The Pile!

~There's a pile on my floor and table. It's fabric. Blues, reds, greens, browns. One as pretty as the other. But they're all over the place. I have no room! There's another pile. It consists of elastic, ribbon, trims, and appliques. Then there's the bag of thread. And the jar of buttons. All this couched in a small space in our cute little Florida condo. Whew!
~I was never the most disciplined kid on the block. I was the one coming up with wild ideas. I was always organizing something or other that required costumes or uniforms or a function that needed fabric and trim. Once in 6th grade, I organized a cheerleading squad for the 6th grade basketball team. I loved the cheerleading part, but I reached fever pitch when my mother gave me 4 cotton percale sheets and a box of dye out of which I created the most darling cheerleading skirts for all of us girls. They were powder blue. (Never mind that our school colors were green a white. Mom had a package of blue dye, not green, so blue it was.) They were circular skirts that opened up fully when we twirled around. We all had to wear tights underneath lest our underwear be exposed. Oh, how fantastic they were! Our disorganized little squad got out on the floor of the gym during every break and cheered our hearts out, twirling till we were dizzy. We were glorious.
~And so it continues. Even into my retirement years. I am surrounded by fabric and the rest of the lot. Dreaming up aprons in my head now. Pretty aprons. Cute aprons. Practical aprons. Each night when I rest my head on my pillow hoping to drift off to sleep, I imagine the next one. Will it be green, will it be blue, will it be yellow? Have to check the pile.
~The pile, by the way, continues to grow. Whenever and wherever I see fabric, I am drawn to it like a bee to honey. My heart beats a bit faster and my step quickens. Most women get excited when they see shoes, or handbags or designer fashions. I get all a flutter when I see fabric.
~And so it goes. The pile grows. The imagination wanders. The inspiration comes. And a new apron appears. But first...I have stop gawking at the pile and get back to work.
~Check and see what comes out of the pile next at http://www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com/

Lighting Update....

The day after I wrote my earlier post, the new light fixture arrived. It's up and we're enjoying the nice, soft glow it casts on the wall. I'm using a small, seven watt candle bulb that seems perfect. The fixture is simple and not too big for the space. (Hubby said to try and pick out something that wouldn't get in the way of bringing things up and down the narrow staircase.) Thought I'd ad a little bittersweet for a touch of color.

Finished a new apron today. I'll put it up online as soon as it's photographed. We're taking a road trip on Wednesday to Wrenthem MA to visit With Heart & Hand, www.withheartandhand.net one of my favorite shops. They have the most extraordinary selection of fabrics. Really unique things, among them....homespun cottons, silk scrim and the most unusual cotton prints I've seen anywhere. Hoping to find several choice pieces for my aprons and perhaps some homespuns for making pillows and curtains for our old house. Heart & Hand has always featured a couple of rooms of primitive furniture and decorative items as well. Keeping fingers crossed that it's still the case, since I haven't visited in a few years. I'll let you know!

In the meantime: http://www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com/

I've been a flop this week.
I'm usually full of plans and ideas, but this week, I'm just flopping around. I'm getting sick of hearing myself complain about the gray skies and almost constant drizzle outdoors. But, each morning, when I wake up, I just want to roll over and go back to sleep....no incentive to jump out of bed and start my day. I like it when the sun lights up our bedroom early in the morning. On those days, I lie in bed for a few minutes and think about my day, going through all the steps of all the things I want to do. But, on these dreary, drizzly mornings, the only incentive to get up is the thought of that first cup of coffee.
I had a nice email today from a shop owner here on Cape Cod. She was inquiring about aprons, but I was most delighted to learn about her shop location...a place I know well. "Yummy Goods," as it's called, is located in a really neat old building in W. Barnstable. There is an old fashioned General Store that's been there as long as I can remember. Yummy Goods is next door in the same building in the spot of the former post office. When I checked out the Yummy Goods blog, I learned that an upcoming movie scene was being filmed there recently. Named, "The Lightkeepers," it stars Richard Dreyfus, Blythe Danner and Martin Scheen. Cool.
I've got some really nice fabrics to work with in the next few weeks. Always a tough decision as to whether to make aprons or blouses. I guess I'll let each piece of fabric dictate its future.
Check us out at apronsgonewild.etsy.com for some really cute aprons like the one Emily is wearing here.

I Thought It Was Spring?

Isn't spring supposed to be warm and sunny? Did Cape Cod forget how to have spring? After a straight week of dreary cloudy skies and constant threat of rain (and then some actual rain) we finally had a gorgeous day yesterday. We put it to use and worked so hard outside that our bodies were sobbing by dinner time. Woke up this morning and thought we were in for another beautiful day. Hubby and I sat out on the back deck in our new zero gravity chairs and soaked up some rays while having our morning coffee. Nice. Got started on taking out the summer furniture for the deck, washing everything in nice hot water in the nearby outdoor shower. But, by noon, the clouds rolled in and the day ended up threatening rain and very chilly, indeed. As I sit here writing, the sky is gray and foreboding. I don't like it.
I decided instead of complaining about the weather earlier in the week that I would put my indoors time to good use and sew. It's a bit hard right now to throw myself into a sewing project because the kids will be here soon, and for the time that my sewing room turns into a guest room, I put everything away and out of sight. Soooo, I don't feel like making a huge mess as I usually do when I sew, only to have to clean it up. I had a yard and a half of a pretty white on white fabric that told me it wanted to be a pretty peasant blouse. Voila! Here it is.
Check out the details in my etsy shop at www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com
I wonder what tomorrow will bring? I hate the uncertainty about the weather. We're getting down to the wire now with daughters, son-in-law and grandchildren arriving soon. The air conditioners need to be put back into the windows, beds need to be made up, quilts aired out, bathrooms cleaned, windows washed...you know the drill. I need sunshine to do all this! I'm getting depressed! Isn't it supposed to be spring?

