Sewing Project: Apron

Katie and I joke that we were born in the wrong decade--a few decades too late.  We love just about everything when it comes to a 1950s/60s housewife lifestyle and could pretty easily slip into that type of role.  Cooking, cleaning, and sewing are all part of what we enjoy doing.  Don't get me wrong, I love my job!  It's an incredibly rewarding feeling when I know that a student finally "gets it" after explaining something three times in three different ways.  But, I also don't know if I'd even give up my job if an opportunity arose and we could live on one income.  I guess this is where the name for this blog came from--a "wannabe housewife".

Anyway, I learned to sew when I was in high school.  My home-ec teacher (who I love dearly & was partial inspiration for me wanting to become a teacher) taught us how to sew pillows, pants, and purses.  I haven't sewn much since then and actually didn't even own a sewing machine until last year when we decided to make curtains for both my and my sister's weddings, but I really enjoy it!  Making something useful out of a single, flat piece of fabric is amazing!  So for my birthday, I decided I was going to buy some fabric.  I slowly scanned all of the bolts of fabric at the store until I finally decided on two: a pinkish-coral floral design and a marigold yellow.  I immediately decided to turn this fabric into an apron.

Here's a recap in pictures of my process.

This large rectangle will become the skirt of the apron.

A smaller piece will become the bib of the apron.

I sewed two pieces together to form a thicker apron--to create a liner.

The smaller rectangle was cut to create a curved top.  I later have to make the dip in the center a little more accentuated.

I sewed the edges over to get rid of the unfinished edges (on two pieces: the outer piece and the liner).

The finished top with both top pieces sewn together.

I cut two strips the length of 2 yards and sewed them to create a finished look.

One strip gets sewn to the skirt to make the bottom of the apron.

The other strip is cut in half and sewn to each side of the top.

Finished product!

I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out!  I didn't use a pattern, I but tried it on a few times to create any adjustments needed.  My sewing machine cooperated throughout the entire project until I got to the pocket.  It seems so simple, but my bobbin just would not cooperate.  After about 45 minutes, I finally got the pocket sewn on, but it was definitely a fight.  I plan on trying another, but I want to make ruffles on the bottom of the next one.  I'll post pictures if/when it happens.

Happy Monday!