surprise pumpkin

Back at the start of February a pumpkin sprouted beneath my poor struggling lime tree from some compost which I put there to try to help the tree.  In time the pumpkin went quite crazy, growing in all directions, covering over our patio, and threatening to block our back door.  The wet, coolish summer wasn't conducive to pumpkin set, but by the end of the season, some fruit was appearing underneath the leaves here and there.  It was strange as I didn't notice a couple of them till they were quite big, and I would look one day and there they were.  This is an example of something I speak about in my seed theory for design, that you have to notice the unexpected things that happen and nurture them to allow them to grow into something of value.  I used the first pumpkin this week and made some soup :o)

shirty apron

I've been inspired by a skirt made from business shirts in the Japanese pattern/sewing book, "Cool Couture Remake"

I replicated the technique, with some adaptations so that I could make a stand alone apron, from the particular style and proportion of the shirt I had.  It's one of hubby's exhausted business shirts - the collars are just starting to fray on the corners of a few that he has worn day in day out for about 6 years.  As well as the proportion changing the way the shirt is cut, the design details (i.e. the back pleats into the yoke) are in different places, so need to be worked around.  Response through make, and response to material expression is required for this.