Mad Men a show about midcentury life! I love how the life is so different today and hate it.  Various reasons for the love hate relationship.  I mostly hate that family dinners and women in aprons are no longer the norm.  Life seemed simpler? I miss seeing women in aprons.  No I am not anti feminism.  Aprons are so fun!  They conjure up days passed of grandmothers and fresh pies, of mothers making dinner out of love for their families.  Mad Men, wildly popular because we love nostalgia.  For some of us, it’s more history than nostalgia.  I was very young during the period of the show, not even alive until mid 1960s.

I’ve began making aprons.  I love how it makes me feel. With every seam I remember something else from my grandmother and her sisters.  Wearing aprons was a daily occurrence for them.  I love thinking about making beautiful aprons that mimic Audrey Hepburn’s little black dress, someone’s favorite pair of jeans, and the gingham curtains on the kitchen windows.  One thing I’ve learned about nostalgic sewing is that there is more detail in the garment than today.  When was the last time you saw ready to wear clothing with bias tape on it?  Probably never!

So, I’ve learned to sew with bias tape.  It makes things look so finished.  I used lace trim when I was younger.  But, sewing with bias tape is something to be mastered.  First of all, I had no idea the tape wasn’t meant to be placed around the raw edge and sewed.  Nope!  It seems that the proper way to attach bias tape is to sew the tape with the raw edge of the tape and the raw edge of the fabric matching.  WOW, that tidbit saved me tons of time and headache.

In case you haven’t shopped for bias tape lately, it’s kind of pricey.  Since I am a tightwad, I made my own.  It’s really easy.  Much easier than expected.  It involves cutting the fabric on the bias.  Basically, create a piece of fabric into a square.  This will be double thickness.  Then, fold the fabric diagonally to create a triangle. Pretty easy so far huh?  At this point, place the folded edge of the triangle on a straight line of your cutting board. Measure the width you would like, and cut.  Continue cutting using the same width.  Another method is completely different, although, mine worked fine. There are great detailed instructions of another method here.

In any case, I love making my Mad Men attire and aprons.  I hope you will at least try to make one.  They are really fun.  Most of all ENJOY!