Crafting Therapy

One of my really good friends is moving far, far away.  I'm a little bit sad for me, but she's moving to Texas, so I can't help but be excited for her.  I wanted to make her a going-away gift and couldn't wait to get started on it.  I knew instantly that I had to make her an apron.  She loves to cook, and she's a very retro 50's housewife gal.  What better gift to make a classy friend, than a tool for her homemaking trade.

Can I tell you all a secret?  When I made this apron for her, it was really just therapy for me.  By focusing on sewing her an apron, I was able to take a walk down memory lane, remembering our friendship, and I was able to reconcile her move with the hours spent cutting and sewing the fabric.  By the time I was finished, I was ready to let her go to Texas with a glad heart, instead of sadness.

First, I went to the fabric store, and scoured the place looking for that special fabric that just screamed her personality.  It's my favorite part of sewing for my friends.  I LOVE fabric!

When I got home, I started cutting out the pieces.  I decided to use one of my favorite apron patterns: McCall's  M5055.  It's darling.

Anyway, as I was sewing away on the apron, thinking about my friend, I started to bust out in spontaneous singing of "Friends are Friends Forever" by Michael W. Smith.  When I realized it, I stopped singing immediately, and started cracking up! That was so completely out of character for me!

That song is like "totally" Jr. High summer camp! You know, on the last night where you have a big sappy group hug with your friends and say, "I wish we could stay at camp forever because you're like the bestest friends a girl could ask for, and we'll never share this moment again! I'll never forget you all, EVER!"

It's like the Christian version of a sad country song, and that's when I realized that her moving was affecting me more than I was allowing myself to admit.  I hate feeling sappy and sentimental.  I had to knock that off quick! But since no one was around, I just let my thoughts wonder to all of the fun memories all of us girls shared together with our friend.

By the end of my trip down memory lane, I had created this for her:

When it was finished, I used the scrap material to embellish a gift sack, and make her a card.

I haphazardly cut out a heart, quilted it to the accent fabric with some batting sandwiched in between, and glued it on a plain gift sack.

Then, I took some scraps, and tied them on the handles to "cutsie" them up a bit.

Next, I made another heart and sewed it directly on to a card.  I love to sew on paper!  It's totally cool.

As you can see, I was not going for perfection here...I just followed my bliss!

The end result: A fun apron to give to a cherished friend, and a good walk down memory lane...even though I had a brief moment of cheesy sappiness. That's how I roll.

Crafting is therapeutic!

Stay tuned for part II...The Good Bye.