patch apron tutorial

Huzzah its Thursday, and Thursday is the best day of the week.

So in celebration I am going to teach you to make a magnificent apron!

Lets begin….

• First sew together some random pretty strips of fabric roughly the same size as an old apron.
• 

lay the old apron over the top to check you have enough bits sewn together

 

 

Use the old apron as a template and cut round it.

• Now its time to make a pocket to keep those handy bits and pieces in when your working. I used an old napkin I found at a market, fold it over, sew along the top to join it together. Now place it where you want it on the apron and sew the left and right hand sides to the apron and the bottom.

• Next its time to add some ready made bias binding around the edge of the whole apron, and iron.

I used bright pink, it makes me happy!

• The next step is to make the loop to go over your head and the ties for the side. Get 3 strips of fabric and measure them up to the old apron ties. Then fold the raw edges and iron.

• Sew along the folds to create three neat strips, fold the ends in and sew to stop them fraying!

 

• Attach your strips to the apron in the same  places they are on your template apron.

 

• You should end up with a loop at the top so you can comfortable slip it over your head and it hangs well. Also with two ties that tie comfortably round the back.

I also divided my pocket into 2 by sewing a line form top to bottom.

A VOILA!

A photo my 4 year old took….

 

 

 

 

sexy pants

Have you ever thought about buying ‘handmade’ under wear?

I didn’t think so. Most of us expect badly put together bras or hugely over priced knickers made from bugger all fabric and bits of itchy lace. Well lets take a fresh look at whats available. Something for all sizes and all prices.

Hopeless (click on link to visit shop)

Vintage Inspired Handmade Silk Lingerie

The image above is from a range produced by Hopeless on etsy with prices ranging from $30 upwards and based in Australia they really are beautiful.

This pretty bow back bra is by seller ‘LoveBabyGrand’ from etsy and based in London. It has a delightful range of pretty underwear and burlesque naughty bits!

 

bayousalvage

Rustic & Romantic – Southern Gothic & Vintage Designs

Check out these vintage and custom made slips right up to plus size for curvier girls. Nothing says sex and romance like a pretty nightie.

What Katie Did

We create and produce beautifully cut, high-quality and affordable undergarments, corsetry and hosiery inspired by the 1940s and 1950s. Our designs are based on vintage patterns, adapted only slightly for modern figures, using authentic fabrics and even old-fashioned production methods wherever possible. We’re proud of our close-knit team, high standards and enthusiasm for great customer service, all of which which have earned us fans worldwide, and led to What Katie Did being worn by stars as lofty as Claudia Schiffer and Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks. But really, we make our beautiful lingerie for every woman, so she can look and feel like a bombshell, any day of the week.

An amazing UK business, you can even send them your measurement for stunning undies. They are a real success story too. Love them to bits and the shaping longline bra above is only £36!

If you love vintage and alternative clothing then check out if you please a fantastic website full of sultry, fresh and stylish underwear.

The set above is handmade by London maker Bannbee. It retails from £45 depending on your measurements I suppose. Any girl can have beautiful well fitting handmade undies. You just have to know where to look I suppose. So drop some not so suttle hints for Valentines day.

”DOWN WITH HORRIBLE CHEAP VALENTINES KNICKERS, HOORAY FOR HANDMADE LOVLINESS’

how does colour work?

The comments I receive about my work normally involve my use of colour, and there’s a lot of it. I was taught at art school about the colour wheel and colours that lend themselves to one another. I think after visiting Spain regularly for the past 6 years it has changed my mind and is probably the biggest influence on me. In my mind anything goes, though a lot of thought still goes into mixing and matching fabrics.

I always look at photos I have taken to inspire me or just save pictures on my computer.

 

The childrens room at my Mums Spanish home

 

 

 

In the hill villages women make beautiful rugs

 

One of the narrow lanes in Granada

 

It does sound a bit pretentious to talk about ‘colour’ and being ‘inspired’ but colour is amazing. It even stretches to my wardrobe where I hardly own anything black.

one of my quilts inspired by spain

I really have enjoyed writing this and have found some fantastic photos! My next post is about rope, I bet you cant wait, ha ha.

