Prior to making this apron, the only experience I had sewing was fixing an old shirt a few years ago. So, I was a little nervous about using a sewing machine for the first time.
On Tuesday, in the early hours of 8 PM, Milene and I decided to start our apron. We decided to go with the beginner guide and were afraid to make any changes to the measurements that the size guide provided. I followed the measurements for size small that were posted on the google doc and first drew out the measurements on pattern paper. I then pinned the pattern paper to the fabric so I could outline the shape in marker on the fabric and finally cut it out.
I returned to the OEDK again Thursday evening after class. When I placed the cut-out fabric against my body, I quickly noticed that it was too large. I then decided to remeasure the fabric and recut it so that it fit my body better. After adjusting the sizing, I settled for the neckline to be 9 inches and a 1/2 waistband size of 18 inches. I determined this by holding the fabric against my body and marking where I wanted things to start and end on the fabric.
Final fabric cutout after adjustments
Next, I sewed the folded seams. I was excited to move on to this step because I spent two nights already just adjusting the sizing of the fabric. To do this, I folded in an edge by about 2 cm and then pinned it into place. I also used tape to secure them into place. However, I stopped using tape after the first time because I noticed that it would sometimes cause the fabric to “peel” into small strands when I ripped it off.
I spent the rest of Thursday and Friday evening finishing up the sewing. I honestly ran into relatively few issues along the way. The main problem I encountered was having to rethread the needle, which I successfully did by myself twice. Below is a finished product my apron with the hems sewed.
Apron with all edges hemmed
Finally, I had to attach the straps. This was the most difficult step for me because of the box stitch. I thought it was especially difficult to turn corners since I would have to move all the fabric out of the way in order to do so. On my first box stitch, I messed up while turning a corner which made the stitch loose. I had to cut it out and redo it. However, my last box stitch was my most successful. I included an image below.
Box stitch that I’m proud of!
When I finished my apron, I was very relieved to be done. I honestly did not know it would take me that long, but it was rewarding to be able to put it on and see that it fit. While working on the apron, I learned a lot about patience and paying attention to small details. I think I can still improve on sewing in straighter lines and consistency in my box stitches. However, I can confidently say now that I am more comfortable using a sewing machine.
Me modeling my apron in the lovely OEDK bathroom 🙂
Cost estimates:
- $5 for 1 yard of fabric (according to Walmart website)
- $1 x 0.15 for thread (according to Michael’s)
- I multiplied by 0.15 since it’s a rough estimate of how much thread I used up from the roll
- $5 x 0.1 for straps (according to Amazon)
- I multiplied by 0.1 since I only used about 1/10 of the roll
- Labor cost: 5 hours x $12/hr = $60
- TOTAL: $60 + $5.65 = $65.65
