Aprons

I'm a bit behind on blogging.  It's been a bit busy up here lately what with spring planting, summer gardening, horses, farm festivals, work, and school.  That's not a complaint mind you(well, the last two might be), just an excuse for not being inside on the computer.  Another excuse, if I need one, is that the weather has been fantastic and we've spent several evenings sitting by the fire.  Campfire season is always so welcome, like greeting an old friend!

This post should wrap up the winter activities series.  This past winter was fantastic!  I got new old cross country skis and worked on that skill, built an end table that is effective if not elegant, and did several leather projects.  So far, these aprons are examples of my best work.  They started life as an 8 oz side of leather.

You can see some of the blemishes here.  It was a fun challenge to use all of the leather and incorporate the brands and marks in a pleasing way.

I cut the leather to a similar pattern, but made Adam's a little bit longer thinking he could use the length to kneel on while he works on his bikes or whatever.  Dad's is a little shorter as stained glass work doesn't require so much kneeling.

These buckles were fun to make.  I like using the rivets and grommets to give the whole thing a little bit beefier look.  Hopefully they hold up.

You can see my sketchbook here.  If I keep making these, I'll need to standardize some of the measurements and patterns to make the work go faster.  The pockets and loops could definitely be made with a standardized pattern even if the size of the apron changes a little.

These knives were the starting point for the whole apron.  I saw a short film about R Murphy Knives and was stoked to see affordable blades made in the US.  These shop knives were too cool, and I immediately saw a shop apron take shape around them.  Since I already made my apron and have a critical mass of knives, these became gifts.

The workbench.  Multifaceted and super handy!

One apron, almost done.

Attaching the hammer loop.

Thanks again to Veneta for hand delivering the finished product.