Happy New Year Apron Patterns!

Happy New Year everyone!  Every New Year brings with it renewed hope, dreams and ambitions.  One of my ambitions this year includes de-cluttering and what would be helpful in that department?  How about a fresh apron to keep my clothes clean!  

Whatever your ambitions are this year, a nice, new apron is always a delight.  So today I'm sharing a couple more lovely vintage apron patterns from the World War II era.  

They come from a vintage sewing book and you will need to draft pattern pieces before you begin sewing.

Previous sewing experience will be helpful when using these patterns and following the original directions.

Utility Apron

Instructions as they were originally printed:

The pattern pieces (additional instructions for how to draft your pattern are found at the end of this post):

Taffeta Party Apron

Now, of course, after the hard work is done it's time to celebrate! And what better way to celebrate than to doll up in a new taffeta party apron!  Of course you can use the fabric of your choice but how sweet this would be in taffeta:

Instructions as they were originally printed:

The pattern pieces:

The following information will be useful when making up your pattern pieces and sewing your aprons:

Of course I have other dreams and ambitions for the New Year, but first things first.  A clean, uncluttered space will encourage inspiration and creativity and be just plain nice.  I'm ready to get to work!

Happy sewing everyone and Happy New Year!

Cross Top Bib Apron Pattern

As promised, here is another great apron pattern from the same vintage World War II pattern book as the last pattern.  This pattern is a bit more challenging but the end result is worth it.  What a classic, lovely style!

Previous sewing experience will be helpful when using this pattern and following the original directions.

The instructions as originally printed:

You will need to draft your pattern using the following scale.  Each square represents an inch.

Back view of the finished apron:

For additional helpful information, check my previous post. You can find it here.  It includes information about how to scale your pattern and how to gather your fabric by machine.  I've got a couple more of these gems so check back soon!

Pretty Little Half Apron Pattern

This pretty little half apron pattern comes from a vintage 1945 pattern book.  There are several apron patterns in this book and I'll be sharing some of them over the next few days for your enjoyment.

You could make this apron in plaid as indicated or it would be just as cute in floral or novelty fabric.  

Previous sewing experience will be helpful.  However, if the instructions are followed carefully even a beginner could tackle this sewing project.

The instructions are printed here.  The "How to Make Patterns" description follows the pattern diagrams below.

Pattern diagrams to draft.  Each square represents 1":

The following information will help you to draft your patterns. You'll want to refer back to this information for future apron patterns from this pattern book series:

Back view of this half apron:

I love the look of this half apron and the ruffle detailing.  A perfect apron for entertaining!  

I'll be posting several more apron patterns from this vintage pattern book so keep checking back for more freebies!  Happy Sewing!

Kitten Softie Toy Pattern

This adorable kitten softie is part of the Kitty Family Vintage Toy Animal Sewing Pattern that's been very popular in my Etsy shop for some time now.  The kitten is super easy to sew with minimal pieces and can be made out of scrap fabric.

This little cutie was part of an iron transfer pattern and you'll need to enlarge the pattern pieces to the size desired.  The pattern includes a 1/4" seam allowance.  

The original pattern main body measures about 8" from top of ears to bottom of paws but these pattern pieces can be reproduced any size you'd like.  Simply cut out the pattern pieces and follow the directions indicated.  For the face, use your favorite transfer pen or transfer method, then embroider.

This is what mama kitty looks like and the family together is really sweet.  This vintage pattern is I think from the 1950s and I've heard several nostalgic stories from the fond memories this little family congers up.

If you'd like to purchase the full size pattern and the pattern for the mama kitty, visit my Etsy shop here.    As you can see from the illustration, mama and kittens in different patterns or colors would be fun and  so cute!

Vintage 1920s Filet Crochet and Cross Stitch Patterns

As promised, more free vintage cross stitch or filet crochet patterns!  These patterns are more of the same series that I scanned recently so they're from the same time period, the 1910s and 1920s.  Just like the others, you can either use them as a template for cross stitch or, if you're into crochet, filet crochet.

The first two are pretty sprays of flowers that kind of remind me of fuchsias or lily of the valley:

A nice old fashioned rose pattern:

Easy little flower motif:

Here's another pattern that would look so sweet on a baby dress yoke, either cross stitched or filet crochet.  Love this little pattern!:

Nice corner patterns for hankies or napkins, these would also look great in the center of pretty handmade pillow covers:

This one's pretty elaborate but could be used for sheet edgings or the ends of a table runner:

I hope you enjoy these patterns as much as I've enjoyed sharing them with you!  And to think, it all started with a search through my vintage pattern book collection of something else entirely!  Now that I've hit the books, let's see what else I come up with to share.  Enjoy!

Log Cabin Quilt and 1930s Reproduction Fabric

Today I received a delightful surprise in my email inbox -- a photo of this beautiful lap quilt made by one of my wonderful Etsy customers for her very lucky mum.  She utilized the reproduction 1930s fabric that I stock in my Etsy shop, in addition to some complimentary fabric she acquired for the project and backed it with warm fleece.  The log cabin pattern lends itself well to this type of project, you can make your quilt practically any size without a lot of adjustment.

Here's the beautiful quilt:

Two fabric bundles were used for this quilt, this one:

And here's the other bundle:

I'm so excited to share this work, it's terrific to see the creative process in action.  This lap quilt, using vintage inspired fabric and a traditional pattern resulted in a very lovely, warm and cozy work of art, like a hug, wrapped in love.  Sweet!

Free Apron Patterns

There is just something charming about aprons.  Just looking at them brings back warm memories of delicious smells coming from the kitchen.  Yesterday I was looking through a vintage sewing pattern book and found the patterns for these two little sweethearts.  The vintage pattern book isn't dated but the designs look very 1930s to me.

As you can see from the description, the directions call for the aprons to be made with oil cloth, but any pretty cotton fabric will do.  You'll have to do a little drafting to enlarge the pattern, but it's pretty straight forward after that.

This half apron would be perfect for either crafts or gardening.  The appliqué is charming and you could embroider a cute design on any of them for a personalized look.

One of the things that I love about my large vintage pattern book collection is discovering the treasures within.  So many of them are from a thrifty time, this one from the 1930s is a prime example.  "Make Do or Do Without," as the saying goes.  Enjoy making aprons from these vintage apron patterns, they'll look just as good today as they did then!

Free Children's Vintage Cross Stitch Patterns

Looking through my stash of vintage cross stitch patterns I decided to add a few more free patterns, this time children's themed patterns.  The first two, old fashioned little girls, would be super easy and fast to sew, could be quickly stitched into holiday ornaments or stitched side-by-side for a pretty sampler for a little girl's room.

Sunbonnet Sue style:

This page depicts several old fashioned scenes of children playing..... love the skaters!

Not children, but these patterns could be used to decorate children's clothing or maybe embellish baby sheets, the bunnies, squirrel and Doxie dogs are pretty darn cute!  Of course, the scary kitties would be better for Halloween decorations and the rooster would be great on a tea towel.

And I don't know the story behind this but it reminds me of a storybook tale ..... perhaps Hansel and Gretel?

 Coming from the same page are these adorable bunnies.  Love the repeat pattern!

There is something charming about old fashioned imagery that never seems to go out of style.  These vintage cross stitch patterns are just as sweet today as there were 100 years ago when there were first published.