Photo and bag by Karla

I get pretty giddy when I see a picture of something someone has made from my book. It's what I wrote it for, after all - so you could create your own designs from those ideas I had floating around in my head. Karla's Dapper Day Bag is particularly stunning. I can't tell if the main fabric is brown or plum in the photo, but man, I want it! I also love that the bag doesn't have an appliqued element - it highlights the piping so well. Which brings up something I wanted to mention: all of the project samples in the book sport some little bit of applique, but all of them (with the exception of the clock) can be made without the applique, with wonderful results. Here's another example of a project sans applique, a bohemian woman's Blossom Blouse made with a vintage duvet cover, via Harmony and Rosie:

Photo and blouse by Harmony and Rosie

A word about the child's Blossom Blouse. Since the blouse isn't modeled on a child in the book (it's on a hanger) and since it says that the blouse shown is a size Medium (4-5), I thought I'd show you a pic of that very same, size "Medium" shirt on a two year-old.

I think this is an oops. When making the shirt, keep in mind that the Medium was made to be a size 2-3, which would make the Large a 4-5 and the Extra Large a 6-6x. Better to err on the big side and have something that your little one can grown into than to have a shirt that's too short!

(And can I just say that I lOVE the above photo? It was taken in my last week of living in Mexico, as a June thunderstorm was approaching. The model was the little sister of one of my students, and we had so much fun running around the field for this shoot. Sweet memories.)

There is one little correction for the book: the notches were left off the bodice piece of the Teacup Corset Apron. You can print out the corrected piece on Interweave's site here, or you could just add them in by hand following the instructions here. (Any future errata will be posted to the Flickr group, too - although let's hope that's it!)

Now to business. Giveaway business! I have a stack of fabric and supplies on my studio table - everything you need to make your own Little Chef Hat and Apron set! The apron is sized to fit 2-5 year-olds and 6-8 year-olds. It's a design that I perfected on my students in Mexico - it's quite easy for the little ones to put it on and take it off all by themselves, as the Velcro straps overlap in the front.

Rae sent me copies of her books, and let me tell you - they just make me smile. Both Cooking Fun and Crafting Fun are replete with vintage recipes and crafts, and would make excellent gifts for the reading child on your holiday gift list. I've had a lot of fun going through the drink recipes, and have become especially enamored with this milk/orange juice/vanilla combo. It's frothy. It's yummy. And it simply belongs in both my recycled jam jar glasses and in my stomach.

Since nothing goes better with a kid's vintage-inspired cookbook than a vintage-inspired apron, Rae is hosting a giveaway of Cooking Fun and I'm chipping in two Lola Apron patterns! Go over to My Little Hen and leave a comment to enter!

P.S. Did you know the Lola Apron won first place at the Iowa State Fair? How cool is that?

photo and apron by letterwoman

I'm super excited to have Liz Scott, the creative mind behind the fabric shop, WonderFluff, on as a sponsor. I have a few of Liz's fabrics, and they're awesome. I especially love my sample of organic cotton interlock knit. Liz draws her designs by hand, colors them digitally, then has them printed off at Spoonflower. Read on to learn more, and check out the giveaway and discount info below!

From Liz:

I was born and raised in Michigan, and now I reside in Los Angeles. I'm a 32 year old Capricorn living with my husband and one gray cat named Zipper. I am a graphic designer by day and a free-form stuff maker by night. Whenever I see a fabric swatch from the late sixties or vintage Scandinavian cookware, my heart beats a bit faster. I love to paint, draw, sew and constantly rework the look and feel of all the rooms in my apartment. I've always made stuff and I always will because it gives me peace and energy at the same time. 

I make what I like and what I enjoy making. I strive for expression in my work, not perfection (that part is hard sometimes). I am consistently drawn to all that is bold and graphic. I love rambunctious color palettes, optical illusions, repetition and insane amounts of detail. I’ve been like this for as long as I can remember.

Here is some additional info about the fabric:

All fabric designs are available in the following fabric types:

-Quilting weight cotton
-Upholstery weight cotton
-Organic Cotton Sateen
-Organic Cotton Interlock Knit
-Bamboo Cotton Rayon

All fabrics are available in sample size, fat quarter, half yard, and full yard increments up to five yards per continuous piece.

If you would like a certain design in a different fabric or a different amount than listed in the shop, please convo or email me and I can create a custom listing. Special orders do take approximately 2 weeks for delivery from time of order depending on your location.

Website: www.lizscott.com

Liz is giving away a bundle of four fat quarters from her Mod series (pictured above). The names of the fabrics are Mod Flowers, Mod Buds, Mod Trees and Mod Leaves. Leave a comment by Sunday, September 20th at 8 p.m. EST and a winner will be chosen at random. In addition, Liz is offering a 15% discount to Sew Liberated readers on any item in her store, WonderFluff, from now until the end of September. Enter SewLiberated in the notes to seller box at checkout, she will refund your money via PayPal right away.

Thanks, Liz, and good luck!

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Congratulations to Cinnamon, who won the stack of Mod fat quarters! Remember that Liz is offering 15% off of all items in her store to Sew Liberated readers for the rest of September. Thanks again, Liz!