Coming into this project, I had very limited experience with sewing, and almost none with a sewing machine. I learned a lot about the garment-making process and think I really improved my skills!
After some issues getting fabric, I gathered all of the materials I would need for the base apron design:
- 1 yard of fabric
- Cloth strap (for neck and waist straps)
- Paper for pattern
I started by measuring out the dimensions I wanted my apron to be onto a large piece of paper for a pattern. I used a combination of the provided measurements with some slight adjustments (mainly a thinner top), and it ended up fitting me pretty well.
I then traced this pattern on to the material I used for the apron using tailor’s chalk, which I found really helpful because I didn’t need to pin my pattern to the cloth while cutting it out, making the cutting process much easier.
I then cut out the apron and started sewing the edge seams, about 1/2 to 1/4 inch from the edge. This process was more difficult than I hoped it would be, since I wasn’t able to get the tension right, especially for the fabric I used, and the stitch ended up messier than I wanted in places (below left). I also struggled a lot with doing backstitches at the ends of the seams, and this resulted in messier ends than I was hoping for. I was able to improve significantly throughout this process, and the seam at the top of the apron (below right), that I did last, came out much better than some of the others.
After sewing the edge seams of the apron, I started on the straps. I hadn’t gotten a chance to do a lot of practice with box stitches, so they also came out messier than I was hoping. I was still able to improve my technique, and the last few that I did came out better, though still not perfectly clean or straight. After this, I had some extra time and wanted to use the experience I had gained to add some pockets to my apron. I started with some extra scrap material and made a small pocket on the chest, sewing up the edges and then attaching to the apron itself. I think it came out relatively well, but I wish I had figured out how to hide the stitch inside the pocket, since that would have made it a lot cleaner.
I then decided to experiment with a zippered pocket, and was partially able to guess how to attach the zipper correctly without seeing the instructions for it, but still couldn’t figure out how to hide the stitches for the rest of the pocket. I also had to redo the zipper once, pulling out the thread with a seam ripper, because it came out quite crooked from trying to fit the zipper under the presser foot. Even though the second version wasn’t quite perfect, I decided it was close enough that I wouldn’t mind.
In the end, I like how the apron as a whole turned out, but I definitely think I could do better in the future, and would like to improve my technique.
Cost Estimate:
- 1 Yard of fabric – $4.50 – Walmart
- Zipper – $0.50 – Amazon
- Strap fabric – $7.00 – Amazon
- Thread – negligible
- Labor – 5hrs*(7.25/hr) (based on my skill level and minimum wage) = $36.25
Total cost: $47.25
Overall, this was an interesting project, and I improved my confidence and ability with the sewing machines a lot. However, I would like to have more time to try further projects and see if I can fix some of the issues with my current apron.
