This we I completed the first ENGI 210 project of the year, making an apron. I began first by cutting out the template and then tracing its outline onto the fabric with chalk. I had a rather difficult time cutting the fabric, but after switching scissors a few times I found ones sharp enough to cut smoothly.
After test fitting it, I decided to make the top 3 inches thinner, as well as lowering the point where the slant meets the left and right edges. I attempted to sew the edges in one continuous stitch, but I ran into multiple problems with the thread bunching/breaking, so I decided to do one edge at a time. The top and bottom were fine to stitch, but for the edges, and even more for the slants, I had to up the tension of the sewing machine to stop the thread being loose. Overall I had a fairly difficult time with this, and needed to tear out the stitches about 5 times.
With the exception of one of the slant edges, as well as the bottom right corner, I believe the stitches were not too bad. As for the straps, because I used the thinner ones, I had a difficult time doing the box stitch, but after lowering the length of the stitch to 2, I managed to figure out how to do it. One turned out particularly poorly, but the rest looked proper.
Here’s the final product.
Overall, I definitely could have done better with many things. I found the circular fabric cutter only after I had finished with the scissors, and I would have gotten a much cleaner cut with that instead, which would be easier to stitch up. Additionally, I should have split this across multiple days. I made this in one 6 hour session, and I definitely would have make less mistakes if I didn’t mentally wear myself out. As for my stitching technique, using more pins would have helped with cleaner stitches. I also should have practiced the box stitches a few more times.
Cost Estimate:
- Green cotton fabric 1 yard: $2.99
- Straps 4 feet: $0.30 * 4 = $1.2
- Thread 1/30th spool: $2.69 * 1/30 = $0.09
- Labor 6 hours: $15 * 6 = $90
- Machine Time 6 hours: $0.013*6 = $0.08
Total Estimate: $94.36
