Simplicity 2492 - Bird Apron

Just thought I'd share a few photos of an apron that I made for my sister. Admittedly, this a project that I worked on in December, so these pictures are a little belated (better late than never, right?).





This design comes from Simpicity 2492, and I used quilter's cotton in coordinating prints. The pattern worked well, and I basically made the apron by the instructions, although I did cut the center back of the neckband on the fold, rather than cutting it in two pieces as the pattern suggests. This way, the apron slips over the head instead of having ties at the nape of the neck.



When sewing, I simply enclosed the edges with binding and skipped the reference to extending the binding to make the neck ties.



I made a second apron with this pattern, as well. Hopefully I'll be able to get a few pictures of it soon.

Christmas Sewing. . .

One of my most recent projects has been to complete four aprons to give as Christmas gifts. Three of them were for children and the fourth was adult sized.









For the first two aprons, I used Simplicity 4286, view E. I sewed them according to the instructions, except that I added interfacing to the lengthwise half of the waistband that is closest to the outside of the garment, rather than using no interfacing at all. For the second pictured apron, I put a bow only on the pocket.





For the third apron, I use view A of Simplicity 4692, making no other changes than using three snaps in place of Velcroπ® for the closure at the back of the neck.





I made the misses' size apron using view B of Simplicity 5961, again, substituting snaps for Velcroπ®, this time on the crossover strap ends, as with the green apron.

All of the patterns were simple, but the last two could possibly be a little frustrating for a beginner because of all the curved edges and corners that must be bound. Yet, on the other hand, they are also great for practice! The key is to pre-shape the binding with steam to fit the curved edges and ease in extra length when binding an inward corner. I've learned that it seems to be best to leave several extra inches worth of binding at the ends when pinning the binding to a very curved pieced, such as the the yoke on the fourth apron, because the binding tends to shrink back while it's being stitched in place.

On another topic, the green knit top that I mentioned a few posts ago is still not finished because I was sidetracked with an unexpected and more urgent project. I had worked on it for several days and it was then that I discovered that my sewing machine must have an incredible hatred for knitted fabrics because the material is permanently stretched out of shape. It just so happens, however, that I started out with twice as much fabric as I needed for one top, so when I have worked up enough courage to try again, I'll cut out another one and give it another go =)

Simplicity Vintage Apron

I have finished the apron that I mentioned in my previous post!

Here's a picture of the front. . .


. . . And a picture of the back


A detailed picture of the pocket. . .


. . . And a photo of the snaps on the end of the shoulder straps


A few details:

This is a reproduction of an original vintage apron pattern. It comes in one size, and takes about a yard of fabric to make. View A (the apron I made) calls for a small amount of contrasting fabric for the ties and shoulder straps. I didn't have any contrasting fabric on hand, so I simply cut matching ties and straps from the same fabric as the rest of the apron (I had started out with extra yardage). I used a green cotton with stripes and floral motifs.

This apron was quite simple to make, and all of the edges, except for the hem, are bias bound. View A requires one package of bias tape, and no less! At the beginning of the project, I took a 3 to 4 inch length of the binding and applied it to a small amount of scrap fabric to adjust the thread tension on the sewing machine. As a result, I ran short of binding (by an inch or two). It was alright though, because I was able to purchase more.

As for the fit of the apron, it is a little looser on the sides of the bodice than it is in the picture, but that doesn't really bother me -- I made it to wear while cooking! I think this apron would probably accommodate a fuller-busted person, because of the extra room in the top. The shoulder straps were an inch or two too long for me, as well, but that is easily remedied by a small tuck held by a safety pin. If I make the pattern again, I'll adjust the shoulder strap length in the pattern.

Overall, I'm happy with the pattern. Perhaps someday I'll try making the pink apron with the scalloped hem, as well.