I tried to make my own apron for the first ENGI 210 project. Let’s say that it did not turn out well the first time around. It all started when I first created my outline for my apron. Once I Youtubed how to create an apron outline, I based the measurements off of my own dimensions. The dimensions and paper are shown below.

After cutting out the outline, I folded the cloth in half and cut out the outline at the fold so that it was able unfold into a full apron. The process is shown below. As well as some action shots.

 

In order to cut out the apron, I employed the use of the rotary cutter. At first I tried cutting it out using just the outline, but then I realized that it left uneven edges on the apron. After seeing that, I decided to use the outline to get a good estimate of where to cut, and then I used a straight edge as well as the grid on the table to get a straight cut on the apron.

After cutting out the apron, I then had to get to sewing up the edges. In order to make sure that frayed edges didn’t show, I folded the edges of the apron twice so that they wouldn’t show. The results are shown below.

This is where things started taking a worst. I did make the mistake of not a uniform measurement for the seam which caused me to take out the stitches with the seam ripper. My box stitches did not box. Not only that, but I tried making my own straps which was not the move. There were frayed edges all throughout the strap, and it ended up being too small. Last but not least, I sewed the strap to the wrong edge, which was very demoralizing. The first iteration is shown below.

After that disaster, we built upon what we knew, and tore everything down. I used a constant measurement and kept that constant measurement through the entire seam of the apron. Not only that, but I used straps that was already there and took my time with the box stitches. Below are a few pictures of my progress.

After that I decided to try using a different material to add a different layer of texture to my apron. I wanted to create a leather pocket. I cut one out, and stitched it onto the apron. Albeit, I wasn’t able to fold the edges onto the apron because it created too thick of a layer to stitch through, so I had to keep the edges. I tried cutting the edges as nice as a I could, but I am still proud of the outcome. The results are shown below.

I was going to sew a partition in the middle of the pockets, but given that the current pocket gave a surprise addition that I was able to watch videos on my phone, I had to keep the partition out and leave the pocket as is. The unexpected but surprisingly useful results are shown below.

As for the cost estimate.

Common Fabrics are sold between $5 (Walmart/Target) and $20 (Hobby Lobby). To be somewhat conservative, we will choose $10 as the price as a yard of fabric.

For the leather, I have found that one square foot of leather fabric costs around $6, so we have to include that as well for the pocket.

We would ideally have to buy one yard of strap material, which we found on Walmart to be $4.

The cost of the thread (at Walmart), if we wanted to have a variety of 10 different thread colors, when rounded up would cost $3.

Let’s say that if we didn’t have a sewing machine to start out, it would cost $76 from Michaels.

As for labor cost, I believe I would and could do this project again in the future for minimum wage. Therefore that ($7.25) multiplied the amount of hours spent on this project, 8 hours (due to the mistakes made in the beginning), would equate to $58 of labor.

All that added together would be $81 ($157 if you didn’t have a sewing machine).

Overall, this project was a great way for me to learn how to utilize a skill from the 4th Industrial Revolution. I made mistakes along the way, developed new skills, and learned how to use a seam ripper effectively. Overall, I cannot wait to see what comes my way in regards to this class. Just supremely excited.