I made an apron using Christmas-themed fabric with neck and side straps. The apron was sewn using the following process.
- An outline of the apron with set dimensions was cut out of pattern paper using a straight-edge ruler, scissors, and a protractor.
- The pattern paper was then pasted onto the fabric using masking tape and then the fabric was cut along the edges of the paper so as to cut out the exact shape of the apron. Using approximate neck lengths and waist lengths, sample neck and side straps were cut and pasted onto the apron-shaped fabric using masking tape. This was the low-fidelity prototype.
- Once final length adjustments were made to the masked tape version of the apron, box stitches were used to permanently attach the straps. Two box stitches on the upper section of the apron were used to attached the neck strap and two box stitches on both sides were used to attach the side straps. During the first box stitch, the sowing machine got entangled and the housing had to be removed to resolve this. This caused that box stitch to fail and have curvy stitches and uneven geometry. The loose ends of the side straps were also box stitched to prolong their life.
- After the straps were attached, the lower part of the apron was hemmed to prevent loose threads from unwinding the fabric. There was a failure in this step as well. Every time the hem was stitched, the thread kept getting tangled into a bunch at the bottom of the fabric. This was fixed by holding the two threads away from the needle so that they don’t get in the way and adjusting the tension. This took five attempts to accomplish.
- Finally, the higher fidelity apron was made by freeing the fabric from any loose fibers using scissors and uneven edges were smoothed.
Cost Estimate
- Pattern Paper (36″x36″) = $0.60
- Masking Tape (0.7″x144″) = $0.24
- Christmas Fabric (30″x40″) = $6.75
- White Fabric Strap (1″x72″) = $2.43
- Thread (20′) = $0.03
- Sewing Machine Time Labor Costs ($13/hr) = $26
- Sewing Machine Operating Cost ($0.04/hr) = $0.08
Total Estimated Cost of Apron = $36.13
