Leave a CommentShare: |
Subscribe
Dancing a jig in my apron and chore boots. I don’t have to tell you what else I had on, do I?
The pattern and instructions for the apron I made this week can be found at Tipnut here (along with a number of other vintage apron patterns–which are all free), so this is not so much a how-to post as just my experience with the pattern. It’s a vintage 1945 pattern for a full apron that is much like most of my Great-Aunt Ruby’s everyday-wear aprons. (See Great-Aunt Ruby’s Aprons and An Apron Display.)
I chose this pattern because of its similarities to Ruby’s aprons and also because it appealed to me on several counts–it was a vintage pattern, it was free, it was a full apron, and it had a back strap.
Back view of the apron.
Aprons without a back strap drive me nuts because the shoulder straps are forever falling off while you’re wearing them. This apron has two pockets, and pockets are always a good thing. I didn’t use the piping (because I’m not a huge fan of piping).
I invited and begged my cousin’s wife, Sheryl, to come over and make the apron for me help me. I cleared off the dining room table and set my laptop on one end to keep it handy.
Sheryl brought some plain wrapping paper to use to cut out the pattern.
The only tricky pattern piece is the bodice. All the other pieces are straight-sided and easy to transfer with a ruler and a measuring tape.
(I swear she’s not really poking my computer screen there.)
If you have grid or pattern paper, the bodice will be easier to draw, but Sheryl just counted the squares (one-inch each), measured, and used a large oval platter to make smooth curves. You can also download a pattern sheet for the bodice from Tipnut.
Next thing you know, we had a whole bunch of pattern pieces.
(Note: You can find the instructions for the crocheted bird’s nest pincushion here.)
The only piece we didn’t cut out as a pattern piece was the apron skirt. We just measured that out straight on the material.
This is a very simple sewing project. All the techniques involved are basic–just straight stitching, hemming, gathering. You can make it in a couple of hours.
I did find some of the wording in the instructions confusing, such as step 11: “Lap the back extending corner of bodice over raw end of a tie, right sides up; baste in place.” The directions keep telling you to lap this and lap that when what you’re doing is putting the pieces together and stitching a seam to join them. It reminded me of my Treasure Trove collection of recipes and the interpretation sometimes required to figure out what they’re saying.
However, that’s part of the fun when you’re making something from with old-fashioned instructions, so let me just reassure you that the apron itself is so straightforward that you can let your common sense guide you even if you’re a beginning sewer.
When all the pieces were put together and the last hem stitched, we attached the pockets. I put the apron on and Sheryl pinned the pockets where I showed her, then I tried it on again and we did a slight adjustment before I sewed them on. For some fun, you can make the pockets in a contrasting fabric. I might do that next time.
I have material for a couple more aprons, so now that I’ve got my sewing room cleaned up and Sheryl held my hand while I got my sewing juju back, I’m ready to roll!
What about you?
P.S. In case you missed it above, the free pattern is here.
Posted by Suzanne McMinn on August 27, 2010
1:18
am
6:19
am
8:31
am
8:37
am
9:07
am
9:17
am
9:38
am
9:52
am
10:14
am
10:22
am
12:36
pm
I make and sell alot of aprons; they are so fun to do! Apron fabric doesn’t have to be very heavy; I like to use quilting cottons because they are 100% cotton and such cute patterns. Since they often run up to $9.50 a yard now; it’s nice that I can make a simple bib apron with just a yard of fabric.
Two online sources for fabric that I really like are http://www.fabric.com and http://www.equilter.com . http://www.connectingthreads.com has really cute fabrics for $6 a yard. I’ve never had trouble ordering from any of them.
If you don’t like transferring patterns, Simplicity and McCall’s have really cute patterns, and they go on sale at Joann Fabrics for as little as $1 each! If you live near a Joann’s, be sure to get on their mailing list for 50% off coupons! Another source I really like for apron patterns is http://taylormadedesigns.typepad.com/taylor_made_designs/retro-aprons.html
12:56
pm
1:30
pm
1:48
pm
2:01
pm
2:06
pm
3:25
pm
We had fun drawing the bodice (I didn’t know I was going to need to take my French curve to Suzanne’s). But, the oval platter worked just fine. The apron looked really nice on Suzanne.
After you get your pockets just where you want them, you could draw an outline of the pockets on a “skirt” pattern piece. Then you could use tracing paper to mark your pocket location for the next time you make your apron.
Fun project!
4:27
pm
6:11
pm
I have got to get sewing!!
8:58
pm
9:23
pm
9:43
pm
11:16
pm
11:55
pm
3:00
pm
9:02
pm
I finally dug into my own fabric stash and whipped one up.
Here are my pictures:
http://prairieknitwit.blogspot.com/2010/08/vintage-style.html
Thanks for the inspiration.
1:47
am
4:21
pm
You are giving me confidence to try this pattern.
Next time have someone take a photo of you in it and put on site. I love to see real people in aprons, not some model, but the real person.