The theme for the month of may is to make a "smock to wear out!" Another purely selfish theme here. I have tried and failed to make a smock like the one on the right to wear over jeans and and a t-shirt and need to master this look very soon. I think it is so very cool and have to have a smock I can wear out. Patterns are hard to come by for this style, especially for a more modern look like this. I have a ton of vintage patterns, but they are so. . .shapely. But this runs the risk of looking like a big sack. hump. So, I think I am up for the challenge, I hope you are too!
The idea here is to make an apron but use a technique that is mixed media (meaning something done to the apron in addition to sewing) like stamping (from a carved eraser, perhaps? I still feel the buzz of this floating around) painting with fabric paint, ironing on decals or patches, applying rivets, studs, rhinestones, or badges, printing on your fabric from your home printer,(more info here too) gocco printing onto fabric, dying fabric, drawing with fabric markers, appling a 3-D element (toy spiders for halloween? lights? glow in the dark paint?) you get the idea.
There are a ton of really good books out there about getting images/designs onto fabric, the library would be a great resource (and online, I'm finding too much to link to) and if the results are less than perfect, who cares? just sew a big pocket over any mistake. (I like to plan my for mistakes in advance, very handy.)
This is a pretty open theme, so you can make it as complicated or as simple as you feel comfortable and have the time for. My hope is that everyone will try different media and ideas, share what works and what doesn't, and then we can all design/alter fabric DIY style at home. (the great iron image above is from this nifty site)
FYI: there will be no Tie One On theme or gallery in December, too busy of a month for all us crafters. There will be a theme in November, then we will skip to January. That seems so far off, but I know it's just around the corner.
ahh-the power of the internet. Barbara Curiel sent me this image of this amazing art apron she created-in loving memory of her grandmother-here's some info she sent with it:
It seemed natural to make this piece an
apron. I have one of my grandmother’s aprons, which, poor thing,
is very threadbare. But I copied the pattern onto wax paper and
easily made a new one. This atypical apron is fully lined because I
wanted it to be substantial and not solely utilitarian and I also
wanted to do at least some quilting on this piece even though it has
no batting. Although leaves dominate the outside, the inside fabrics
are florals, and I used one especially appropriate flowering cactus
fabric to honor my grandmother’s love of the desert.
The photo transfer is from a picture taken by my mother, Dolores Brinson, of my grandmother in her garden. Most of the leaves are fused, though some are lined and sewn down loosely for a 3-D effect. I had some vintage pink seam binding, which I used for the pockets and the shoulders. The text on the apron was done with acrylic paint and my new set of alphabet stamps. The text is actually a poem I wrote some years ago, and I rearranged the stanzas in order to use the space more effectively.
Thanks so much for sharing this with us, Barbara!
