Yes, we have bananas

Here's my apron for this month's Tie One On apron challenge. Our mission was to create an apron for a doll or stuffed animal.



First, some background. This little guy is a Mac Monkey. Originally purchased at the dollar store as decorations for an animal-themed party, he and his siblings were later distributed to all the Macintosh computer operators on staff (art and production people). I should explain the joke. One of our boss' favorite sayings was that "any monkey off the street could do our jobs", meaning that we were expendable. At least he thought so—we knew better. So, after the party we all became official Mac monkeys with our own personal mascots. When I left that job he came with me and now sits perched on the shelf above my computer. Reminding me of what I left behind. I'm still a part-time Mac monkey but I get more bananas now :)

Since he's also the only doll or stuffed animal in my house, he became my muse for this project. My friend Jennifer at Textile Fetish pointed me to some great (and very appropriate) fabric - Funky Monkey by Max&Nobie for Moda, which I was able to find on Ebay. I used the red with yellow bananas for the apron base and the coordinating red and brown polkadot on white for the top and bottom bands and ties.



A very simple style that ties at the neck and waist (actually I miscalculated slightly and it ties around his butt—but you can't see that in the pictures)



I photographed him at work with his new apron, which he's liking very much. I suppose he doesn't really need an apron for this kind of work, but I told him I'd kill him if he got any more banana on the keyboard.



Now, if I can only get him to stop downloading banana recipes ;)



More fun aprons here!

Rickrack!

You know you’re a sewing geek when you get excited by unusual uses of rickrack (alternately called rick rack, ric rac, waved braid, zigzag braid, snake braid or corrugated braid depending on the time period). You may remember the lemonade apron I did last summer where I braided two colors together. I had seen that technique, wanted to try it, and loved the result.

I’ve been seeing another rickrack technique lately that I find fascinating - the combination of rickrack and crochet. Apparently this was very popular in the late 1800s to early 1900s when it was used to trim handkerchiefs, lingerie, pillowcases, towel ends, and clothing.

Here are some examples of what I’m talking about:


variegated pink, blue, and white crochet encasing white rick rack used to trim a baby pillowcase


golden yellow braid with white crochet - I purchased this as is and I assume it was meant to be sewn onto fabric as a trim.

Unfortunately, I never learned how to crochet so will have to wait until I learn to try this out for myself. When my grandmother offered to teach me I thought crochet and knitting were too “old-lady”. If I’d only known how hip they would be now! I hear there’s a new yarn shop in town, and I’m going to check out their class schedule. Maybe it’s not too late after all!

This is another cool use of rickrack—to simulate ruffles on a dancer’s skirt. These are from a square dance-themed tablecloth with motifs in each corner.








And another easy idea - sewing one braid atop another:

Studio

It's always interesting to see where artists work and what inspires them, so I thought I'd share some photos of my workspace. I'm lucky to have a spare bedroom upstairs in my house so I can have space that's all mine. I can be as messy as I like (and I am) and just close the door at the end of the day. The room is about 15 feet square and has a nice-sized closet where I keep finished pillows and storage bins filled with buttons, trims, and patterns.

I bought some funky window shades with stripes and polkadots (what a surprise that I'd choose that design!) and painted the walls a bright cantaloupy-orange to match. The room can be kind of dark when it's not sunny so this brightened it up a lot. When the sun does shine, it really glows. It's one of those colors that just makes you happy when you look at it.

My sewing table is next to a window that looks out on the back yard. I have my funny Anne Taintor calender on the wall and a cool picture of my Mom (who, back in the day, was no slouch at sewing herself). On the right you can just glimpse a section of the quilt top that I bought last fall at a nearby antique mall (full of incredible 1940s fabrics). It's really huge and takes up the whole wall!



I have a drawing table in the corner that I use as a desk of sorts. My computer space is downstairs off the living room, so this area is more for doing paperwork, designing, and updating the notebooks I keep for inspiration.



