Día de Los Muertos

As a maker of aprons who truly tries her best to create something just a little bit different every time, I sometimes marvel at some of my inspiration sources. There is this little cafe that I like to frequent called Wildwood Art Cafe. It is truly an Austin original; however, it is also a totally gluten-free place to eat. For people like me (Celiacs) this makes it a safe haven for a little lunch.

Wildwood is no ordinary diner-style cafe; rather, it is one third cafe, one third bake shop, one third art gallery! Yep, this place is filled with Oaxacan art. So, when you're sitting there enjoying your hibiscus tea, gluten-free sandwich and gluten-free Ding Dong, you can also take in the the unusual carvings and colorful statues. Who doesn't love a cobalt blue and fuscia armadillo staring at you while you wolf down your lunch?

Fastforward a few days following a knoshfest at Wildwood...I was in one of my favorite fabric haunts and came across this Dia de los Muertos fabric. With Oaxacan art still noodling around my gray matter, I was quick to snatch up the last bit, not exactly sure what I was going to do with it. Skulls don't exactly scream out "apron." So, I held onto the fabric for a few months...

For many Americans, the change of seasons is pretty dramatic. Beautiful autumn colors are everywhere...just not here in Central Texas. Since Texans don't have such a dramatic seasonal shift, we have to purchase our autumn. You see people putting out hay bales, pumpkins, and scarecrows that would look perfectly at home in Wisconson, but are just a bit out of place in Austin. This makes it hard for me to actually purchase autumn-themed fabric in order to follow a certain theme. It just isn't what my autumn looks like. However, as we start inching closer to Halloween, there is one theme that does resonate here in Texas: Dias de los Muertos. The above-pictured apron represents my view of the seasonal change from summer to fall; a strange theme for most places, but perfectly at home here in Texas!