So, my due date is one week from today! I decided to start the guest posts now, just to give myself a little time to relax and get ready. Here's a beautiful tutorial from Rachel at Stitched in Color, owner of Euphoria Baby and Euphoria Maternity. The trouble with all the wonderful guest posts I've got lined up is that my list of projects I want to try is just growing and growing!
Scroll down for info about a giveaway!
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Supplies
Prewash
Fabrics
Begin by machine washing and machine drying your fabric in the same way you wish to care for the finished apron.
Cutting
We’ll begin
by cutting the print for the small square at the center of the apron pocket and
continue working outwards from the center.
Print A: Cut one 5” square
Print B: Cut two 4.25” squares. Divide each square in half diagonally,
creating two half square triangles from each square, for a total of 4 half
square triangles.
Print C: Cut two 6” squares. Divide each square in half diagonally,
creating two half square triangles from each square, for a total of 4 half
square triangles.
Print D: Cut one 8” square. Cut in half diagonally, creating two half
square triangles. Cut one 16.25 x 14.25
rectangle – this is your apron backing.
Lining: Cut one 15” square – this will line your
pieced apron pocket.
Waist Tie: Cut one strip 66” long and 4” wide. If necessary, you can piece together multiple 4” strips to achieve a length of 66”. Always sew with rights sides together so that any piecing seams will be hidden.
Piecing
the Apron Pocket
Note: use ¼” seams and press all seams open, unless
otherwise indicated.
Locate
two Print B triangles and pin them on opposite sides of your Print A square
with right sides together. You will
notice that your triangle is a bit larger than the side of your square. This is important! Center the triangle on the side of your
square.
Stitch
and press open. When piecing, you do not
need to backstitch at the beginning and end of each seam.
Sew
remaining Print B triangles on the other 2 edges, finishing the square. Be sure to stitch from the beginning to the
end of each edge, even on the overlapped triangles. When finished, you should have Print B
crossover at each corner of your square.
Locate two Print C triangles and sew them on opposite sides of your block. Sew with right sides together and press.
Again,
sew remaining Print C triangles on the other 2 edges, finishing the square.
Before
proceeding to the next step, use a rotary cutter, ruler and mat to square up
your block. Don’t cut off too much! You must retain a ¼” seam margin from the
point of each corner to the edge, so that the square’s tips will not be covered
when piecing the next step. You should be trimming just a bit from each side,
as needed to square the block with 1/4” margins.
Locate
one Print D triangle and sew on the bottom edge of your block. Press.
Sew
remaining Print D triangle along the other bottom edge. Press.
Your bottom edge should now measure 15”.
Trim
hang-over triangle ears from your apron pocket, so that all edges are
straight.
Assembling
the Apron Front
Lay
the pocket over your lining fabric.
Trace and cut lining in the same shape as the pocket.
With
wrong sides together, stitch your
lining onto your pocket with a 1/8” edge stitch. Though not strictly necessary, this lining
gives your apron pocket extra strength for those wooden clothespins.
To
finish the triangle-shaped top edge of your pocket, fold each edge over just
¼”. Press to set the seam, then stitch
with a 1/8” top stitch.
Locate
the large Print D rectangle that forms the backing of your apron. Locate the shorter sides of that rectangle,
which measure 14.25”. Fold and press
each side ¼” and then ¼” again, creating a finished edge. Top stitch at 1/8”.
Lay
out the Print D rectangle with printed side down. Lay your apron pocket on top with the pieced
side down, so that your lining faces up.
Pin along the pocket sides and bottom and at the pocket point at the
very top. Stitch with a ¼” seam.
Trim
your corners and turn the apron right side out.
Press the pocket flat. Press the
top edges that extend beyond the pocket flat, so that they do not turn in.
Now,
here’s a little cheat. Most aprons use
binding to finish all edges. I dislike
working with binding, so we’ve finished the exposed edge with top stitching. To prevent the exposed edges from flipping
in, press the edges out and then top stitch at the joint of the apron pocket
and the exposed edge. Top stitch just a
¼” or so inwards and upwards along the pocket opening. In this way, you’ve slightly closed the
pocket and stabilized the edge. When you
attach the waist tie up top, the sides will be forced to remain open as well.
Attaching
the Ties
Locate
your 66 x 4” strip of fabric for the apron waist ties. Place the right side down on your ironing
board and fold the sides in so that they
meet exactly in the center. Press the
entire strip this way.
At
each end of the 66” long tie, fold and press the edge in ¼”.
Now
press the entire strip in half longways, so that the raw edges are hidden in
the center of the strip. The width of
your strip should now be approximately 1”.
At
each far end of your 66” strip, stitch the ends closed with a 1/8” top
stitch.
Now
pin the center of your strip over the top of the apron, enclosing the upper
edge of your apron in the fold of the waist tie.
Starting
at one far end of the long strip, stitch the strip closed a 1/4” from the
edge. Continue stitching as you pass
over the apron, effectively attaching the waist tie to your apron.
Voila, you're done!
Rachel, thanks so much for this beautiful tutorial! And for anyone who'd like to try their hand at winning the gorgeous apron shown in the pictures above, hop on over to Rachel's blog today through Thursday!
