How-To: Quarter-Yard Apron

I frequently pick up bits of fabric and trim I’m never quite sure how I’ll use. When I realized I had a lot of Valentine-themed events coming up, I decided to make a fun apron out of a quarter-yard piece of fabric I picked up. When I run events, sometimes I like an apron that’s more show than functional, so I decided to see what I could do with a bunch of odds and ends.

I started by pressing the fabric and pinning it together, wrong sides out. I then sew it all together, with about a quarter-inch seam (give or take!), and leave a few inches un-sewn so that I can turn it right-side out for finishing.

After you’ve sewn the right sides together, give the piece another press, making sure to really give the edges of the apron a good crease. At this time you can close the opening you left for turning. Fold the edges over and pin together. Sew close.

Since I had ribbon for the bottom of the apron and twill tape for the top, I decided to top stitch the two sides. I used a gray thread for a subtle hint of color. Once that was done, I pinned my ruler-themed ribbon to the bottom of the apron. What’s great about this ribbon is that I used the actual rule line as a sewing guide – no wobbly lines here! Thanks, ribbon!

With the ribbon ready to go, I used a few yards of twill tape for the apron tie. I like to make a bigger bow on my aprons, so I added more fabric to tie with. To make sure the apron and twill tape are equal, I folded the apron in half and placed a pin to mark the middle. I then folded the twill tape in half and lined it up with pin. Pin everything together and sew along the top and bottom.

I finished everything off by folding each end of the twill tape over by about half an inch and quickly sewing across. Again, this is more of a “fun” apron, so I didn’t add pockets or other items like that. It’s all about the look…

Here it is. I’ve already put it to use and can’t wait for February’s official arrival.