Apron Photo Shoot

I think it is hard to photograph my aprons. I make them for my shop and the pictures are always just "Meh..." I made 8 aprons this weekend to be sold on consignment at a store near our house (more on that later) but I thought it'd be great to photograph them for my own record in case I need some kind of portfolio later. Plus, I am really happy how these aprons turned out. They are really cute. (okay, done tooting my own horn)

So, I asked hubby if he can take some pictures for me. He thought for a while, asked for some Scotch tape and set to work.


Here are some of the pics he took.

The Cupcake Apron.


The Open Road Apron


One happy apron family.


Aren't these cute? Thanks, Hubby Master Photographer!

Shop Restocked!

Yep, I restocked my Etsy shop. Here are the ways to get there:

1) There is a link on the side of the blog that says "My Etsy Shop". Click on that
2) Type in http://langlangcreations.etsy.com/ on your browser.
3) Click on the "Etsy shop" in my opening sentence.
4) Find me on FB.

With so many different and easy (and essentially identical) ways to get there, you have no reason not to check it out, right? I have a few aprons there now but will put more stuff on soon. Here are some of the aprons there:










As you can see, the aprons are one size fits many. I'd say it will fit an 18month old all the way up to a 4 or 5 year old. They measure 15 inches wide and 17 inches long.

This was a custom order I did last week. I think I am going to put a couple of these bags in the shop as well.


This bag is deceivingly large. The girl can put her whole army of loveys plus two little tubs of playdough, a rolling pin, a pair of sunglasses and one of baby's Thomas trains in there. This is also the bag she came home with 26 Easter eggs in.

Recent Domesticity

Guess what I made?


Another version of this apron. Here is the red side.


This is the white side.


I love how feminine yet chic this design is. I picked an apple print for the tie and the trim on both sides.


I really liked how it turned out and was going to keep it for myself. A friend of mine can tell you I have a habit of getting nice things as gifts for other people and can't part with the gift. So I made myself give this one away and went and baked something in my own old apron instead.


The zucchini muffins themselves were only so so but the cream cheese frosting was so yummy. I hate making frosting and always end up buying trans-fat saturated can frosting. I will probably make this frosting more in the future.

This is what you need:
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
4 ounces cold mascarpone or low-fat cream cheese
Strips of dried mango for garnish (optional)

Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, consistency similar to that of the cream cheese. Add lemon zest and fold in cream cheese. Voila!

New Apron

I haven't made these in a while and recently made one for a birthday boy. I was stuck on what to do with the plain side for a while and I finally found something I liked - applique. What took me so long? Such a simple idea.

Here is the apron front.


The front when the girl is not moving.


The back. The apron is reversible.


I am really really really going to stock my etsy shop this time. Okay, off to make some aprons to put in the shop.

Sassy Mail

I got my sassy mail yesterday. Yeah! Remember back when I mentioned I joined the Sassy Apron Swap? I got mine in the mail today and my secret partner is Tracy. She did a lot of work by hand: embroidery and trim on the tea towel, sewing on the rick rack on the apron. She even crocheted a wash cloth for me. Thank you, Tracy.

I tried the apron on to show Brett last night and the first thing Kira said was, "mommy so pretty". Then, the second thing she said was, "Kiki's turn". Guess what the third thing she said was?

"Kiki so pretty." She even did a little dance. She pretty much wore the apron the whole night. At one point, she was wearing it as a cape. She ran around the house saying, "Kiki superman!" Sorry I have to break this to you, kid. Superheros with a cape rarely have happy endings. Watch The Incredibles and you'll understand.


Kira attempted to wash Hayden's hair. Well, the few tiny strands that were on his head.


"What? I am not that dirty."


I also sent out my box to my secret partner yesterday. Here's how I packed the box:


I had great plans for the tea towel but my machine broke as I was finishing the apron. In the end, I had to borrow a friend's machine to finish the last few touches. Can't believe my stupid machine deserted me when I needed it most. Here are a couple of pictures of me wearing the apron I sent out. Please excuse the silliness. It's like I was possessed when I wore the apron. I guess I was too excited to have finished it.

The apron is reversible. One side has the embroidery I showed back on this post on the top bodice and a monkey print on the skirt.

The theme of this swap is summer and nothing says summer to me like the beach. The other side of the apron is that Amy Butler print that I liked so much I made 3 things out of. (See this post.) I guess when I like something, I stick to it. (Aren't you lucky, Brett? :-p )

Reversible Children's Apron with Fabric Crayon Embellishment Tutorial

Yeah, my first sewing tutorial! I put this together quickly during a "Craft and Play" play date. I am so used to putting instructional material together for my high school students that when I read my first draft, I felt like I was back in the classroom. It's weird. I had prepared this as a pdf file but I don't know how to attach that as a link on Blogger. Does anyone know how to do that? In the mean time, here is a cut and paste version of it. Happy sewing.

Oh... and if you don't have time to make one, check out my shop for ones I have made for you. :-)

Reversible Children’s Apron with Fabric Crayon Embellishment

You will need:

- fabric – some polyester if you are going with the fabric crayon embellishment

- ½ to ¾ inch wide bias tape or ribbon or twill tape

- paper for sketching the pattern – I used a paper bag from the grocery store

- Crayola Fabric crayons (optional)

Step 1:

Draw the pattern on paper and cut out the pattern. Then pin the pattern on the first fabric and cut on the fold. Repeat on the second fabric.

This is what you should have:

Step 2: (optional)

Draw your design on white paper with fabric crayons.

Step 3: (optional)

Layer the fabric and paper as follows starting from the bottom:

- brown paper bag

- polyester fabric right side up

- white paper with drawing facing down

- brown paper bag

Set iron to polyester (medium heat setting) and press firmly for 1-2 min

This is what the result should look like. Remember the image on the fabric will be reversed so pay attention if you include letters or symbols in your design.

Step 4:

With right sides facing, sew along the blue line in the picture with a ¼ inch seam allowance. Notice how the sewing line breaks at the bottom for a 4-inch space to turn the piece and there are four 1-inch openings along the top, which will become the casing for the tie.

Step 5:

Turn the piece inside out using the bottom opening. Straighten everything. Iron and pay special attention to make sure the casing openings are folded neatly.

Step 6:

Topstitch all the way around the apron. Be careful not to sew the casing openings closed.

Step 7:

Create casing by sewing addition lines 1 inch from and parallel to the diagonal edges of the apron.

Step 8:

Insert bias tape/ribbon through casing as shown in picture. A safety pin can be helpful in guiding the tape/ribbon through the casing.

Step 9: (optional)

Finish the ends of the bias tape/ribbon if necessary. Sew a few stitches by hand to hold the casing openings in place. I find that the topstitching takes care of the openings and they don’t fray or pop open even after a few washings. But you can put in a few stitches if you like to make the openings extra-sturdy.

Now put the pretty apron on a kid and have him or her help you bake some cookies!