Why "Daydreaming Escape..."?
The answer is so simple...Life in general is filled with ups and downs, good and bad, sad and happy moments, situations and circumstances...Because of all that...Don't we ALL need an escape...a DAYDREAM ESCAPE?!! I create this Blog for all of us who need to escape in a dream once in a while...I want this to be about beautiful softness, romance and relaxation. Of course...a little bit of humour too!!! Enjoy!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

A rendez-vous with Julia...The woman behind "My Grandmother's Apron"

Bonjour dear readers! 
Today we are meeting Julia...A fantastic woman with true inspiration!
Escape yourself in this interview and find the real passion behind 
"My Grandmother's Apron"...


Tell us a bit about yourself and your work. How did it all start?
 I am an Englishwoman who emigrated to Canada in 2006 and I’ve just recently become a Canadian Citizen.  That’s been a very moving and personal event in my life.
 The aprons started a couple of years ago – I’ve always made myself aprons for use at home – my Grandmother was the ultimate in being a home maker and I always remember her in an apron.  And when girlfriends saw my aprons they seemed very much to like them, so originally I started making them as gifts.  I’ve always liked having unique things for travelling, particularly, and I just love all and any fabrics, so then I made myself shoe bags, and the big roomy tote bags for my go-to bag on the plane.  So it all started from there really and then I thought if people like these things, just maybe they might actually BUY them from me.  Now I’ve sent aprons all over the world – to AustraliaNew Zealand, theUSGermany, the UK – it’s great fun knowing that something I’ve made is being useful so far away as Australia. 

Who or what inspires you?
My Grandmother is a huge inspiration in my life – she was always a “yes” person – she’d always have time for people and was so genuinely interested in what made them tick. That’s the emotional inspiration, but the physical inspiration is my love of fabric – I have a large cupboard full of neatly folded fabric and just opening the door is like looking into a little Aladdin’s cave – I just see something pop out as an idea – one particular fabric for shoe bags, or another for a tote bag, or another one for a passport cover.  I have the most wonderful purple fabric bag set for my laptop computer – a laptop case, a little ribbon drawstring one for the charger and then a tote to carry it all around in.  I’ve also just started making what I call “PortaPillows” for travelling – they’re small feather-filled cushions to take on the plane with you or anywhere you need a little cushion – in the car or out to dinner if you have a bad back – the uses for these little ones are endless.  But ultimately it’s the fabrics that seem to tell me where they’re going to end up!

What do you love most of what you do?
 It’s the fundamental thing of making something that’s pretty and useful both for other people and myself.  I can’t really think of anything much more enjoyable than making something.  It’s amazing watching it happen - you take a little flat piece of fabric and a bit of wadding and then a little bit of webbing strap and you make a bag with it!  You can carry things around in something you’ve made.  It’s still a huge kick for me to take a favourite tote on the plane with me, and get my passport out of its cover, relax with my PortaPillow and know I can while away a little time with a book or easily find my DS in the carry-on tote because I know what its case looks like.  Travelling is so much more easily organised and things stay cleaner and neater and the fabrics are just so pretty I love looking at them.


You can see more of Julia's wonderful creation here:  www.mygrandmothersapron.etsy.com
  Read more about Julia's wonderful grandmother here: The Crafty Housewives