I've loved aprons since I made my first one at about 6 years old, and I'm revisiting that love of now vintage aprons. I inherited a number of vintage aprons owned by my mother and grandmother, including a couple I had made as a child, and the fabric stashes from several family members. I also remember the "patternless" apron patterns, handed down from mother to daughter through the generations, where you measure out the strips for the apron body, ruffles, waistband and tie, and add a pocket if desired. There are so many variations you can make with this "patternless" technique, and I'm once again exploring some of these options with these wonderful vintage fabrics.
I remember the wonderful pockets, hand stitched and embellished, then carefully applied to the apron. There were birds and teddy bears, hearts trimmed in lace and squares carefully double stitched. Some of the fabrics I remember from days gone by, like the floral polished cotton my mother carefully made into Easter dresses for my sister and I one year, or the ginghams that were used in all manner of kitchen linens, or the calicos, plain and fancy, that showcased the skill of the sewer and the style of the times.
Ah, the style of the times. Coming home from school to a snack of homemade cookies, simple to make, no preservatives, and still warm out of the oven, chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal, maybe even sugar cookies with colored sugar sprinkled on top. Meals that came partially from the garden in the back yard. Getting together with the extended family to reduce a small orchard's worth of apples into all manner of wonderful things for the winter, apple butter and apple pies, apple sauce and apples for fritters, all the women with their aprons, some downstairs peeling and coring the apples, slicing them, rolling out the pie dough and putting the layers of apples carefully into the pie pans before hiding the wonderful contents in another layer of dough, talking happily amongst themselves and occasionally minding the kids running in and out endlessly. Some upstairs in the kitchen taking pans full of peeled apples and reducing them down to apple butter or apple sauce and canning them, again with more aprons and again with wonderful cheerful conversations. The men? They were all out in the garage, drinking beers and talking about cars lol. They would want no part of the aprons, the cooking or the conversation until it was time for them to make dinner on the grill, and oh, what a dinner it would be, steaks and hot dogs or hamburgers for the kids, a mountain of potato chips, and all the apple desserts anyone could eat. Everyone would go home tired, full of good food, with their trunks full of wonderful treats for their deep freezers to tide them through the winter to come.
And these are the memories I comtimplate as I work these wonderful old fabrics into the aprons of old. I wonder what the ladies would think of them. :)
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Off For A Week
Heya everyone. Since my Aunt Monique passed away over the weekend, I am taking this week off for some quiet time in remembrance. Thanks for your support and understanding.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Bicycle Ride
Yesterday was another orders out day, and the weather was so nice that I got out the bicycle to run my errands.
Now, if I said it's been many years (more than 30) since I rode a bicycle with any regularity, it would be an understatement. I finally got back on a bicycle last fall out of necessity, and rediscovered my childhood love for bicycle riding, the warm spring breezes flowing through my hair, the thrill of riding down a steep hill (although I now use the brake to control the speed most of the time, something I didn't do much of as a kid), the deftly dodging obstacles, and the feeling of freedom. What I did not remember was the aches from muscles not used to riding, the practice of balancing correctly, and the muscle tone needed to round those corners. All this made for an interesting ride first ride of the season.
I had 2 errands to run. One was to pick up a package at one post office, and the other was to mail packages out at another post office. The reason for the two post offices is one is pick up only, the other is drop off only. I have no idea why it's done this way, just that it is. I could go almost entirely downhill by picking up the package first, then going to drop off the packages going out, so that's how I planned my route. With the packages going out safely tucked away in my backpack, I started off.
My first challenge came with the first hill. Now would be a good time to mention that the bike I use is a hand-me-down from one of my sons, and it has some idiosynchrosies, much like it's previous owner, the most notable of which is it shifts when it feels like it, most often up hill, and I have gotten countless bruises on my knees from it doing precisely that. I managed not to bruise my knees yesterday, and for about a mile it was smooth riding, with me enjoying the ride tremendously. When I got to the first post office, I ran into challenge number 2: the package I was picking up was too big for my backpack, and I don't have a basket on this bike. Thankfully my son had left a bungie cord wrapped around the seat post of the bike, so after some time fumbling, I was able to mount the package New York style above the front tire of the bike, and the bungie cord around the handlebar column. I glided easily to the second post office, where I found that I had perhaps attached the package a little too well to the bike, since it now didn't want to come off, as well as the kickstand becoming cranky and deciding it didn't want to hold up the bike anymore, and I would need a wrench I didn't have with me to tighten it up. Luckily the post office has windows so I could park the bike where I could keep an eye on it while I mailed out my packages, which I did. Then it was off again, across the strip mall and a block up the street.
