i absolutely loved this month's tie-one-on theme from the minute i read it: local pride. i loved thinking about our town and our space in this world and then letting those thoughts be the inspiration for a new home-sewn apron. at first there were thoughts of our state bird, state colors, etc... but i kept coming back to our beach and the atlantic ocean. (surprised?)
i started thinking about all the time we spend out there strolling the shoreline looking for treasures and had a vision of a beach apron, with the perfect pockets for collecting. i sketched something out and began sewing back in august. i had pulled out all of the light, beachy, white and off-white fabrics from my fabric boxes. a bunch of them were actually some old torn/stained tableclothes that belonged to my grandmother, great-aunt, and great-grandmother — and seemed quite ready and waiting to be repurposed. unable to choose just a few, i ended up patchworking small swatches from them all together making a large front pocket (for the clamshells, driftwoods, etc...) then, behind the big pocket is a little slim white pocket for the small, don't-want-to-lose treasures (seaglass, beachglass, seaglass, you get the idea...).
wearing an apron out on the beach felt just right. it blew in the wind, i could brush off my sandy hands right on my hips and the pockets functioned as they were meant to. (chuck actually was the only one of us to find a piece of green beachglass this particular day and he was kind enough to let me just "hold onto it" for him in the white top pocket)... the tie-one-on deadline for submissions was pushed back from august until october (whew! not sure i would have had it done in time otherwise) and that is when all the local-inspired aprons will get compiled into a photo gallery. i'm so looking forward to seeing all the amazing hometown creations...