This week I was tasked with creating my official “EDES” 210 apron. First thing I decided was to ditch the boring black fabric we were provided (sorry not sorry Dr Wettergreen) and opt for something more me!

I picked up two yards of this perky pink gingham for the body of the apron, and matching hot pink for the straps (shoutout to my friends Ava and Gina for helping me make this decision after fretting for a good 10 minutes at Micheal’s). I also decided to pick up thread that matched the fabric then proceeded to sketch out what I wanted my apron to look like.

I took my measurements and then drafted a pattern on the tracing paper provided making sure to leave 1\2 ” seam allowance, pinned it and cut it out with fabric scissors.

The raw edges were a big NO-NO,  and to take it a step further, I decided I didn’t want any raw edges to be visible, front or back, and hemmed the entire apron with a double hem. Something I learnt from all the fashion designers and tailors in my family is to constantly iron the seams and so before making any stitches I ironed my folds. It definitely made a difference from when I practiced on scrap fabric without ironing.

With the body done, it was time tackle the straps. I cut out two 36″ long rectangular pieces for the waist straps and one 10″ piece for the neck then folded them in half width-wise. I took extra care to ensure the raw edges were tucked inside the body of the strap. Next, I sewed two lines across them. I think they came out pretty cute, however due my inexperience sewing the lines came out slightly wonky. I became a really big fan of the seam ripper floating around the OEDK as I had to rip out the seams multiple times until I was satisfied. They still aren’t perfect, but I didn’t want the straps to become full of holes.

Using a box stitch, I attached all the straps.

Now, to be clear, I am a beginner when it comes to the art of the sewing machine. However, considering my success so-far I decided to be a little ambitious and sew a pocket. I looked up a quick Tik-Tok tutorial on sewing a flat pocket and followed along. Now, honestly I got a little lazy here and did not iron my folds and it definitely shows. That just goes to show how meticulous a craft sewing really is. I am still very pleased in how it turned and was proud of how I took advantage of the two threads in the sewing machine to create a contrasting border on the pocket without having to rethread the machine!

I love my apron, I think she’s cute. I also loved the slight challenge when it came to figuring out how to draft a pattern according to what I had sketched out. If you actually read this far, i’ll let you in on the secret that this was actually my second attempt at the apron and the first actually was a great deal too small, comically too small in fact. I had accidentally created an apron for a child 🧒 .

signing out!