Want to be the Wonder Woman of the kitchen and the party?
Tie on an apron and transform into your alter ego.
Superheroes. Starlets. Harry Potter. Doctor Who. The Hulk. Star Wars.
It’s pop culture gone kitchen cosplay.
The double-skirted aprons are the creation of Oregon seamstress Amber Burns, 37, who sells them on etsy.com under the trade name BellaLise Designs.
The $80 aprons are also sold at BobaKhan Toys &Collectibles in Everett.
“They’re great for geeky moms who want to have a great apron to wear,” said BobaKhan co-owner Leslie Spraggins. “Or anyone who wants to have a quick dress-up idea. They’re great for young ladies because they wrap all the way around. And they fit us women who are a little more Rubenesque in stature. They work on every size.”
She got the “Phantom of the Opera” apron for her mom. Her store carries about a dozen different aprons and can order others. “I sold six of the Wonder Womans in one week,” she said.
Spraggins praised the details that include embroidery, emblems and pockets: “It’s handmade awesomeness.”
Burns, a mother of four kids ages to 7 to 17, started sewing in 2009 as a form of artistic expression.
“I’d never sewed a day in my life before then,” Burns said.
She enlisted her mother-in-law, an avid quilter, to teach her. “She’s my assistant now.”
Burns started out doing basic totes and bags, which she sold at marketplaces. “I got asked one day to do a military bag out of a military uniform,” she said. “My bags have been all over the world.”
The aprons are now soaring all over the planet, too.
Burns devised the cosplay aprons for events such as Comic-Con. “It’s an alternative to a very hot costume to wear.”
She draws sketches to use as apron patterns.
“It’s a lot of work,” Burns said. “I’m married to a comic book freak. I do research to make sure it is true to the character.”
Spraggins learned of the aprons from a customer. “We had a lady who came in for our costume contest and I said ‘Oh, my God. That is awesome. Where did you get that?’”
It’s not just for women. Men can become The Punisher in aprons depicting the Marvel Comics antihero or their favorite droid.
Have no fear of flying grease or menacing meatballs.
To destroy grime and unsavory elements, simply toss the apron in the washing machine.
Andrea Brown at 425-339-3443; abrown@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @reporterbrown.
Find one
BellaLise Designs: www.bellalise.weebly.com.
BobaKahn Toys 500 SE Everett Mall Way, Everett; 425-258-3582; www.bobakhan.com.
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