The 3/4 yard apron
A few days ago I pictured this pretty ½ yard of fabric. I really wanted an apron out of it and you can see why…
Well I cleared off my catch-all…I mean cutting table and laid out my fabric, and came up with a simple design. I has no gathers, curves but only took 1/2 yard of the main fabric and 1/4 yard of the contrast. I pulled the contrast from my stash so it was very cheap to make. I'm talking $3, is all I spent, that is hard to beat for a full apron.
To make your own you will need: 1/2 yard of the main fabric you want to show and 1/4 yard of a contrasting fabric ( if you plan on pre-washing I suggest getting 1/3 of a yard to allow for any shrinkage).
1. Press your fabrics so you don't have that funky crease where it was rolled on the bolt at the fabric store.
2. Take your contrast fabric and cut 3 strips 2 1/2" x WOF (WOF= width of fabric) Note Measurement based on 44" wide fabric.
3.Making the neck strap and ties.
For the waist tie take 2 of your strips that you cut 2.5”x WOF cut one in half so you have 2 pieces that are half the WOF long (about 22” or so). Using 1/4" seams, sew each piece to the ends of the full WOF piece. Press your seams open. Then take and fold in half the length of the piece wrong sides together. You can pin this or just make sure your edges are even as you sew it again using 1/4" seams.
Sorry it is hard to see the seam in the pictures.
Now for the fun part…In order to have both ends finished when you turn it you have to start in the middle somewhere, it doesn’t really matter because once we turn it right side out and press our seam allowance to the inside you will never notice and neither will anyone else for that matter. I have taken pictures along the way to help with this process.
Now turn your tie so the right sides are out and you will end up with something looking like this.
Now carefully press the raw edges to the inside about 1/4"
Then carefully press the entire piece so that the seam is at one edge and make it all flat and pretty like this. See you can't even tell that there is an opening along that strap.
For the neck strap, you can do it one of 2 ways. The first way you can take you last strip of 2 1/2" wide contrast and fold it right sides together and just sew all the way around raw edges including the ends and then cut it in half and then turn. Or you can cut it in half to begin with and then sew the raw edge leaving one end open. Then turn and press as above.
There now you have straps, you can go tie up your hubby now, oh wait, we need those to finish the rest of the apron.
4. Take your 18"x44" piece of main fabric and cut one rectangle 18" x 24" (slightly larger than a fat quarter, but you could use a fat quarter if you wanted to. Hmmm now I might need to make another apron...
Now take that piece to your ironing board and turn all your raw edges over 1/4" and press and then repeat so you have no raw edges showing. Take and top stitch all the way around that piece about 1/8" from the edge. You will end up with something that looks like this on the wrong side of your fabric.
There now you have straps, you can go tie up your hubby now, oh wait, we need those to finish the rest of the apron.
4. Take your 18"x44" piece of main fabric and cut one rectangle 18" x 24" (slightly larger than a fat quarter, but you could use a fat quarter if you wanted to. Hmmm now I might need to make another apron...
Now take that piece to your ironing board and turn all your raw edges over 1/4" and press and then repeat so you have no raw edges showing. Take and top stitch all the way around that piece about 1/8" from the edge. You will end up with something that looks like this on the wrong side of your fabric.
I now have a rectangle 11"x14". I folded that in half length wise and measured 10" and placed my cutting guide at one edge and the other end at the full width. and cut off the excess fabric.
From the top it will look like this.
Now starting at the edge of your apron piece stitich 1/8" all the way around the ends of your ties and back. The fabric on the apron part will be thick so make sure you have a heavy duty needle and go slow so you don't break or bend it. Sometimes I forget that I put a light duty needle in my machine and have little mishaps.
6. Neck ties.
for the neck ties, I top stitched them before attaching them. Sew 1/8" around the outside of them, you don't have to do the raw edge, it will be hidden.
Now take the raw edge of the one of the neck ties and butt it up against the finished edge of the top part of the apron that goes across the chest. Stitch the tie down.
Now fold it up and stitch across the bottom edge and then near the top edge of the apron so it doesn't rip off.
Once your neck ties are sewed on you can try it on.
Sorry for the cell phone picture in the bathroom mirror, my camera battery died.
Now you are done, unless you want pockets and have more scraps in your stash that match your project.
I like pockets so that brings us to step 7.
7. Pockets.
Cut 2 rectangles 8" x 7" fold the top edge under 1/4" and then fold it down again 1". Fold your sides over 1/4". Now top stitch the top of your pocket about 7/8" from the top edge, You want to catch the 1/4" you originally folded over to hide the raw edge.
Now take your pockets and your apron and find where you want to place them. You can measure and make the nice 'squared up' and evenly spaced from the sides or you can get a little funky and just place them randomly and at a slight angle.
Stitch the bottom edge of the pockets to the apron then fold up so the right side is showing and press. Now top stitch the 3 sides of the pocket leaving the top open.
Enjoy your apron. I had fun making mine and will be glad have less grease splatters and food stains on my clothes from my kitchen adventures.
