Aprons have been used since ancient times in both the home and industry. In recent decades, they've become synonymous with a warm, generous home where you're fed, cared for and made to feel at ease.
Adding a signature apron to a kitchen ensemble is easy with scraps of fabric that fit your style and your home. Add as many pockets as you’d like, and if you’re feeling adventurous, add an appliqué that accentuates the apron’s pattern.
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Materials
- Fabric scraps
- Cutting mat
- Rotary cutter
- Ruler
- Fabric-marking tool
- Fabric scissors
- Straight pins
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Serger (optional)
- Iron and ironing board
- Hand towel or tea towel
- Fabric scraps
- Cutting mat
- Rotary cutter
- Ruler
- Fabric-marking tool
- Fabric scissors
- Straight pins
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Serger (optional)
- Iron and ironing board
- Hand towel or tea towel
DIY Everywhere
Instructions
1. Use a ruler and rotary cutter to trim rough edges from the fabric scraps and to square the edges.
1. Use a ruler and rotary cutter to trim rough edges from the fabric scraps and to square the edges.
2. Choose a big piece of fabric to create the apron's base. The tutorial features a base that's 20 inches at the top and 25 inches at the bottom.
3. Use a fabric-marking tool to make a small mark a couple of inches in from the outer edge. Sketch a line at an angle from the mark to the bottom corner.
4. Do the same on the opposite edge. Cut along the angled lines on each side with a rotary cutter.
5. To cut pieces for pockets, ties and decorations, fold the second fabric piece in quarters, and trim the rough edges.
6. Lay the piece out flat, and fold it in half. Use the rotary cutter to cut it into three equal pieces, and set these pieces aside.
7. Cut the remaining scraps into squares and strips. Smaller scraps can work. The pieces don't need to be exact; use the rotary cutter to create neat pieces with clean edges.
8. Line up one of the strips with one of the squares, and use fabric scissors to trim the strip to the width of the square.
9. Fold the thinner edge about 1/2 inch in, and pin it. Fold the corresponding side edge of the square about 1/2 inch in, and pin it.
10. Sew along the pinned edges of the strip and square.
11. Stack the two pieces with the strip on top of the square, lining up the pinned and top edges. Sew along the bottom edge of the strip, sewing it onto the square.
12. Serge (or use a zigzag stitch) along the raw edges of the pieces.
13. Iron the piece flat, and fold each of the other three sides in about 1/2 inch. Iron flat to hold the fold. This will be the pocket.
14. Place the pocket on the apron base, and secure it with straight pins. Sew around the pocket, leaving the top edge open.
15. Along the bottom of the apron, place two of the small scraps cut into strips as a border, overlapping them in the middle.
16. Pin them in place with straight pins.
17. Sew along the top of the strips and again down the middle where the straps overlap. Serge or zigzag-stitch the sides and bottom edge of the apron base.
18. Iron the entire piece flat, and flip over the over so the wrong side faces up.
19. Fold all sides of the apron base in about 1/2 inch, and iron to hold the folds. Sew along these folded edges.
20. Baste the top edge of the tea or hand towel. Pull the end of the thread to gather the top of this piece, and tie a knot in the ends of the thread you pulled.
21. Grab the three strips you cut in step 6. Lay two of the pieces together with the pattern sides facing each other. Pin the pieces along the smaller edge, creating one long strip.
22. Do the same with the other piece along the opposite short side, until you have the three pieces pinned so they create a long strip. Sew the three sections together along the pinned edges.
23. Iron the long strip flat, and iron the seams.
24. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, and iron it to hold the fold.
25. Fold in the edges toward the middle of the fold, about 1/2 inch on each edge, and iron the folds to create a neater edge on the tie of the apron.
26. Slip the top of the apron base between the fold of the tie piece, arranging it so it sits in the middle of the tie, leaving two equal lengths of the tie on each side.
27. Pin the two pieces together with straight pins.
28. Slide the gathered top of the towel between the apron base and the tie piece, and pin in place.
29. Sew along the bottom of the tie piece and both side edges, so the tie piece is completely sewn shut and the apron base and towel are sewn in place. (Slow the machine's speed if necessary because of the piece's thickness.)
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30. Trim any stray threads.