

new ephemera packs added to nimbleheart.etsy.com, and today's prizes!

while gathering up goodies for today's giveaway prizes, i bundled up a whole bunch of ephemera and goodies and listed them on etsy! i'm so proud of myself, i've been saying that i was going to do this for ages!

i did ledger sheet packs -

10 pages with graph-like lines. 7 different page in the 10, the majority are ledger sheets. the largest sheet is folded for shipping.






Fun and Games packs -

over 60 pieces!









Sheet Music Packs that are apparently too big to fit in envelopes, so i haven't listed them yet!

12 sheets of vintage sheet music, including one handwritten page





and my favourite, but also the most time consuming by far, the Book Pack

over 40 pages from books varying from first aid, plays, hymnals, bibles, dictionaries, textbooks, encyclopedias and more. includes french, polish, german, russian and more.








For Today's Giveaway prize, I've put together two ephemera and papercrafting bundles. In addition, each bundle will ALSO include one of each of the bundles above! I think i'm going to regret my generosity when it comes time to ship them.... ;)

The Prize Bundles are pretty much the same, with just a few variations. Things like playing cards are obviously different, and the info typed on the catalogue cards, the words on the German/Russian dictionary pages, the images in the slides, the holes in the player piano paper etc. in addition, one set includes a 7 gypsies walnut ink tube, and the other includes the glitter that Megan from the Upstart Crow donated.

Bundle 1





Bundle 2!






after going through so much stuff yesterday, i'm super inspired to play with it all!


but not today! can you believe that i haven't even found the time to enter any of the other giveaways? so silly!

whew!

this evening was spent rummaging through boxes looking for treasures. lots of fun, but whew, i'm tired!

i was trying to put together a papercrafting bundle to be today's prize, and i've been wanting to put together bundles of vintage paper for my etsy shop, so i pulled out a whole bunch of goodies. i'm excited about them all, but they'll wait until tomorrow!


tomorrow afternoon i'm going to "the art of knit graffiti" at the Reach Gallery and Museum in Abbotsford. it's being facilitated by Leanne Prain and Mandy Moore, the authors of the soon to be released book Yarn Bombing, which will be out on Arsenal Pulp Press (my favourite publisher ever!) in September.

i met Mandy at a clothes swap a while ago, and we have a few mutual friends, so it's really cool to see someone local who i (kinda) know writing a book!

Call for Entries - ATC Exhibit!!!

The RAG’s 4th Annual Artist Trading Card Exhibition is a display of Artist Trading
Cards (ATCs) from local, national, and international participants. Everyone is invited to participate, and all techniques and mediums are welcome. ATCs must be original artworks, and may be in a series, edition or multiple. Please “sign” the back, and contact information may also appear on the back of each card if desired. ATCs will be traded on the closing night of the exhibition. (Please note that photocopied works will not be traded.)

What Are ATCs? Artist Trading Cards are miniature works of original art measuring 2.5x3.5" that are made to trade. This international art movement is intended to be a noncommercial, non-hierarchical, non-judgemental avenue for artistic exchange.
ATCs will be on display in the Gallery’s Hope-Smith Art Lounge. This exhibition will run concurrently with the exhibition Migration/Immigrant Stories by Elizabeth Russell, and the group exhibition Black Hole is Also Supernova.

The deadline to enter is September 4, 2009 (postmarked) and the show that runs Sept 18 - Oct 30, 2009. Here's the entry form

what a great day!

i've had a great day so far, i hope everyone else has too!

i woke up before my alarm went off, not even super sore like the last few days. i puttered around a bit, catching up on twitter (before it went down, darn thing!), and then i decided to go over to ladner. i ran into multiple garage sales along the way and got some great finds (books, doilies, pyrex!), and then i got to see the llama family on my way. so cute, the llamas always make me giggle.

