Learning to sew an apron was difficult but valuable. After doing this assignment, I have a new appreciation for all clothes makers! Sewing is a skill I will definitely utilize in the future, whether to alter my own clothes or create a medical device wearable.
To start my apron, I first cut my fabric using an already made guide apron to draw chalk lines (see figures 1 and 2 below). I picked an apron from the OEDK that was similar to my own size and laid it flat on top of my own fabric. I then freehanded chalk lines around the guide apron leaving some extra clearance to create my hems.
Figure 1: Freehand chalk lines based off guide apron
Figure 2: Cut fabric for apron
Next, I folded over each edge about 1/2 inch and pinned the hems using sewing pins in the OEDK to secure each edge. Notably, the pins are not the best idea if you are clumsy like me. I accidentally poked myself one too many times. Instead, if you’re doing this, I recommend using some tape.
I then oriented my fabric under the foot of the sewing machine (see Figure 3 below). It is important to note that you will be feeding the fabric into the sewing machine front to back. Therefore, the fabric must be oriented so that you are stitching in the right direction (stitches will be inserted forwards). To understand the push direction vs. the stitch direction, see Figure 3 below. I put the foot down and began sewing by pushing my foot on the sewing paddle. When I finished one edge of the hem, I made sure to secure it with a reverse stitch and continued the process for all edges.
Figure 3: Stitch direction vs. push direction
After hemming all my edges, I roughly measured canvas straps for my neck strap and two side straps. To measure the neck strap, I simply measured a little longer than my collar bone on each side, making sure the loop would be large enough for the apron to slip over my head. To measure side straps, I tried seeing how much extra would be needed to tie the apron in the back.
After cutting the material for the straps, I attached them to the apron using a box stitch. The box stitch requires 4 sewing lines. It was difficult to make a box stitch on such a small area. To make the box, I started by creating a line parallel to the edge of the strap as shown in Figure 3. Then I plunged the needle, picked up the foot, rotated by 90 degrees and repeated the process to create the 4 edges of the box. At this point, I messed up the rotation and accidentally started sewing off of the canvas strap as I did not appropriately apply my knowledge of the push vs. the stitch direction. I removed the stitches and started the process over. After the first edge was connected to the last edge, I rotated my fabric to feed it in diagonally and create the x-shape. I secured this by doing a reverse stitch.
Once the straps were attached, the apron was completed! I double checked that all edges were secured and was satisfied with the finished product shown in Figure 4. When completed, I made sure to clean my workspace (see Figure 5).
Figure 4: Completed apron
Figure 5: Clean workspace
Cost estimate:
| Cost Type | Cost | Price | Source | Quantity | Total |
| Materials | Fabric | $3.99/yd | Joann.com | 1.5 yds | $5.99 |
| Thread | $1.64/spool | Joann.com | 1 spool | $1.64 | |
| Sewing Pins | $2.99/pack | Joann.com | 1 pack | $2.99 | |
| Labor | Industrial Sewing Machine Operator | $15/hour | indeed.com | 3 hours | $45 |
| Overhead | Quality Control* | $15/hour | indeed.com | 1 hour ** | $15 |
| Facility Cost (Machine Time) | $1,350/month | saltbox.com *** | 1 day*** | $45 | |
| Design | Apparel Designer | $15/hour | indeed.com | 3 hours | $45 |
| $160.62 |
* Could not find a quality control position in garments specifically.
** 1 hour is estimated based on time to inspect the garment and implement any corrective measures in the manufacturing process accordingly. If nothing is wrong with the garment, it could take less time.
*** Saltbox is a shared space that rents out small warehouse spaces for small-scale companies. A conservative size space, meant for 1-4 employees, costs $1,350 per month. Assuming this is a small-scale company starting up, they might start by renting the space for a couple months and seeing how business goes. However, for producing a single apron, including sewing, quality control, apparel design, and iterations, this may take 1 day as the company gains experience.
