For this assignment, we were tasked with making a custom apron from scratch, using the Singer industrial sewing machines in the OEDK. I ended up hand-sewing the entire thing. Two hours later, here’s how it went:

Step 1:
I wanted the apron to feel a little playful, so I picked two contrasting fabrics—a lavender gingham for one side, and a cow pasture print for the other. The combo turned out surprisingly cute and definitely gave it personality.

Step 2:
Using the sizing chart provided and adjusting a bit for who I was making this for, I measured out the dimensions on the pattern paper. After tracing, I carefully cut the paper and laid it over the fabric to begin cutting. I made sure to cut the straps separately and double-checked everything physically before sewing.

Step 3:

Here’s where things took a turn.

Like many of my classmates, I attempted to use the sewing machines. But after multiple issues—including jamming, tension problems, and broken thread—I gave up on the machine and decided to hand-sew the entire thing. I also noticed it was jamming the fabric into the machine, causing slight tears.

Step 4:
I decided to take a pause from the machine and began hand-sewing with a sewing kit I had at home.  I worked around the circumference of the apron, sewing both the gingham plaid fabric and the cow patterned fabric together.

Once I finished the circumference of the apron, I sewed the top strap and the side straps together, attempting to do box stitches, but slightly failed.  I saw the handsewing looked messy on one side ( the gingham plaid side) so I decided to keep the cow print the main front running side. In addition, I realised folding the edge gave it a cleaner look so I followed the top and the bottom, and not the sides as it would compromise the width of the apron, and wouldn’t fit the person I was making it for.

Here is the final product:

Things I would change and Reflection:
1) One thing I realized late was that I had only folded and hemmed the top and bottom edges of the apron—not the sides. At first, I thought it was a mistake, but I actually liked the extra width, especially since I was planning to give the apron to someone else and wanted it to be more accommodating.

2) I also tried my best with the box stitches to attach the straps, but they came out a bit messy. Still, they held which I am glad could demonstrate the functionality of an apron, rather than the aesthetics of one. I do hope to improve my hand sewing skills in which I can make cleaner sewing edges.

3) I think on top of improving my technique since I was also on a time crunch from Tuesday to submission day, I would have taken some time to watch some videos on how to do different stitches and how to make them seamless.

Overall, sewing is harder than it looks, but it can be figured out with enough patience, and focusing on the process (especially when you’re learning). Furthermore, the hand-stitching process might be slow, but it can be incredibly meditative. Next time, I’d love to revisit this project with a working machine (and a bit more practice first, and wish we would have practised our skills before the sewing project, rather than earlier in the semester).

I’m proud of how it turned out, especially with a time crunch—and I hope the person I made it for loves the character and care in each stitch!

Cost-Analysis Report

Cost Type	Name	Price	Source	Quantity	Total
Materials	Cow printed fabric + violet gingham fabric	$18.00/yard	amazon.com	2 yard	$36.00
	Brown and Blue thread	$9.99 for a 30 colour set of each 50 yard spool	amazon.com	2x 50yards	0.66 cents
	Sewing set kit	$5.98 for 600 pins	amazon.com	1 set	$5.98
	Fabric paper	$7.99 for one roll	amazon.com	1 roll	$7.99
	Twill straps	$12.99 for one roll (12 yards)	amazon.com	1 roll	$12.99
Labor	Sewing Machine Operator	$16 an hour	ziprecruiter.com	1 hours	$16
	Prototyping Engineer (You!)	$35 an hour**	quora.com (didn’t find a good source)	3 hours	$105**
Total cost of making 1 apron*	$184.62

Clean table: