For those of you who haven’t visited my blog, let me tell you a little about myself. I am a Christian wife to my soul mate, and a stay-at-home mom who homeschools our two children. I also love anything I can do to keep my hands busy: knitting, crocheting, sewing, quilting, gardening, canning, painting (especially faux painting), DIY, repurposing and upcycling, paper crafting, digital scrapbooking, card making, cooking and baking, and anything else I can do to get myself into trouble. SPH is a way to share my creativity with others, especially those who are new to various skills, or aren't that confident with the skills they have. I know for a fact that what I do isn't rocket science, and I'm out to prove it to the world! When you visit the Suburban Prairie Home, you'll find craft projects to make for your friends, loved ones, and even charity. You'll also find delicious gluten-free recipes, and tips to save you time and money in the kitchen. Anything and everything about the adventures of homemaking - and some days are more adventurous than others!
One of our regular features is One Yard Wednesday. It's a chance for those who are new to sewing to learn some new skills, and for all of us to repurpose materials we may have on hand or use up scraps in our stashes. If we do need to buy a piece of fabric for a project, no one's wallet will take a major hit, and the projects generally are small enough to do in an evening or weekend afternoon, so no one's time is tied up for too long, either.
Here is the project for our wonderful One Yard Wednesday this week – a lovely vintage inspired apron – perfect for St. Valentine’s Day. We will be repurposing a pillowcase and using about a yard of gingham. Feel free to mix and match fabrics as you choose, to either coordinate or match your pillowcase, or what's available in your stash. No pillowcase? You can find out how to make one here, and use your stash or other repurposed fabric to make one.
I found this vintage apron:
So let's get started...
In addition to the pillowcase and gingham fabric, you will need thread that matches your pillowcase (mine was white), and thread that coordinates with your gingham or contrasting/coordinating fabric (mine was red). You will also need a rotary cutter, ruler and mat, and a sewing machine, and you need to know how to use them (and safely!). Have your iron and ironing board handy, too. Oh, and pins would be pretty useful. Well, actually necessary...
Remove the sewn end of your pillowcase.
And remove the hem.
Save the hem pieces for later - you'll see why in a little bit.
Next, we're going to trim it to a size that will fit across the front of your body and about halfway around the sides. Like to where the seams are for your jeans. I wanted the apron to cover the front of me, from just below my natural waist (because we'll be using a good-sized waistband), to just above my knee, leaving room for a nice-sized gingham hem. Also, because my pillowcase was a pretty sheer white, I wanted it to be doubled. This would give the apron a stability boost, too. For me, this measurement was 33" by 25 1/2". If you need to change measurements to fit you, feel free. It's an apron. This is good practice for newer sewists. You may want to ask a friend or neighbor to help you meaure, or if you have to do it by yourself, lay your favorite pair of pants on the floor and measure on them. Remember, our end product is going to be straight and fitted like the front part of a pencil skirt. And it's an apron. An extra half inch (or short a half inch) is not the end of the world. Running out of chocolate is.
