It’s been fun having two little girls to choose gifts for this Christmas, these are my son’s partners children and as they’re buying a house together it seems pretty permanent, so they’re my new to me granddaughters, age six and nine. I’ve made the youngest a mouse from the Luna Lapin books with a bag to match.

The eldest is into baking, so a cookery book was suggested. I found two nice ones in the bookshop in Otley and bought a couple of baking things such as a whisk and a cake tester to go with it. Having made the lovely Miss Mouse for the youngest, I wanted to make a little something to go with the cook books. An apron seemed the obvious thing.

Colour wise she’s into neutrals at the moment, not my forte, but I found a nice light grey print with hares on it. I found a free pattern on the Porcupine Patterns website for a Japanese apron, it’s one of those that crosses over at the back but doesn’t have any straps. I have one for crafty stuff and they’re very easy to wear.

I cut it out and started to sew before I realised I didn’t have enough binding for all the edges, I needed about 5m. In the end I popped into Leeds, did some Christmas shopping at the same time, and called into the haberdashers, Samuel Taylors. I didn’t really want a plain bias binding, they had a nice one which was grey with white flowers, it would have been perfect if it wasn’t so wide! In the end I bought a spotty one as it includes grey spots.

The pattern went together very easily, especially as I did away with a side seam and cut it as one piece. Having finished it I just wasn’t happy with it, the binding was too…well, dotty! It dominated the apron and just looked unbalanced with the hares. This is the back view with the curved edges.

I rummaged through my stash to see if there was anything suitable, I needed a metre, most of my quilting cottons are less than that. Finally I found one, in my seaside quilt box, it’s grey with seagulls on and little yellow flowers. I had just enough if I pieced the shoulders, this also had the advantage that it meant the seagulls were the right way up when they came over the shoulder. As it was quilting cotton, I decided to make it double sided, to give it a bit more body. I found some sandy yellow which needed a bit of fiddling to get it out, but I got there in the end.

As I was making it double sided, I stitched right round the edges, just leaving the top at the front open, I turned it through there and then stitched it up once the shoulders were in place. I top-stitched right round too. I wanted to put a pocket on and found some grey bumbleberry fabric which went well but looked a bit flat, another rummage through a layer cake of bumbleberry fabric and I found the mustardy gold one which really made it pop, I felt the whole pocket in gold was a bit much, but tried with just a top border and it worked, so I lined the pocket with the gold and stitched it to have a gold top.

I decided to add her nick-name on the front together with a little yellow flower, I used bondaweb to attach it and then blanket-stitch round the edge.

I’m pretty pleased with it, I just hope it fits her! There was only one children’s size and she’s a very slim young lady, I can always add a bit to the straps if need be. For now it just needs a good press and then wrapping up. The spare apron can be used here…I just need to make another one!