It is completely necessary to make an apron at least once in your sewing years. They are really basic to make and are cute when cooking. Speaking of cooking, go visit my friend, who is a fabulous sewer, Suzzy!
http://suzzy-craftandcooking.blogspot.com.au/
What you need:
- Sewing machine [ must-have ]
- Sewing tool box, must include many, many pins!
- Fabric of your choice for the apron. Make sure it covers your front and is the length from about your collarbone to your thighs.
- Iron
- Thread that blends in well with your fabric [ for mine I used a type of yellow] and a relatively similar bobbin.
Steps 2-3 below
How to make an apron- Cutting out the pattern
1. Iron your fabric if you haven't done so already.
2. Fold your fabric in half. Your fold should be facing towards you.
3. At the top right hand corner, NOT the fold, cut a round shape [ picture shown on the right ]. This is where your arm will come out, just beneath the shoulder. If you want, you can hold the fabric up against your body, in place, and trace the round part so it secures the best result. Make sure you cut through both sides of the fabric.
4. Unfold your apron. It should look like picture
3. Hold it up against you again and inspect the round sides. Should you make any adjustments?
5. Fold back half a centimeter from every outskirt, including the round parts. Repeat step. You may like to iron the folds down. This will make your apron smart and look very classy! In other words, you won't be able to see the frayed edges.
6. Pin together the folded edges.
Sewing your apron Steps 1 to 4 below
1. Set your stitch length dial to 2 and your stitch width dial to 0. This guide may vary on different sewing machine brands so just make sure you are using a small straight stitch.
2. Thread up your sewing machine [ see tutorial video ]
3. All your fabric should be on the left side of the machine. Also consistently through the whole sewing process, your stitches should be quite close to the inner edge of the fold.
4. Begin sewing at the bottom of your apron. It is best to start somewhere that is less visible because if you make an error, it will not draw attention. Make sure you do a reverse stitch.
Remember to stop sewing about half a centimeter [or wherever you are comfortable with] before your foot reaches your pins so you can take them out. Don't push too hard on the pedal, this will make you go fast and you could injure yourself and damage your apron. Slow and steady does it.
When you reach an edge where 2 folds meet, stop pushing on the pedal, and, using the flywheel, which is the large circle located on the right hand side of your machine and sew manually.This would consist of you bringing the flywheel towards you. Further directions are below if you have trouble with this .
How to manually sew the edge where 2 folds meet
1. Turn your flywheel in a forward motion, towards you. Release your hand.
2. Repeat step until you have reached the end of your fold.
During this time, your needle and presser foot should be down as usual. Please note I mean, foot, not pedal!
When it comes to sewing around the round parts, go slowly and on a slight angle, making sure your stitches match the roundness, not just a wonky line. When you do this you will have to rotate your fabric a lot.
Make sure when you start sewing and finis sewing, you do a reverse stitch a few time so that your stitches are secure.
At the end, this is what your apron should look like. All sewn around the edges.
This is the major part of how to make an apron. Part 2 is coming soon!
