When the TOS Crew got the word that we could choose to review the girls' Edwardian apron pattern from Sense & Sensibility, I jumped at the chance. Just this past year I discovered the world of heirloom patterns as I planned the girls' Easter dresses, and I have to admit, I think I'm hooked. In a world that fails to value innocence, even in the fashions of our little girls, it is a blessing to find these patterns that help me dress my daughters in a modest, beautiful manner.I traveled on over to the Sense & Sensibility website and found a wealth of resources and options and helps, from a well-rounded line of patterns organized by era to sewing classes you can take online to guide through the process of making several of the garments in this line. Jennie Chancey, the creator of Sense & Sensibility, also offers photo instructions which you can access through her website for many of her patterns. And who can resist a link for $1 items? On Fridays, she offers a freebie in that section also!
When I bought the pattern for the girls' Easter dresses, I had chosen one particular one and then scoured the Internet for the best deal on it. I could have saved $5 if I'd known about Sense & Sensibility's girls' patterns and their e-pattern option. And nowadays, with the cost of fabric and notions so high, I appreciate saving a little bit here and there throughout the process.
Anyway, let's talk about this girls' Edwardian apron pattern and the e-class that you can purchase with it. The e-pattern version is $7.95, the paper one is $12.95, the e-class is $19.95, or you can save a little bit and choose the e-pattern/e-class bundle for $24.95. You can find out more about each option and make purchases through any of the apron links throughout this post.Let's get this out in the open first, though..... I am an impatient seamstress. With time and experience, I'm getting way better, but, oh, the seams I've had to take out, and the half-finished monsters I've had to put out of my sight because of my own need for speed! I blame my mom--truly, we would go to bed the night before Easter with two unopened patterns and two stacks of fabric on the table and would awake for midnight fittings and then find beautiful Easter dresses come morning. I now wonder, how did she do it, year after year? Anyway, I didn't really begin sewing until I was in my late twenties and had someone to sew for of my own. How my appreciation for my mother and grandmother has grown as I've labored and learned and alternately cried or bragged to my husband over mistakes or successes! I'm learning, though, the value and time that can be saved with prudence in my case, so I sat down to watch the e-class before even choosing my fabric. That was three weeks ago. I got sleepy (because moms who live in barns with a herd of children only get to watch e-classes when the herd is bedded down), so I had to stop at twelve minutes into it. Fast forward through the next few weeks of stomach bug attacks followed by respiratory infections among all the inhabitants here, and this week, I'm just getting a chance to get back to my apron class and pattern.
So, I did finally get to sit through the class to the conclusion. I had to open the sound in a separate window, which was no big deal, and then Jennie narrated each of the 57 slides that detail the construction of the garment. Actually, it's a plus that she does the sound separately because I could jump up and back a picture or two as she talked, helping me to better understand what I'd be doing. I started to close those windows before the question session at the end, but I'm glad I didn't--those girls asked some questions that turned out to be very helpful. The class takes about 45 minutes.
Since I'm reviewing the e-pattern version, it was on to printing out the directions and pattern. For me, saving $5 in purchasing the e-version would have more than made up for the time it took to then piece together the pattern. And Jennie provides directions for laying them out. My sweet husband was very accomodating about having to step around my puzzle in the kitchen floor to get to his breakfast before work. For anyone concerned about the accurate sizing of e-pattern pieces, Jennie provides a test page to make sure your printer is printing at 100% of her pieces's sizes.
The directions, to me, were much easier to understand and deal with than the oversized ones that come with McCall's or Simplicity. Jennie is a very intuitive teacher and provides instructions and tips that really are helpful for those of us who still have a lot to learn. She demonstrates in the class and explains in the patterns how to make your own binding, which I intended to do and had started on, but then I found a package of store-bought in my notions box that matched perfectly. While we're talking binding, the pattern has a calculation error about how much binding to have, but she made sure to send an email with the correction and an apology, and I noticed she points it out on the website, too.
Once everything was cut out, I just took the directions a step at a time. I always feel intimidated by a new pattern until I dig into it, and this one honestly just flowed really well. The instructions are accompanied by hand-drawn illustrations which are captioned and easy to understand. With interruptions to continue our daily life around here, I was still able to complete the apron in one day. I was putting together the pattern pieces at dawn and cutting off the last hanging strings about ten last night.
Front and back views of the finished product last night. Both my models were pleased with the result. I do want to add here that I made it by a size 6 and was able to accomodate both girls, which are about 15 lbs. and five inches apart, by adjusting the how much of the straps were pulled through the side loops. The length still worked for both. Hey, y'all, in the back view, it may look like my hem wasn't even--I'm pretty sure it is in real life!
I'll say this, too. It's a forgiving pattern--even with Jennie's email about the binding length error, I had made one too many mistakes and didn't have quite enough of my cute store-bought binding. But I was able to improvise with the same eyelet lace I used along the hem, around the top. Also, with children, even when you measure, there can still be the need to make adjustments. The way this apron is pieced, it would not be difficult to make small alterations in size after the garment was constructed--that's a big plus.
If a beginner has an experienced seamstress to provide guidance, I think this would be a fun, satisfying shared project. I also think that if a beginner wanted to do it alone, they could if they went ahead and purchased the e-class as well and paid very close attention to each step. For anyone with experience in making little girls' clothes, this pattern should not be difficult.
Honestly, I had fun making this apron and went ahead and cut out two at the same time, so I now have the fabric ready to begin the second. This would be a really sweet birthday or Christmas gift for a young girl, and Sense & Sensibility offers an adult and doll version (when you click on this link, scroll down just a little) as well, so mom, daughter, and doll can match!
After successfully constructing the girls' Edwardian apron, I am looking forward to my next Sense & Sensibility project. Jennie actually has some dress patterns that I think would coordinate really well with the apron. I do want to make it clear that while these patterns may initially seem old-fashioned and appropriate for children or reenactment purposes, many of them would make out to be beautiful and stylish garments for modern life with the appropriate fabrics and notions. You can check out what others have done with these patterns here.
You can learn more about Sense & Sensibility here at their website or here in the reviews of other TOS Crew members.
Very pretty! I love how you added lace on the bottom!
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