My dear friend was asking everyone last week for a simple sewing project to tackle with her 6 year old girl. She really wanted to get that sewing machine back into holiday gear. Well here is an easy, fun project for any level of sewer to undertake.
Take a pillowcase procured from the local Value Village or Goodwill (the more interesting the design, the better...I mean take that Star Wars pillowcase and go nuts!!) and decide how long you want your finished apron to be.
Cut it to desired length (this pillowcase just happens to be a king pillowcase so it's extra long).
Divide remaining section into at least two parts (in this case, 3 because it was such a large pillowcase).
Take the actual Apron half and tear out the seam (note, it is better to purchase or use a pillowcase that only has one seam down the side instead of down both sides...it just looks better in the finish product). Embellish with fabric or ribbon. I also took part of the extra strips from the previous step and made a little pocket...I know, cute right?! Hem all the sides. The bottom is already done...sweet!
Now take those strips you cut and tear out the seams. Cut one strip in half and sew them to the ends of the long strip. Now you have your ties.
Here comes the fun part...what do you want your apron to look like? You could gather it and then sew on the tie, or you could pleat it, or you could just leave it be and make it more of a wrap around apron with almost full butt coverage! LOL! But whatever you do, make it your own unique design. If you don't know how to sew the tie to the body, just center the tie on the apron, put right sides together, and sew the tie to the body. Then if you still don't know what to do after that...get yourself a hot iron and fold in 1/2 inch and iron yourself some seams and sew those babies up. I am not a McCall pattern maker, so if you need more detailed instruction, just call me, or better yet, go look at an apron and you'll figure the last part out.
With this pillowcase apron, I did half large pleats and the other half I left unadulterated so I could have a cute pocket.
This creation took me all of an hour to make. It cost me $2.50, $1 for the pillowcase, and $1.50 worth of ribbon. I'm sure someone will like it!
This little guy was fun! I finished all the hems, added some cute tiny pleats, and stitched down about 2 inches. Then I attached my tie down two inches and added some orange ribbon with the zigzag stitch. It's whimsical and I love the fabric from this pillowcase.
I also added a little grosgrain ribbon at the bottom. You like?
This is my gathered waist calico apron. I like to call it my Laura Ingalls Wilder apron. It is very easy to gather the waist and sew on the tie. Sew are you hungry to dust off the old machine yet?
This pillowcase had a ruffle at the end already so I spiffed it up with a little decorative stitching and ribbon. All of these aprons could easily be made into skirts for a little girl if you got a tad more creative with the waistband area. Let yourself go!
The best part about this project is taking someone else's castaways and making something completely unique and lovely out of it. I can't tell you the amount of satisfaction I get from taking junk and making it into greatness. It literally feeds my soul. Any old person can go to the fabric store, buy the matching fabric and accessories and make something fabulous. So I dare you to step outside of your comfort zone and be creative. Just go for it! See what you come up with!
