Peg Apron Tutorial

Peg Apron Tutorial

Materials

65cm of Decorator weight cotton – at least 145cm wide70cm of ric rac or ribbon to trim pocketsThread to match

Printer and sellotapeDressmaking scissorsPinsPencil/pen or tailor’s chalk and a ruler

Print out the pattern (its 4 pages). The pattern is actual size – the big crosses are there to match the pages together. Centre the crosses over each other and tape to make one big pattern.

Laying up/Cutting out

Prewash, press and lay out your fabric right side down. Now fold each selvedge edge into the middle, so that you have two folds on each outer edge (and the selvedges down the centre). Pin the Apron pattern to one side and cut the back piece – i.e. cut around the outside of the shape, including the notch marks for the pleats but do not cut along the dotted line. Now pin the shape and cut it again, but this time cut along the dotted line to give you the pocket shaping.

For the apron tie: Open out the leftover fabric and match the selvedges so that there is a fold one side and raw edges the other. Cut two strips each 16cm wide (this includes the seam allowance). On one strip cut along the folded edge so you end up with two strips each approximately 75cm x 16cm. Do not cut through the fold line on the second strip – this should be the total width of your fabric (147cm x 16cm).

Take the shorter strips and fold them in half down their length (I pressed them with an iron to make this part easier). Using the template provided cut the shape on one end of each strip.

Now warm up your machine we’re ready to sew!

Making up

Take your ric rac (or ribbon) and pin it along the pocket edge (right side of fabric facing you), sew right down the middle of the ric rac to attach (this should be a 5mm seam.) Now fold this edge over, so that half the ric rac is visible (it looks like little scallops) and sew close to the edge with a zigzag stitch. Repeat with the other pocket.

Pin and stitch with a 1cm allowance the right side of apron front to the wrong side of the apron back. This will look crazy, but it works out – trust me. Clip around the curves, turn through and press. Now you will see the right side of both the front and back pieces facing you. If you did right sides together in this last step the wrong side of the fabric will be showing behind the pockets.

Copyright© The Wardrobe 2011

Now you will have raw edges along the sides of the apron, just above the pocket. Fold these edges over 5mm and then again 5mm and press. Sew this roll seam with an edge-stitch. When you get to the pocket opening don’t stop but back-tack a couple of times (this just reinforces the area) and continue to edge-stitch around the whole apron. Back-tack again when you get to the other pocket and edge-stitch the rolled seam you pressed in the last step.

Figure 1 I rolled the seam as I went, but you might feel more comfortable if you pressed it first

Make the pleats along the top using the notches. Start with the apron facing you. There are four pairs of notches. For the two pair on the left side; the notch on the right marks the middle – fold the fabric wrong sides together at this point and press the fold a little with your fingers. The second notch in each pair tells you where to fold the fabric back right sides together – forming you pleat. The two pair of pleats on the right are formed in the same way, but in their case the left notch is the middle and the right notch is where to fold the fabric back on itself. Pin and machine baste each pleat before moving on to the next step.

The folds of your completed pleats should all face toward the side of your body not the middle of your body – it doesn’t really matter but that is traditional how it is done (it looks more flattering)


Figure 2 Here are the completed pleats - facing toward the side of your body - see what I mean?

Now we just need to attach the waistband tie and we’re all done!

Pin each of the shorter lengths to each end of the longer one – so you have a short piece, long one in the middle, then shorter piece. Sew them together using a 1cm seam and press the seam allowance open. Now you have one really long waistband piece.

Figure 3 Forming the waistband - seam allowances pressed open


Press it again, this time along its length, right sides together. Find the very centre of the waistband piece (fold it in half and mark it with a pin). Do the same with the apron and pin together along one long edge only, right side waistband to wrong side apron. Sew one layer of waistband to the apron and press the seam toward the waistband.

Now sew the ends of the ties. Match the tie, wrong sides together and start sewing around 5mm – 1cm from where you attached the waistband to the apron in the last step – whatever is comfortable. Don’t worry about the gap, we’ll fix that up soon. Start as close as you can and sew down to the shaped end. Repeat with the other side.

Figure 4 Sewing the ends of the waistband. I started sewing about halfway between the pin I'm using as a pointer and the yellow one

Trim the corners off the shaped end and clip around the curves before you turn it through and press (gently prodding a knitting needle into the shaped end can help get a nice finish – but don’t push too hard or you’ll go right through the fabric).


Figure 5 This is what I trimmed off to make it easier to turn through - just be careful not to snip through your stitching

Now we are almost done and it should look quite like an apron. The last step is to press the last of the open seam allowance (along the front of the apron) up toward the waistband. Pin it closed and edge-stitch all the way along the open section and continue right around the tie. (this takes care of the little gaps from earlier and makes the apron more hard-wearing).

Congratulations – you’re done. Pop the kettle on!


Peg Apron Tutorial

Documents

Transcript of Peg Apron Tutorial