Didn’t Know An Eyelet From A Hole In The Grommet

And to think, an hour ago I didn’t know an eyelet from a hole in the grommet.  

Yesterday I took a pile of canvas bags that I bought at the thrift shop…

Chopped them up and (though you can’t tell and it felt sort of pointless) ironed the bejeebers out of them.

I used the pattern from this book as a general guide

and made an apron.

Here are some extraneous close ups

Because I like extraneous close ups.

I got stuck for a bit at the ties because I knew what I wanted but I had never successfully made eyelets before.  My business partner and I have spent a fair amount of time figuring the ins and outs of good apron ties.  They can’t just go around your neck – that pulls and is uncomfortable- they need to cross in back.  

Eyelets are not hard, it turns out.  They are hard if you just grab some and start hammering them without knowing what you’re doing.  That’s the technique I’ve been using for years.  

Today I checked youtube and learned that there’s an actual technique and that I already owned all the right tools.  How did we ever know things before the internet?

So…BOOM…apron.  I think next time I’d round the edges at the bottom.  I do plan on making more.  This is just a practice apron.  I have some other apron ideas:  I’d like to try a patchwork of canvas bags and also of denim and then make one out of linen …

I’ve spared you the NINE shots of just my butt as tried to guess the right photo taking angle.  

I really only wanted to get a picture of the ties.  

Also, I found this when I was out shopping and put it right up on the Etsy shop.  How cute it that?

It’s totally cute but I think someone else should use it to make stuff or to watch or for some other purpose.  I’ve got a pretty good eye for finding tidbits, though.  Just not an idea of what to do with every kind of tidbit I find.  They do tend to pile up sometimes.