Tutorial: Child’s Apron

After daughter’s 1st cooking class, the teacher requested for aprons too. I immediately started panicking. You know I’m all about planning my days out and a trip to Joann’s + sewing sessions were not on my to do list for that week. haha. Yes, it would have been so much easier to just buy one but heck I made her a “chef’s bag”, I might as well make her a cute apron to go with it, right? So I searched, pinned, designed one that would suit my big girl (and me!).

I referenced Tidbits Child’s Apron Tutorial and Made’s Gathered Pocket Tutorial. Let’s get started!

Sizing: 4-7 year old.

Pattern: You only need to draw up half the pattern since you’ll be cutting the apron on the fold.  Top width of the apron: 3.75 inches wide. Length on the fold: 20 inches. Width of the apron: 8.25 inches. From top of the apron to the bottom of the curvature: 8.5 inches. Here’s an image of my pattern.

 What you need: 1 yard of outer fabric and 1 yard of inner fabric.

Prewash your fabric. Fold your outer fabric and pin your pattern to it. Cut. Do the same with your inner fabric.

 Now on to the ties. You’ll need 4 strips total. Cut 2 strips of 18 x 4 out of your outer fabric and 2 strips of 16 x 4 out of your inner fabric. You’ll use the same method discussed below on each strip.

Fold over 1/4 of an inch and press with your iron.

Fold lengthwise in half and press. You’ll do this to obtain a crease.

Unfold and there’s your crease.

Take the ends lengthwise and meet at the crease. Press with your iron.

  like so

Then you’ll fold it again so the exposed ends are sandwiched. Topstitch 1/4 of an inch all the way around. I didn’t use pins but if you’re afraid that they won’t line up, by all means pin away.

Do this with all 4 strips.

On to the pockets. You’ll need to draw up a pattern for the actual pocket and a strip that will hold your gathered seam. The dimension of my pockets are as follows. Width: 6.5 inches. Length: 4.75. I also made a pattern for the strip 6 x 1.25. Here’s an image.

Cut 2 pockets out of the outer fabric. Cut 2 strips out of the inner fabric.

For the pockets, you’ll press 1/4 of an inch all the around (I recommend that you serge or zig zag stitch your ends before pressing. Lesson learned!). For the strips, you’ll meet the 2 long ends in the center and press with your iron.

Sew all the way around your pocket. Now we are ready to gather the pockets.

To gather the pocket: Adjust your stitch length. Make sure you give yourself a “tail” (meaning, pull the thread out a few inches) before sewing so that you are able to gather the pocket.

 Measure 1 inch down from the top of your pocket and sew. DO NOT backstitch on either ends. When you get to the end, make sure you leave enough of a tail so you are able to gather here as well.

Then using either the top thread or bottom (choose 1), gently pull on both sides and it should gather.

Then you’ll take your strip and pin it over the stitches. I just eyeball it and center the strip with the stitches. Fold over the hanging edges and pin as well.

 Sew 1/8 of an inch at the top and at the bottom of the strip. This will ensure that no stitches get pulled out and your gathered stitch will stay put.

No measuring here…I just eyeballed it and placed the pockets evenly apart. Pin them down and sew about 1/8 of an inch around.

 Now for the ruffles, you’ll need a strip measuring 30 x 3.5 out of your inner fabric. Fold over a 1/4 of an inch, press, and sew. You’ll do this on both sides. Then fold in half lengthwise and press. Here’s how you’ll gather the ruffle.

Adjust your tension.

Adjust your stitch length.

Sew 1/8 of an inch and you’ll see that your material will start to gather on its own.

Pin your ruffle to the bottom of your apron.

We’re almost done! Pin down your strips. For the top ties, pin them 3/4 of an inch from the edge.

Sandwich everything. Here’s what it should look like. Sew all the way around using a 1/4 of an inch seam. Make sure you leave an opening to flip everything out!

Notch the curves.

Flip it out and then topstitch all the way around, making sure to stich up the opening where you flipped everything out.

And there you have the completed apron!

My big girl, the chef!

Enjoy the tutorial!

big sis