April Apron Tutorial

Can you believe it! I have an apron pattern before the end of the month. How amazing!

This one is so easy. It is another Dishtowel Apron.
You will need:

1 Dishtowel (washed and dried before starting, these shrink a lot and you don't want to distort your apron)
1 package double fold bias tape (2 1/2 to 3 yards)
Ric Rac (the requirement for the March/April Tie-On Challenge)
Fabric scraps for the pocket

1. Fold your apron in half lengthwise.

2. Starting at the top of your apron measure 4 inches and mark it. From the top corner measure down 10 inches (this is the non-fold side).


3. Now, using a rotary cutter and ruler cut from the 4" to the 10" marks, making a triangle.


4. Now un-fold your apron and lay it out.


5. Now take the bias tape and fold it in half to mark the center. Measure down 9 inches from the center on each side. This will be the neck of your apron.


6. Now pin the bias tape to the apron. The pins at the 9" marks should line up right at the top of the apron. Open the bias tape and sandwich the apron inside.


7. Sew the Bias tape close to the edge (top-stitch) starting at one end of the tape and sewing all the way to the other end.


8. Now take the left over triangles and any scrap fabrics you have a make a pocket. I made several aprons so I mixed and matched the scraps and made half square triangle units for pocket patches.


9. Now comes the token Ric Rac. Place the edge of the ric-rac under the edge of the pocket and top stitch in place.


10. Place the pocket on your apron and pin in place and titch it down and you are done.


OR ......
You can add and applique to the pocket before you stitch it down. Here are some that I did.

I made an extra for a friend and Vea is the lucky winner. She took hers home to embellish it herself. I can't wait to see what she did.
I also made two for my Etsy store. You can check them out there.

March Apron

I know this is really late. I am sorry. I had these done for a little while now but just have been so busy sewing other things (that I will post about later) that I just haven't had any time to post this.
This apron is very simple and fun. I guess I should tell you the background story first. Last month on the 22 of February, I found the FLY Lady. She has changed my life. I have to tell the truth that I have lived in CHAOS (can't have anyone over syndrome) for years. I am a little ADD (OK maybe a lot) and I get lots of projects going and then move to the next and live a very busy life. House cleaning is not my favorite thing to do. I have never been very successful at it. I just seem to get so distracted with it that I end up starting everything and finishing none of it. Things seem to pile up and I don't know where to begin. Well, when I was led to the Fly Lady site, things changed for me. She has a wonderful plan of baby steps that helps the distracted to focus on their messes for only 15 minutes at a time. This concept is changing my life. My home is now not perfect yet but I can have people over without just dieing of mortification. My family is also slowly picking up these good habits and we are seeing family changes that are making life so much better. I know that her program isn't for everyone, but if you have been living with CHAOS or have clutter problems, I recommend giving her site a visit.
The March Apron was inspired by the Fly Lady ideas. It is my Fly Baby apron. It is simple in design so it can be quickly made and it is very functional. I use it when I am cleaning house. The pockets in the apron are made to carry my timer too help me manage my work. There is another pocket for my notebook. I use it as a mini "control journal" to keep me focused on what I am doing. I have spot for a pencil and a large middle pocket to put those things you pick up and need to put away. I love this little apron and hope you do too. You will have fun making it.

Here are the instructions:
First, get a good heavy dishtowel. If you don't have one then just cut out a rectangle of heavy fabric and hem it up. My dishtowel is 27 1/2" by 17 1/2" finished.


Next I attached the ties. For this apron I had my good friend Jill over and she brought her grommet press and put grommets in for me 3 1/2" down on each side. We did this so that the top of the apron can fold down in front over the apron ties. You can do it this way or you can attach them at the top corners of the apron. You don't need to use grommets. We just liked having and excuse to use the press. Hee Hee.
Here is a close-up of the holes. We added a scrap of heavy fabric to the back to re-enforce the grommets.

Next I made the pocket for the aprons. I made these of patchwork strips of fabric.
The pieces are :
black 10 1/2" x 5 1/2"
black 10 1/2" x 3 1/2"
red 10 1/2" x 5 1/2"
Plaid 10 1/2" x 3 1/2"
Sew the 5 1/2 black to the plaid. Sew the red 5 1/2" to the black 3 1/2". Next sew those two sections together.

Now attach the pocket to the apron. To do this, I top stitched around the outside of the apron. Then I stitched the pocket spots down. I went over about 1 inch for the pencil. Then I went over 4 inches from that and stitched along the seam of the black and plaid for the notebook pocket. On the right side of the pocket, I wet over 4 inches into the red fabric for the timer pocket.

To finish off the pocket I added a little patch with Mama Byrd on it. She is my little logo for Mama Byrd Creations.

As usual I did make up some extras and this time Rebecca got one for being my Fly baby partner and always cheering me on. Jill got one too for helping me with the grommets.
I do have a few left over and will put them on my Etsy site. Sorry these instructions are so sketchy but I feel really terrible that I didn't have them on before and really need to post them for you all.

