Sewn for sewing

My partner Keith likes to garden. We only have a little green space but he's always out there getting his hands dirty, and quite often his clothes too... so I decided to make him something to keep him dirt free and an item to stop him getting cold in the British weather.

To stop the dirt, I made him a garden apron. I drafted the pattern myself, as they're fairly simple pieces. The fabric I used for the apron was this wax cotton that luckily I had left over from work: it's a great material for outdoors as it's water resistant and it also repels all the soil and dirt.

Tip: because waxed cotton shows marks easily you don’t need to use pencil or chalk, you can mark cutting lines with any sharp object, even your fingernail. Your sewing machine will leave marks on the cotton, you can leave them for a rugged look, or use a hairdryer (move around, don’t hover in one spot) to soften the wax. Once the wax has softened a little you can ‘smooth’ out the marks with your fingers.

I included a pocket at the front of the apron which Keith uses to carry little garden tools.  The straps and ties were made using a peacock feather print cotton that he chose himself from my sewing scraps. I also made a little hidden pocket - the perfect size for a packet of seeds!