What Has Happened to My Home!

     It has been such a hustle and bustle trying to figure out my "new life". I no longer am JUST  a homemaker.  I do however, continue on as a teacher for my autistic son.. a mother to my other grown children, and a wife- which includes but not limited too; a chef, a doctor, a travel agent, landscaper, small appliance repairman, secretary, photographer, maid, manager, quality control executive and now add manufacturer of quality "kitchen stuff" and "mender".. hm.  So what shall I call myself?  "Maker of finer things?.. Quality designer?  Seamstress? Linen Artist? hm.  Not sure.. Maybe you can help me decide...  feel free to leave a comment below..

     This weeks Apron was a product designed during a busy week of- school starting and the myriad of meetings with educators and the organizing of the home special ed aids/educators.  I chose to go with something "light and airy"  hoping to reflect, the "lightness of the load, I wished to carry all week."  I decided on this simple "Prairie Apron Style" that evoked images of grandmothers globally circa 1800's and before up to circa 1920's maybe even 30's, coming in and out of their small and modest homes tending to gardens, farm animals, carrying water and cooking... 

To view more information about this apron or to see others I have made, please visit:   https://www.etsy.com/listing/108082543/prarie-style-grandmothers-apron-fits-xl

      I have not only been making aprons, but branching out with more mending, and finding so much joy in remaking torn and older clothing.  Just like this pair of cotton and polyester shorts.. that were so thin, I couldn't make the necessary repair without causing more damage.. so now is a good time to share.. all this sewing knowledge did not come so "naturally" I've had a lot of help.. I paid someone (with a rather extensive background in sewing, tailoring and Linen creations) to teach me!  I am proud to say.. I was a very blessed learner.. and this has created so many more directions for me than what I could've done back in the beginning.  I would never have understood, "interfacing" had I had to go it alone.. and it is now something I have come to fall in love with.. oh just ironing it on... and then sewing up my pieces has been like MAGIC!.. i've been able to create brand new beautiful items from slight adjustments here and there.. like these shorts.. which now are now fully redesigned from their formerly boring orange design.. (Jacob tore them top to bottom)..  

Now I am kicking myself for not taking a before picture.. The rip was terrible.. 

I was sweeping up all the loose threads around my home, (during the repair of these shorts, I was super, terribly, messy).  My broom became what looked to be a crazy piece of fabric all in itself. I took a glance around at the myriad of sewing tables, sewing machines.. display lamps, fabric shelves and thought to myself.. "what has happened to my home".. 

Just Listed My Aprons!

     How Thumbs!  My sewing machines.. Both, I was just about to throw out the window! (note that I did NOT include my 3rd machine, my antique White Rotary in the window scene) but anyways.. I have had so much trouble.. one is  a "Brother Sewing Machine" and one is a "Singer" the Singer being well over 20 years old.. the other being roughly 10 years old.. the problem:  loops galore and suddenly on the backside of my product.  I have read so many articles on how to fix this.. tension and/or tension screw being the culprits, usually.  Not this time though... 

    I took apart the machines, cleaned them, to no avail. I checked to make sure that I was getting the threads between the tension discs, check.. I double checked the bobbin, re-threaded everything and yes, my machine would suddenly run smoothly again, til' near the end of a stitch along.. GRRRR, finally.. it was suggested that maybe I was putting the bobbin backwards.. HUH??  THAT MATTERS? I'm possibly getting it going the right direction here and there and then therefore.. confusing myself on the problem.. soooo, I turned my bobbin thread both directions and sewed for a foot and half on a strip.. and wouldn'ta- you know.. RATS nest every time about 10 inches down each time the bobbin thread faced a certain way.. but it tricked ya, made you think that wasn't the problem by acting so well for such distance! 

    Now is a goooood time to tell you, that many people told me they had the same problems with their "Brother Sewing Machines" and they tossed them out!  I'm not kidding.  People think they're crap.  Well I just couldn't figure it because my machine ran so well.. it's a lovely machine and very cost efficient..  Turns out this was the same problem with my "Singer" too.  