That's when I ran into my old nemisis, "The Hill". This is no ordinary hill, more like a monster of one that runs 3 blocks up at an angle that would make San Fransisco proud. As usual I hopped off the bike and walked it up, panting by the time I reached the top as usual. The half a mile home was a breeze, mostly flat with a slight uphill grade, and the weather was beautiful. I am, however, being reminded by various muscle groups that I have not ridden a bike since last fall, and they are going to take some time to get used to it again.
Now, if I said it's been many years (more than 30) since I rode a bicycle with any regularity, it would be an understatement. I finally got back on a bicycle last fall out of necessity, and rediscovered my childhood love for bicycle riding, the warm spring breezes flowing through my hair, the thrill of riding down a steep hill (although I now use the brake to control the speed most of the time, something I didn't do much of as a kid), the deftly dodging obstacles, and the feeling of freedom. What I did not remember was the aches from muscles not used to riding, the practice of balancing correctly, and the muscle tone needed to round those corners. All this made for an interesting ride first ride of the season.
I had 2 errands to run. One was to pick up a package at one post office, and the other was to mail packages out at another post office. The reason for the two post offices is one is pick up only, the other is drop off only. I have no idea why it's done this way, just that it is. I could go almost entirely downhill by picking up the package first, then going to drop off the packages going out, so that's how I planned my route. With the packages going out safely tucked away in my backpack, I started off.
My first challenge came with the first hill. Now would be a good time to mention that the bike I use is a hand-me-down from one of my sons, and it has some idiosynchrosies, much like it's previous owner, the most notable of which is it shifts when it feels like it, most often up hill, and I have gotten countless bruises on my knees from it doing precisely that. I managed not to bruise my knees yesterday, and for about a mile it was smooth riding, with me enjoying the ride tremendously. When I got to the first post office, I ran into challenge number 2: the package I was picking up was too big for my backpack, and I don't have a basket on this bike. Thankfully my son had left a bungie cord wrapped around the seat post of the bike, so after some time fumbling, I was able to mount the package New York style above the front tire of the bike, and the bungie cord around the handlebar column. I glided easily to the second post office, where I found that I had perhaps attached the package a little too well to the bike, since it now didn't want to come off, as well as the kickstand becoming cranky and deciding it didn't want to hold up the bike anymore, and I would need a wrench I didn't have with me to tighten it up. Luckily the post office has windows so I could park the bike where I could keep an eye on it while I mailed out my packages, which I did. Then it was off again, across the strip mall and a block up the street.
That's when I ran into my old nemisis, "The Hill". This is no ordinary hill, more like a monster of one that runs 3 blocks up at an angle that would make San Fransisco proud. As usual I hopped off the bike and walked it up, panting by the time I reached the top as usual. The half a mile home was a breeze, mostly flat with a slight uphill grade, and the weather was beautiful. I am, however, being reminded by various muscle groups that I have not ridden a bike since last fall, and they are going to take some time to get used to it again.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
An Adventure On Public Transit
I've been riding public transit off and on for more than 35 years. While I can't imagine riding it every day, when I do ride it I usually come home with a story to tell, an idea to consider, or a warm memory to tuck away. Yesterday's errands were no exception.
The day started beautifully. The air was warm compared with the sub-zero temps we had just a week ago, the ground was wet from the melting snow, and the sun was shining as though doing it's best to remove the remnents of winter. I didn't mind, other than being out of shape from the wintertime confinement, walking more than a mile to the nearest bus stop. The bus arrived right on time, and I was the only passenger, so I chose a seat near the front, opened my backpack and pulled out the filet crochet wedding tablecloth I had brought along to work on, and struck up a conversation with the driver. We quickly discovered we had both raised large broods, so we spent the next several miles discussing the challenges of raising kids and the travels we both have or had planned to spend time with them. I remember South Padre Island, Oahu and Seattle being mentioned, and the conversation was lively and upbeat as the miles rolled along beneath us.
We were pleasently interrupted at one point by another passenger who commented on the project I was working on, and shared that she also did crochet work. This was the first of several conversations I had with other passengers who did their own needlework, and we shared ideas and projects that we had done or were working on, different techniques and recipients of our work, motivations and histories. In looking around at the other passengers, I noticed that some were resting with their eyes closed, some were reading, some talking on their cell phones or texting, some simply looked bored, but some were also watching the project I was working on as I went around and around the pattern on the now 14" across tablecloth, making me feel almost like a performance street artist, being observed performing my craft.
