Project: Lady Artisan's Apron (Beta)

I've been completely submerged in finishing up our final show of the season, Tony Kushner's revamp of Corneille's The Illusion, which opens Saturday. This past weekend was tech, but I actually had some downtime (though i had to stay at work and be on-call) for a few hours yesterday afternoon and finished a mockup for my super-fantastic custom-designed Lady Artisan's Apron.

Any female who's worked in a lab, workshop, or kitchen can probably go on at length about how much standard-issue bib aprons for any purpose simply don't function for the female form. They are never designed to actually accommodate a bust curve so they either don't adequately protect your chest area from splashback, or you look like the broad side of a barn. Or both. While i'm not the sort of woman who feels like a fugly waste of space if i don't have a full face of makeup on and cute shoes, wearing utility aprons has always been--for reasons of their design/construction--a necessary evil. But i asked myself: why? Why not instead create a flattering apron, where form follows function follows form? Why not make myself an apron i would be happy to wear all day long, day in and day out?

So, i decided to create my ideal work-apron: a bib style with a full 5-gore skirt modeled on the Edwardian walking skirt, of which the bib is actually both princess-seamed and bust-darted so it curves AROUND the boobal area.

( instructions and photos )