#handmadeholiday - apron

My uncle retired yesterday, after 30+ years at the same hospital.  When I asked him over Thanksgiving what he was going to do post-retirement, he said that he would love to have a second career as a line chef.  You could have knocked me over with a feather!  I love my uncle, and I know he's in love with Rachel Ray and has gotten in to cooking in the past few years, but I don't necessarily see him as a chef.  I think it's because my uncle has always sort of reminded me of John Belushi's character from Animal House: goofy and good at making silly faces.

So I made my uncle an apron for Christmas this year.  I modeled it after a standard chef's apron, though I made it about an inch larger all the way around and used a heavy cotton canvas from Jo-Ann Fabric.

The khaki fabric looked a lot more utilitarian once I got it home, so I used white stitching for contrast to brighten it up.  

I got three yards for the tie and I thought that was a little excessive, but it was just right for twice wrapping the tie around the waist.  The men in my life are not small people! 

I think the apron was a hit!  My uncle unwrapped it and immediately put it on and wore it all afternoon, through dinner and until he went home.  This made me unreasonably happy and I hope it serves him well in his new career :-)

xo