 

Your grannies blanket kicks ass

Its official crochet is back as the must have interior design piece!

I am an avid reader of Home and Lifestyle mags and have gone week at the knees for the recent amount of yarn porn that has been gracing the pages of the glossies and supplements.

‘What do I do if I want one?’ I hear you cry! Well pick up and hook and get your crochet on or you can contact me because my Mum makes kick ass crochet blankets, She can ‘hook you up’ get it?

 

 

 

Ooh I have gone all giddy, I must get some more crochet done. I’m thinking of doing a little session on crochet, if you’d like to learn leave me a comment or drop me a line at oohlalapin@gmail.com.

ta ta for now!

like a tea tray in the sky

Portsmouth’s newest and bestest most beautiful cafe is now open! A light airy and pretty vintage style tea room, serving gorgeous homemade cake. It also features a section devoted to local artists and makers, including Ooh la Lapin, Tatty Bird and The Caravan Gallery. Phoebe and I went for a visit on Friday and we took some pictures and sampled some delicious cake. Its on Osbourne Road, the Queens Hotel end next to Cornucopia/corner shop.

 

lovely stitching from Tatty Bird

 

Phoebe photo

 

I really urge you to pay a visit to this gem of place especially after a blustery walk on the common for a hot chocolate, yummy.

this is why I love Japan

Hooray more crazy crochet and textiles from Japan! Its the irrepressible ‘203gow’, I love her!

 

Check out this article in the Japan Times about the guerrilla knitters, I love the octopuses hanging from handrails on public transport.

Its all very inspirational, time to get on with my crochet bits.

All booked up hooray!

Hooray the Sewing workshop on Saturday 12th Feb is now all booked up!

I’m really exciting about giving a tutorial on bag making and seeing all the different creations on the day.

The next workshop I will be running will be in the Spring and its crafting a vintage style apron, if your interested please email oohlalapin@gmail.com.

Bag giveaway!

Lets get 2011 off to a good start with a free bag.

Last year I ran a competition to suggest a place to leave a squid and the winners got a turtle and a bunny. So for January Im asking for suggestions on where to hang a pretty granny square crochet garland. Where could do with a bit of cheering up and make people smile?

This is the bag up for offer, it has an ace bunny pocket inside, fully lined and has a fabric bow on the front.

Leave a comment on here, twitter @lapinlou or on Facebook Lou Bush. Winner to be announced on Monday 10th January!

Lou x

 

Happy New Year!

Yes I’m back after a good 2 week break up in Cumbria, it was a wonderful Christmas apart from an unwelcome chest infection.

I hope everyone had a restful and joyful time.

Well what shall I kick off 2011 with? I have to say I am absolutely loving ‘The Long thread’ its a brilliant crafty blog written by Ellen Baker and deserves high praise indeed. I was thrilled to see a top 100 tutorials of 2010 on there, so definatly check it out and get inspired to make, do and mend in 20111

One of my favourite tutorials has to be the tape printing one on ‘How about orange’.  Its so easy and really effective, I think I will have a shot at this one and let you know how it turns out.

Also dont forget that I am running a sewing class on February the 12th, there are only 4 places left and tuition is the bargain price of £20, this is an intro price. Tuition will rise to £40.00 for a day after this, so its a real bargain. Most sewing classes charge around £60 -£85 for a days workshop! I have decided to keep cost down so I can share my love of sewing, I will probably break even, I hope.

Just to let you know the class is still going ahead for the 12th February at the Friendship Centre on Elm Grove, here is a short itinerary of the day:

10.30 arrive and introductions/cup of tea
11.00 choosing fabrics and sketch designs
11.45 pattern cutting and prep assembly
12.30 – 1.00pm Lunch break
1.00 – 2.00pm Getting round the sewing machine and technique
2.00 – 3.00pm Finishing touches

I have a supply of fabric I will be bringing though it may not be to everyones tastes! Remember you will be making a bag that will loved and cherished so you may want to purchase your own fabric to bring with you (I will still have fabric for lining your bag/pockets handles etc, I will also have a healthy supply of buttons,ribbons and trims).