Dish Towel Apron

Last week I started a project for Gillian- a kitchen apron. A month or two ago, I talked with someone online about ordering an apron to be made for Gillian. We talked fabric, and size, but I never heard back. Being the holiday season, I figured it's already a busy time for us crafters, so I didn't push it.

 

But, I still wanted to get her an apron of some sort, and decided- hey, I can make one! So, that's what I did. I've posted in the past about making an apron for kids from a dishtowel and a pot holder. I wanted a different style for Gillian, though, so I made it from 2 dishtowels, instead.

 

 

I kind of followed this pattern, and kind of just winged it as I went. I had previously made an apron identical to the first link to give to my mom, who was wanting an apron. It was much too big for an almost-8-year-old, though, so I modified the pattern.

 

I opted not to use a second towel as a wrap around section. Instead, I cut from it a pocket section, and a ruffle for the bottom. When I went to attach the ruffle, I opted to round the bottom of the apron. I did a pocket seam across the top, as in the pattern, but then I decided to use fabric for the neck, instead of ribbon. To keep it gathered looking, I sewed a strip of elastic from one end to the next.

My stitching at that point is sloppy, and there is simply no excuse for it. I should have considered that, and sewed it on the seams, or used a less noticeable color of thread. Sloppy, like I said.

 

For the back ties, I just added thin grosgrain ribbon. I rather like it- and I rather love the fancy stitches I was able to add, thanks to the sewing machine. I added a stitch above the pleated ruffle, because the ruffle wasn't laying flat. I love the decorative stitch, though!

 

A Children's Apron: ReDo

Last week, I posted my adventures with the first apron I had tried my hand at. While the apron came out cute, it was way too long for most kids. It came to my knees, or slightly past them. I finally got around to fixing it last night, and love how it turned out.

For reference, here is a BEFORE shot, taken after completing it the first time.




The problem I had, was that the design on the towel was mainly on the lower portion, leaving me with no choice but to cut it off. I did so, and then swiftly helped all of it's edges, and turned it into a pocket on the front of the apron. I love how it turned out!






At the last moment, I added a bow, after I had taken the "finished" shots, so here's a closeup of the cute little bow!



I have 3 aprons done now, and I think I'm going to make 1 more, in a boyish "workshop" style, if I can find the right gear.

Making a Christmas Apron

This craft is featured over at Dollar Store Crafts!


Yesterday, I posted that I had made an apron using a photo I had found online. It's supposed to be a childrens apron made from a dishtowel & pot holder, only it came out huge. I haven't yet started working on that apron to size it down, but will do that at some point today.

This morning, I grabbed the other set I had bought, which happens to be Christmas themed. Or, rather, snow themed. The pot holder is star shaped, and white, with a red snow flake on it. The dishtowel is printed red with white snow flakes on it.

To start off with, I decided on the length, and opted to just cut the towel in half, length wise, giving me enough material for 2 aprons. If you do these this way, and get a 2 pack of pot holders at Dollar Tree, you can make an apron for $1, plus the cost of the ribbon used! I then messed around with it a bit, and played with pleats before settling on a loose box pleat in the front, with the white edges folded to the back.

This made the towel the perfect width for the pot holder, and created a gathered, more girlish apron 'skirt'. Once I had the pleats I wanted, I pinned it in place, and sewed a zig zag stitch straight across to hold it in place before attaching it to the pot holder.

When I got that done, I arranged the pot holder, and sewed it from the back, so I could see where the towel met up with the pot holder, just a simple zig zag stitch, with the ends reinforced with a back stitch. I took a moment to get all artsy with my photos, and took a few macros. ;)

This morning while I was starting the project, I cut the loop off the top of the pot holder, and nicked the bias that edged the pot holder, so that white was showing through. After a few minutes contemplation, I decided to add a simple bow to the front top where the nick is.

To do this, I took a small length of white ribbon, and folded it over on itself, then sewed a line to hold it in place. After that, I used the cut off loop of bias tape, and cinched the middle of the bow together, leaving a small tail behind it, which I used to sew the bow onto the pot holder.

After that, to keep the bow down far enough to cover the nick, I hand stitched the backsides of the bow loops directly to the potholder. I think it turned out super cute, and added a bit more girly to the apron.

Lastly, I attached the straps to the front and sides. For the sides, I opted to 'hide' the stitches as much as possible. To do this, I folded the front of the pot holder up, and safety pinned the sides of it together. I sewed the side ribbons straight to the towel, where it is covered by the pot holder.

What do you think? I love this one!

Also, check out the Re-Do I did of Yesterday's Apron!

Inexpensive Child's Apron

With Thanksgiving & Christmas coming up, the chance to have the kids in the kitchen is expanding. Recently, I talked with a friend online about making an apron for my youngest daughter for Christmas. She is getting an easy bake oven for Christmas that another friend had sitting in her closet- brand new!

I am having one made for her, but after that, I found a really easy way to make a child's apron to use while baking. The main supplies- the towel & pot holder, can be found at Dollar Tree. For $3, you can buy 2 towels, and 1 2 pack of pot holders. Counting in the ribbon, this project should cost you about $1.75 to make.

Finished images of this project can be found on the blog by clicking the link below- it opens in a new window

Child's Kitchen Apron

What You'll Need:
1 Kitchen Towel
1 Rectangular Pot Holder
1 Spool of Ribbon
Sewing Machine or needle
Thread

1. Clip the loop off the pot holder, if there is one.
2. Take into account the child's height, then decide whether you want the towel to hang length wise, or sideways, depending on how tall or short the child is. Once you have decided, sew the pot holder onto the top edge, in the middle. The ends do not have to be bunched or gathered, they remain flat.
3. Once you have the pot holder sewn on, cut a length of ribbon long enough to loop over the child's head, or create two lengths that can be tied around the neck. Sew the two ends to the upper corners of the pot holder.
4. Sew two lengths of ribbon to the top corners of the towel, to tie around the child's waist. If you choose to make a sideways apron, you may want to fold the top corners down, and stitch the corner down before sewing ribbons on, to make it shorter around the waist. With smaller children, the apron might be too wide to tie around the waist at full length.
5. To keep the ribbon from fraying, you can coat the ends in clear nail polish, or fold it over and sew the ends.

The image below shows how to place the potholder, and where the ribbons go. I didn't have anything on hand to demonstrate it, so I used my art program. Yes, I really should have been a serious artist, I'm just that good. ;)