The Process
First things first I decided to sew a beginners level apron because I have no prior experience sewing. I selected a really cool deep forest green for the base layer of my apron.
To begin the official process of sewing myself an apron I selected the large dimensions from the index chart on the assignment because it seemed like it would fit the best. It called for 36″ length and a 26″ width with a taper at the top going to 23″ for the trapezoidal cut that aprons have. I drew out these dimensions on a piece of pattern paper and sized it to fit what I thought would look good. It originally was slightly too big so I shortened it a bit length wise but also along the chest. I was nervous about removing too much from the original size chart so I only took off an inch for the chest part and 4 and a half inches from the bottom.
An attempt at showing how the apron would fit. (before I resized it)
Next I layed the pattern paper on top of my green cloth and pinned it down to hold it in place while I cut the cloth. I made sure to leave a bit of excess cloth around the edges for when I sewed a hem it wouldn’t shrink. I forgot to take a picture of this step but I ended up with a piece of cloth the same size as the pattern paper. I then sized my waist straps and neck strap. I made sure to make the neck strap a little bit larger than I initially thought was necessary because it can always be shortened. The waist straps did end up being slightly too short. This was because someone else had already cut some that were too small for them but fit me just barely. I didn’t want to waste material so I just used the straps that were a tiny bit too small.
Now that I had all my materials and at the correct sizes it was time to begin sewing.
I picked a pink and green for my stitches because the green would blend into the back and I thought the pink stitches along the front would look cool. I started with my hem and folded what I tried to have be a quarter inch of material over the back edge. Because I didn’t use pins before sewing my line is a bit crooked and changes in width at several point along the back. It isn’t a huge deal because the hem is still secure and you can’t see it when it’s being worn. However, in the future I would definitely use pins for the hem so it can look a little bit more professional.
The hem from the back.
The hem from the front.
After I was finished with the hem all along the apron I began sewing the straps on. I started with the neck so that once it was finished I could measure out exactly where the waist ones would go. The box stitches were hard and took some time getting used to. The machine I was using would go from 0 to 100 really fast with little to no in between so the precision needed for box stitches was somewhat lost. I think with more experience and time on the machine I could do much better. Still that being said each box stitch I did got a little bit better than the one before it.
First box stitch
Second box stitch
After attaching the neck straps I found and marked the position I wanted the waist straps to be at and began sewing them on with the same box stitch method.
Third box stitch
Fourth and final box stitch
Final box stitch also from the front
FINISHED PRODUCT!!
With these last box stitches the apron was finished all I had to do was put it on and tie the straps. As I knew ahead of time the straps along the waist were a tiny bit too small but I could still tie a bow so that was perfect. The chest was also still a little too big. In the future I would trust myself over the sizing chart and make those modifications ahead of time.
Reflection
Things I would like to work on in the future:
- Straightening the hem
- Practice box stitches
- Size it more appropriately
- Potentially add a pocket or something because it is quite bland
- Overall planning/forethoguht
I really enjoyed this project and it definitely made me feel more comfortable on a sewing machine and gave me some valuable skills for the future. There is still a lot to learn but I’m very proud of my apron regardless.
Cost Estimate
- Materials:
- Time:
- 3 1/2 hours at 15 $ an hour = 52.5$
- Overhead:
- 20 $
TOTAL: 91.79$
