The Journey:

As a beginner in sewing, the first step in my journey was to pick out a fabric that matched my style and what color I like. Unfortunately, all the navy blue (my favorite color) fabric was swept away before I could snag one. Thus, I settled on a dark spotted red fabric as my main pattern. With approximately a yard of cloth already pre-cut, the next step was to use the sizing chart to determine what dimensions I needed in order to have an appropriately sized apron. I chose the medium dimensions (34″x 24″) for my apron size. Then, I used pattern paper to trace out my apron with the specified dimensions using a tape measure, pencil, and a meter stick for precise measurements (not sure why the quality is so bad here).

Following a second measurement verification (measure twice, cut once), I used regular office scissors to cut the pattern paper to size.

Next, I laid the pattern paper atop my apron fabric and pinned them together to keep the paper from moving while I cut the fabric using a rotary cutter. Once cut, I pressed the apron to my body to get a quick look at how it would fit. The neck portion seemed a bit too wide, so I cut an additional inch off the angled sides to make the neck portion smaller.

With the precise apron fabric cutout, I was ready to sew. I measured where the folds of the seams would be using chalk and a meter stick. I settled for a double-fold hem with each fold being approximately 1/2″. Then, I choose a white thread and used pins to hold the folds while I began to sew. I did the entire sew in one go, removing pins as I went along. There were some hiccups on the way, mostly, not keeping a steady hand; however, I made the lines as straight as I could. Luckily, I had no issues with the sewing machine.

Furthermore, using a past student’s apron (one that fit quite well) for reference, I determined the approximate length of my neck strap (~18″) and back straps (~22″).

Using black thread, I, again, decided to do a double-fold hem on the ends of the straps to make it aesthetically cleaner. Unfortunately, the straps were too thin (in my opinion) to attempt a proper box stitch; so, I settled on doing a forward-reverse-forward stitch across the entire width of the straps to really reinforce the seam. I then applied the same method with the back straps!

And with that, Ricky’s apron journey was complete!

There may not be much to it, but simplicity is king, and I am a man of simple taste. And remember, “it is not the destination, but the journey”

 

Reflection:

I have a tendency to focus too much on small details, which inevitably makes me take too much time on a task. I admitted took way too long to begin sewing as I was obsessed with making cutouts and hems be perfectly straight. Additionally, I struggled with using the pins to hold the hems, and think I would have had an easier time using tape, something I should implement next time I sew! Moreover, since I am a man of simple taste, in the future, I would like to improve on and add my own creative touch, such as adding a kangaroos-type pouch, and pen/pencil holder to my apron. Lastly, I believe I would have benefited from more practice using the sewing machine with scrap pieces.

Cost Estimate:

• ~$5.00 per yard of fabric
  • https://sewingiscool.com/how-much-does-fabric-cost-list/
• ~$6.00 on thread
  • $3.00 per spindle of thread (black and white)
    • https://www.walmart.com/ip/Coats-Clark-All-Purpose-Black-Polyester-Thread-500-Yards/19238361?athbdg=L1200
• ~10 hours of work
  • Avg. rate of $13 per hour (Houston, TX)
    • https://www.careerbuilder.com/colab/salary/sewer/houston,tx

Total: $141