February Apron

I finally have to photos of the February Apron ready to be posted. This apron was pretty easy to make but I had some learning to do.
First off, I thought I would be smart and cut out all the aprons I was going to make all at once. Well that was a mistake! As a result, the mistake I made was multiplied by 4, instead of lesson learned and mistake corrected. I never learn! too ADD. :o) As you can see there are extras this time. One went to my grand-niece, the lovely Miss Ana. The rest are for sale here.
This apron was a lot of fun in spite of my mistake. What I did wrong was guessing on the size and thinking that it would fit all 3 of my girls. Instead they all fit Hannah. Like she needs that many aprons. This is the second time I have made this mistake and Sarah and Caroline are getting a little impatient for an apron that actually fits them and isn't all about princess Hannah. :o) Sisters!

To get started you need to assemble your tools.


Fabric Cuts: (I am giving the measurements for children you can size them up to fit an adult. I am just not posting both as the child apron worked so much better for me.)
For the skirt: cut a rectangle the size you want - I used the width of the fabric (from salvage to salvage) and then cut it 13 inches long for my little girls.
For the ties and strings: cut 2 - 2 1/2" strips the width of the fabric (2 1/2 x 44")
For the bib: cut out a paper heart that fits your chest (remember to keep seam allowance in mind and make the heart slightly bigger. Fold the bottom edge of the heart (the point) up about 2 inches or so. This will fit into the waist band and there is not need to cut it out of your fabric.

Place the heart onto your fabric and cut 2 out (these can both be of your print or you can have one out of muslin)


For the pocket: Cut out 1 heart the size you want for the pocket. This should be in a contrasting color.

Sewing instructions: (seam allowances are about 1/4")
1. Make the neck ties. Take 1 of your 2 1/2" strips and cut it in half. Take one of these pieces and cut it in half again. This gives you 2 - 2 1/2" by 11" or so strips. Fold these in half lengthwise and sew along one and and down the side. Turn them and press.

2. Attach the neck ties to the heart. Take your 2 ties and position them on the top of the heart where they look good to you and pin in place.

Now place the lining heart on top and pin in place. Sew around the sides of the heart.

Clip the curves and turn and press.

3. Find a good helper.

This isn't necessary but nice to have! I couldn't resist this happy face. He came in and "helped" me sew this part.
4. Make the skirt. Take your skirt piece and remove the salvages. (why? Because as they are washed and dried the shrink up more than the rest of your fabric and will make things pucker over time. Not pretty.) I curved the edges of the apron to make it easier to sew. To do this, place a bowl on the corners and cut around it.

Now finish off the edges of your skirt. You can do this several ways. My original idea (and the reason I cut the curved corners) was to put bias tape trim all the way around. However, I couldn't find the bag of 100+ tape trims I have. (you don't want to see my sewing room!!) Sooo. I went to option 2 which is to turn and fold and top stitch down. This works much better if you didn't already curve the seam. Yes my curve looks crappy. So on the second one I made I did a rolled hem edge on the serger. It looks much better.
Now you need to put a gathering stitch along the top edge of the skirt. Do this with 1 or 2 rows of wide stitches. I like 2 because it is more stable.
5. Now get your strings ready. Take the remaining 2 1/2" x 44" strip and cut it in half. This leaves you with 3 - 2 1/2" by 22" strips. Sew these together into a long string. I know this sounds crazy but trust me it works this way.

What this does for you is defines your waistband on a child's apron. On an adults apron you would do it similarly but you need much longer string pieces. You do the math for that. :o)
6. Attach the bib and skirt to the strings. Find the center of your string, skirt and bib. Mark it with a pin.

Layer them together. First the string, right side up. Then the heart, right side up and last the skirt right side down. (FYI- the heart is upside down in my picture here. I fixed it but forgot to take a new picture. Sorry)
Now adjust the gather of the skirt to fit inside the waistband section of your apron strings. Pin the layers in place.

Now sew these in place. You might want to increase your seam allowance unless you like picking out your gathering stitch. I am too lazy so I widen my allowance here.

6. Now you need to sew up the strings. I didn't get good photos of this but think you can figure it out. Take each string and fold it in half lengthwise. You will sew this up starting at the end of each string and going down the sides. Stop when you reach the skirt and back stitch.

Here I have folded the string and pinned it where the tie meets the skirt to remind me not to sew past this point.
Turn and press your strings.This is what your apron should look like now.

7. Top stitch waistband to finish. Now fold the back of the waistband under and pin in place.

Now you can whip stitch this in place or if you are too lazy like me, you can turn it to the front now and top stitch the waistband. You will fold the heart part up now and stitch right across it.
8. Make and place the pocket. Take the heart pocket you cut out and place it on a square of muslin. Stitch around the heart leaving a space for turning.

Trim the heart and clip the curves.

Turn and press. Top stitch around the heart.
Place the heart onto the apron where you want it and pin in place. Stitch around the heart leaving the top open.