I store fabric on shelves along one wall and in an old armoire, mostly grouped by color. I really try to stay organized but my careful system gets messed up when I'm busy. When it gets bad enough that I can't find things any more, I spend a day cleaning and reorganizing. This may look neat at the moment but you're not seeing the pile of fabric on the floor!



When I'm working, my two cats love to hang out with me. I sometimes call them my studio assistants, but they really do no work at all. When they're not busy knocking buttons off my work table or playing with spools of thread they're asleep in the vintage crib I bought to display baby things at craft shows. Maybe someday I'll get it away from them so I can do just that :)

Holiday Apron

When I heard that the November/December Tie One On apron challenge was a holiday-themed one, I got my idea right away. And I even started it, completing the base apron over the next couple of days. Then I got busy with holiday orders and custom jobs and the holidays themselves. Christmas came and went. I finally finished yesterday, just under the wire. Here's the completed apron:



The base is a very simple waist-tie apron from a vintage 1966 McCall's pattern done in red and white striped vintage cotton. I sewed a yellow felt star onto the waistband using a blanket stitch and embroidery thread:



Then I placed rows and rows of vintage green brush fringe in slightly longer lengths as I moved down the front. Voila - a tree! I had bought a bag of this fringe last summer at a barn sale for $2. I had no idea what I'd use it for - just that it was cool looking. At first I tried sewing these directly onto the apron but the fringe kept slipping and I couldn't get them straight. I got the idea to "baste" them with fabric glue and that held them in place perfectly until I could sew them down.

And what's a Christmas tree without embellishment? So, I added some red ribbon-tied jingle bells and vintage button "ornaments". A bit gaudy perhaps (at least for my taste) but, as with most Christmas trees, the more the merrier!





I was worried that all of this wouldn't lie flat when worn and you wouldn't get the full effect of a tree, but the whole thing is surprisingly heavy and the weight seems to pull it down and hold it flat. And the best part is that it jingles when you walk! My cats, who love interesting noises, came running into the room to see what I was up to :)

Next challenge is to make an apron from an item of clothing. Since I'm not working a full-time job anymore and can (gasp!) work in my pjs, I have all sorts of dresses and skirts that aren't being used. Time to check the closets. Organizing them isn't a bad idea for a New Year's resolution either.

Edited to add a link to the gallery, which wasn't up when I posted earlier today. As usual, great designs!

Vintage French Soap Labels

Checking Ebay is one of my morning rituals. I keep tabs on the auctions I'm bidding on and see what's new from my favorite sellers. One of whom is paris-zakka. She's the one who had those great buttons I got last month. With free shipping, which was nice since she's in Belgium. (My package did take a few weeks to arrive - you should know that if you decide to bid). This month she has free shipping on vintage French soap labels. Now, I had no idea about these and how very cool they are. I'm afraid they may become a new addiction. Like I need another one. She has about 50 labels listed and the following are my favorites (it was really hard to chose just four).









Most of you may not know that I'm also a graphic designer, so I love things that are beautiful and well-designed. And I'm definitely loving these labels!

Summer Porches

I have such wonderful memories of sitting with my grandmother on her front porch, sipping lemonade and watching the hummingbirds visiting the honeysuckle that grew up the lattice and over the railings.

And I've been fortunate over the years since to have porches on most of the apartments and houses I've rented. They were often small, sometimes tiny, but if they were big enough for a chair and some pots of herbs I was happy.

Part of the reason I decided to buy the house I bought 3 years ago is the screened porch that runs along the back of the house. We added a tile floor which is cool on our feet in the summer and easy to clean. You'll find all of the houseplants there on summer vacation from their usual homes and a comfy hammock that is the perfect place to read and dream on hot afternoons.

My cats love to curl up on the twig bench with the barkcloth pillows I made. It's the perfect vantage point for bird and chipmunk watching, and for sleeping, too.

So, here's to lazy days and hammocks and porches. Happy summer!

