The 30 Minute Apron Tutorial

Does your little one have a play kitchen?  Or, do they like helping you cook or bake?  This (give or take) 30 minute apron will let them look stylish doing either.

You'll need fabric and a sewing machine.

For this child size apron you'll need approximately 44 inches by 12 inches of fabric for the apron skirt.  The tie will require approximately 66 inches by 3 1/2 inches (though, I did elect to make my apron tie long enough for a big beautiful bow to be tied).

Start by folding your fabric for the apron skirt in half, right sides facing each other, or cutting out two sections of your fabric to measure 22 inches by 12 inches when folded together.

Optional:  Add curved edges to the bottom of your apron.  To easily add curves, use the curve of a plate as a template.  Line up along one corner of the apron, using a rotary cutter cut along the curve.  Fold your fabric in half, to cut the same curve on the other side of the apron.

Now it's time to sew!  Sew down one side of your apron (or if you folded your fabric in half - start sewing at the rounded edge, beneath the fold), across the bottom and back up the other side of your apron.  Leave the top of the apron open.

Clip the corners of your apron, if you opted to curve your edges.  If you left your corners square, clip the points of the edges off, close to seam line.

Turn your apron right side out and press.

Optional:  Top stitch down one side of your apron, across the bottom and back up the other side of the apron.  Though not necessary, top stitching gives your apron a finished more tailored look. 

Optional:  Gathering the fabric at the top of the apron.

To gather the fabric at the top of the apron, grab some string, long enough that it spans the length of the apron.  Do a zig zag stitch wide enough that it goes over the string.

Hold one end of the string in place, while you gently pull the other side of the string, gathering the fabric as you go.

Try and space the gathered fabric evenly so one spot isn't more gathered than another spot.  You should be able to freely adjust the fabric, as long as you hold the string securely.

Time to create the tie.  Want to save a step, use wide ribbon as your tie.

Or you can make your own tie...

Your tie can be made long and wide as you want.  The tie I made is roughly 66 inches by 3 1/2 inches.  To make it long enough, I needed to sew 2 sections of strips together to get the length I wanted.  Press all sides of the tie over roughly a 1/4 of an inch.

Pin your tie to the top of the apron.  Open the 1/4 of an inch seam you pressed, line the outer edge of the tie up with the top of the fabric. 

Sew along the seam line you created from one end of the apron to the other end of the apron.  Take the apron off of the sewing machine.  Fold the tie up, along the 1/4 of an inch you just sewed along, and then fold the rest of the tie, in half over the top of the apron.  Sew the tie into place using a top stitch (basically sew as closely to the bottom of the tie as you can).

Continue top stitching down the length of your tie, across the end of the tie, across the top of the tie, down the opposite side and back to the front of the apron, where you began.

Now go do some imaginary or real baking in style.

First shared with One Artsy Mama.