Repurposing: Mother/Daughter Aprons

Hello my friends...and I hope you all are staying warm!
I'm linking up with Stephanie at Roses of Inspiration
and also Beverly's Pink Saturday
~
You know, I don't seem to hear the word repurposing used much anymore.

Now, the word seems to be upcycling.

I looked them both up recently and they basically mean the same thing.
I actually prefer the word repurpose...it seems to tell it like it is.
You are basically making one something into another something...that it wasn't before.

I think I'll stick with it :)

~

A few days before Christmas my son, Adam and his family moved into their new home.

We were also able to enjoy it for a few days during our visit over the holidays.

It is just loaded with rustic, country charm...and I do mean rustic...

 ...many of the building elements came from a one hundred year old barn. 

They are all about living the simple life on these beautiful 30 acres

and are planning to live off the land as much as possible.
Adam does a lot of hunting and they hope to plant a big garden this coming spring.

~

So I had been pondering the idea for this project for a while...
...I mean, country girls need aprons, right?
It wouldn't even hurt a city girl to have an apron or two!
~
Shortly after I started my blog in the summer of 2013,
 I shared a couple of posts about making aprons from repurposed items from Goodwill.
If you haven't been with me that long, you can check them out here and here.

So, on to my latest apron project...
...mother/daughter aprons for my sweet DIL and my one and only grand-daughter!

As you can see, they had been olden bibbed overalls in their former lives.
The skirts of the aprons are made from a floral and lace bed ruffle, also from Goodwill,
and trimmed with fabric remnants that I had on hand...no pattern...
...pretty much making it up as I went along.

I started out by cutting the front of the overalls away from the back,
and also cutting and removing the straps (since they are actually part of the back).
An adjustable neck loop made from some of the fabric and original metal hardware replaced this.

I apologize for not having an actual tutorial...
...I seem to always forget to take photos during the process!

So, using good sharp scissors, cut as close to the double seam as possible,
leaving the double seam on the front.
For DIL Carrie's apron, I cut the front of the overalls off just below the pockets.



Before I added the skirt to the bottom of the front,
I used a zig-zag stitch along the cut edge of the overalls, catching the bottom of the pocket linings,
(making sure they were flat) so the pockets could still be used.
~
I sewed the piece of the lace-edged bed ruffle (which was already gathered),
along with a shorter overlay ruffle of the contrasting fabric.
I used some of the extra lace (trimmed thinner) and top stitched it to cover the seam.
The sides were then turned under and finished with a machine stitched hem.



I made the apron ties from long-ish strips of the floral ruffle fabric,
pulling the ends through the existing button holes on the sides to create a loop and then sewed them.
I was thinking how handy those button holes were!

 

So for Olivia's apron, I followed pretty much the same procedure...
...but decided to cut the overalls off  just below the waistline, as you see below.

I wanted to use the denim patch pockets on the skirt so I cut them off the back of the overalls.
 I didn't cut the actual pocket but right up against it where they had been sewed on...
...I did not want to rip out any of that great stitching!
Since I had cut them completely off the overalls, the pockets had two layers...
...so I removed the inside layer by cutting very close to the top stitching inside the pockets.
I then sewed them on to  the skirt, stitching right up next to the original outer top stitching,
using a denim blue thread that blended right in.
Can you see the stitching?



I didn't think so :)
~

Of course a much shorter skirt length was need for Olivia's apron...
...so I removed the deep lace edging from the bottom, cut it to the appropriate length
 and added the lace back to trim the bottom.

There were metal buttons on the side...no buttons holes,
 so I made a waist band, continuing it to become the ties and trimmed with a thin edging of lace.



As in Mom's apron, a neck loop was added,
 and I finished each apron by adding a cute little rosette to them.



A strip of lace and fabric, hand gathered to form a circle and a button in the center.
They are attached with a safety pin to remove when laundering.



The girls just loved their aprons!

I have visions of these two cooking up a storm in their new country kitchen!

Do you repurpose or upcycle???

 

*also sharing at* 

Grace at Home