I’ve noticed that not many stumble upon these posts. So, for you, dear reader, I’ve included a beautiful Turkish song for you to enjoy while reading. You’ve earned it!

Embarking on a journey of sewing and patternmaking, I had the privilege of collaborating with an exceptionally skilled teacher – my mother. As a child, the nuances of her craft eluded me, and to be honest, even now, as an adult, I can’t profess to understand it entirely. Yet, creating a sewn product from scratch offered me a profoundly transformative perspective, and for that, I am deeply grateful. As I delve deeper into this journey, I invite you, dear reader, to share in the revelations and the beauty of the craft.

First I have started with a simple pattern as mentioned in the assignment. However, since this lesson has  prototyping in its name I wanted to create something original, something challenging. So, I came up with the idea of an easy to carry apron with a foldable skirt.

Day 1: PractisING

First I had some practices with the home-type sewing machine since it was my first time working with such a machine. First I tried fallowing the shaped I drawn on the fabric surface with chalk. Later I practiced with closing the fabric corners and giving the fabric a cleaner look.

Day 2: Patterning

I started patterning the apron I got my body measurement and sketched an apron. I sketched the pattern on butcher paper, but I only drew the symmetrical half of the original apron in adherence to standard patterning techniques. This approach conserves space, allowing you to place the pattern on folded fabric by aligning the center with the fold. When cut, this results in a complete product. I divided the pattern into two sections: the upper portion, where the skirt will be tucked in, and the skirt itself. The division between the two is indicated by the red arrow.

The upper part is composed of two pieces, both back and front, and is sewn inside out to ensure the stitches remain concealed in the finished product. I honed this technique using scrap fabrics I had on hand.

Day 3: Upper Part

I had initially intended to include a zipper in the center of the upper portion, complemented by a pocket. However, time constraints meant I could only add the zipper as a design element. I stitched the two upper sections inside out and then fastened the neck strap. Lastly, I affixed a red zipper to the bottom. Regrettably, I overlooked folding the outer parts of the bottom edge during the process, resulting in a finish that wasn’t as visually appealing as I had hoped.

Day 4: Skirt

While making the prototype, I used up more fabric than planned. So, I didn’t have enough left for the skirt. I found another piece from my scraps and used that for the skirt instead.

You can see the end result below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of the apron:

Cost Type	Cost	Price	Source	Quantity	Total
Materials	Singer Fabric (Cotton, blue)	$6.99	Amazon.com	0.8 yds	$5.59
	Polyester Thread (White, 100 yds)	$4.19	Amazon.com	5 yds	$0.20
	Nylon Zipper	$0.34	Amazon.com	2 pcs	$0.68
Labor	Sewing (Realistic time estimate has been made for such a product)	$11.5	Ziprecruiter	10 min	$1.91
	Packaging (Minimum wage)	$7.25	Replicon	3 min	$0.36
Overhead	Facility Cost (Utilities & Machine Time) Aprox. 2000 pieces can be made in a small workshop	$5750	Loopnet	1 pc	$2.87
	Quality Control	$27	Indeed	1 min	$0.45
				Total	$12.06

Comments on the cost:
Given that the average price for a basic apron on Amazon ranges between $10.5 and $20.5, the costs associated with the proposed model appear to be sustainable even after marketing and logistic costs od such a product.