Aprons for studio use are not easy to find. Oh, you can find the apron, but finding one that fits and that does the job isn’t easy. They are too short if you are tall and too narrow across the chest if you are generously proportioned.
I have short ones and long ones, and even a lapb coat. Summer is already here in Arizona, and my most effective-coverage one, the heavy denim printer’s apron, is already too hot to wear.
No matter where you buy an apron, they come with other people’s logos on them, which makes it tough if you are teaching or demo-ing for a competitor.
Last Saturday, while I was bumming around the Farmer’s Market in Las Cruces, NM, I spied . . . a studio apron. OK, it was meant as a kitchen apron, but I was enchanted. Yannick D’hooge was the designer and maker, and she was finishing a hem. What charmed me was the material–Belgium mail bags. Old, beat up canvas printed with dates and locations. It doesn’t matter if you spill ink or paint on them, they are already stained, sturdy and very cool.
There are no pockets, but that seems like something I can add. I chose one that was deliberately patched. As fan of wabi-sabi, the use, the wear, and the tough canvas folds make it charming.
No metal, so you can throw it in the washer and dryer, and it’s not overly hot. But it is very sturdy. It feels like a firehose and will wear like one. Excellent choice!
–Quinn McDonald has never owned any pink clothing. She’s glad this apron wasn’t dyed.
QuinnCreative 
So I have never worn an apron, instead I struggle along trying to avoid stains and switching to old t-shirts to paint. But I have been on this kick to make my own aprons, and yes the key is the fabric. I really like the apron you’ve photographed, just fab in every way. It will be easy to add pockets. And you could embroider your initials on the top!
I hadn’t thought of embroidery–what an excellent idea! I think I’ll do my whole first name!
We found extremely tough, well made commercial grade kitchen aprons at The Great Canadian Wholesale Store here in Edmonton. They come in white and black and have two big pockets at the bottom. They were inexpensive too. You would probably be able to find something similar at any commercial kitchen supply place. Costco?
Nowhere near a funky as the one YOU found though! I love the idea of a tough as nails mailbag converted into something this useful and fun to look at. Excellent.
My husband is a chef, and his aprons are all at the waist, because he wears white chef coats. But it’s worth looking at. I’ve never seen them at Costco, but I can look at Restaurant Depot. Meanwhile, I’m loving my tough-as-nails canvas garb!
Excellent choice indeed. I found a navy blue heavy cotton one with a pocket. I painted a design and my name on the top of the bib so it’s great at workshops.
Name on the bib is a must-have. I was thinking of doing that with a Sharpie Marker, it would last for a while and fade nicely. And this one has a patch at the top of the bib that would make it possible. Yours in heavy, dark cotton sounds just right.
love this … I need a good apron. none I find are big enough.
Have seriously considered just wearing coveralls. LOL!
That’s why I got a lab coat–it covers everything!
I’m glad to see i’m not the only one who’s fussy about aprons. I wear them in the kitchen as well as working on art. I even have one I wear sometimes while working out in the yard. it’s not that my clothes are so superfine, it’s a habit I learned growing up. It’s an old fashioned habit and I always get comments at family dinners, barbecues etc when I show up apron in hand. Not negative comments, just comments. I guess it’s just unusual these days. The apron you show in your blog today is just the kind I prefer, functional, no frills but, like you I prefer a pocket or two as well. Mostly I sew my own . I’m glad the weather is not an issue for me most of the time here in Oregon. Congratulations on a great find.
With the patches all over it, I’m not afraid I’ll mess it up. And pocket is important for a pen or a card or some other item, which inevitably ends up in the washing machine as I forget to take it out. I like aprons because the protect my clothing from paint and ink. In the kitchen, they prevent grease stains or, at this time of year, fruit stains, which are hard to get out. I have a new pair of casual pants, and apron or not, I got a dot of bright blue bleached out of on the dark olive pants. No idea how, but obviously, something bleach-y in the studio. I could have worn them to everything except teaching, but now I can’t. That means a new pair of pants, and it can get expensive. What I do right now is cover the spot with a Pitt Pen in dark olive green. Not the ideal, as it doesn’t last, but it works for what I need it for. Yes, aprons are the sign I’m busy.