Christmas coloured aprons

I cant help but think that my latest bunch of aprons have a festive season colouring. It wasn't deliberate, it is just that it turned out that way.

I am particularly fond of this cherry orchard one.

Cherries say 'Christmas' to us in the southern hemisphere. It isn't Christmas if there are no cherries - particularly the very dark ones -  so it was just the right time to sew this fabric up.

Now I live in the foothills of the Snowies, not too far from Young and prime mainland cherry growing territory, I need to invest in a couple of cherry trees I think, so I can grow my own 'Christmas'.

My mother kindly gave me this fabric. When she saw the aprons I had been making from fruit and vegetable fabric, she pounced upon this and sent it down. I love the colours and think it makes a very nice apron. It might make a very nice summer dress too!

I am going to make another version of this with black contrast fabric and the maroon bias.

For my veggie growing friends, note my ancient dibber (which I just fixed - phoaw you home handywoman you!).



Then there is this capsicum one. I have made one of this fabric before but the contrasting fabric and bias were round the other way.
Again, I think the colours are right for the season.















Then there is a tomato apron that will go on a journey to Victoria tomorrow. It's going to Nina who is giving it to her friend. I hope they both like it.

I have made a tomato one before - but I prefer this version.  I really love all that red and a little black.

For my veggie growing friends - note the dirty gloves, the worn out thongs and hats - my gardening attire.

Have you been making anything that says 'Christmas' to you?

I am contributing this to My Creative Space. There are lots of Christmas-themed handmade things there this week (and other lovely things). Take a look at how creative people are.

Green bean apron

I have been fortunate recently to have sold most of my vegetable-themed home-made aprons. My stocks depleted, I got sewing and made this latest version - a green bean glut apron. Here it is - lots of beans!

Pretty much as soon as this one was made, I sold it as well - it seems that these aprons are quite popular as Christmas gifts for which I am very grateful. I am holding some back too for gifts to my friends and family. I will need to get a wriggle on sewing up a few more.














I am part the way through making an apron from some cucumber slices fabric as well.  Many people think that they are zucchini slices -  zucchini, cucumber... I don't know. It will  have a bright green contrasting fabric for the neck piece and bias.

I have more fabric of this ilk -  I have recently bought some onion and garlic fabric - I think the onion is the best one.

I think I should make some man aprons - what do you think? Much more suitable for tong wielding BBQers than the awful aprons that many of our outdoor chefs wear don't you think?  I will have to find a good man apron pattern.  Perhaps with a tag for hanging tongs?

And I also have fabric that is a glut of corn cobs. I will make that into an apron the same style as the green bean one  but this fabric is a little more restrained it might suit a wearer who finds my other versions a little too bright?

I am contributing this to My Creative Space -  see what others have been tinkering with.

What have you been making for Chrsitmas gifts? Jams, pickles, aprons, socks, oven gloves?

Tomato apron

I have been busy...  I have made another apron in my vegetable series - this one is made from tomato fabric.

I really love these fabrics -  they allow me to combine three of my loves -  sewing, vegetable gardening and cooking.

The tomato apron has contrasting black neckpiece, a touch of red bias and big, deep, black pockets with green bias binding edging to the pockets and to the whole apron.

It will go into my shop Cumquat to join its friends, the carrot, citrus and capsicum aprons.

I am contributing this post to My Creative Space.

Take a look at all the other beautiful things that people have made this week.

Citrus and capsicum aprons

We have just had a long weekend  and much of that free Monday was spent sewing on the back balcony in the sun. It's my favourite place to sew.

Here is my produce. I made two more pinafore aprons using fruit and vegetable themed fabric.

 This one is my favourite I think.  It has lemons, limes and oranges on it and lots of citrus flowers. It has a contrasting neck piece and bias binding binds all edges.  I love the big pockets. I think this one is my favourite cause I love both citrus and green.

The other apron is of a tumble of capsicums in four different colours.

This apron is the same design with contrasting neck piece and pockets and lots of lots of bias as well.

I think these will go into my shop Cumquat. But they might end up as Christmas gifts....

I am contributing this post to My Creative Space. Take a look at what others have been creating this week.

Cushions against the world

Sometimes you need to put something soft between yourself and the world. Sometimes, you need to find a cosy spot, make it comfy and relax, daydream, turn off.

Here is my spot.

All the cushions have been made by me -  none are spectacular by themselves but they all look great together. (Oh, I just realised!  The central cushion is not made by me. It is a crochet one that was given to me by a friend -  I love it.  One day I will sit down and make another one just like it in different colours!).

