Aprons on the Brain

I haven't been in a sewing mood for a little bit, but I have done a little bit of sewing and crafting in the past few months that I haven't yet included on this blog. For Christmas I decided I wanted to make some aprons for gifts. I am in dire need of a new apron myself so I thought I would try to find a good pattern and use it to make a gift and later (when I feel up to it) I can make one for myself. In fact, I am remembering now that I even made an apron (reversible half apron) for my new sister-in-law Lexi for her bridal shower back in October.

For Christmas, my siblings and I rotate who we give gifts to and this year I had my brother Joel and sister in law Abby and their two little boys. Knowing how much my own kids love baking with me, I thought it would be fun to give them a Mom and Me Cookbook and a little cooking set  as well as some pint sized aprons for the boys (they are 3 and 1 1/2). Well I ordered all the cooking gear and before I sat down to pull out my fabric bin to see if I had any decent boy fabric, I checked out Abby's sewing blog and low and behold I sat face to face with a picture of her little guy in a cute but manly apron. What?! (oh and by the way it is a free pattern/tutorial and it is awesome!) So I crossed that off my list, and got to work on some aprons for her and my brother.

For Abby's apron I used this free ruffle apron tutorial. I just used what I had and I used lots of pink and some Amy Butler because I know she is a fan of both. And there is some yummy Heather Bailey fabric in there too. I really liked how it turned out and I know she really liked it too.

I am not really into sewing for men. Both my husband and my brother are very manly men and I much prefer sewing frills. The very first pattern I bought way back when I first started sewing and I was a new mommy was a simple apron pattern. I made several of them. My husband  wanted me to make one for him but he insisted it had to be made of some real fabric - nothing too flimsy, so he helped me pick out some real tough duck cloth/canvas. The apron I made for him 5 years ago has held up very well and he doesn't hesitate to wear it when he is grilling. So I figured I had better go the same route with my brother. I remember the first apron my dad ever had. It was a blue and white check apron with the words "#1 Cook" on it. I have fond memories of my dad working in the kitchen wearing that apron. I thought it would be fun to find some blue and white check fabric and put those same words on Joel's apron and cross my fingers that he would remember my dad's apron as well. So his apron is pretty utilitarian, but I hope that he will get some wear out of it. I know he can be a mean cook when he wants to be - especially when it comes to meat.

I also decided to make an apron for another one of my sister-in-laws, Maren, (I have a lot of sister-in-laws) and this is where the pattern comes in. I searched etsy for some cute patterns and I only found about 50 that I wanted. There are some seriously cute aprons on etsy and I really really loved seeing all the vintage inspired ones. After some serious deliberation I bought the Pretty Ditty Apron. I loved everything about this pattern. It comes in different sizes including little girl sizes. There is the option to make it reversible and it is just plain cute! So I made a darling apron for  Maren and in the hustle and bustle of Christmas and trying to live in the moment, I of course forgot to take a picture before I wrapped it up and gave it away. I know Maren loves yellow and I picked out Heather Bailey's Hello Roses in Gold fabric for the main fabric. I love me some Heather Bailey.

And as I have been obsessing over aprons, my talented sister in law Abby came out with an apron pattern of her own!! It is an apron for Mommy and daughter. And can I just say it is DARLING! I am in love with the pockets and the sweetheart neckline and all of the ruffles. Cute, cute CUTE!

So by the end of this year I am hoping to have an apron for my almost 1 1/2 year old girl who keeps stealing her brother's and sister's aprons as well as a drawer full of cute aprons for myself. Because you can never have enough!

XO,

Maren

Smock Apron

After I bought and started wearing nicer clothes a few weeks ago, I realized I needed to start wearing aprons more so I don't ruin my new wardrobe. I only have one apron (the Maren made for me 5 or so years ago), and I wanted a few more. I really wanted to make something full coverage, with a high neck, and long(ish). If I knew how to put sleeves on something, I would have.

I drafted a pattern loosely based on this smock apron. I wanted the arm holes smaller, and I made it a little longer. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. I've put myself on fabric block for awhile (for budgeting reasons), so I had to make do with what I had on hand. This was a fabric I got a lot of on sale that I thought I'd use for baby blankets. I still have plenty for blankets if I decide to ever use it for that.

Montessori Apron Modified

I had always intended on making Bella a full apron but when I saw this tutorial I couldn't pass up. That is the apron I posted here. Anyways, so I thought I would delay making her a full apron. However, one evening before Easter when I was working in the kitchen I told the kids to go grab their aprons so they could help me. Bella so badly wanted to wear Buddy's apron. She loves being able to put it around her neck. She cried and cried when I told her that it was for Buddy. I promised that I would make one for her as well and we pulled out my fabric stash and chose some fabric.




The week before Easter I tried to sneakily work on the girl's Ruby Lou dolls but if Bella caught me at the sewing machine she would say "Are you working on my apron?" I would say "yes". I know, I totally lied. So after Easter I knew I had to whip that baby up. I knew I wanted a full apron and I knew I wanted it girly with ruffles and cute pockets but I kept coming back to the Montessori pattern. I love it! So I adjusted it a little to make it more girly. I rounded the edges, added a ruffle kind of like in the half apron I used before, and added two cute pockets. I have had my eye on this market skirt pattern for quite awhile because I LOVE the pockets on it. So I tried to make some pockets similar to the ones in the skirt pattern. I love the two buttons and the green ric rack ribbon on the pockets. And like I said before, my kids need pockets. I also love how vintagey this apron feels with the red and white gingham and the yellow floral.




Needless to say Bella loves it and wears it all the time. And I am getting even more help in the kitchen!




XO
Maren

Dean's apron

I finished this last night. When Dean came into the living room this morning and saw it he said, "Walter's new pillowcase." haha. His grandma made him a pillow case for Christmas that was the same color as the apron.

Some of my mistakes: I didn't read the instructions closely. I read "1/2 in. seams" but failed to notice that the neck and waist pieces were supposed to have 1/4 in. seams. I also thought it said 3/8 in. elastic, but it really said 3/4 in. Lucky for me, because the 3/8 elastic fit perfectly in my small straps. The straps were super hard to turn, but I actually like the size they turned out. Oh, and I forgot to pre-wash. Oops. Hopefully it doesn't look wonky after washing and drying. I'll let you know.

Things I'd change next time: Once I forced Dean to try it on (he REALLY didn't want to), the neck strap was a little longer than I wanted and the waist was waaaayyy too big. I'd probably cut the waist strap by 2 inches and the neck by 1-2. I added a lined pocket.

The two fabrics are Robert Kaufman Fundamentals and Robert Kaufaman Animals gone wild.

Aprons for Bella and Buddy

I know I already posted these on my blog, but I will post them here as well. Bella loves Loves LOVES her apron and wants to wear it wherever we go.







XO
Maren