A commission

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with commissions. I am always thrilled and flattered to be asked to make something specific but then spend the whole time I'm making it convincing myself it is going to be awful.

 

 

I have imagined conversations where the recipient points out everything that is wrong with the offending item... which of course never happens (I don't think anyone would be quite that rude)... but it is stressful all the same. But then once in a while I get a commission that is fun from start to finish. Our friend Janet wanted me to make an apron for her husband's birthday. The brief was that it was to have a list of words that when placed in a certain order would spell out his name vertically.

 

We talked through the options together and decided that highlighting the name as Scrabble letters would make them stand out. Before anyone points it out (it was the first thing one of my sons said) the letters do not form a crossword. That would have been too clever, as we had enough of a challenge to find suitable words that made a pleasing arrangement and balance of letters.

 

I loved fiddling around with the spacing and the colours and although it took forever, sewing in all those ends and making it neat on the reverse, it was a real pleasure.

 

I got my in house model to try it on for size before handing it over... his name is not Pete!

 

And then yesterday Janet sent us a photo of Pete trying on his new apron on his birthday.

 

I think part of the pleasure was making something for a special friend... and knowing it would be appreciated. It looks good on you Pete!