i went to one of my favourite stores, the upstart crow, and checked out the sale they were having as part of an early celebration for their 5th anniversary (seriously impressive for a small business!). the rubber stamps were on sale, and goodness knows i can never resist stamps! i chatted with megan for a bit, it was really nice to catch up, and then she gave me a little something to include in today's giveaway prize package (i'll update with it later!). i stopped at the 2nd hand book store a few doors down for a few minutes, and then headed home.

driving on the smaller highway that goes through farmland, i saw the llamas again, this time with some of the baby sheep (aww!). further along, the traffic came to a sudden stop, because there was a DUCK FAMILY CROSSING THE HIGHWAY! awww! there were 2 grownups and 3 fuzzie wuzzie babies!

seriously, how could you be in a bad mood after that?

however, i'm pretty wiped from running around in the sun all afternoon, so i think it's time for a little nap. sofie-bean is all curled up in the middle of the bed, and i think it's time to join her!

don't forget to check back later for today's giveaway prize!

kitschy coasters!

you know, i've never really understood most coasters. i've always thought that their main purpose was to protect your table from damage caused by liquid, ie condensation on a glass or cup. unless, of course, there's some magical coaster purpose that i'm missing?

but most coasters you see are either entirely absorbent, so that the condensation soaks right in, ending up on your table anyway, or else they're not absorbent at all, and the condensation drips right off, onto your table!


today i decided to make the perfect coasters, coasters that were a mesh of the two types, the answer to my lifelong question!

i made two sets, one is a prize in my BLOG GIVEAWAY, and the other is listed in my etsy shop. they're prototypes, and i think i'll be changing things a bit for the next few batches, but i still love how they turned out!


the top layer is vintage cotton (with a super cute gingham and folkish design!) quilted to batting to absorb the moisture, and the bottom layer is a matching bright red vinyl, to keep the moisture from seeping through to your table.

one set has green quilting,



and the other has yellow. i think i like the yellow best...





both sets are backed with matching red vinyl.


what do you think?

Vintage Pillowcase Apron - Tutorial!!!

So I’ve been trying to think of cool things to make for my blog giveaway. I have a list of ideas, and I’m still trying to decide between them for each day, but I really liked the idea of making an apron out vintage linens. I’m a little bit apron obsessed (this is just a portion of my vintage apron collection!). I was imagining a white pillowcase or runner with floral embroidery on it, and I KNOW I have some, but the thought of digging around in my crawlspace for one was NOT inspiring at all!

So I dug through my more recent purchases, and came up with this funky patterned pillowcase instead. I love the stripes and patterns, it seems like an older version of some of the current big name fabric designers!


So I set to work, making the apron, photographing each step, writing myself notes, and it’s really coming along nicely and all of a sudden I think “wait… didn’t Betz White JUST do a pillowcase apron tutorial? crap!” no wonder my idea seemed so good! I totally have to credit Betz for the inspiration!

However, my apron is quite a bit different than hers, so I decided to go ahead and create the tutorial for it. And here it is!

Vintage Pillowcase Apron



A note about the fabric – vintage pillowcase can vary quite a bit in their weight. If the fabric is especially lightweight, and you’d like to use the apron to protect your clothing from liquids, you’re going to need to line the apron skirt with a heavier fabric. In addition, you may need to interface the waistband. The pillowcase I used is fairly thin – not as thin as some, but not as thick as others. It’s fine without interfacing!

This apron took me about an hour and a half, and that’s with me photographing every step compulsively. It would’ve been shorter, so this is definitely a project you can do in an evening, or as a last minute hostess gift.

Start with a vintage (or new, but vintage is more fun!) pillowcase.

1. Cut a 15” piece from the bottom of the pillowcase, where the hem is. We’re going to use that pre-existing hem for our apron. Not only does it mean one less step for us to sew, the depth of the hem gives it extra weight, which will help the apron hang better.

2. Cut 3 pieces that are 4 ½” tall, the width of the pillowcase.


3. Trim seamed edge from the side of all pieces. Most pillowcases have one folded side and one seamed side. If your pillowcase is seamed on both sides, just pick one and cut it off.