    Brother Sewing Machines, if your listening, you'd best put a little label on those sapsuckers and tell people which way their thread should go.. Put it Right on the cover of your bobbin holder OR lots more people are gonna toss those machines and swear they're junk, when they're a reasonably wonderful machine.  Makes me wonder how many repair guys suggest you toss them so you'll buy one of their more expensive machines in their shops? hmmm? Ok.. stop the paranoia.. Life is good now thanks to my witty and wonderful sewing friend.  

   Well, all is not lost, you can view my aprons here on Etsy:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/croweapple?ref=si_shop

   Moral of the story here:  don't cast your treasures aside because their broken, just in case your just a dummy and need to make just a few adjustments. ~Deborah Crowe

Sampling Sewing Machines With Great Grandmothers...

I have my 1913 White Rotary (early Singer) sewing machine out.. somewhere along the line it was converted to an electric machine (or possibly it was one early on made electric items).. this thing is so powerful!  I have to put strong needles in it as it hammers.. wow, how nice it is to not need bias strips for my aprons.. I can do a traditional fold and have fat traditional corners and it glides past them with ease.. Bam Bam Bam Bam, is the sweet calamitous melody this classical machine makes...

When I compare this machine to the $135.00 modern machine that I have... from 1999.. not even close in comparison.  I am blessed to have my 1999 machine.. as it has the fancy different type stitches.. (my antique machine has one stitch and one speed..'GO' and 'STRAIGHT') .. but in all fairness.. the ease of sitting down to the sleek antique and its "openness" is just dreamy.  It just seems like more work to sit down to my, fat, bulky, chaotic newer one.  

When I start to pin together the antique muslin colors to the back of my quilted apron top, then sit at the antique machine, I wonder if I can possibly do as well a job putting this thing together as my great grandmother or her mom would've done.  Its just nice to know that I am working mysteriously beside them, for the exact same reasons.. sustenance.

Mom Gets Her Drive back ...

Ok.  So yesterday I decided to get back to work.   Raising a 15 year old autistic son and 3 more beautiful young adults.. has its challenges, but I decided between teaching my son his ABA lessons, cleaning house and dog sitting (yes, I would like more animals to watch).. I wanted to get back to cutting, pinning, stitching, sewing, ironing.. and YES, Creating!  

                                          (Golden Area of Utah)


This is only a 1 acre farm.. BUT it is a farm.. Set high in the Utah desert, I am mystified at how beautiful my home setting is.  I have 7 lovely hens and 1 rooster... (rooster Cogborn) (local pound found him sitting under a sign down town that said, "not pets allowed"..) poor guy,

                                              (Rooster Cogborn)

                                 (small row of cherry and apple trees)

                              (early spring tires garden (got massive)


 anyways.. a small fruit orchard.. a tire garden.. and I am ready to re-tackle.. what else.. making kitchen goods.. aprons to be exact.. I have made them before and they sold pretty well.. they are quilted and much time is spent creating the exact formula of prints to make the perfect quilted apron.. the more vintage the style, the  more likely I will use my 1913 white rotary sewing machine to sew it together.  Hey don't laugh, THAT apron will last longer.. 

                                 ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/croweapple?ref=si_shop )




Some people would say, "who uses aprons now a days?"... lots do and lots more should is all I can say.  They make great barriers to lovely outfits.. mmm theres nothing more lovely than getting hamburger grease all over your new shirt.. go fight with it over the washing machine.. But if you have an apron.. you are safe and good to go.. that mean ole' hamburger can't touch you.. literally.  

Aprons make dandy wall decorations and quick hand towels, hand wipes, face cleaners, face dryers.. not to mention an excellent pot holder... My disabled son wouldn't dream of eating spaghetti without an apron on.. and he tends to do things.. that well, make sense.   

Well, time to get off of here and dust my White Rotary.. give it a nice drive and see if it still "has it"...