L.L.Bean + Farmer's Market + Aprons!

It's looking like clear skies and sun, sun, sun for tomorrow's opening day of the Freeport Community Market on the L.L.Bean campus. Rain was predicted earlier in the week for Friday but I had faith in the changeability of Maine's weather and lo and behold - beautiful Maine weather for us after all.

With Friday heralding the official beginning of the Memorial Day weekend and the "beginning" of summer, the town will be chock full of visitors. And what is the ultimate destination for all those Maine visitors? Why L.L.Bean, of course. And who will be waiting for them when walk by on their way to retail Mecca? Why, the Freeport Community Market members in all their glory, selling an amazing variety of goodies from instant food gratification to plants for your garden and an incredible variety of gift ideas.

We will be in attendance every Friday afternoon from 3-7. It will be rain or shine for many market members but unfortunately, not for my aprons and me. Catch me on a dry day but don't look for me in the rain.

See you there!

I found the Mother Lode! Not really, but it felt so at the time.

Not the best picture...sorry.

For those of you who have heard me mention this more than once bear with me for a minute. With the Yarmouth Clam Festival growing larger on my apron horizon, I am beginning the attempt to line up my duckies. Not in the sewing department, since I am plodding away on that constantly (or so it seems), but in general preparation. This will not be my typical farmer's market setup but something that I'll have to step up a notch with a tighter presentation and an attempt at "classy". This is something that comes easily to my daughter, Zoe, and she has a vision for how she wants to present her jewelry to the public. Me, I struggle with the basics and have a goal of presenting my aprons as efficiently and low-maintenance a way as possible.

To this end, I've made a bit of progress. Yesterday, while browsing a local flea market after Sunday breakfast at my favorite breakfast spot, I found a spiral clothing rack for sale. The vendor, one of my favorites because of her love of everything vintage, gave me a good deal and that rack came home with me. It is totally awesome, has a small footprint (very important when limited to a 10x10' space) and I should be able to hang about 50 aprons upon its descending spiral. Whaoo!

Now I want another one.....

Custom Aprons? Heck yeah!

Well, that was fun.

The Wednesday before Mother's Day I was contacted through my website (hooray!) and asked if I could make a custom apron and get it to Mississippi so her mother would have it in time to open on Mother's Day. Well sure. Why not? Once we worked out the details I headed out to my local fabric store, found the right fabric, came home and made the apron. I had it in the mail on my way to work that afternoon.

The request was for an apron that would fit a generously sized woman and made of terry cloth. The 20s Flapper Apron fit the bill and with permission granted to add pockets of patterned fabric to give it some pizazz, it turned out nicely. So nicely that she has ordered three more aprons, all made of terry but with larger pockets to accommodate gardening tools.

From past experience I knew I wouldn't find a patterned terry cloth and I was grateful that the request was for a pastel color because when I got to the fabric store the only color available was a soft pink. Period. So soft pink it was and with the contrasting pockets, it came out great. With a bit more wiggle room to make the next three aprons, I was able to order online for a wider color variety.

I remember the terry cloth of old that was printed with fun funky patterns. That was then and I suppose there is no longer a demand for exciting terry cloth so it comes in plain and plain. sigh

Thank goodness for the pockets.

Yo Momma's Aprons Strings WON - Thanks Joann Fabrics!

My local Joann Fabrics store rearranged everything - shelves, fabric, even the cash registers - making it totally unlike its prior existence with the result that loyal customers have to learn the new layout (not bad for aging brains, I'm told, so I'll stop complaining) and called it a Grand Opening. I filled out the contest form, dropped it in the slot, walked away and thought nothing more of it only to be called a week or so later and told I have won a $100 gift certificate to the store. I was one of those people who could say, "I never win anything." But no longer.

Yippee!

Couldn't ask for a better model.

Meg fell in love with  of my 50's Cover-Up aprons and decided she wanted one but out of a fabric I no longer had and doubted I could find again. My daughter, Zoe, asked if I would make the apron for Meg's birthday (Zoe and Meg are best buddies). Of course I said I would and was surprised to find the wished for fabric still being sold.

The apron was made and bestowed. It fits and looks beautiful on Meg. Wearing her apron and cooking on a vintage stove, she looks as if she stepped off the pages of a 50s advertisement, though with a wacky sense of fun that wouldn't be seen in a 50s ad.

The Cover-Up apron is the only style I make that is sized: small, medium and large.  The reason for the different sizes is because it requires an couple extra steps to get the apron on - putting it over the head and drawing each arm through the arm openings. For that reason a small apron with its smaller arm openings will not work on a larger body that needs larger openings.

Let us pause for a moment for this commercial interruption….

Holy Cripes, it's almost Mother's Day!

Have you remembered?

Did you find that perfect gift that tells her you love her?

Avoid that feeling of despair and of not knowing what to get by visiting Yo Momma's Apron Strings. An apron can be in the mail the very next day, winging its way to your mom in time for her special day.

Yo Momma's Aprons strings has many aprons in stock in a variety of styles. All that's needed is a quick communication describing a style and color preference, photos will be sent for choice and approval and the next day an apron will be in the mail. Priority or overnight shipping can get that apron where it needs to go.

Call 207 - 607-2111 or 

email apronstrings@suscom-maine.net 

for a speedy response.

And if an apron isn't your momma's cup o'tea then visit Anne Bonny's Booty and find unique and beautifully handcrafted jewelry made with semi-precious stones and sterling silver.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program. 

 

I'm getting there, slowly.

I am just beginning to recover from a debilitating fate, one which I hope no one falls victim - death of my laptop (gasp). A laptop that holds much of the information of my tech life and from which I am still recovering, literally. While I finally figured out how to migrate the old files to my new OS, many of them are no longer compatible. That means contacts, photos, music, apps (of the iPhone persuasion) and things I am sure I haven't realized yet.

But enough of that sad story. 

Today is actually a great day as it marks the first day of the Cumberland Farmer's Market. Up and at 'em, rise and shine and I'm out the door. The car is packed with all buy my aprons and I sure hope I haven't forgotten anything since my packing list for the outdoor markets is one of the files that I haven't yet figured out how to open.

I will be wearing extra layers of clothes to stay warm this nippy Maine morning and until the sun is high enough in the sky to thaw my chilled body I'll be dressed to keep out the chill. On my way to Cumberland I'll pick up one of the incredible breakfast sandwiches made at Edna and Lucy's in Pownal, which have become the highlight on my hour drive. Totally yum.

I hope to see you at market!