Project Quilting 16.6 Harvest Apron

I love starting off the year with the Project Quilting Challenge, and I love the pace: six challenges over the course of 12 weeks. Yet each year I've participated, the final challenge always is bittersweet. Yes, now I can get on with my own agenda, but I'm sad to let the burst of creativity and, to some degree, ha, the intense focus on a project go.

Without further ado, here is project 16.6, 'Button it Up' where we were to incorporate the meaning, literal or figurative, of "button it up"  into our project. I went literal.

All those beautiful florals..and one maple leaf fabric from Northcott for Canada's sesquicentennial 🍁

This is my Harvest apron, a free tutorial by Inflorescence Designs. You can see a button in the centre of the waistband, and a toggle button at the bottom edge. Read on to find out what nifty trick the two perform to transform this apron into a little bowl or basket!

On Saturday, yes, just a few days ago, my niece Sheila sent me an Instagram video @inflorescensedesigns had in her feed of a super-cute apron. Sheila often sends me cool sewing or quilting makes. I thought it was a great idea, as how many many times have I gone out to grab 'a couple' ripe tomatoes or dig a hill of potatoes, only to end up loading them into the bottom of my t-shirt that I scoop up to make a pseudo-basket. So this was a great idea. Do I wear aprons? No. Should I? Yes. Most definitely. When cooking and baking. (hangs head) And when heading out to gather produce!

Well, I read the PQ prompt on Sunday afternoon, and had two thoughts immediately pop into my head:  I was sorely tempted to create an 'Elbows Up!' button symbolizing Canada's current attitude of take no sh*t; fight back towards the US government's trade war, insults, threats of annexation and so on.🍁, or could I whip up a quilt jacket in a week, for which I've had the fabrics, ooh, for going on 15 years...

Sometime on Monday I remembered that apron video. I could do that. However, I was in the throes of organizing and making the flimsy and writing the pattern for my Quilt Along which starts in two weeks today! So by Tuesday afternoon the flimsy had been finished up, ongoing conversations via email between three countries' quilters making said flimsy (Canada, Scotland and United States) continued for a bit, pattern got tweaked, and on Tuesday evening I pulled out my 5" squares stack to see how many floral ones were in it (not too many) and then started going through scraps boxes and stash to try to get a rainbow of florals. It was harder than I thought.

It took more time arranging the 5” squares into a pleasing set than it did to web it and have a complete apron front!

When I was looking for ROYGBIV florals I found the beautiful chunk below that I knew I'd use for the back to make it reversible. You need a 22" square but sadly, this one was only 21.25" when I'd squared it, but I went with that because hey, it's an apron! I would just trim down the front a wee bit more.

Finding a green for the waistband and ties that would coordinate with that vibrant green background was a bit tricky, but I think the Pearl Bracelets is perfect for both sides. 

I stitched it up with an Exquisite polyester and topstitched the edges of the apron, waistband and ties, and made the channel for the drawstring with a beautiful Sulky Twist.

I made a wee video of the apron in action in my yoga and books room.😊

So this apron will be flying off to Alberta tomorrow to Sheila's apartment. 😁 She was the one who sent me the original idea! She loves gardening, and has built up some really nice garden beds around her building; I think she may even have an allotment but I could be wrong there. The apron is floral because of her love of and talent for floral arrangements. She has a side floral business, @naturebydesignfloralartistry so if you're in the Edmonton area, and are in need of some stellar beautiful flowers, for a wedding, anniversary or just because, give her a DM! You must check out her feed to see the beautiful artistry she creates. She even made a gown out of flowers for one occasion!

Here is a still from the video of the apron with the string drawn up to show you the basket it creates.

So cool!

Quilt Stats:

Size: 20.75" x 22.75"
Fabric: stash and scraps; and waistband/ties Pearl Bracelets by Lizzie House for Andover Fabrics

Batting: none

Backing:  Concord Fabrics

Quilted: not

Threads: pieced with Exquisite polyester on my Bernina; topstitched with Sulky Twist

Thank you so very much as always to Kim and to Trish of Project Quilting for another amazing season and start to the year!

Here are all six of my makes. Looking at them makes me giddy! Very happy with each one.

And a note that if you're up for a slow-paced, satisfying little quilt make, then I hope you'll watch for next week's teaser post of this year's, my ninth, Quilt Along that starts as per usual, on April 3.

Linking Up

Project Quilting

My Quilt Infatuation

Alycia Quilts

From Bolt to Beauty

Songbird Designs