* * Guest post: Apron Tutorial * *

As promised....an apron tutorial to help you get started on your tie One On Day project!
Check here for more details and your chance to win an apron made by me!!

I could make a tute myself, but this tutorial is da bomb!
Many giant thanks to Karen at http://sewmuch2luv.blogspot.com/
 Take a peek at her blog....you'll be a follower for sure!!

Here is her fabulous apron tutorial:

Wow....I know this looks like a really involved pattern, but I promise you it's not. I took lots of photos to help explain how I do this. From beginning to end this apron will take a little over an hour to make. It's very easy to sew and I hope you enjoy making it!

You'll need: (based on 44" or 45" fabric)

1/2 yd fabric for apron skirt
1/4 yd fabric for apron pocket
1/2 yd fabric for waistband, ties, pocket trim and hem

NOTE:  1/2 seam allowance



For the skirt, cut (1)  18" by 30" rectangle
For the pocket, cut (1)  9" by 30" rectangle
For the waistband and pocket trim cut (2)  3" by 30" strips
For the ties cut (2)  3" by 44" strips
For the hem, cut (1)  6" by 30" strip

 

Take your 6" by 30" hem strip and place it right side up. Take your apron skirt and place it right side up on top of the hem fabric.  Place it directly on top of the hem fabric.  Now fold the skirt fabric down, right sides together leaving about an inch of fabric uncovered. Continue to fold it in on itself 3 or 4 times to make a tight little roll.  See the next photo if this sounds confusing. You're going to make a "burrito" out of the hem fabric with the skirt fabric inside. You leave the 1" uncovered so that you don't catch the bulk of the skirt fabric when you sew your burrito.

Now stitch down the entire length of the burrito.

Gently pull the skirt out of the tube you made.

Press your hem. You now have a completely encased hemline with no raw edges. Set aside the apron skirt for now.

Take one of your 3" by 30" strips and fold it in half, wrong sides together and press. This is your pocket trim binding. 

Place on top of the 9" by 30" pocket fabric  with the wrong side facing up and stitch.

Fold over toward the right side of the fabric and press. Make sure that when you press your binding that you cannot see the backside of the pocket fabric peeking over the top from the front side. You only want to see the binding at the top edge.

 Top stitch close to the edge of the trim binding. Set the pocket aside for a moment.

Now take your skirt and measure 7" from the bottom of the hem. Using a ruler and a pen or pencil, draw a line all the way across the width of the skirt. This will be the placement line for your pocket.

Take the pocket strip and with right sides together, line up the raw edge of the pocket with the line you drew. See the next photo for another view. The line in this photo is not very dark.

You can see the pencil line better in this shot. Stitch the pocket strip to the skirt. Fold the fabric back and press.

This is what your apron skirt should look like now. Baste the edges of the pocket to the apron skirt along the sides. I use a zig zag stitch.

Fold over and press your side seams, and then fold over and press once more to get a clean seam with no raw edges. Repeat on the other side.

Stitch close to the fold. Repeat on the other side of the apron.

Now take the apron skirt and fold it in half, wrong sides together. Using a ruler mark a line down the pocket at 4 1/2" from the center of the apron. Flip it over and do the same on the other side. Now you will have a 9" pocket in the center of your apron. You can use a disappearing ink pen for this. The mark will be your stitching guide.

Beginning at the bottom of the pocket, stitch following your guide line to the top edge of the pocket. I like to do 2 lines of stitching here. Always start at the bottom edge of the pocket to avoid puckering. Repeat for the other side of the pocket.

Now take your remaining 3" by 30" strip and your (2) 3" by 44" strips. Sew one of the 3" by 44" strips to each side of the 3" by 30" strip. Press the seams open.

Lay your apron skirt down, with the right side of fabric facing up. Center the waistband that you just created on top of the apron skirt with right sides together. You can pin it in place if you like.

Stitch the waistband to the apron skirt.

Press the seam up towards the waistband.

Fold the waist ties with right sides together and beginning at the end of the tie, stitch the short end and with the needle down, pivot and continue sewing until you get to the apron skirt.

Another view of stitching the ties.

Stitch until you reach the point where the apron skirt begins. Repeat the process on the other side.

Clip the corner of the apron tie close to the stitching but be careful not to clip the threads.

I use a wooden dowel to turn the ties right side out.

Gently push out the corners. I use a large safety pin to carefully pull out the corners. A crisp corner can really make a difference and make a garment look "finished'. After you have done both side ties, take the apron to the ironing board and press the ties.

Press under 1/2" on the raw edge of the waist band.

Now fold the waistband over and press in place. Make sure that when you press the waistband the folded edge is just slightly over the stitching line so that when you top stitch from the other side you will be sure to catch this side in your seam.

Take your apron with the right side of the fabric facing up, begin top stitching at the intersection of the waistband and ties, pivoting at the corners with your needle down.

Top stitch across the apron waist band until you come to the intersection of the tie on the other side. With your needle down, pivot and continue all the way around the waistband, until you return back at your starting point.

At this point you are done! Stand back and admire your work!

Maybe by now, you've worked up an appetite?

Put on that apron and make something yummy!

 Burritos perhaps?

Did I not tell you.......da bomb!!!!

If you would prefer to buy a wonderfully made apron, try Ms. Karen's etsy shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sewmuch2luv

She is a fabulous maker, a wonderful shop owner and her stuff is reasonably priced.....cheap even.... especially when you consider the quality and the love in each and every item she makes!

Make away!!!! 

http://thedistracteddomestic.blogspot.com/2011/11/thanks-give-ing-group-challenge-and.html