*If your pillowcase has a centered design on the front, you’ll want to keep it centered! Instead of cutting the seam off the side of the 15” piece, cut up the centre back.

4. From one 4 ½” wide piece cut a piece that is 18-23” long. It depends on your waist size, you want it to cover your front entirely, and go a little bit to the back.

This is going to leave you with a little extra piece, if you’re feeling optimistic, try making a pocket out of it!


5. Press under the short edges of the apron skirt piece (the 15” piece) about ¼”, then press under again. (note – if you’d like to add trim or other decorations to your apron, add them BEFORE you hem the edges!


6. Stitch the seams on both sides of the skirt. My pillowcase had a tag sewn into the hem, and I thought it would be cool to leave in, as a reminder of what it once was.


7. Taking the 2 long 4 ½” wide pieces, fold them in half lengthwise and stitch along the long edge.

When you reach the corner, create a point at the end. If you’re uncomfortable doing this without a guide, just stitch down to the end, pivot, and stitch across, giving the tie a square end.

8. Press the seam and trim off the extra fabric, paying close attention to the corners.

Turn the ties right side out and press again.

9. Topstitch around the edges.


10. Finish one long edge of the waistband (the shorter 4 ½” piece). Begin by folding the edge under ¼”, pressing, then folding again, then stitching, the same as we did on sides of the apron skirt.



11. Divide the unfinished edge into 4 and pin to mark.


12. Divide the top edge of the apron skirt into 4 and mark with pins.


13. Change the stitch length on your machine to the longest stitch (usually 5), and change out your bobbin to use a bright colour (basting is a great way to use up the ends of bobbins!)


14. Stitch between the pins on the apron skirt, stopping at each pin and leaving longish tails (at least 2”) at the beginning and end of each section. Don’t backstitch!


15. While we’re at it, we want to baste the raw edge of the ties. Baste them then set them aside, attaching them is one of the last steps.


STOP NOW! Reset your stitch length to 2.5, and change back to the matching bobbin! Do it now before you forget! You’ll be seriously annoyed if you sew the rest of the apron in a baste stitch! Trust me on this!

16. Lay the skirt raw edge and the waistband raw edge together, right sides facing, matching pins.

17. Starting ½” from short end of the waistband, gather apron fabric by gently pulling the tails of thread. (The bobbin thread will pull easiest, which is why we used the bright colour for the bobbin instead of the needle thread.) Pin the apron to the waistband piece to secure layers.


18. You reset your stitch length, right? Okay, ready to go! Stitch the skirt to the waistband, removing pins as you go. Once you have sewn the whole length, gently tug on the basting threads and they’ll slip out. (NOTE - if you have a ruffler foot, which are seriously the best thing since sliced bread - and i love sliced bread, since i'm horrific at cutting it myself! - don't worry about any of this basting crap, just ruffle away! I'm assuming most people don't have $50 sewing machine feet though, so i did mine the hard way to show everyone. oh, the sacrifice.)

19. Press the seam towards the waistband.


20. Fold waistband piece right sides together with the finished long edge overlapping the gathered seam by ¼” and press.


21. Gather the unfinished end of each tie piece and fit them inside the folded waistband, one at each end. Pin in place.


22. Stitch the short ends of the waistband using ½” seam allowance. Take care not to catch the skirt in the seam.


23. Press, trim corners to reduce bulk.


24. Unfold waistband and press. Carefully pin the waistband in place on the wrong side of the apron. This will enclose the gathered seam.


25. Topstitch around the waistband, taking care to include the gathered seam allowance.


You’re done! Wear your apron with pride!




The straps on this apron are quite long – you can do them shorter if you’d like! If you have a tiny waist like my vintage dressform, you can even wrap them around twice!




I hope you liked the tutorial, and I’d LOVE to see your aprons!

If you liked the apron I made, you’re in luck, because it’s a prize in my BLOG GIVEAWAY!!