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APRON OF HOLDING

APRON OF HOLDING
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Everyone has a Bag of Holding these days, but no one has an Apron of Holding. With its multiple ridged pockets always held open to receive, its various soft pockets to hold things close and a glowing natural 20 die to save you in the event of a spring cleaning avalanche; truly this is the batman utility belt of cleaning.

Before reading on, remember to rate me at the end, it lets me know how I'm doing.  And, comments are always welcome and appreciated.  As and artist and maker, its how we learn to grow and broaden our horizons.  If this gets featured in a contest, a vote would be nice too, but that's secondary to the instructable itself.

Ok, a little back history for you non Dungeon & Dragon aficionados. The Bag of Holding was a magical device which enabled you to carry large amounts of treasure in a small bag and it always weighed the same regardless of how much you stuffed in it. Depending on how hard core of a player you were, certain rules were imposed. You couldn’t stuff an infinite amount of items in it, biological tissue placed within it would die after a short amount of time, and often items place within it would become disorganized as you rifled through it. The Apron of Holding may not carry an infinite amount of supplies either, but it does hold them organized for easy retrieval. In addition, the waist belt is actually designed to ride on the hips, dispersing the weight like a back pack rather then it all hanging from the back of your neck. As a result, it feels lighter than it actually is.

Swiss Army Apron
The 4 large pockets on the bottom are held open by a continuous ridged stainless steel tig wire running along the top edge. This allows the pockets to be held open to receive bottles or tools easily. The soft pockets above those are deep enough and varied in size to receive a variety of tools and gadgets. The largest pocket has a snap flap, to keep things securely in place. The 2 D-rings on the side of the belt are great for clipping on a variety of items. The paper towel dispenser outlined later clips on perfectly or for the green approach, simply thread through on some cleaning rags. With snap clips, a feather duster can dangle at the ready, along with whatever else you might need. P.S. The “Swiss Army Apron” was actually my first thought, it was going to be red with white cross symbol, but as I am a dreaded GINGER, it just wouldn’t go with my hair! Sometimes style trumps function after all, lol

Adaptability
Now the Apron of holding doesn’t have to be just used for spring cleaning, it doubles as a great tool apron. The open pockets are like those found on carpenter belts, being made out of heavy weight twill it can take the pounding. How-ever the pockets should be reinforced. The “KEEP-IT-SIMPLE-STUPID”, method to this is to simply cut down a 1 liter yogurt/sour cream container and slip them one into each pocket. Not only will the pockets be now bullet proof to nail or what not, but in theory you could slip out the whole container when swapping items and not have your fingers poked – WIN WIN!

I took it a dinner at a friend’s house and sure enough by the end of the night it was being worn by everyone. Its use was a little more diabolical though, it made a great roving bartender outfit. Bottles of booze and mix were easily held with the hip support belts, and the upper pockets held swizzle sticks and shot glasses.

What other uses could you use it for? Lego belt maybe, mechanics apron, multi-BBQ sauce holding apron perhaps… the list of uses is endless. I have all ready used it while de-soldering a circuit board in the field. The individual pockets allowed for quick sorting of parts coming off the board. Quite handy really.

Check out step #20 for the fun photo shoot, more pics to be added daily as others get in on the fun!

New - video added - Watch Chancey the robo-fish mechanic in action, with a helping hand from the APRON OF HOLDING


 
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Step 1Supplies & Tools

Supplies & Tools
Supplies
  • Material - your choice really, but something like a mid-weight twill
  • Thread
  • Stiff but bendable wire or rod
  • Snap buttons
  • Little Brass name plate
  • about 16" of thin air-craft cable
  • 2-4 swagelocks
  • A yogurt lid, or other thin light soft plastic disk
  • 1 stainless steel bolt with 2 washers and 2 nuts - my bolt was 8mm by 30mm
  • Paper to print on your label

