Did you guess it was the apron? As soon as I saw this lovely little hand stitched apron in the charity shop I fell in love. I knew I wanted it to be seen and appreciated and I had already been pondering the idea of making another bag like my quilt bag, so the idea of integrating it into a summer tote seemed perfect.
The main body of the bag is a 1970's pillowcase and the apron has become a pocket on the front.
The ties on the apron were ideal for binding the top edge, they were already hemmed so I just folded them over the cut edge of the pillowcase and used a decorative stitch to hold it in place.
I decided to leave the apron ties at the length they were and to knot them at the back for a decorative detail.
Using off cuts from the pillowcase, I created two 'ribbons' to tie in a bow to close the top and the rest was used to make two long handles that can be tied to any length I wish (I did this with my quilt bag and really enjoy the flexibility).
I stitched the apron into place using embroidery floss and a bold pink running stitch. I wanted to keep a handmade look to the design and chose the pink to contrast with the blue of the pillowcase.
Finally I added a woven label - so I can pretend it's by a highly sort after designer! I think it finishes it off nicely and the colours are perfect - how about you?
