Preparation:
To measure the dimensions of the apron to match my size, I tried on a few example aprons made by past students and compared the relative sizes. I found one that almost fit me, and I took measurements of those, slightly adjusting any areas I wanted to fit my body proportions better.
With those measurements, I then used a pattern paper to sketch out the design of my apron. I cut out that pattern and placed it in between the fabric, folding both in half and pinning them together to make it more convenient to cut.
Sewing!
After cutting my fabric, I double folded the edges of each side, pinned them together, and started the sewing process!
After finishing the main piece of red fabric, I took some black-white plaid fabric scraps and sewed some straps for the waist and neck.
I ran into a problem though, where the needle of the sewing machine snapped and broke while I was sewing the folds of the strap. I think it was because the layers made the fabric too thick, which caused the needle tip to break off while sewing at a quick speed. To combat this issue, I learned to replace the needle, and manually sewed the rest of the folded straps by turning the knob on the side.
Final Product:
After sewing all the straps on, my apron was complete!
Reflection:
Overall I really enjoyed the process of learning to sew, preparing my fabric designs, and, although it may have been a little frustrating at the time, troubleshooting the machine. At the start, when I sewed the red fabric, the sewing machine was already set up for me, so the process was very straightforward. Later, when I went back to sew the straps, the machine was having some problems like jamming, loose stitches, etc. This time was when I really learned how to set up all of the threading, which I feel was valuable time spent. Also, in reflection, I think I could have explored more on the tension of the sewing machine; in the moment, I didn’t really think about that as a variable for sewing thicker layers of fabric together.
Some aspects that I want to improve on include sewing straighter lines, making neater back stitching, and learning how to make box stitches. I also feel like some of my stitches could have been made more efficiently, such as folding the straps. I think I should have folded the strap inside once to hide the frayed ends and then stitched it onto the main red fabric, rather that folding it twice on the outside. Next time, I also really want to try adding a pocket to my apron when I have time!
I really had a lot of fun making the apron for this project, and I will definitely want to do more sewing projects in the future!
Cost estimate:
Raw materials:
- ~1 yd of fabric (red and black-white plaid scraps) ($6.30/yd) = $6.30
- ~4 yd thread ($4.47/150 yd) = $0.12
Labor:
~7 hr ($7.25/hr) = $50.75
Machine/overhead time:
~5 hr = $20 estimate
Total:
$77.17