Inspiration

With the warm (OK, hot) weather we've been having lately, all the hard work in my garden this spring is really starting to pay off. And to bear fruit, literally. There's nothing like waiting to pick strawberries until they're perfectly ripe and having the time between picking and eating them be mere minutes. It makes up for the year we had to wait until the plants established themselves. We also have blueberry bushes (which look promising for this year) and fruit trees - apple, cherry, peach, and pear (that need another year or so). Gardening is an exercise in patience. So, what does this have to do with inspiration? Once I started thinking about fruit I realized that I had lots of fruit-related things in my collection of linens and fabrics. I hadn't paid attention but much of what I was buying fit that theme. With the addition of a few coordinating fabrics and some vintage transfer patterns, the idea grew for a fruit collection. And what better time to do it than summer. You may have seen a few fruit items already on my web site. Tomorrow, just in time for the first official day of summer, I'll be adding a small group of fruit pillows. And I'll add more pillows and tea towels as I get them finished.

The Appeal of Aprons

This month Country Living magazine has several articles about aprons. There's also an exhibit traveling the country called "Apron Chronicles: A Patchwork of American Recollections" that showcases 200 vintage aprons along with memories and photos of contributors (see www.apronchronicles.com for more info).

Why are aprons suddenly making a comeback? Maybe it's the nesting trend of recent years. Maybe it's the fact that you can buy them at all the hot stores like Anthropologie and Cath Kidston. Or maybe, to quote one apron designer, it's because they just make sense. "Aprons protect your clothes—and they celebrate the spirit of the women who wear them." That makes sense to me.

There are several great places to buy new vintage-inspired aprons but why buy new when you can still find so many vintage ones in perfect condition. And for comparable prices. Check the Apron category on Ebay. Or visit the Kitchen category on my site where I've just listed five aprons, including the one shown above.

If you're like me you might not want to use a vintage apron for cooking. I'm a bit messy in the kitchen and have an old denim bib apron for that. But they're perfect for display in a vintage or retro kitchen or to wear for entertaining. Or, like some stylish young women are doing, wear them over jeans. As a prized collectible or chic fashion accessory, vintage aprons are small bits of history and symbols of pride in women's handiwork skills. To quote the title of one of the CL articles—"tie one on"!

Spring

I know it's spring but it's still so cold here in the mornings that it doesn't feel much like it. Soon I'll be spending more time out in my garden but for now I'm in my studio as much as possible every day. My studio is a spare bedroom converted into a space used exclusively for sewing. I like that I can keep materials that I'm working with out in sight and that I can be as messy as I want to be. A trip to IKEA for new shelves is in the works - the armoire where I keep my fabrics is threatening to overflow very soon. Can't...resist...vintage...fabrics.

I've signed up to be part of the Happily Handmade giveaway for summer. For those of you who don't know what this is you can find more about it at the official website (http://www.happilyhandmadegiveaway.com). Basically you will be able to sign up to win one of many (34 this spring!) gift baskets filled with cool things donated by indie designers. When you sign up for my mailing list (or with anyone else who is part of the group), you'll be entered to win. You get a chance to win free stuff and help support independent craftspeople, I get more subscribers to my list, we who participate get more exposure - everyone is happy! There are pictures of the spring baskets at the website if you'd like a sneak preview of the kinds of things you might win. All I can say is that there are some awesome designers out there!

The winner for the spring giveaway is being chosen today and the new contest starts on June 1. So more details to come. My pillows are too large for the baskets so I'll be donating some smaller items - things I've been planning and working on this winter. I'm going to be a little mysterious about them for now, but hope to post photos soon.

Happy Cinco de Mayo today!

Welcome

Welcome to the Primrose Design blog! Instead of the News page on my site that you're used to visiting, you'll now be directed to this space instead. And, since it's so much easier to update, perhaps I can do it more often.

You may notice some other changes to my site in the next week or so. Or maybe not. I'm planning some things that will make navigation easier and adding more categories for some new products I plan to offer. But they're subtle changes and, if all goes smoothly, you may not even notice.

Look for updates on a Summer Collection I'm working on. It doesn't have a name yet but will definitely be fruit-related.

One of the features of this blog is that you, the reader, can make comments. So, have questions, criticisms, suggestions? Go ahead and speak up.