Full Apron with Pockets Tutorial

Surprise..... Happy Birthday!!! That's what shouted to Tina this past weekend at her surprise birthday party.  Prior to said party, I crafted a really cute pink/grey/yellow apron for her gift.  Here is the tutorial for the apron.  It was really simple to make, so if you're a sewing newbie, this would be a great beginner's project.  You might be like me and practically spend more time picking out the fabric than making the apron itself.


Fabric Needed:
1 yard main fabric
1/2 yard (ish) accent fabric
1 Package Large RicRac


Cut Fabric Pieces
**** Disclaimer: I made this apron by sight & roughly copying the measurements of the starter apron.  Then, I gave the finished product as a gift before I remembered to measure it for this blog.  Oops! So, please use your best judgement and alterations to my measurements below for your apron.  The measurements are a rough guess at best.

Main body: roughly 24 inches wide (at the widest point) & roughly 36 inches long
Neck strap: 27 inches long & 4 inches wide
Side tie straps: 25 inches long & 3 inches wide
Big pocket: 11 inches tall & 19 inches wide
Small pocket: 4 inches tall & 4 inches wide
Top Trim: width of the top of the main body piece plus 1 inch & 2 inches tall
RicRac: Cut pieces as needed to cover the width, plus a little extra for around the edge (photo below shows this better than I explain it)


First, here's my inspiration - a homemade apron that I saw hanging in Melody's kitchen.  Her grandma made it (I think).

The neck strap is not adjustable.  The side ties are adjustable.  The original had a single pocket off to the right side.  You'll see (farther below) that I expanded it to be a full pocket, divided into 2 halves.  Plus I added a small pocket up top just for cuteness' sake.  Remember: Fashion first; function later. :-)

Cut out all pieces using the measurements above (by far the most time consuming and boring part of the process).
Main body: Fold the main body fabric in half length-wise.  That way, when you cut out the shape, it's symetrical. The curved part is about 8 inches tall and  cuts in about 8 inches on each side.  I recommend you measure yourself as you may be much smaller or much larger than I.  Luckily, this is an apron, not a formal gown, so measurements and sizing are not as critical.

Big Pocket: Fold over the top of the big pocket piece about 1/4 inch.  Fold over the sides and bottom about 1/4 also.  Press all.  Then, fold over the top again another 1 inch (at least) - it should be on top of the side fold.  Sew (straight stitch) the top fold only 1/4 inch from the edge of the original fold.

Small Pocket: Fold over the top of the big pocket piece about 1/4 inch.  Fold over the sides and bottom about 1/4 also.  Press all.  Then, fold over the top again another 1/2 inch - it should be on top of the side fold.  Sew (straight stitch) the top fold only 1/4 inch from the edge of the original fold.

RicRac Pocket Detailing: You'll have stitching going across the big & small pockets at this point.  Pin the RicRac to the pocket so it covers said stitch, and fold over the side edges.  Stitch the RicRac in place.

Side Ties: Fold the side tie pieces in half, length wise, right sides togeth.  Press.  Sew (1/4 inch seam allowance) along the long edge and one of the short edges.  Clip the corner. Flip right side out.  Press. Repeat steps for the second side tie.

Neck Strap: Fold the neck strap piece in half, length wise, right sides togeth.  Press.  Sew (1/4 inch seam allowance) along the long edge.  Flip right side out.  Press.

Main Body: Fold over edge of curved sides of the main body piece about 1/4 inch.  Press. Sew in place.

Top of Main Body & Top Edge: Lay main body piece right side DOWN. Lay down the neck tie so that the open short edges line up with the top edge of the main body and the outside edges of the nect stap lines up with the side edges of the main body.  IMPORTANT: Make sure your neck strap isn't twisted wrong.  Lay the top edge piece right side DOWN on top, lining the top edge with the main body piece & neck tie.  Fold the sides of the top edge piece in so the width lines up with the width of the main body piece & outer edges of neck strap.

Flip the top edge piece over the top of the main body piece.  Press the top edge.  Fold under the exposed bottom edge of the top piece.  Press & pin.  Stitch across.

RicRac Detailing: Follow the same steps as above for sewing the RicRac on the top edge piece.
Big Pocket:  Fold the big pocket in half so the fold is vertical.  You should still have the center fold of the main body piece from when you cut it out.  If not, refold the main body piece so there's a center vertical fold.  Align the folds of the main body piece & big pocket.  Pin and sew the two side edges and bottom edge of the pocket. Next, sew a vertical line up the center of the big pocket to divide it into two pockets.

Small Pocket: At this point, you have you neck strap finished and big pocket in place.  I recommend trying on the apron as-is to find a good placement for the small pocket.  Roughly pin in place while wearing the apron. Take it off and adjust your pinned small pocket as needed.  Pin and sew the two side edges and bottom edge of the small pocket. 
Side Ties: On the main body piece, fold over edge about 1/2 inch. Take the unfinished end of the side tie and place it inside the folded side edge.  Then fold the side tie towards the outside so that the fold lines up with the inside edge of the side of the main body.  Sew down the entire side of the main body.  Repeat on the other side of the main body.

Main Body (Bottm Edge): Fold over the bottom edge of the main body piece about 2 inches.  Fold it again.  Sew across (1/4 inch seam allowance).  This will create a thicker/heavier bottom of the apron, which will help it hang better when wearing and moving around in it. 

Voila!!  I chose not to RicRac the bottom, though you can take this simple tutorial and run wild it, adding all the RicRac, bling, and countless pieces of flare as your heart may desire.

All finished and folded pretty ~ time to wrap it up before the birthday party!

So, how was my first attempt at a tutorial?? If I didn't explain something well enough, ask!  I'll make updates and answer as needed.  If you make the apron using this tutorial, please pin/link back to this blog.  Thanks!

Cheers,

Nina