For this project, I was assigned the task of designing and sewing my very own apron. Being very new to sewing I spent a lot of time figuring out how a sewing machine worked and understanding the inner-workings of a sewing machine. After several practice runs with the sewing machine, it was time to put everything to the test.
Step 1: Cutting out the Pattern
The original piece of fabric that we were provided with was 36″x32″ and being 6’6″ it was imperative for me to keep as much of the fabric intact as possible. I only removed a few inches off one side of the fabric and measured my chest to determine the width I wanted to use for the top of the apron and made a mark with the fabric chalk. After that, I determined where I wanted the straps to be by holding up the apron to my body and approximating where the straps would sit around my waist. I made a mark with fabric chalk and connected the marks from the top of the apron to these corners. I cut along this line and my pattern was complete.
Step 2: Sewing the edges
Once the pattern was created I needed to sew the edges to make a nice clean look around the perimeter of the apron. I approached this step by only folding over and ironing the edges but this proved to be difficult so I pinned the entire edge of the apron and was successfully able to stitch all edges in one go.
Step 3: The Hardest Step (The infamous Box Stitch)
The next thing I needed to do was attach the neck and side straps, which involved the use of box stitches. I started by holding the apron up to my body while also holding the sewing tape measure and determined the length of the strap corresponding to where I wanted the apron to sit. Now was the time to do my first box stitch on my apron. I failed several times and ended up using the seam ripper so I could start over. Eventually, I was finally able to get a single box stitch complete (this took me an hour).
After completing the first box stitch it was a breeze from here. I stitched on the other end of the neck strap and before sewing on the side straps I decided to fold over the ends and use a box stitch to prevent fraying.
Finally I sewed on the side straps and the apron was complete.
Step 4: Clean Up
Always remember to clean up your workstation once you are done.
Reflection
Overall, this project was quite fun. At the start I was nervous because I’d never used a sewing machine before, or even witnessed someone else doing it, but with enough practice I was able to put my skills to the test. The box stitches were the most difficult and I got very close with the seam ripper, but after taking my time and manually turning the machine to create my first few stitches it really helped me figure out how to pivot properly and make stitches that would hold up throughout the semester.
Cost Breakdown
| Cost Type | Cost | Price | Source | Quantity | Total |
| Materials | Fabric | $7.99 /yd | Joann.com | 1 | $7.99 |
| Thread | $1.64 | Joann.com | 1 | $1.64 | |
| Ribbon | $4.74 | Joann.com | 1 | $4.74 | |
| Needle (5pck) | $4.79 | Joann.com | 1 | $4.79 | |
| Sewing Pins (65 count) | $1.37 | Joann.com | 1 | $1.37 | |
| Labor | Prototyping Engineer | $10.00/hr | Personal Cost | 4 | $40.00 |
| Sewing Operator | $11.67/hr | Sewingiscool.com | 4 | 46.68 | |
| Overhead | Facility Cost
(Machine Time) |
$1.55/hr | Singer.com (wattage)
Usatoday.com (avg energy rate) |
4 | $6.22 |
| Quality Control | $50.00 | Sewingsociety.com | $50.00 | ||
| Design | Engineering and Development | $25.00 | Personal Cost | 4 hr | $100.00 |
| Iterations | $10.00 | Personal Cost | 5 | $50.00 |
