Essential kit

Trying to buy a new car and get all the paperwork lined up so I don't miss out on a holiday with friends is a rather stressful experience. How and ever, it's all sorted out now, and while I melt with relief, I've had a chance to catch up on a few things.

Firstly, to go with the long awaited red dress (which no, isn't quite finished yet), I needed a new apron! My current apron, being cut from the same red linen, simply wouldn't do.

So I came across some green fabric, I believe a linen-cotton mix, and decided to use that to make up my new apron. I had the pictures taken wearing the new over the old, so I could compare for length. The green was actually cut from an unfinished project, and I had concerns that it would be too short, but it actually comes out just nicely. It's desperately in need of an iron though, those crease you can see in the front are from the old darts that were sewn into it. The hems are sewn with cotton thread, and I used the same thread to make up a couple of fingerloops braids for the closure.

You see, this apron has a little more history than my other projects. The unfinished project that donated the fabric was a dress I made for my mother, that was so close to being finished that when I first came across it a couple of years ago, after she'd passed, I was racked with guilt over how little I had left to do. But when I found it again recently, I thought it would be much better for the fabric to be used in a way to honour her.

The apron in Italian renaissance garb is an essential piece of equipment. Even in the portraits of noble ladies, a piece of embroidered and lace worked heirloom hangs from their waists, alongside the jewels and other accessories. And for the working woman, I don't think I've seen a picture yet where an apron was absent. So with the red apron for the black dress and the green for the very-soon-to-be-finished red dress, it'll be an item that comes with me to every event. So even though she's not around any more, she'll be with me at each occasion.