Reversible Apron Tutorial

I hope this tutorial won't be too confusing, because this really is a very EASY apron to make. I think anyone can make one in a day. I made 2 today, and I'm sure I could have made a 3rd if I'd had the inclination....or if I didn't have 4 kids;) I'm going to add a LOT of pictures, and some of them are from different aprons I made, so don't let all the different materials confuse you. Here's the first apron I made.

As you can see, it is 2 different fabrics, exactly opposite patterns on each side. You will need 2 coordinating fabrics - I can get 1 adult size apron out of 1 yard of each material. Here are the pieces you will need to cut.

I actually make my waist straps 32" long instead of 22", because I like to wrap it around myself and tie it in the front.

For a child size apron - 4 1/2" along top (instead of 5), 11" along bottom (instead of 15), 23" full length (instead o f 26") and 15 1/2" length from waist down (instead of 16 1/2"), waist straps are 20" long and neck strap is 21" long, pocket is 12" by 7" (I think - see if it looks good;) ). This size fits my 10 year old very well, but would not fit a toddler or young child.

Now you can start cutting. If you make yourself a template of the main apron piece, out of newspaper or tissue paper or whatever, then it'll make it a lot easier if you want to make multiple aprons (like for Christmas presents or something). Make sure you're cutting your main apron piece on the fold of fabric! Cut one main apron piece out of each fabric. Also, at our sewing group we used Kimberly's cutting machine to make the 1 1/2" strips - that was nice:) Cut 2 waist straps from each fabric (4 total), and 1 neck strap from each fabric (2 total). Cut 1 pocket from each fabric, unless you're doing 2 small pockets - then you'll need 2 from each fabric (4 total). As you can see on my first apron, you can do applique on the chest of the apron, so if you want to do that, cut those out too. Now you have all your pieces.

First sew on the pocket. For the regular rectangle pocket, iron down all side 1/2", then sew 1/4" stitch along the top of the pocket.

Turn pocket over and sew onto apron, 1/8" or 1/4" down one side, along the bottom, and up the other side. You can sew a line down the center of the pocket to creat 2 pockets.

If you are doing applique, now is the time. The first apron I did had a really cute apple and pear print, so I just cut out some of those.

I did a zig-zag stitch on these, but you can also use your button-hole stitch if you have a cheap sewing machine like mine, and you can't get a tight zig-zag stitch.

Next, straps. These are 2-sided straps, and that is why you needed 4 pieces instead of just 2. Put the straps right sides together.

Sew 1/4" seam down both sides, creating a tube, leaving the ends open so you can pull it right-side-out again.

Once you've pulled the right sides out (I always use a safety pin), iron the straps flat, and finish one end of each waist strap by tucking it into itself 1/2" and stitching it however you like.

I also made an apron that had 3 materials instead of two....

The straps on this one are just one material instead of two, so if you wanted to make straps like that instead, here is how. The strap is still the same length, but it needs to be 4" wide. First finish one end of each waist strap by folding it down 1/2" and stitching. Then fold the strap in half lengthwise and iron to make a crease, and then fold the edges into that middle crease and iron, like this

Then fold together

And sew about 1/8" seam down both sides of the strap

Okay, now you are ready to put it all together. Lay down one side of your apron

And put the other side on top, right side's facing together.

Remember, you've got to put your straps in. Line up the unfinished edges of the straps with the edges of the apron, a little more than 1/2" from the corners, to allow for a 1/2" seam allowance.

If you have straps with 2 fabrics, make sure that the fabrics on the straps are facing the opposite fabrics on the apron.

Now sew 1/2" along the whole outer edge of the apron, except for a pocket you will leave along the bottom, so you can pull the apron right-side-out.

Before you pull it right-side-out, snip the corners to remove bulk.

After you turn it right-side-out, iron all the seams. Here's your opening at the bottom.

Turn it under 1/2"

and iron flat

Now you are going to top stitch the whole apron 1/8"-1/4". This will close up the opening you left at the bottom....

And reinforce your straps

Here's another one I made with 2 pockets instead of 1.

And here's one I made for my daughter

I had 2 long pieces of fabric that I couldn't quite fit the whole apron piece on, so I cut the bottom and top parts of the apron out separately, and then stitched them together on opposite sides. I also had to piece together the straps, but I really like the way that it turned out, and there was NOT material wasted:) My other daughter wants one too, and I think I might try a ruffle along the bottom or something. The basic pattern for this is very easy, but you can tweek it in all kinds of ways - just use your imagination. Happy sewing everyone, and I hope you will add your own pictures of the aprons you make.

Skir-Ta Da!

I ended up making 2 skirts for this dare. I think I made the first one (which was very simple) just to see if I could make a skirt that I would actually wear. The only other skirt I've ever made for myself was in college, and I never wore it, ever. I used this pattern

And I had some left-over material from skirts that my daughter Cora made last year for herself and her little sister.

And I ended up with this.

I made it slightly too big, and I made one mistake on the ribbon.

But overall I think it's fine for a skirt this summer.

With the next skirt I wanted to challenge myself a bit more, and I had some fabric that had actually inspired me (I'm pretty sure that made a big difference!). I used this pattern.

And here was my finished product.

I am very, very happy with this skirt, but I did make a few mistakes. This was the first time I'd done piping, and it's a little uneven (thicker in some places, thinner in others).

I also accidently made a tuck here, and was too lazy to fix it.

I'd like the skirt to be a little longer, so I'm going to try and replicate the yoke along the bottom of the skirt. I think that will add the perfect amount of length, and hopefully it won't ruin the overall effect. I learned how I can change the side seams just slightly to make the yoke fit better in front, and then this will be the perfect fitted skirt pattern for my body:) I wanted to make a fitted skirt out of this material because I wasn't sure if it would hang right as a fuller skirt. However, Liz made her skirt out of the same material (hers was a purple color scheme instead of yellow), and she made a fuller skirt with pleats - I LOVED it! I hope she posts a picture of it (hint, hint, wink, wink). So that was good for me to see how the same fabric can be used in different ways. We also learned from Kimberly about backing, and I think that would have made a big difference with this skirt as well. Next time:)

It sure was fun to see all the skirts that everyone made on Sunday, and this really was a motivating challenge. I even plan on making another skirt out of this lovely material that I found.

It will have pockets in it!:)

I can't remember when I first learned how to use a sewing machine, but I was young. My grandma taught me on her vintage Singer - the kind with a pedal foot or treadle. I am extremely jealous of my aunt, who got that machine when my Grandma passed away;) The very first thing that she taught me to make was an apron. Here's a picture of my youngest daughter wearing it (yes, I still have it!)

I don't remember making much after that....actually, I don't remember making anything until I took a sewing class in college. This class did me NO GOOD. The apron I made as a child was far superior to anything that came out of this class. But after the class I made a stuffed rabbit, complete with dress, pinefore, and bloomers, and it was good enough that it restored my confidence. When I had my first baby I bought my first sewing machine and went crazy. Nothing I made was terribly great, but I did have fun, and I was extremely proud of the blessing dress I made for her.

I used an old brides-maid dress that I had for the material. I had a dress pattern, but I only used it as a basic idea. I added the medieval-style sleeves and ribbons, and I love it. Since then I have sewn on and off, sometimes following a pattern, sometimes making it up as I go along. The last thing I made was this jumper/dress for myself...

...which I actually wear:) I am excited about being in this group and expanding my horizens. I've been busy lately (no, really, I have), so I didn't do the embelishment challenge, but I'll try to get my stuff together to do this months challenge. Happy now, Kimberly?:)