Apron Sew-in Report and Apron Contest Promo Video: Can You Hang With These Crafty Ladies?

I’m happy to report that Sunday’s Apron Sew-In was a lovely success. It was slightly less intense than my husband’s video implies, but we had a lot of fun. Thank you to the kind ladies who joined me for an afternoon of apron design. It was a pleasure to see some familiar faces and meet some new kindred spirits, too. It warms my heart to have your support on this project.

If you missed this apron sew-in, no worries. I just scheduled another one for 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday, April 1 (No Joke!) at Lakeshore Sewing, 1011 Gezon Pkwy. SW, in Wyoming. So come on out and sew aprons for the contest and apron show to benefit Safe Haven Ministries. You will get contest credit for all the aprons you sew. Bring your sewing machine (Or call 531-5561 to reserve a store machine for free.) and any special fabric and trims you want to work with. We’ll have a limited fabric supply and plenty of ties on hand. Bring a men’s dress shirt along and we’ll show you how to turn it into an apron. Please reserve your spot by e-mailing me.

The deadline to enter your apron is April 19, so there’s still time to whip up a winning design of your own. (Download an entry form here.)

I was thrilled to read this blog post today and can’t wait to see who else gets involved. I’ve been rounding up some great prizes for the winners.  Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores donated fabric for the sew-in and has committed to contributing gift cards for the top three apron designers. In addition to hosting the next sew-in, Lakeshore Sewing is donating 25 yards of fabric that I will be bundling into prize packs for contest participants and opening night attendees. Field’s Fabrics also donated a gift card that will go to a lucky apron designer. (If you want to donate prizes for this event, please contact me.)

In keeping with the way I’ve been sewing aprons to prep for road races, I ended up running 11.3 miles to prep for Sunday’s apron sew-in. When I planned the event, I wasn’t planning on doing a training run with my RunGR training group the same day. (We usually do our long runs on Saturday mornings. We ran a 5K race Saturday and had to make up the long run on Sunday.) It was pure craft adrenaline that kept me going at the sew-in. I usually take a nap after long runs, but I didn’t think it would be very inspiring if I took a little snoozer in the middle of the event. Thanks to the wonderful ladies who attended, I had so much fun that I forgot about being tired… until I returned home. : )

A local TV reporter came out and shot footage of all the exciting apron making. Unfortunately, the clip didn’t make the broadcast which I watched from beginning to end with my hands partially covering my face. Ah, well, I guess I can see how some might consider the health care bill more newsworthy than a room full of women making aprons with men’s neckties. Really, I do. I’m a journalist after all. And I appreciate the effort the reporter made to find out what we were up to.

I left the event with eight contest entries and saw several more in progress. It’s a kick to see all the fun aprons that will be featured in the apron show next month and eventually sold to raise money for a local domestic violence shelter. The youngest apron designer to enter so far is 12 years old, the oldest is… well, I’m not telling.

Thanks to Laura B. and her sweet granddaughter, Grace, for showing up early, bringing refreshments and staying late to help clean up. Thanks for going above and beyond. And a very special thanks to my husband, Jeff, for packing up the car with all my supplies and assisting Abby and Amelia, our budding crafters, who were staffing the check-in table. I’m really blessed to have these wonderful people in my life. Without their help, I would not be able to do all of the things I do.