Handmade Apron

I was stuck on a gift for my good friend and avid cooker, Lindsey, who spends just as much time in the kitchen as the rest of us do in front of the computer. When she told me that she was thinking of going back to culinary school, I thought an apron would be the perfect celebratory gift.

Things you need:
Sewing machine
Thread
21-by-45-inch Fabric (some sort of cotton blend, don’t make it hard on yourself)
Scissors
2+ yards of 1 or 2-inch-wide grosgrain ribbon
Pins
Iron

With a little inspiration from Anthropology and Martha Stewart, some sewing know how passed down from mom and dad, and a 30 year old Kenmore 12 Stitch, I got to work.

I ironed hems three sides of my material, then sewed the 1/2-inch hems along the 21-inch sides and 1-inch hem along the 45-inch bottom using a small zig zag stitch. This type of stitch was probably unnecessary and when I build up my confidence, I’ll switch to a straight stitch. I left the top 45-inch side unhemmed.

You can buy a ruffle footer from any fabric store, but I needed to learn the old fashioned way first. I sewed a running stitch along the 45-inch top about 3/4 of an inch in, then a second running stitch 1/2 of an inch in.  I choose one end of the running stitch to pull and one to tie off, then tied a knot in the latter end to keep the material from sliding off.

Very gently, I pulled just one of the running stitches and allowed the material to gather. Again gently, I pushed the material down the thread, opposite the edge I was pulling and towards the tied off end.

Once I got the ruffle spaced how I liked it, I sewed a zig zag stitch over the running stitch to keep the material in place.

I measured and marked the center of my grosgrain ribbon, then did the same with my ruffled fabric. I ironed the ribbon in half, the long way, then pinned it over the raw ruffled. I attached the ribbon to my ruffled skirt piece by top stitching the bottom of the ribbon, making sure to double back at the end.

I shorted myself on fabric, but will be making a fabric flower to sew onto the apron. 

Post by laura on 12/12
Handmade • (1) Comments •