Several hours, several conversations, and several stops and transfers later, I was finished with running my errands, paying my bills, and had reached my final stop. As with all the drivers, I wished this one a good rest of the day as I hopped off the bus and began the walk home. It had been a good day, a great adventure, and I needed to get home to digest the conversations and ideas shared and to sketch out new ideas from new inspirations for my works. :)
The day started beautifully. The air was warm compared with the sub-zero temps we had just a week ago, the ground was wet from the melting snow, and the sun was shining as though doing it's best to remove the remnents of winter. I didn't mind, other than being out of shape from the wintertime confinement, walking more than a mile to the nearest bus stop. The bus arrived right on time, and I was the only passenger, so I chose a seat near the front, opened my backpack and pulled out the filet crochet wedding tablecloth I had brought along to work on, and struck up a conversation with the driver. We quickly discovered we had both raised large broods, so we spent the next several miles discussing the challenges of raising kids and the travels we both have or had planned to spend time with them. I remember South Padre Island, Oahu and Seattle being mentioned, and the conversation was lively and upbeat as the miles rolled along beneath us.
We were pleasently interrupted at one point by another passenger who commented on the project I was working on, and shared that she also did crochet work. This was the first of several conversations I had with other passengers who did their own needlework, and we shared ideas and projects that we had done or were working on, different techniques and recipients of our work, motivations and histories. In looking around at the other passengers, I noticed that some were resting with their eyes closed, some were reading, some talking on their cell phones or texting, some simply looked bored, but some were also watching the project I was working on as I went around and around the pattern on the now 14" across tablecloth, making me feel almost like a performance street artist, being observed performing my craft.
Several hours, several conversations, and several stops and transfers later, I was finished with running my errands, paying my bills, and had reached my final stop. As with all the drivers, I wished this one a good rest of the day as I hopped off the bus and began the walk home. It had been a good day, a great adventure, and I needed to get home to digest the conversations and ideas shared and to sketch out new ideas from new inspirations for my works. :)
Monday, February 14, 2011
Orders Out Today :)
Today was an Orders Out day, which means it was a day I took them to the post office. This is not an unusual thing, as most businesses ship their items out, but let me tell you why my business is different :)
For the time being, my printer is down, so I hand write out the packing slips for all my orders. I don't see this as a bad thing--we're losing our ability to hand write things out, and it's keeping me in practice. I'm very much in favor of practicing the skills we have. It also means I'm using a pen instead of printer ink, which I'm finding is getting more and more expensive. Hooray, a way to save money! :) I also include a personal hand-written thank you note in all of my orders. I think my customers deserve that, and have used many boxes of thank you cards and note cards. I want them to know I appreciated their business, and not just on a printed form thank you note. And I've received the most wonderful comments in return. For me, it's been well worth the effort, even though it takes a little extra time to do :)
I'm also transportationally challenged, at least for now. That means when it's orders out day, I'm either walking the mile to the post office or on an unreliable bicycle (it shifts when it feels like it, not always when I want it to). It's not a bad thing, I remind myself. Every mile I walk or bike is good excercise, and it's another mile traveled that I didn't put auto exhaust into the air either. Days like today are really a treat too. It was 50 degrees out, the snow is melting off finally (which means it's wet, not good for boots that are snowproof but not waterproof lol), and you can see spring in the buds on the trees or the tiny shoots of grass beginning to sprout under last year's thatch. I was even able to walk part of the way with one of my adult sons, who had his own errands to run. This particular one of my kids doesn't talk often, so it was a good opportunity for us to talk about casual plans for the future, which I really enjoyed. I'm thinking about keeping this routine even after my vehicle is running again, because it's so environmentally friendly, and the excercise is doing me good. I'll have to get a new bike if I'm going to do much of that though :)
I think the best part of orders out day is knowing I'll have the time, when I'm walking, to think about the projects I need to get done, or plan out the projects I want to do. Sometimes I find the inspiration and new ideas for all sorts of things on these walks. Or sometimes it's more like a meditative time for me, where I just let my mind rest, so I can be more productive later on. With my backpack slung across my shoulder on my old brown aviator's jacket and the wind tossing my ponytail around, it's an enjoyable part of my journey :)
Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day everyone. For those fortunate enough to have partners, I hope you have a great day appreciating each other, and for those whom a partner is not a part of your life yet, may today find you at peace and in hope for days to come :)
For the time being, my printer is down, so I hand write out the packing slips for all my orders. I don't see this as a bad thing--we're losing our ability to hand write things out, and it's keeping me in practice. I'm very much in favor of practicing the skills we have. It also means I'm using a pen instead of printer ink, which I'm finding is getting more and more expensive. Hooray, a way to save money! :) I also include a personal hand-written thank you note in all of my orders. I think my customers deserve that, and have used many boxes of thank you cards and note cards. I want them to know I appreciated their business, and not just on a printed form thank you note. And I've received the most wonderful comments in return. For me, it's been well worth the effort, even though it takes a little extra time to do :)
I'm also transportationally challenged, at least for now. That means when it's orders out day, I'm either walking the mile to the post office or on an unreliable bicycle (it shifts when it feels like it, not always when I want it to). It's not a bad thing, I remind myself. Every mile I walk or bike is good excercise, and it's another mile traveled that I didn't put auto exhaust into the air either. Days like today are really a treat too. It was 50 degrees out, the snow is melting off finally (which means it's wet, not good for boots that are snowproof but not waterproof lol), and you can see spring in the buds on the trees or the tiny shoots of grass beginning to sprout under last year's thatch. I was even able to walk part of the way with one of my adult sons, who had his own errands to run. This particular one of my kids doesn't talk often, so it was a good opportunity for us to talk about casual plans for the future, which I really enjoyed. I'm thinking about keeping this routine even after my vehicle is running again, because it's so environmentally friendly, and the excercise is doing me good. I'll have to get a new bike if I'm going to do much of that though :)
I think the best part of orders out day is knowing I'll have the time, when I'm walking, to think about the projects I need to get done, or plan out the projects I want to do. Sometimes I find the inspiration and new ideas for all sorts of things on these walks. Or sometimes it's more like a meditative time for me, where I just let my mind rest, so I can be more productive later on. With my backpack slung across my shoulder on my old brown aviator's jacket and the wind tossing my ponytail around, it's an enjoyable part of my journey :)
Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day everyone. For those fortunate enough to have partners, I hope you have a great day appreciating each other, and for those whom a partner is not a part of your life yet, may today find you at peace and in hope for days to come :)
An Introduction
Hi! I'm a middle aged artist and craftsperson. I've lived in Omaha, Nebraska for over 25 years. I've been working with my hands since I was 5 years old (thanks Mom!), and have been doing works for the public since 2000. I work in many different genre's, from acrylic on canvas abstracts to wonderfully bright, shiny epic jewelry. I also enjoy sewing, woodworking and refinishing, clay art and sculpture, needle arts, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few. I've been priviledged to teach art classes to at risk kids. I currently have a couple of online enterprises, one at Ebay.com, and the other at Etsy.com., and am looking to expand, which I'll post here.
On a personal note, I'm a single mother with 5 kids, and I've survived getting 4 to adulthood lol. They have taught me a great deal about life and love, and stopping to notice the little things. They're also my heros when it comes to all things technology lol. I would not be the person I am if they were not the wonderful people they are. I also have 3 cats which add untold adventures to my life, and would love to add an Irish Setter to the mix once I have the room.
I love working with glass and metal, and am learning how to make chain maille jewelry. I enjoy being outside when the weather is warm, exploring our wonderful state parks and recreation areas or the wonderful outdoor urban areas and artist communities we're so fortunate to have. Many of my designs are based on these adventures, as well as being inspired by my many travels.
Well, I'm not sure what else to add about myself. I hope you enjoy my adventures as I share them with you :)
On a personal note, I'm a single mother with 5 kids, and I've survived getting 4 to adulthood lol. They have taught me a great deal about life and love, and stopping to notice the little things. They're also my heros when it comes to all things technology lol. I would not be the person I am if they were not the wonderful people they are. I also have 3 cats which add untold adventures to my life, and would love to add an Irish Setter to the mix once I have the room.
I love working with glass and metal, and am learning how to make chain maille jewelry. I enjoy being outside when the weather is warm, exploring our wonderful state parks and recreation areas or the wonderful outdoor urban areas and artist communities we're so fortunate to have. Many of my designs are based on these adventures, as well as being inspired by my many travels.
Well, I'm not sure what else to add about myself. I hope you enjoy my adventures as I share them with you :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)