shop talk

the crew at fibre space got some new aprons courtesy of this chickadee! check 'em out:

i'm sticking to the union

the chickadee craft apron has been retooled and refashioned to be fit for work in a retail environment. a few posts back you saw my own personal shop apron. it is the same basic design as the craft apron with longer pockets and squared off corners. perfect for a day stocking shelves, saving dropped stitches, showing off yarns and helping customers amass a stash.

karen, a fellow fiber arts worker, visited the store a couple of weeks ago and agreed. she fell in love with the fabric and the function and ordered her very own shop apron. here's hoping that the chickadee shop apron is adopted as the official uniform for united yarn workers of the universe!

tying one on at work

a new apron to wear around the shop! same old style as the craft apron with a little updating so that it can better perform its function. still backed with denim for sturdiness but now sporting a contrasting fabric front. and a little length added to the pockets to accommodate the tools of the trade like pens, calculators, scissors, measuring tape, crochet hooks, etc...yarn shop employee essentials. made in a cute retro print with bright colors to match the vibe of the store. she fits right in.

hostess with the mostess

here's a charming kitchen set, sure to please any happy hostess. a cafe apron with contrasting sash and side pockets is accompanied by a pair of reversible quilted potholders. this set was sewn by special request but you can easily have your own by creating a custom order from chickadee central. we're always happy to oblige...

welcome to the dollhouse

here's a special order cut from some super cute fabric:

the chickadee cafe apron seems to be catching on. it is a wrap-around style with plenty of pocket options. this time is it made from a single fabric instead of two contrasting ones. although this version isn't reversible, it is still lined so no seams are exposed.

kiddie city

some more to show from santa's sack of special orders! here is a twin set of child-sized craft aprons. their deep pockets are perfect stash spots for crayons, markers, paint brushes and other tools of the trade for aspiring artists. a mini version of the adult, they measure 13" x 10". most importantly, they are 100% washable!

christmas in january continued...

as promised, here are a couple of cafe aprons made to match the potholders. they are fully reversible and feature a sectioned center pocket on one side. flipped around, you have two slip pockets on the hip. choose the one that suits your style or your entree. either way you have extra long ties to wrap around twice or to make one big bow in the back.

five alive

five fancy new kangaroo/joey aprons have hopped into the line-up for this weekend's shop and stroll! come by and check them out. they'll be appearing with the entire chickadee menagerie, performing from 10am-3pm saturday...snow or shine!

cut the craft apron!

someone around here cut out quite a few. and they are fired up and ready to hit the road heading north to philly for this weekend's cut the craft. accompanying them will be the usual chickadee menagerie and a handful of hopeful pledges all wanting to win a coveted spot in the line-up. along with the new wreaths, there's a brand new batch of half aprons made especially for this show and its theme of sustainability.

made with lovingly upcycled and repurposed threads, they offer a generous wrap-around and a cute little pocket to keep things on hand. sizes vary with the amount material available. time was short for photo snapping so these shots will have to do for now:

"there were green alligators and long necked geese...

...hump backed camels and chimpanzees
cats and rats and elephants but sure as you're born
the loveliest of all was the unicorn."

that's a song remembered from my childhood. this is what brought it back to mind:

instead of the standard hip pocket, the lovely lavender unicorn has deep slip pockets. perfect for stashing fairy tale talismans, magic wands and unicorn treats.

this is a perfect time to plug tina seamonster's plaintive plea:

photo via tina seamonster's etsy shop

really people...stop it already.

pretty little patchwork

ain't she sweet?

making it work

modifications to the latest chickadee line-up member are now being made. here's a look at the new *new* version, with a lower neckline and a lining. hope you like what you see, because there are more on their way!

sunny day smock

here at chickadee central, preparations are underway for the next show. cut the craft is creeping up on us pretty quickly and will be here in less than two weeks! since there is an emphasis on sustainability, there will be some new additions to the line-up made out of old materials. here's the very first step towards one of them:

this sweet little smock is a shrunken down version of a popular full length apron pattern. it is constructed with repurposed cottons and, in this incarnation, is fully reversible. the cross back construction allows it to grow and adapt to different bodies, but sizes might become available in the future. for now, it is back to the cutting room to make some alterations and to sew up some more.

custom crafted for the kidies

it's the craft apron's mini me!

a pint-sized approximation of the original with generous pockets that will hold everything from markers and crayons to playground treasures and trinkets. this backs up the point proposed yesterday; if you want something done, place a custom order! even it if isn't on the usual menu, there's no telling what can get cooked up in this chickadee's crafty kitchen.

we put the adult sized apron in the wonka shrinking machine and out popped this approximation of the original. same cotton and denim construction, different proportions. the sides shrunk down to 13" from 20" but the pocket depth remained the same at 10". and coordinating bias tape was used to trim the pockets instead of doubling up on the denim. this makes it a little lighter and less bulky than the bigger one.

smock it to me

here's a project completed with the help of sharpie style pattern preservation. a lovely little smock that any 80's elementary art teacher would be proud to wear. there's plenty of protection from finger paint and pockets for macaroni, crayons and chalk. all from a lovely little thrifted pattern that will now stand the test of time.

oh me! oh my! oh meaghan!

here's a detail of the crafty vendor apron whipped up for the wonderful meaghan of oh ginger. her fantastic felted creations (and more!) were on (totally cute as always) display at pride this weekend along with the other talented makers of dc's own queer crafter collective. if you missed out on the celebration, you can still catch up with the qcc on their blog which has links to all of their etsy shops as well.

quick pics

a new batch of kangaroo/joey aprons are hopping in to the craft caravan bound for the hand made mart. here are some hasty pictures:

forever in (blue)jean(s)

money talks, but it don't sing and dance and it don't walk. but it will buy you a lovely little craft apron at the hand made mart on sunday.