One Yard Apron

A quick sewing project for one yard, and NO pattern!

An apron makes a great gift for the home chef in your life. With a few sewing skills and a yard of fabric, this apron can be made in about an hour!

Lay out the fabric and fold long ways. Trim the end so that it is a straight edge. Measure 3″ from the straight edge and cut a strip the length of the folded fabric.

Fold the fabric in the opposite direction, trim for a straight edge and cut a 3″ strip.

Without the folding confusion, the one yard of fabric should look like this: one 3″ strip cut from the bottom and the non-folded side, for the apron tie. Set the tie strips aside, they will be the last thing to be sewn and assembled.

The bib of the apron carries the most guess work of this non-pattern. I like the bib of the apron to be about 10″ wide, so I started cutting 5″ from the fold, and dipped to 11″ at the side of the apron (the underarms, if you will). The measurements can be adjusted to accommodate body type. Don’t be afraid, just cut. It can be trimmed later.

Take the piece that was just cut and lay it on top of the “underarm” cut to make a facing. This facing should be at least 2.5″ wide, as it will become a casing for the tie. The facings allow the apron ties to be adjustable. Pin the fabric in place and flip the apron over to cut the underarm line of the facing.

The facing can also be trimmed as needed. I chose to serge the edges of the facing, but if you don’t have a serger, they can be left raw, or turned under and pressed to keep the project nice and neat.

With right sides together, pin the facings to the underarm areas and sew. When the facings are placed, you will need to trim the apron to fit. Don’t worry if the facings don’t quite line up, just trim them and keep sewing.

After sewing, turn the facings and press. Be sure to press the ends before and after the facing. In the picture on the right (above), you can see the tail end. If you do not have a serger, turn the edge under for stitching. Pictures below show the facing in place and pressed. Pin the facings down and move to the bib top.

Fold the bib top edge to create a hem. Do not obstruct the facings. Press and pin.

For the sides of the apron, fold the edge of the fabric in until the fold meets the facing. Do not obstruct the facing! Press and pin in place.

So far now, the top, arms and sides of the apron have been pressed and pinned in place.

Fold the bottom of the apron up about an inch and press. Pin in place. Now the entire perimeter of the apron has been pressed and pinned. Time to sew.

Begin with the bib top. Sew along the edge of the fabric (or serging, in my case).

After sewing across the top of the bib, sew in the arm facings. Sew along the edge of the facing fabric to create a casing for the apron tie. This structure allows the apron to be adjustable.

Stop sewing at the end of the facing and remove apron from the machine. trim threads.

Put the apron back in the machine where the facing and the side hem meet. Sew along the edge of the side seam until reaching the bottom hem. Backstitch and remove the apron from the machine. Prepare to sew the bottom hem.

Sew across the bottom hem and continue up the side, then the facings At this point, the apron body is done and now it’s time to sew the tie.

There should be three strips of fabric for ties. One will have a fold in the middle. Unfold the strip and, with right sides facing, pin the short ends of the strips together and sew. This will create one long tie. with right sides facing, fold the strip in half and press. You will need yarn or ribbon for the next few steps.

Tie a knot in the end of a string of yarn or ribbon. Fold it into the pressed tie and sew. This will be used to turn the tie inside out.

Sew the end of the tie, just below the knot of the yarn or ribbon. Backstitch a few times to secure it in place. The yarn or ribbon should be strong enough to pull the strip inside out without breaking or pulling loose from these stitches. Turn the strip under the presser foot, and sew the long edge. Be careful to not stitch the yarn or ribbon.

To turn the strip inside out, begin with the stitched end. Poke the end down into itself and use the yarn or ribbon to pull it through the entire tie.

Trim the tie on both ends and press flat. Fold the ends over twice and pin in place. Stitch.

Use a safety pin to thread the tie through the facings, forming a neck loop.

This easy, one yard project is great for those with some sewing experience. If you feel really creative, there is one small piece of fabric left from this project that can be used as a pocket. I would suggest using a 4″ piece of folded fabric to edge the top of the pockets and top stitch them to the front of the apron.