I have never used sewing machines before this project. At first, I had a hard time getting sewing machines to work.

Sometimes the upper thread was too loose that the extra materials intertwined with each other. After adjusting tension for several times, I found out that a tension between 6 and 7 is most suitable for my apron. Another issue with the upper thread was that it always came off when I sewed thick materials (like 3 layers in the corner) . I found that operating with hand for a few times to start could make the thread less likely to come off.

From Doris I learnt to use pins to hold the pieces in place, which helped a lot when I was sewing the long sides of the apron.

After sewing the all sides of vinyl fabric, I used box stitches to attach straps to the apron.

Recognizing that the edges of straps I cut could deform easily, I closed these edges after sewing all straps on the apron.

I made two pockets. One for my smart phone/ tissue/ keys and one for some small hand tools like screw drivers.

After trying my apron on, I noticed that the upper strap was too long for me. I adjusted the length by folding it and sewing with the heavy duty sewing machine.

I gain a lot of experience of fixing the sewing machine, and assembling and disassembling its parts. Next time I will be confident enough to make some costumes or decorations by sewing.