Apron Tutorial

[SewCrafty]

Remove the pattern piece from the apron carefully. Gently pull the apron apart and clip the thread in the center. You want a piece of the thread to be sticking out on each side of the apron, (right side and wrong side of the fabric) and on both sides (right side and left side) of the apron itself.

[SewCrafty]

Now that you have all the pattern markings transferred, you may remove the pattern pieces.

Note: If you don't have time to make your apron all in one day, leave the pattern pieces attached to the fabric. It gives you a better sense of which way each piece goes and is easier to find your place when you next start up.

Sewing the Apron Together

First you want to wind a bobbin with your color thread and thread your machine. You want a size 11 machine needle and your stitch length setting to be at 8-10 stitches per inch. Everyones machines are different, so if your machine manual doesn't tell you where that setting is, just take a scrap piece of fabric and stitch a straight line. Take your measuring tape and measure how many stitches you have to an inch. Adjust as necessary until you find the right setting.

You also want good lighting in your work area.

[SewCrafty]

Pocket

The pocket is the first thing you will sew on to most anything that has one, for example an apron, a t-shirt or a cardigan. The reason for this is so that you can work with the main piece of the garment flat. Before you do any side seams etc. and have this large piece that is very hard to put under your machine and keep flat as you are trying to sew on it.

Take your pocket piece to the ironing board and press the top edge under (to the wrong side of the fabric) 1/4".

Now take it over to your machine and edge stitch. This will finish off the raw edge of the pocket.

[SewCrafty]

Turn upper edge of pocket to OUTSIDE of hemline.

Starting at hem fold, stitch around the raw edge 5/8" from edge. Do this on 3 sides.

[SewCrafty]

When you get to the corners you will have to pivot your fabric to go around them.

My machine has a little mark at the bottom of the 5/8" seam line guide. When the edge of the fabric gets to that mark, stop the machine with the needle in the fabric.

See the little 'T' mark? When you get to that point stop sewing and pivot.

[SewCrafty]

Lift the presser foot and turn (pivot) your fabric 90º. Lower the presser foot and continue across the bottom of the pocket. When you get to the end, stop with the needle in the fabric, lift the presser foot and pivot again, lower the presser foot and continue up the side of the pocket.

[SewCrafty]

Clip upper corners diagonally.

[SewCrafty]

Turn hem to INSIDE, press along stitching line. You are turning under the raw edge of the pocket to the inside.

Open out lower edge of pocket and machine baste 1/4" from crease between the two outter lines of hand basting.

This will create gathers in the bottom of the pocket.



To machine baste: set your machine stitch length to 6 stitches per inch.

[SewCrafty]

Return your stitch length back to 8-10 stitches per inch. Don't forget to do this.



Pull up bobbin threads until the lower edge between the outer lines of hand basting measures 9 1/2".

[SewCrafty]

The gathering should measure 9 1/2".

[SewCrafty]

Secure the machine basting threads.

To do this you will tug on the thread on the wrong side of the fabric, this will pull up a loop of thread from the right side. Take the tip of your seam ripper, stick it in the thread loop and pull to the wrong side of the fabric. Now both threads are on the wrong side. Tie the threads in a knot and clip. Do the same for the other side of the machine basting. This will keep your gathers in place.

[SewCrafty]

Replace the lower edge.

With the right side of the apron facing you and the right side of the pocket facing you, pin the pocket in place on the front of the apron. Match up the basting threads with the top corners of the pocket and the bottom corners of the pocket.

I like to put my pins in perpendicular to the sewing line, with the head of the pin to my right as I am right handed. Remove the pins as you come to them.

Do not sew over pins even if your manual says you can. Everytime you hit a pin with the needle, it has a tendency to break and possibly jam in the bobbin case which in turn messes up the timing. It is so much easier to get into the habit of removing a pin as you come to it, than have this happen. It is a very expensive repair on your machine.

[SewCrafty]

Starting at the top side of the pocket, stitch close to sides and lower edge of pocket, back stitching at the top of the pocket on both sides to reenforce.

Next, smooth out the pocket from side edges to hand basting, then stitch along the hand basting through all thicknesses. (3 seams). The pocket will not lie flat due to the gathering at the bottom. This makes the 2 center pockets just a little bigger for carrying items. Back stitch at the top and bottom of each stitching line to reenforce.

Take your seam ripper and remove the hand basting you just used as a guide.

[SewCrafty]

Next, finish upper raw edge of the apron top (#13) the same as you did for the pocket. Press the raw edge to the wrong side of fabric 1/4" and sew in place.

Turn upper edge of front to INSIDE on hemline. Press. Hand sew in place.

[SewCrafty]

Finish sides and lower edges of apron with a 5/8" narrow hem, folding in fullness at corners. Press.

Starting at one underarm, stitch 5/8" in from the raw edge down one side, across the bottom and up the other side.

Take the apron to the ironing board. Turn the raw edge up to just meet the stitching line all the way around the apron. Press.

Be careful doing this, you can very easily be burnt by the iron with your fingers in such close proximity.

I'm sorry it is so hard to see in this picture, white thread didn't show up.