one thing i love about living in southern california is it’s always clothesline weather! line dried clothes, especially towels, are one of my favorite feeling things.
about 10 years ago i got this adorable dirndl-style vintage clothespin bag, and even though i am very delicate with it (as delicate as you can really be with a clothespin bag, anyways) i’m afraid the old fabric might tear anytime. to prepare for that inevitable event, i made a pattern from it so i can whip up a new one when the need arises.
i wanted to share this project in the summer when it was clothesline weather all across the country, but i just finished it up now. it’s not too late though, they would make super cute gifts for the holidays! and the dirndl styling is just in time for oktoberfest-i made the new one using some vintage dirndl fabric i had lying around from dresses i had shortened.
you will need:
download the pattern pieces here. enlarge 200% before cutting!
1/2 yard of fabric
7″ x 10″ scrap of contrasting fabric for apron
12″ of alpine ribbon
1 1/2 yards of foldover braid or bias binding
1 yard of ric rac
wooden clotheshanger, cut down to 13.5″ across
14″ of thin ribbon or trim for the tie
to sew:
fold pleats on apron and stitch down.
sew foldover braid/bias binding around apron sides and bottom.
center alpine ribbon on top of apron and stitch across.
place apron on front panel and stitch down around sides and bottom of apron, and sides of ribbon, leaving the top front of the apron open, it’s a pocket!
place the right sides of front and back together and stitch all the way around from shoulder to shoulder (1/2″ seam allowance).
turn right side out and sew foldover braid/bias binding around neckline, then sew the ric rac trim around neckline.
stitch the 14″ tie down at the center of the back of neckline. that’s to tie around the clotheshanger so it won’t slide out.
insert clotheshanger and tie. add clothespins and go hang out your laundry!
Yay! You always do fun stuff!
so darling! Thanks for sharing the idea and pattern.
I am now looking at my plastic clothes peg basket with new dislike. Thanks for the pattern - I will definitely be doing one of these!
thanks for that great idea !
This is so cute!!! I love the little pocket that the apron makes!
I posted a link to your tutorial on Craft Gossip Sewing:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-dirndl-clothespin-bag/2009/09/25/
–Anne
Super cute! Sadly, we are done with clothesline weather, but that’s okay, I still hang up the cloth diapers and just chip the ice off! It doesn’t really dry them, but it does whiten them up a ton and they smell so fresh. Thanks for the great idea.
Really lovely.
I whipped one up yesterday for my mom’s birthday. Made this in hawaiian fabric (I live in hawaii) looked just like a muumuu. My mom loved it! Thanks for the pattern and instructions, you are great! BTW I cut 2 fronts out and sewed the opening together, clipped, ironed, topstitched. I just wanted to reinforce it a bit. Thank you sooo much!
oooooooooooh i love it love it love it…
like all your treasures ;-)
much love from the northern bavarian part of germany,
silke
I love it! Unfortunately, I live in an apartment, so no yard to put up clothes on a clothesline… but I can see soooo many more uses for this, good for extra closet storage of things like hair accessories… or hanging storage for yarn or other craft supplies, anything!
That’s what I really need to get fond of making laundry every day!!!
Thanx a lot I will try to sew it this week end!
Grüße from an Italian living in Austria!!
So adorable!
So adorable! I made a functional one for my mother, but this one is so much cuter!
This is so cute!! thank-you for sharing I think I’ll make one as a christmas gift!
So, so cute!
I not only hope to make this soon, I also linked to this tutorial on my blog.
This is so cute! Way to make work a happier time. You are a clever girl!
Honestly, Hannah, this is one of the cutest things I have seen in a very long time! I posted about your fantastic tutorial on my blog:
http://thatwinsomegirl.blogspot.com/2009/12/laundry-just-got-whole-lot-cuter.html
Why am I having a heck of a time figuring out how to print it at 200%??
I really want to make one, but can’t get it scaled properly.
depending on your printer, you may be able to enlarge it in your printer settings before printing out (that option is usually in the advanced settings) or you can open the file in a program like illustrator or photoshop and enlarge there before printing it out. if all else fails you can print it out and enlarge it on a good ol’ fashioned xerox machine. i hope that helps!
I remember using one like this as a child in New Jersey.
WHAT MEMORIES!!!!
Our guild quilt show in AB Canada is doing an apron theme in June 2010.
I’ll make up afew to catch scraps of fabrics.
Thank you for the pattern.