YOU ARE DONE!!!

She is a doll! :o)

January Apron - Smock Apron - Child or Adult

Here is the tutorial (?maybe) for my first apron. It is so quick and easy and so comfortable. I made this first for me but as it makes me look even fatter, I will not be posting the photos of me in mine. You get to see the lovely miss Hannah model this smock this month. I assume you have some basic sewing knowledge but not tons. If you have questions, ask me and I will happily clarify my poor instructions. This apron is open in the back but you can close it if you want.

Pattern pieces - Cut these out of paper if you need that or use a rotary cutter, cutting mat, and quilting ruler to measure the fabric itself.

Body of Apron - measure around your chest just under your armpits and add half again to that number for the width of your smock skirt. (For example a 36" bust + 18 = 54") The length of the top is however long you want it. You could take this to the floor if you want. I wanted mine to come just past my hips so I made mine 18"
For Hannah's smock I wanted to use one of those embroidered dishtowels so found one wide enough to go around her with room to spare and cut it in half to make one for her and one for another lucky little girl. (not sure who yet)
Contrasting band at the top of the apron - Measure around your bust again and add about 2-4 inches. Test this measurement on you and make sure it isn't too snug or too loose. I made mine loose and I like that but Hannah's is a bit snug and it won't fit her long unless I make an alteration ( I have a plan and if I get a snap press I will let you know what that is). This strip needs to be 3 1/2 inches wide (for example 36" bust + 4"= 40" x 3 1/2"). You need to cut out 2 of these one of which is your facing. You can line this with interfacing you choose but I didn't I really hate working with that stuff and never remember to have any on hand or can't find it when I need it.
Shoulder Straps - Find a comfortable length from your front to your back over your shoulder. This is easier to measure on someone else than yourself. My straps are too big and keep flopping of my shoulder but Hannah's fit perfectly. I will have to take mine in. They drive me nuts. A good average length is 14" and the straps need to be cut at 4 1/5". You need 2 of these.
Pocket - This is optional. Cut out two squares the size you want (4x6"). Place them together and curve to bottom if you like or leave it straight. It's your pocket, do what you like. :o)

Sewing order:
Shoulder straps - Fold the fabric in half with right sides together and sew each strap with a 1/4" seam.

Turn the straps to the outside and press them as you like. The seam can go to one side or you and slip it to the back if you want to be fancy. It is your strap, do as you like. :o)
Contrasting band - For the piece that will be on the inside, fold the bottom edge under ( to the wrong side) 1/4". I just eyeball that. (I really hate fussy measurements).

Now you need to pin your straps in place. To do this I folded the outside band in half and marked that then I measured out about 3 to 5 inches and placed the strap end on each side of the front. (I know this sounds confusing but if you will place it out in fornt of you, I promise it will make sense.) Next do the same from the middle back of the the band (this is where it will close in back and overlap) measure back on each side about 3-5 inches and pin the other end of each strap on each side. MAKE SURE you are pinning them to the top of your band so that your straps go over your shoulders and not under your boobs. :o) For better instructions go here. She has a tutorial for a smock shirt and has descent drawings. They helped me get the idea.
Now that you have your straps pinned in place, place your lining fabric on top, right sides together and stitch all the way around, encasing the straps inside with 1/4" seams.

Now for your skirt. Because I used a dishtowel for Hannah's smock I didn't need to finish the edges but if you use yardage then you will want to make a narrow hem on the sides and bottom of your piece. At the top you need to make a gathering seam by sewing the whole length with the widest stitch your machine will make near the edge of your fabric. Once will do, however, twice is more stable. (this is one way of doing things, you can also make tucks or pleats all the way across, it's your apron, do as you wish). Now pin this to the bottom of the front piece of your contrasting band. When I did this I didn't go right to the ends and left about and inch or so of band on each end for putting buttons or snaps or whatever there. Now sew that with a 1/4" seam.

Now tuck the seams to the inside of the band and pin the front and back together with wrong sides together and top stitch around the whole thing to finish off the lining seam ( this is why you folded the lining side up 1/4 inch). You could stitch this by hand but who has time for that. :o) This works for me. You can see in the photo here the inside of the apron.

Pocket - Take your two pieces of pocket fabric and place them together with right sides facing and sew them all the way around the outside edge, leaving and opening for turning. Use a 1/4" seam.

Turn to the outside and press. You can whip stitch the open shut but I just made sure my opening was on the side and took care of it when I top stitched the sides and bottom of the pocket to sew it in place. So now top stitch the top of the pocket and place the pocket where you want it and pin it in place. Top stitch around the sides and bottom.

Now you are done! This is actually the one that I am going to give away I like it BUT....

I really like this one better that I made for my Hannah baby Chicky.

I hope this wasn't too confusing. I may come in and fix this all. I don't do well with directions. I promise I will do better next month. Maybe if I write it on paper as I go. Who knows. You will just have to wait until Feb. to get the next one. I have several in mind and will just have to choose one.