The Process

Hi everyone! In the past couple weeks, I was working on sewing my first apron. This was my first time using a sewing machine to create my own piece of clothing. It took some time getting used to the machine, but I feel more comfortable using it now and creating designs.

The process of making the apron is pattern making, sewing the seams, and adding the straps.

I used the black fabric given with red striped straps that I picked from the given choice of strap cloths. I then started drawing the pattern on the paper (Fig. 1). I wanted to make a size M apron with 24” ½ waistband and 34” full apron size. I cut the paper according to the given pattern and then marked my shoulder size, 3” shorter from each side of the ½ waistband. I then taped the pattern paper onto my fabric and cut the fabric according to the pattern. (Fig. 2)

The next step was cutting my neck and waist straps. I put the cloth on my desired height on my body, and put the neck strap around my neck to measure the approximate length I need to sew it on. This happened to be 18”. I cut a little bit extra just in case I need to cut it a little shorter. Next, I cut 20” side straps as well to be sewed on. 

I was nervous to use the sewing machine for the first time, but following the instructions on the google document and watching the video provided, along with practicing in class, I was able to properly start the sewing machine without much trouble. I folded in ½ in seams for the apron and sewed in a straight line to make the edges straight. (Fig. 3)

The first stitch was difficult, and the stitches were not straight, so I decided to take some scrap fabric and practice more before I moved onto the next ones. I realized that I needed to line my fabric to the lines on the sewing machine more carefully for straight stitches, and after practicing, I was able to create my seams. 

Next, I encountered the box stitch. Having no patience, I jumped right into making the box stitch, but the box was also not straight and reversing the direction of the sewing machine confused me, leaving me to go over certain edges multiple times  and having some improper shapes. I decided to take a moment to practice again and try making the box stitches again, which resulted in a much better shape. 

I made a total of 4 box stitches on my apron 2 for the neck straps and 2 for the side ties. The boxes improved and retained their shape more over time! Here is my first vs. last box stitch. (Fig. 4, Fig. 5)

Even though my start journey of the sewing machine was rough, I was able to overcome this with more practice and patience. I’ve learned to take time to practice skills before jumping into the actual assignment. Here is a picture of my final apron! (Fig. 6)

The cost estimate is roughly $4.97 for the 1 yd black fabric, $0.99 for the ⅓ yd striped red fabric, and $0.10 for the 5 yd thread. It took around 4.5 hours to create this, so 14*4.5 = $63 with a total of $69.06. 

Here is a picture of my workspace after I cleaned it up! (Fig. 7)