BACKGROUND

It’s January 22, 2026.

February is just around the corner, and love is in the air for Valentine’s Day.

I embark on a journey of making a special apron. As someone who has never used a sewing machine before, I am up for a challenge. Let’s follow me to make a gift for Chef Jason aka my beloved boyfriend.

Jason is a gym bro. He loves cooking chicken breasts, steaks, Chipotle bowls, teriyaki salmon, and things I love. He spends a lot of time in the kitchen and is obsessed with cooking gadgets. But cooking can get messy, especially with seasonings and splattering oil, and food often ends up on his shirts. I want to keep my boyfriend clean and presentable, so I decide to make him an apron.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MAKING THE APRON

I start by sketching my vision for the apron on my iPad.

Step 1: Measure and Cut the Fabric (15 min)

Jason is a 5’9″ 185-lb male. He’s much taller and wider than me. So, to ensure the apron fits perfectly, I measure and cut out a template for the apron using paper for size L:

• Length: 36 inches
• Waist width: 26 inches
• Chest width: 17 inches (he has a wide chest!)

I use chalks to mark along the paper edges to ensure the fabric is straight. I get a fabric that has an apron shape. Great start!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2: Hem the Fabric (2.5 hours)

Next, I measure along the edges of the fabric and mark 1″ for the hem pattern. Then, I iron the first fold (around half an inch) to make sure everything is fold evenly. I do that again for the second fold, fold – iron – pin to keep the folds in place. Repeat for all 5 sides.

This step took me around an hour. I try to mark, fold, and pin everything carefully to ensure my apron will look nice and neat.

 

 

 

After pinning the hem lines, I move to the sewing machine. However, the machine is not yet set up –  the thread is not my desired color, and the bobby is empty. Therefore, I re-thread the machine using the instructions and Youtube tutorials. I hand-spin a few stitches to check the tension and test the setup on scrap fabric.

I successfully set up the machine and ready to go

• Tension: 3
• Stitch pattern: default
• Thread color: white

Now, I start sewing (finally!). I press the pedal very gently to make sure the line is straight and remove the pins along the way. Once comfortable, I increase the speed slightly and let the machine do the work. I remember to reverse stitch at the end of each side to secure the threads. Then, I repeat that for each side of the apron.

This step takes longer than expected because the bobbin runs out several times mid-seam. I reload it and carefully resume stitching where it left off. Some seams go off track, so I unthread and re-sew them. After finishing all sides, I trim excess threads to keep everything neat.

After finished hemming all the edges, I trim the excess threads to make the apron look neat.

Step 3: Add the Straps (45 min)

First, I cut

• Two 35” bands for the waist straps
• One 25″ for the neck strap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then I pin them on the apron’s body. I try it on me to see if anything is too long or too short and adjust until I’m happy.

A challenge I face is I need to use the box stitch for the straps, which I have no experience in before. I decide to sew each line separately. However, this makes everything disconnected and looks unaesthetic. After a few tries, I finally figure out the key to sewing box stitch pattern. I need to leave the needle through the fabric, lift up the presser foot, and turn the fabric to a new direction. I also use chalk for better visibility because it’s difficult to see white threads on beige straps. I find going slowly and using the hand wheel is also very helpful to determine where the needle lands and create neater lines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My later box stitch patterns are much better and also take less time. I can definitely feel my sewing skills improve in real-time! I make 4 box stitch for all the straps. I realize that the end of the waist straps are falling apart. So, I go ahead and sew a box stitch on it as well.

 

Step 4: Add Personal Touches (2 hours)

The apron starts looking like a final product.

I want to add some personalization to it! I set out to make a heart. I go ahead to mark down the outline of the heart, cut a maroon fabric, and hem it using the same double-hem technique.

This poses a challenge – I need to sew the curves. I constantly turn the fabric to make the curve and hand spin the last few stiches to ensure I don’t overdo it. At this point, I can feel that I’m comfortable in controlling the sewing machine – speed, direction, and troubleshooting.

For the pocket, I want to make to hold a phone so my boyfriend can pull up recipes and answer my texts when he cooks :). I look up how wide an iPhone 14 Pro Max is. It’s around 3.07”. Then, I measure and cut out a 5″ x 5″ square maroon fabric for the pocket for extra space and hem it on the apron. I test it and it can hold a phone perfectly. I trim all loose threads for a clean finish 😀

Step 5: Gift the Apron

Yay! Now, I have made an apron. I surprise Jason and have him try it on. It fits him perfectly and he’s super happy with it. I will get to enjoy more delicious food, which is a win for both of us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COST ANALYSIS

1 yard of denim fabric = $14.30 (estimated price from Walmart)

3 yards of beige elastic straps = $2 (estimated price from Amazon)

6 yards of Coats & Clark all purpose white polyester thread = $0.48 (estimated price from Walmart – $0.08 per yard)

6 hours of labor * $16.77 (average salary per hour of a seamstress in Texas) = $100.62

Total cost: $117.40

Remark: Jason already owns a $20 shark apron from Amazon, which is a lot cheaper than mine.

What makes this apron special is the effort, struggle, growth, and love that went into making it. It is personalized with his initials and represents my first sewing project. More importantly, I gained a new skill. As I continue sewing, my efficiency will improve, material waste will decrease, and costs will go down. I’m so proud and can’t wait to make something awesome for my next project!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s it! Thank you so much for reading my Van-lentine’s apron blog.

 

P/S: Thank you, Alberto, for showing me how to efficiently mark hems, and Adam for being my apron model!