All the cushions have been made from found fabric from shops selling upholstery off-cuts mainly although one or two pieces from op shops.  I love the mix of fabrics and patterns yet the earthy tones unite them.

The fabric they all sit on is my grandmother's old bedspread.  I say old becasue she had had it for an age, but it is in perfect condition.

Some of the cushions I have had for a while, but some are new ones.  Here are some of the off-cuts pre-sewing. Not all have been used - yet!

Don't you love the yellow hexagon piece? It's a really small piece of fabric so I need to think how I use it.

The 'blackness on the right of the picture above is a love dense piece of dark, dark brown velvet.

Here are the three new cushions.

This is my contribution to My Creative Space for this week, see what others are doing and making.

Goldfish apron

Last week I showed you my wonderful carrot apron.

I made it with the aid of a Kwik Sew pattern, my sewing machine a bit of sunshine  on the back verandah and some time off work.

Last week I make Style A. This week I tried the other full apron pattern - Style B -  and made this goldfish apron.

The fabric is quite a lot of  fun (I think) with orange goldfish on an aqua background. Some of the fish are blowing bubbles!

The skirt is very full and the panelling edged by bias gives the skirt of the apron a lovely structure, although its not particularly evident in these photos... you know sometimes things you just make still think they are fabric and haven't yet realised they are something else?  It will realise its an apron tomorrow.


Every time I have my haircut, it's the same...

This pattern uses LOTS of bias. Meters and meters!

I am contributing this to My Creative Space, have a look and see what others are making this week.

Carrot apron

Last week I bought some fabulous carrot fabric.  There was only 1 meter of it  - had there been more I would have bought more.

I wanted to make an apron that I would wear in the garden, something that I would pop on over the work clothes when drawn to the garden  for a little post work de-stress.You know - a bit of weeding, grub squashing or growth inspection. Perhaps some snail squashing ...

There was enough fabric to make a full apron when I added some contrasting fabric. Here is the finished item, I love it!
 
It used a huge amount of bias which I did in two different oranges, I guess to go with the different colours in the carrots.

I could have used greens but I am having a bit of an orange time at the moment.

It's got two great big pockets, plenty of room to shove your seed packets and secateurs.

The pattern is from a Kwik Sew  patten, I made Style A, but both Style A and B have a retro feel I think.

It was very easy to put together -  the thing that took the longest was ironing the bias in half so it was easier to use.






I think I will make some more in this same style.  Imagine an eggplant version?  One with chillies, tomatoes, passionfruit!  You could have lots of fun with bias and contrasting fabric!


Most of my aprons end up in my little shop - Cumquat -  this one might stay with me... 


I am contributing this post  to My Creative Space. 

Fabric, aprons and more retro inspiration

Orange must be on my mind.  Perhaps it's winter and the need for a little colour.

Today I bought these orange fabrics from one of the local fabric stores in my suburb. Not sure what I am going to do with them but they were bright and cheap and the darkest one is really soft.

And more orange fabric better suited to the gardening side of my blog.  This might become a prototype gardening apron - something to slip on when you get home from work and the first thing you do is head to the patch to inspect growth, de-grub and potter.

And during the week I made two more aprons. This red and white one...

and this Australian Wildflower one...

Both aprons measurements and overall look are based on two of my wonderful retro aprons.

And I am also getting inspired by jug covers.

Here is a fabulous old one made from cotton netting, a little crochet and some aqua blue beads. Much nicer than Glad wrap hey? Might have to whip up a few in preparation for outdoor eating on warmer days.

I am contributing this to My Creative Space. My aprons are going into my little shop Cumquat.

Retro apron inspiration (3)

I love old aprons. They are are softened by years of use and come in wonderful prints of years gone by.

I have a couple of old ones that are real favourites, but I have also started to make new ones, inspired by the old ones and made with the exact same measurements.

Here is my latest new apron.

Its a lovely pink and black cotton fabric that I bought around 12 years ago.  There is something about the print that looks a little retro.

It's bound with black bias and has a pocket and waist band that is made from the patten on the edge of the fabric.

Here is the original old apron that has the softest of fabric. I like to think my new ones will give as much service and joy as this old beauty has.

I wonder how many meals my old apron has cooked, how many hands have been rubbed clean, how many faces it has wiped?


This post is linked into My Creative Space.

Retro apron inspiration (2)

I had to do it, I made two more aprons.  Here they are!

Both have a 3-piece skirt the join covered with  ric rac. Here is one that mixes a multi coloured paisley fabric with a yellow cotton. I would have made it entirely out of the paisley but didn't have enough fabric. It has bias finishing the edges.

The second one is an aqua version of the purple goldfish one I made last week.  I think I actually like the aqua one better, except I think I made a fatal error in making the waist band feature -  bias with ric rac  - in orange.  I think it would have been better keeping the white theme going...



Just as with last week's aprons, these are based on an old favourite  -  the artists' apron. The only real difference is I go a little further with the bias and ric rac - especially on the waste band, and I widened the ties, but otherwise all measurements and features copy the original.

I think they will all end up as gifts, that is if I can part with them... Postcript -  I have now set up a little shop of my home made things called Cumquat.  Take a look!

Retro apron inspiration

Lots of rain means going inside and going inside means... sewing!  I have been making aprons - 3 of them.

There are two types -  one is a one-piece skirt variety like this blue squiggly one...

and this pink and orange floral one below. They are both edged with bias and with a little ricrac and bias on the pocket.

They are based on an apron I picked up from somewhere some time ago...The original is this pink one below, its old and the fabric is so soft, but I swear it will just disappear one day the fabric is getting so thin. 

 

Then I made this one - a wavy purple background one with goldfish blowing bubbles.  This has a three-piece skirt with the joins covered with ricrac. Its got ricrac and bias on the waist band as well.

The three-piece skirt one is also based on an old apron -  'the artist's apron' - here it is.



What am I going to do with 3 new aprons?  I don't know yet, perhaps people might get them as gifts... but they cost almost nothing to make especially with my discounted fabric from local shops and they are a bright way to beat a rainy day.

Question - is ricrac one word?   Or two -  ric rac?

Postscript -  I now have my own little shop called Cumquat with these aprons and a few other things....

Growing, cooking, sewing

Planted

Marrickville fresh spring rolls

• radish seeds -  in the ground
• rocket seeds -  in the ground
• fennel seeds -  in the ground
• snow pea seeds -  in the ground
• lettuce seeds -  in seed trays
• basil seeds -  in seed trays

Pulled out

• tarragon

Busy day in the garden and at the sewing machine. A bit like funkbunny, I grow, cook and sew.  I promise not to bore you too much with my sewing - perhaps just the occassional entry.

But garden first.  It was a beautiful day in Sydney town - the kind of day we  have been hanging out for. Sunny and hot enough to get up a sweat in the garden.  I put in some quick crop seeds - radish, rocket, basil and lettuce and some others that will be staples over the winter - snow peas and fennel. It 's the kind of weather that, if you listen carefully, you can hear the seeds swell and sprout.

I also decided to take the tarragon out.  It is a lovely plant and a tasty herb but I seldom use it and over several years it has spread far and wide.  I decided I could use the space more productively. Then onto maintaining the non-vegetable garden with a massive amount of weeding, transplanting of ferns, pruning the lilli pilli and mowing.

Baby bunting

If that wasn't enough busy-ness, I also made bunting!  A work mate is having a baby girl soon and thought that this would make a nice present.  Here it is! Shhhh! Don't tell her, it's supposed to be a surprise.

Some of the material was left over from making a summer cotton frock (that's the paisley) the rest I bought from one of the many fabric shops in Marrickville (I got a discount cause I am a regular!). 

Dinner is Marrickville fresh spring rolls.

Marrickville fresh spring rolls

I call these Marrickville spring rolls because it wouldn't be right to call them Vietnamese fresh spring rolls cause they are my version.  Sometimes I put prawns in them, often fried tofu - you know made a little crunchy. You can really put anything in these but tonight's version has the following. * from the garden

steamed beans* - steamed whole and cooled
cucumber* cut into batons
Vietnamese mint*
vermicelli rice noodles -  soaked and drained
beansprouts -  rinced
chicken thigh meat cut up into long thin slices and cooked and cooled
rice paper 

Prepare everything ahead, one by one soak the rice paper and lay out. Don't leave the paper in the water too long, I just dip it in and then take it out.  It starts off a little firm but soon softens and by the time you have put the filling in, its soft enough to roll. Place filling on the rice paper and roll tucking in the bottom.  I leave the top loose.

Sauce
I made this Thai-style sauce to go with it.

Rice paper

3 cloves garlic
3 green chillies* split and seeds removed
3 coriander roots
3 shallots
2-3 tablespons palm sugar
juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons fish sauce

Wiz all ingredients, taste and adjust the sweet, sour, salt balance according to your taste using the palm sugar, lime juice and fish sauce. While this is a good sauce, I am not convinced  that it was a good idea to have it with the rice paper rolls. (Never mix 2 different Asian food  styles perhaps?). Does any one have a good sauce to use?