People are funny.....

Or odd...or just different, I guess. We're condo owners here at our winter residence in sunny Florida. So many personalities and dispositions living in close quarters. Our complex is rather old, but is in a terrific location just steps across the street from the Atlantic. Because it's an older complex, and not all that big, it's always been operated under a rather loose set of rules. For the most part, folks here like it that way. But then, there are always one or two broken rules that are so blatant, they can't be ignored. To bring things into compliance, our board has hired a property manager which creates a whole new set of issues. The jury is still out on the success or failure of this new approach to governing and managing but I'm guessing there will be plenty of fireworks in the meantime. Which leads me to my quest to make smart decisions on designs and fabrics for my aprons and tops. Often, I need someone to slap me and remind me that I can't possibly please every buyer out there, (much as our board can't please every resident in our condo complex). I have to keep my focus on the strengths that I bring to each choice make. I have to discipline myself to stay in my comfort zone and fashion my creations the way I see them in my mind's eye. At times, this is difficult. Although I want to be current, I try not to get caught up in what's merely popular or trendy. Even though I draw on my own imagination, it's hard not to be influenced by what I see and hear. Sometimes, I almost feel the need to slap myself to get back to "Me" and what I do best. Managing and directing the ins and outs of a condominium is surely more difficult than deciding on a fabric or a design choice for an apron. But, some of the same conflicts apply because in reality, people are funny..or odd...or just plain different. After spending the week making a special order of two half aprons, (Sweet Field of Flowers pictured here), I've decided to get busy and make a couple of new peasant tops in the beautiful filmy, sheers that I brought with me from Cape Cod. Watching "Housewives of NYC" on Tuesday night, (my secret vice) I couldn't help but notice that one of the housewives showed up for two separate events wearing two different versions of a peasant blouse...very similar to the ones I make! Now, if a NYC housewife who is spending her summer in the Hamptons is wearing something that looks like one of mine, I must be on the right track. Or so it would seem. Stay tuned to see what I come up with.
www.apronsgonewild.etsy.com

Whole Cloth....

I'm wrapping up another two aprons for shipping today. Love Me Tender and Hot Chocolate for Men will have new owners. I always imagine the people who will wear my aprons. Some buyers have etsy online shops of their own which gives me a peek into their personalities. But others, are simply shoppers who register on etsy.com merely to make a purchase. Often, a buyer will write me what's called a "conversation" on etsy. I love this. It makes me feel connected because, you see, I get rather attached to the aprons and tops that I create. Handmade means something sort of special. When you start with whole cloth, you take something with no identity other than the color and design of the fabric. In my world, it could end up as virtually anything....a pair of drapes, a tablecloth, a pillow sham or an apron. The fabric almost always dictates its own fate. There's an odd sort of communication that no one else hears but me. My fabric corner holds so many beautiful batiks and paisleys and calicoes. And oh...those gorgeous Amy Butler prints. What a world of colors and designs. I love them all but they are each very different, which is why I'm always compelled to give the finished item a name. Sometimes I wonder if the name of an apron draws the buyer as much as the finished product. Does our Cocoa Beach apron ignite a memory of a spring break in sunny Florida to a northerner who is slogging through a bleak New England winter? Does our Buttercup Batik tickle the fancy of a pure romantic who dreams in fields of buttercups and daisies? Is Falling Leaves in Russet reminiscent of what some find to be the most beautiful season of all? It's any one's guess. But, it's my little fantasy because fabric is a wonderfully inspiring thing.

Prints & Chintz and all that....

A Warm Up! Finally. Temps should be back up in the 70s this weekend. Yeah! I need my vitamin D. A little sun bathing is in order. We've decided to do a couple of small projects here this winter since we're feeling a bit "spent" from the kitchen remodel back home. Rich is going to paint the upstairs bathroom vanity and put new tile down on the floor. This condo complex is nearing 50 years in age. The fixtures are a bit dated, to say the least. We upgraded the kitchen a couple of years ago but the bathrooms are still wearing bell bottoms and beads, if you get my drift. Our bathtub, sink and toilet are a very Robin's Egg Blue! Yikes! Not ready to tear those out yet, so the vanity will get a nice, clean coat of white paint and the floor tile will be white with a little gray/blue tinge. I'll use my camouflage talents to dress it up with some nice towels and soaps and it will be just fine...no...it will be terrific. I'll post some pics on that when it's done.

I decided I have enough aprons for the time being which leads me to my other chronic disease....making blouses and tops. I experimented by listing several in my etsy shop this past year and they seemed to be well received. I've got some absolutely beautiful Amy Butler fabrics that will be spectacular in our Aprons Gone Wild baby-doll top design. I'm working on number one today. A fellow etsian emailed me about making one of my halter tops in Michael Miller's "carnival" print, so I've ordered the fabric from my favorite fabric suppliers, Charlie and Lindsay of Fabric Supplies on the Internet. The lightening speed with which Fabric Supplies ships out an online order is something to marvel at. I actually got a bit carried away on their etsy web site the other day and ordered several beautiful prints. Fabric always inspires me. But, I can't decide which one to pick first! Look for something new soon in one of these beauties on apronsgonewild.etsy.com