Half Apron Tutorial - Finally!

Half-Apron Tutorial:
What you’ll need:
.7m (around a yard) of cute fabric
2m (2 yards) of bias binding
Matching thread
Metric pattern paper or cutting mat
Sewing machine and sewing kit

The Heat n Bond, felt, and heart/circle patterns are for the applique I put on the apron – see it here!

Ok, you can either make 2 pattern pieces like I did (see pic below), or you can cut the pieces out using the measurements:

Apron: 60cm wide by 30cm tall
Pocket: 60cm wide x 20cm tall
Tie (cut 3): 60cm wide x 10cm tall

Making patterns: I make patterns for everything, but you don’t have to. In case you do, though, I’ll explain the apron pattern piece that’s shown: I made one pattern piece for the apron, then simply folded the top down by 10cm to cut out the apron pocket piece. This saves you from having to make 2 pattern pieces when 1 will do fine. (I am so lazy...)

Freehand curve: Now add the freehand curve on the bottom corners of Apron piece and pocket piece: This is where your metric paper or mat comes in handy. Basically, you want to make 2 marks, 5 cm from the bottom corner, as shown in the pic, and do a freehand curve design between them, then cut it out:

Applique?: Ok, so our fabric pieces are ready, right? Well, maybe...

If you want to make the apron extra special, follow this link, and put an applique on the front pocket, like this:

Put your applique (if desired) on the pocket first, then sew the apron together.

Are you finished with applique, or don't want any? Ok, ready:

Assembly Destructions...sorry, Instructions: Now we can assemble the apron (finally!). N.B. Unless marked otherwise, backstitch a bit at the beginning and the end of each seam.

Top Bias Binding: Add the bias binding to the top of the pocket: Unfold the bias binding and pin the TOP edge of it onto the TOP edge of your apron pocket. Stitch a few mms from the edge:

Then, fold the binding over and pin in place.

 Stitch near the inside edge:

Stitch close to bottom edge

Make Pockets: Next, with Right Sides Up (RSU), place pocket onto Apron piece and pin on the edges: 

Pin along the outside edges

Ok, now stitch your pockets: I put mine 15cm from the left and right edges – that’s what that blue line is in the pic (N.B. Always use eraseable fabric marker-type pen or chalk to mark on fabric!!!):

Draw a line 15 cm in from the edge on both sides, from the bottom up to the top of your pocket.Then stitch, following the line you've just drawn..

Stitch Pocket to Apron: Now stitch the pocket onto the apron piece a few mms from the edge, just enough to get it together. You’ll put bias binding over that seam later, so it doesn’t have to be perfect stitching:

Look Ma, no pins!!

Bias Binding Outside Edge: Then, carefully pin the bias binding around the outside edge that you’ve just sewed.  You’ll have to ‘walk’ it around the curves – just use lots of small pins to keep it in place!

Use loads of pins!

Tack: Now, you need to tack (sew something in place so you don’t have to use a million pins) the binding in place round the curves before you sew. Then you can sew it without a million pins in the way!
Okay, confession time: usually I don’t bother with tacking, I just use a poop-ton of pins. BUT, for bias binding round a curve, tacking genuinely makes life and sewing way easier. So, I know you’re tempted, but DON’T skip this step!
Here’s what my tacking looked like:

It’s not perfect, but you’ll be removing it in a bit anyway!

 Sew Bias Binding: Right! Now we sew the bias binding all the way round.  Take your time and try to stitch near that first fold. Stitch over the curvy bits twice, once near the fold and again more in the ‘middle’, for stability:

You can remove your tacking if you want to...

 Iron and Edgestitch: Now iron the binding over toward the back, and pin in place so you can edgestitch the front, just like you did on the straight top edge. Here’s what it looks like after edgestitching:

Awww, how cute is that? Sorry it’s blurry, but you get the idea, right? I hope...

 Celebrate: Ta-Da! Now we’re almost done!

Almost time to do the neutron dance!

Apron Tie Assembly: Okay, remember those 3 pieces of fabric we cut way back in the beginning? Well, they’re the finishing touches on our apron!
Get ‘em out, and with right sides together, join all 3 together at the (short) edges, into 1 long piece.

See how those short edges are pinned together, right sides together? Do that.

 Sew and Iron: Using a 1cm seam allowance (or ½”), sew the pinned edges, then steam the seam allowances open.

Iron (Again?!): Then, iron in half lengthways – it’s long, so it takes a while:

Fold and Iron: Now, open that fold back up, and fold the bottom part up to the foldline you just made, then fold the top part down to that foldline, pressing the folds with your iron as you go along, like in the pic:

(BTW, now is a good time to thank Irene, Saint of the Electric Iron, that you don’t have to warm your iron up in the fire every 5 minutes like they did before electricity!)

The top and bottom edges meet in the middle and the whole thing looks like a long piece of bias binding.

Pretty Ends: At the ends, fold the raw edge in by 1cm and iron if before you fold it in, like so:

This makes the ends of your apron tie all neat and tidy.

Find Centres, Start Pinning: Now, line up the centres of both your strip and your apron body and, working from the centre, fold the long strap over the top raw edge of the apron, like in the pic:

It basically works like the bias binding did, except you don't have to stitch it before you fold it over the raw top edge.

 Continue pinning the strap shut till you reach the ends and neatly tuck them in and pin them shut:

Edgestitch: Now edgestitch the inside edge of the strap, a few mms from the edge, like so:

Sorry it’s blurred, but you get the idea, right? And I know my pins are on the wrong side, but I’m left handed and find it easier sometimes...

To Finish: Now edgestitch a few mms from the top edge to finish the tie off neatly.

And here it is in action!: 

Wooo! Who's that hot chick?

© Copyright J C Excell, 2011
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