The oilcloth is something I bought for another project – those of you who have been with me long may remember the oilcloth backpack, which is still Ronja’s preferred bag for her gym class. I got the fabric long ago from Stof&Stil, but it’s over a year ago, so I don’t think you will find it there anymore. I used Amy Butler dots for the straps – I never seem to stop turning to that fabric, it just adds a great touch to almost anything.

I was looking for a nice apron tutorial online, and I found this one (pdf) on Sew Liberated. Her blog is amazing, she has made some gorgeous patterns, and I wantwantwant her book, so do take a look over there if you’re in the market for inspiration.

Anyway, her apron pattern wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, I only wanted to use one layer of fabric due to the sturdy quality of the oilcloth, so I couldn’t sew straps and ties in between two layers. Also, even though I like the idea that a child can close the apron herself, I think that a proper tie is best for an apron that I want Frida to use for a long time – it is more adjustable that way. I ended up using her pattern as a guide line, but widening the apron a bit and shortening it as well, since Frida is younger. I trimmed the apron and the pocket with bias tape. For the neck strap, I followed her directions exactly, and it works perfectly. I could have made it a bit shorter, but again, it isn’t crucial, and this apron will last for a long time.

And as for the little painter, she loved the apron the moment she saw it. I wanted to put up a picture of her where you could see the entire apron, but I wasn’t able to drive her away from the painting, so I guess that proves a point as well…

We are so enjoying our Easter break here. It totally popped up at the right time! Yesterday, the first day off, was a day of painting Easter eggs and spending time in the garden. The weather is awesome, and for a few days now, Frida has been almost completely back to being the happy girl we had before her surgery, and it’s just a joy to see. She manages the arm splints brilliantly, and does just about everything she normally does – they really don’t seem to bother her much during the day. They only mess up her sleep a bit, but still, everything is so much better now, and we can only be happy about the way she’s coming round.

Ronja and I painted Easter eggs yesterday. Mads and I blew out the eggs, washed them, and left them to dry – and Ronja just couldn’t wait to get started with the paint! So check it out – before:

During:

And after:

We had a lot of fun, and Ronja was actually a more patient painter, than I would have expected. I love the eggs she made! Afterwards we fetched some branches from the garden to for them to hang on, and I added some of the Easter stuff I have already.

We spent the afternoon outside – we still have to keep Frida from colds, but the weather was really warm and not too windy, and she absolutely loves being in the garden – as does Ronja!

I haven’t been getting around to do any sewing since I made nightgowns for the girls, but yesterday evening, shile Mads was playing with his motorcycle in the garage, I got around to cutting the fabric for a tunic – for me, myself, MOI! Yep, that’s right – it’s kind of a test drive really. The fabric for it comes from my stash, and I really want to check if the pattern is good, before I move on to possibly purchasing fabric for the next version of it. I hope I’ll be able to do some sewing tomorrow.