Over the past week I have been working on sewing my own apron. I have never used a sewing machine before so it was definitely very foreign to me at first. I got used to it quickly though and ended up having some while finishing up my apron.

Designing

I started by drawing my design on a pattern paper and then cutting it using scissors. The original measurements were 34″ for the full length of the apron and 24″ for the waistband to adjust for a 1″ seam throughout the edges of the apron.

I then traced the design onto the fabric I was using. I proceeded to cut the fabric based on the traced shape. This is when I noticed that the cut result of the fabric looked very imperfect and seemed very inconsistent in terms of the measurements. I decided to cut it once more to make it look more consistent in terms of shape and also measurements, resulting in a design with a full length of 32″ and a waistband of 23eeee.5″.

Sewing

I was now ready to sew my seams. For the thread I chose a light blue color since it blended well with the color of my fabric. Before beginning to use the sewing machine, I pinned the seams of my apron so the size of the seam would be consistent. This took a lot longer than it should have since I initially put the pins facing the other way before realizing how much trouble it would be to sew that way.

I ended up going with 0.75″ folded seams, essentially reducing my the size of my apron by 3″ from the full length and waistband. Sewing the seams went a lot better than I expected and it only took one continuous line of stitches for the most part. The machine did stop on me once so I had to redo a bit of the seam but it was not a terrible experience.

For the final part of my apron all I needed to do was sew the straps around the neck and waist of the apron. In order to do this I used a box stitch pattern to ensure the straps were completely secure on the apron. I ended up using two different types of straps since I could not find the wider one the second I went to the OEDK.

I was now done with my apron. TIME FOR THE BIG REVEAL!!!!

Reflection

Now that I am reflecting on the process I went through towards completing my apron it is easy to see that there are a few places for improvement.  I could have used a colored chalk to trace my design and the seams so that my final result was not stained with pen marks. I could have also ensured to have the same type of straps for the neck and waist of the apron, although I do think think it makes it unique in an interesting way. I also wish that I used the pattern paper in a more efficient manner with my measurements and shape so that I would have spent less time in the beginning. Other than that this was definitely an interesting and fun experience and I cannot wait to see what else this course has to offer!