Making, making, making…

I took a break after we did the I Heart Market in Durban last month, and then of course had to make like mad this week because the next market is suddenly upon us. We have a sweetie theme going this month, so I learned how to screenprint, printed some fabric and made these:

Screenprinted Sweethearts Totebag

Sweetheart Apron - for baking the sweetest cupcakes.

And then I’ve made a few dancing aprons. Black, some with detailing, some plain. I ran with 2 pockets only. They just don’t photograph that well so I only have a pic of the full length apron I’m calling Jumping Jellybeans. I used the Psychedelic Squares pattern from ‘A is for Apron’ – it’s a great classic apron style.

Jumping Jellybeans apron

And in between, I’ve been doing a little embroidery…

Vintage children's book illustration transferred to fabric using Dala Photo Transfer, with hand embroidery

Like a thought bubble, only embroidered...

A polite request

 

Let’s go dancing apron

A while back I made myself a dancing bag – a little bag on a belt to hold my money, keys and tequila while I’m dancing. It works well and I like it, but since aprons are so cool I decided to have a go at creating a dancing apron. I looked at various patterns for craft aprons (the pockets being very important, you see) and then created this little prototype. I’m rather pleased with it. You can’t see it in the pics but the smaller, right-hand pocket fits my hipflask just perfectly. The zipped middle pocket is for money, lipstick and Important Pieces of Paper. The slightly looser left-hand pocket is for gloves and things, since it’s winter in Durban now and my collection of vintage gloves is coming in very handy.

Dance apron prototype with cute red bow.

Sits fairly neatly on the hips. Gargh, I need to exercise more.

 

Red bags to match red aprons

I would like to introduce two new bags:

Nights At the Circus. She holds make-up, a tutu, a trapeze artist, several boxes of popcorn and a candy necklace.

Are We Having Fun Yet?: This bag is cheeky and friendly. She holds a red lipstick, an itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny bikini, a bottle of the best champagne and nights of wild dancing.

 

Hospital Use Only

I really love this RSA Hospital Use Only fabric. You might remember it from this post about the gift I embroidered for a friend, along with the Sublime Stitching Anatomical Heart. This time I turned it into a bag, and added a pocket because I decided it was time.

Hospital Use Only bag.

Can haz pocket.

Anatomical heart for added fun.

 

Apron Love

I finally got round to making an apron. I’ve been wanting to do this for ages. I have apron love. But for some reason I’ve been scared. I have a copy of A is for Apron. I visit Tie One On regularly. And yet I just couldn’t pull it together to make one. Then the beautiful Bronwen bought me a haphazardly made and yet charming apron from the car-boot market, and I found myself inspired. Not only did I make an apron, I totally winged it. I didn’t want to take my car-boot apron apart to cut a pattern from it, so I vaguely took some measurements off it and then made it up as I went along. Apart from my obvious need to pay more attention to tutorials on making pockets (who knew they were actually quite difficult to get right?), I’m quite pleased with the outcome.

The original car-boot market apron in lovely blue shwe-shwe.

New flirty red polka-dot apron for crumpet-making on Sundays.

And another pic just 'cause I'm so pleased with myself.