So, Where Do I Start?

Here is where, I start by writing down what I'm supposed to be doing - incidentally I'm wearing my own utility apron, though I think I'll have to come up with a better name than that.  

My mate Wend suggested that I get in touch with the local "Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie" which I hadn't thought about doing but would probably be as good a place as any to get started.  I'm rapidly getting to the point where I'll have to create the company just to move things along.  

Met with the bank manager last week and she asked me how I'd got the idea of making sexy aprons - embarrassingly I realised that if I'm a serious entrepreneur I should have all this "spiel" off pat, which I didn't but I did remember the first "Glamour Apron" and told her the story of my sister's hen night, so salvaged the moment.  

Think I'll have a bit of a surf for French structures for helping budding businesses. I mean, what am I supposed to do about accountancy? Stock and all that stuff?  There must be an app, but which one? 

Bought some fabric on line last week which was fun (if a bit naughty) but I got inspired by my projected men's range - yup those sexy waiter aprons haven't left me.  Even better, when the fabric I'd bought on line turned up, some of which I had chosen for the men's range the first thing my husband said was "can I have one?" I nearly fell over!  Since I was thinking about the men's cooking aprons I thought that meant that he wanted an apron to start cooking.  The next day, all became clearer; he wanted one of my utility aprons!  Its still brilliant that my entourage is asking me for my stuff - I can't remember any time in the 23 years that we've been married that my husband has actually asked me to make something for him, of course I do make things for him and then get miserable when he doesn't wear/use them but he's never actually asked for anything.

I've decided that this has to be a good sign.  However, unfortunately for hubby he had to get in line because mum's apron was to be the first off the assembly line.  

Utility apron for gardening/shop keeping mum

The original pattern instructions called for "awesome fabric" for the front pocket.  This is one of my favourite vintage fabric finds and is supposed to be reserved for making a sofa cover but I keep telling myself that I can spare a bit to make this or that.  And last week "that" turned out to be my mum's utility apron.  Yes the name has stuck.  I'm still not quite there with the design but I'm getting there.

Getting this one out there pushed me into getting some documentation sorted out.  Well sorted out is probably a bit generous; I flung together a postcard to try to explain what it is and why she shouldn't be offended to receive an apron as a gift.

I'm getting quite excited about the social implications of the apron and how it is in deeperate need of love and rehabilitation. Without doing any formal research (yet) it looks to me like the sixties saw the end of the apron, or more likely its move into a craft apron because we women got liberated and apparently didn't just burn our bras.  Then we worked out that we still needed aprons so we started wearing men's aprons (the one's I call the barbecue apron).

Last week at my friend Wend's house we were chatting in the kitchen while she made dinner and she'd put on her apron (yes she is on my list of people to get a new apron, but since I'm going to design it specially for her it might take some time) and she pointed to the back of the kitchen door: a whole load of aprons.  I realise that I too have the collection of aprons hanging up in the kitchen and you know what they're all the horrid barbecue variety often with something funny written on it but not really loveable.

So that's my mission to get people back to loving their aprons.

Looks like the name "utility apron" is going to stick by the way.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, hubby really, really wanted that apron so, in the end I dug up my prototypes and had him try them on.  First lesson: he wasn't that keen on tying it behind. Second lesson: he really really didn't like the zips.  So he ended up with the sugar bee crafts prototype and promptly stuffed it to the gills with mobile phone, keys, gloves, hat, tissues, torch and specs. So, there will be a fourth utility apron: the man apron.

Still need to find something to gauge a price for rental of my facilities, my first attempt at contacting an accountant ended with an automated email reply saying "busy for a month go away" which didn't really make me want to work with them.  I suspect I can do my own accountancy anyway, but I do need some way of keeping the books.  Get thee hence to the Chamber of Commerce woman!  

Upcycling or Waste Not Want Not?

In all my blurbs about my aprons I've been explaining that they are "upcycled" because I use leftover bits of fabric or clothing or whatever inspires me to make an apron of it.  You can be forgiven for thinking that that sort of thing is quite on trend and how clever of me to be so politically correct.  However, the more I delve into the wonderful world of Aprons the more I come to reallise that aprons were the original upcycled garment.

In my internet surfing I found a wonderful collection of vintage apron patterns (that I will now endeavour to not only find back but link to this) and a lot of them are explaining how to make aprons from old shirts, handkerchiefs, teatowels and old dresses.  I'll admit that I came to aprons from the other end.  Originally people needed something to protect their clothing from food spatters and looked around and used an old dress or sheet.  I was sitting in my studio surrounded by lovely vintage fabrics and wondering what to do with them since a great many of my bits of fabric were not large enough to make a whole item of clothing.

Detail from Anupama the recycled sari

Aha, maybe that's the difference between upcycling and "make do and mend" or "waste not want not".  My husband loves all this, but then, he does come from a generation where upcycling was the by word, no it wasn't, it was "waste not want not" which just falls into the lap of any hoarder like my darling hubby.  

Now I'm actually writing about it I reallise that the premise behind upcycling is to take something old, worn and unwanted and to make it into something better.  The origins of aprons would be more akin to down cycling, taking something old, worn and unwanted and using it for something less desirable than its original usage.  Aprons came after "make do and mend" had done all it could for an item of clothing, and I believe "waste not want not" was more relevant to food.  The good bits of an item could be used to make an apron and the other bits would end up as dusters, no doubt.

I think upcycling has rather the notion of decoration as well.  Plain old recycling doesn't really convey the bows I have just lovingly crafted and attached to my Racquel fur apron, which is still in the works by the way.  I suspect that the cushion I also hope to make from the unfortunate fur coat that has come my way would qualify more for the label of "recycled" so long as I don't start embellishing it. 

What is fabulous once you start looking at al these vintage aprons is the sort of effort that has gone into making these supposedly boring domestic accessories beautiful decorative objects in their own right, often with embroidery, sometimes with appliqué but they are very rarely just a bit of sheeting with ties on it.  So, really ,I suppose aprons were the original upcycled garment. 

I just can't help wondering if there isn't another term out there that would better express the personal detail and individuality that slipped into these works haha what about "unicylcing?"  now I'm just being silly.

As you can see the blog is looking less minimalist now, managed to wrestle my banner onto the top - the next challenge is to get links sorted out.  Ha!  I'm not only stuck for a photo to put up on here, but reallised that I need to pin something else to the Pinterest group board "Vintage Aprons" and that I would be well advised to photograph the aprons which originally got me so excited about Glamour Aprons. Yikes I haven't linked once to my shop, either, aha, but if I get the gadgets on blogger working then I won't need to, or will I?