On Sunday, Jan 15th, I set out to put my sewing skills to the test and create my very first apron.
I began by taking measurements of my body to ensure the apron had a good fit. I opted to make the apron go just below my knees, span the width of my hips, and have a curved neck area to allow it to protect my shoulders. I took these measurements and made a custom paper pattern to ensure the fit was right. From there, I laid out and marked out the fabric and cut it 1cm wide of the pattern to allow enough room to hem the edges.
Next, I ironed out the fabric to eliminate all the fold lines. I also folded the edges where I planned to hem them and ironed and pinned them in place. I changed the thread color to a contrasting mustard and used an offcut of my fabric to practice hemming the edges and test different stitch spacing and patterns.
Once I settled on a stitch I liked, I hemmed the edges of the apron, taking care to make sure the corners were crisp. I ran into some trouble with the concave curve of the neckline but I planned to put a piece of leatherette vinyl over top of it to conceal the imperfect yet structurally successful hem. I measured and cut such a piece for the neck and I stitched it into place. I also tried to add leatherette pockets. Unfortunately, the leatherette vinyl was really hard to stitch well and the machine kept breaking but I had to persevere. I was eventually able to get the neckline looking decent but had to remove entirely the leatherette pockets because of how poor the stitches were. A final feature I wanted to add was a clip to make taking the apron on and off a breeze. I found a clip and strap material in the OEDK and so I sewed it on as the waistband of my apron and I was finished.
Cost Estimate:
- 1yd Fabric – $5 from JOANN
- Fake Leather – $10 from JOANN
- Nylon Straps – $10 from Amazon
- Plastic Clip – $5 from Amazon
- Labor – 7 hours * $15/hr = $105
- Total Cost: $135
