Cook Up a Good Apron!

Sew, those of you who know me ... I mean really know me ... know that I only do a few things well. Cooking ain't one of them! 

However I have always loved aprons. For me, they represent a better time when you put on an apron and floated around the kitchen basting your turkey, browning biscuits, and setting that homemade blackberry pie onto the table with pristine perfection.


Hello! Jennifer wake up and read this apron pattern!


I tried peeps! I really did, but it was too complicated. I have a Master's degree for crying out loud! I can't even read a stinking apron pattern! One good thing is that its just fabric and two I was feeling brave yesterday sew ... here we go! 

These aprons were my first attempts. My lovely friends modeled them for me Sunday evening!




An apron tutorial ...


1. Cut a piece of fabric 15" x WOF (width of fabric).

2. Then cut it at an angle. Depending on how wide your waste is ... and I'm a big Midnight Mama ... that's how wide you want the top. With the fold on the left side, I cut from the raw edges over 10" on the top and about 7" over from the bottom to make my angle cut. But remember that you can cut more of an angle if your waist is smaller. Make your first angle cut and then hold it up to you and see if you need to whack some more off.

3. For the ruffle, cut a piece 7" x WOF.

4. For the tie, cut two pieces 6" x WOF.

5. On your main apron piece, fold the side edges over 1/2" and press. Fold it over again another 1/2" and press again.

Then topstitch along the edge. I did a double topstitch. I like the way it looked and it seemed to add more stability.

6. On the ruffle, fold the side edges over 1/2" and press. Fold it over again another 1/2" and press again. Then topstitch along the edge. Repeat the process on each end of the ruffle.

7. Pin the middle of the ruffle to the middle of the bottom of the apron. Then pin each end of the ruffle to the end of the apron. You will have a lot of extra ruffle. Just put some pleats in it and I pinned at each pleat. Then sew with a healthy 1/4" inch seam allowance.

8. Topstitch about 1/4" about the seam line.

 

9. For the tie, sew the two pieces together so you have one really long piece. Then fold in half and press. Open the piece and fold each raw edge to the middle and press again. The fold the whole thing in half and press really well. I also folded the end in so they would be a finished edge.

10. Lay the middle seam of the tie over the middle of the top of the apron. Sandwich the top of the apron into the fold. 

Pin the tie to the apron. Sew 1/4" from the top of the tie and 1/4" from the bottom of the tie.

11. If you would like to have a pocket ... cut two pieces of fabric 6" x 7". Sew them together right sides together around 3 sides. Leave the bottom open and turn it right side out. Press. Sew a topstitch across the top of the pocket.

12. Lay the pocket on the apron "upside down" and stitch along the bottom. This is the raw edge or the open end. Flip the pocket right side up and topstitch along the sides.

Now go and cook up your own apron!

I told Mr. Midnight that if the farming thing doesn't work out he can always fall back on his apron modeling career. He even put the whisk in the pocket!