Tools
  • A sewing machine or a needle if by hand - ugh
  • Scissors
  • Big work surface
  • Pliers
  • Wire cutters
  • Stuff to measure with and draw straight lines, curved ones too actually
  • Computer  and the means to print something, perhaps you could go old school and use your hand
  • Drill and suitable drill bit
  • Hammer
  • For the Apron:
  • Material – your choice really, but something like a mid to heavy weight twill or jean
  • Thread
  • Stiff but bendable wire or rod, I used stainless steel TIG rod
  • Snap buttons
  • Brass name plate
  • Paper to print your label on, in addition something to laminate it with – can be as simple as clear packing tape.
  • For the paper towel holder:
  • 16” of thin aircraft cable with 2-4 swag locks
  • 1 yogurt lid, or other thin soft plastic disk
  • 1 stainless steel bolt with 2 washers and 2 nuts – my bolt was 8mm by 30mm
  • Recipes
  • Borax
  • White vinegar
  • Castile soap, Murphy’s oil soap works but is my second choice
  • Essential oil and/or scent – used lavender oil, pure Mexican vanilla & Palo Santo wood packed in 90% alcohol
  • Water
  • 4 spray bottles
  • Steam Iron
  • Sewing machine, scissors, needles, pins, measuring tape and/or ruler
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26 comments
May 10, 2011. 4:20 PMsupersoftdrink says:
Awesome instructable! This makes me wish there was a button to click to vote early for contests that aren't yet closed (or at least to send an email reminder to vote). I definitely don't want to forget to vote for this one!
Jan 10, 2012. 11:54 AMdomesticdiva says:
That.was.awesome! I don't know whether to laugh hysterically at myself or not for not only getting the bag of holding reference right away, but not even pausing to think about it. (or about why a 20 sider would be handy)...here's to Geekdom! (I'm a non gaming geek, married to a gaming geek, and have picked up waaaaay too much by osmosis LOL). Seriously great project, though- can't wait to make one- JUST the thing I've been looking for! You rock!
Oct 17, 2011. 5:25 AMLorddrake says:
Heward would be so proud. :D
May 20, 2011. 2:33 PMCeiling cat says:
I love the reference! It made me laugh! I was like "Ha ha! That's funny. Wait! Is that a D&D reference?!" Cheers to my fellow nerd! Live long and prosper! You win an internet!
May 20, 2011. 2:35 PMCeiling cat says:
P.S. I've always wanted a bag of holding. Even before I knew what it was. :D
May 13, 2011. 6:44 PMlokiwoman says:
Love it!!!!!
May 13, 2011. 5:19 AMcbg3868 says:
What a tool belt. I can see it modified for several of my hobbies. These include detailing my Limited Edition 1997 Ford Thunderbird and Stained Glass Artist. You have done a great job. Thanks for the ideas. I will probably not carry quite as much in my apron but I do plan to start on my plans.

By the way, your family is very lucky.
May 12, 2011. 11:57 PMdummy1977 says:
W.I.F.E. 3.0

::duck::
May 12, 2011. 11:27 AMmc_ryan says:
First of all, awesome job. Second, I am excitedly refreshed at the use of D&D terminology. ;)
May 12, 2011. 7:26 AMgijoebob says:
Very cool project! Very well written and documented. I love the cute and campy photos.
May 12, 2011. 9:17 AMstrongmom11 says:
I love this! The buckles are ingenius. In order to simplify the sewing, what about using hammer loops of elastic that would exactly hold an empty yogurt container? Or, for greater stability, two strips of fabric in a T, just joined at the three ends ? Those pockets look like they were a real PITA and I know I would skip them myself.
May 12, 2011. 9:37 AMrodolphe says:
Awesome! This is exactly the sort of thing I need when I'm cleaning, moving, makin' stuff etc… And I happen to have some extra fabric handy.
May 12, 2011. 11:22 AMnmdispatchlady says:
When pinning your curve seam if you will put your pins the other way with the head in the center of the curve makes it easier to pin and to sew. Not critisizing but just something I've learned by trial and error over the years.

Also great apron and will definately be making a few of these, was just thinking about one like this yesterday.
May 9, 2011. 2:04 PMflyingpuppy says:
Well-conceived, and well-written. Will have to make one of these for my gardener sister.
May 8, 2011. 7:15 PMRonyon says:
I'm an Industrial electrician-your ridged pockets would be just the thing for materials.Well done.
May 8, 2011. 2:34 PMrimar2000 says:
Thanks for sharing, this is very useful!
May 8, 2011. 1:28 PMChrysN says:
Cool, I love the paper towel dispenser, very handy!

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Author:iminthebathroom
"nanos gigantium humeris insidentes" I have many jobs, but what I do is create. Creating keeps one sane, in a world bent on destroying. See some of my work here and as always accepting orders for cu...
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