#pocketwin: Lagenlook Aprons

[ysabetwordsmith]

While researching something else, I stumbled across lagenlook aprons. These come in nice fabrics with big pockets, and are designed to be worn over other clothes.  They differ from kitchen aprons in that they are meant as fashion wear, not just for messy tasks; but they still add pockets for practicality.  Alas, they are also ruinously expensive; see examples from America and England.

However, aprons are among the easiest garments to make. Even if you can't sew, you could probably make one with fabric glue or ironing tape. You just take a rectangle of fabric, taper the top if you wish, put a wide strip across the bottom and make channels to divide that into pockets, then attach a neck loop or ties and waist ties.  You can actually put a lot more pockets than that, but remember weight; the more pockets you want, the heavier the fabric needs to be.  For a lightweight fashion fabric like calico, one bottom row is probably plenty.  With denim, you can trick it out like a carpenter's apron if you want to.

Here are some patterns so you can make your own tie-on pocket garment:

https://www.hgtv.com/design/make-and-celebrate/handmade/make-a-no-sew-waist-apron

https://shop.mybluprint.com/sewing/article/how-to-sew-an-apron/

https://www.threadsmagazine.com/2012/01/16/free-patterns-for-three-apron-styles

https://abeautifulmess.com/2018/01/sew-your-own-half-apron.html

https://weallsew.com/charming-pocket-apron/

https://www.allfreesewing.com/Aprons

Comments

[acelightning]

I'm a fat old woman, but I refuse to dress like an old woman. If I can find the right kind of leggings with pockets, I'll go back to my preferred outfit of leggings, tunic-length shirt of some sort - third-millennium "tunic and trews", with as many pockets as I can manage, and all in ultraviolet purple. No small prints or ruffles on me.

[peoriapeoriawhereart]

Well, there's no reason a shift can't be made in any fabric you can source and like. Those small prints came from a time when women might only get a new dress once a year and it needed to not look 'old' or at least not 'poorly maintained' for 20. We don't generally boil laundry but that was a real thing even early in the 20th century. I was just looking at some removed buttons, and their plastic shanks got exposed, perhaps via iron, to heat detrimental.

Given your description of preferred uniform, any shirt with shoulders that 'stay put' (since I have some that's not given) and has enough tail to be tunic length could get pockets whether they are patch pockets or a welted on. (Those are fussier to add, but it's a little like making a dice bag and sewing it to the wrong side of the shirt.)

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me,
And I shall spend my pension
on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals,
and say we've no money for butter.

https://barbados.org/poetry/wheniam.htm

Re: Yes ...

[acelightning]

Of course, that's one of my favorite poems, except that I don't own a red hat (I hardly ever wear hats, although I bought a silly-looking sun hat when I committed myself to going to an outdoor event two weeks ago. I also slathered myself with sunblock - I burn painfully red in five minutes or less when there's an average amount of sunshine.) And I make sure I have enough money for butter and satin sandals. And I didn't wait until I was an old woman to start dressing in purple :-)

[mama_kestrel]

>> third-millennium "tunic and trews"<<

That is exactly what my bestie wears all the time, though in silver-blue. She's a little sparrow of a woman. She has no trouble finding leggings, but tunics that don't look like she's playing dress up are another problem. So I make them for her, with double-reinforced side-seam pockets.

I haven't found a source of leggings that fit me, so I can't help there.