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. ;)

Rice + Fabric = WARMTH

Several years back, my mother had surgery done at the base of her skull, where her spine meets her head. It was for a rare condition called Arnold Chiari Malformation. With the surgery comes a long, highly uncomfortable, sometimes down right painful recovery.

It was during this time that I went to a craft show with my Grandma, and stumbled upon homemade heating pads. The note said it could be used cold or hot, and had instructions on how to use it. It was inexpensive, so I picked one up, and sent it home with my Grandma, so she could give it to my mom.

Fast forward a year or two, and I found out exactly what that homemade heating pad was. It was simply rice and fabric, nothing more, nothing less.

Since then, I've made these myself as gifts, and for myself. They are really handy to have around.

Homemade Heating Pad

What You'll Need:
Flannel fabric
Uncooked, Non-instant rice (very important! Instant will NOT work!)
Thread
Sewing Machine or Needle
Ribbon*
Aroma Therapy Bath Quality Oil*

1. Take the flannel, and make a square, rectangle, or oval shape about the size of a text book, give or take a bit. You will want 2 pieces the same size.
2. Once you have cut your shape, put them together, face to face if there is a pattern. Sew it together with a zig zag stitch on 3 sides, leaving the 4th side open, then turn it right side out.
3. Fill the fabric bag half way with the rice, then fold the unstitched edge together, and sew it shut with a zig zag stitch.

I usually add a handle to one side using grosgrain ribbon (the fabric ribbon with a ridged texture to it). To do this, insert one end in between the fabric at one corner, then insert the other edge into the opposite corner, so that the ribbon is sandwiched between the fabric before it is sewn. You want the handle to be on one end on the outside once it's been turned right side out.

To add aroma therapy oils, put the rice into a rubbermaid bowl with a lid. Drop just a few drops of oil onto the rice, then seal the bowl, and shake, shake, shake! If the scent isn't too strong, you can add just a few more drops, but be careful not to overly saturate any of the rice. If it's soggy, it will cook when warmed up!

How To Use It:

• As A Heating Pad: Microwave 1-3 minutes, depending on the size. It will create a moist heat that is portable.
• As An Ice Pack: Store it in the freezer, and use when needed. Warm at room temperature before using it as a heating pad.

The rice is usually pretty cheap. The flannel can be found at JoAnn's in the remanent section for 50-75% off the retail price. This allows for a large selection of patterns & colors.

I made these one year for Christmas, and just about every year since, I get requests for more, because they are so handy to have around. One aunt tells me her pad seems to walk off on it's own after people use it!

If you are in need of a heating pad for yourself, and want one right away, without the sewing, you can fill a clean tube sock about half way, and simply knot the end. These can come in handy for when you need something right away.