Chocolate half apron [tutorial]

From our facebook group of crafty bloggers we organized a mystery challenge. Everybody comes up with a theme for an other blogger to work with. For me, Tasha from Stitched Together gave me the theme: Willy Wonka and the chocolate factory. What a great theme! :D I just love it!

So many ideas came to my mind. I wanted to do a sewing projcet, and this is how it turned out. A chocolate half apron! You can wear the apron on both sides, so you can use 2 lovely fabrics on it! Would you like to make your own? Keep on reading!

You will need

• Fabric 1: two fat quarters
• Fabric 2: two fat quarters
• Fabric 3: one fat quarter

A fat quarter is a piece of fabric of about 50 x 55 cm (18″ x 22″)

Let’s get started!

We will begin by cutting all the fabric. All measures include a 0.75 cm (1/4″) seam allowance.

• Round off the corners of a fat quarter of fabric 1 and fabric 2, this will create the shape of the apron. We will take 55 cm (22″) as the width of the apron. You can keep the length 50 cm (18″) or make it 45 cm for a shorter apron. Make shure both farbics have the same shape ;) I use a piece of paper as a template.

• Cut fabric 3 in four strips of 11.5 x 50 cm (4.5″ x 18″) and two strips of 5 x 15 cm (2″ x 6″)
• Cut a fq of fabric 1 in four strips of 6.5 x 50 cm (2.5″ x 18″), a piece of 15 x 18.5 cm (6″ x 7 1/4″) and a piece of 15 x 15 cm (6″ x 6″)
• Cut a fq of fabric 2 in four strips of 6.5 x 50 cm (2.5″ x 18″), a piece of 15 x 18.5 cm (6″ x 7 1/4″) and a piece of 15 x 15 cm (6″ x 6″)

Pockets

Sew for the pockets the small strip of fabric 3 to the square of fabric 1 together. (When you have a label, you can add it here!)

Place this new rectangle on the other rectangle of fabric 1, right sides together. Cut the bottom edges round and sew the pieces together. Leave a opening at the bottom to turn in right sides out.

Repeat this for fabric 2. Turn them right sides out and press the pockets. Fold the seam in at the opening.

Pin the pocket in fabric 1 to the apron in fabric 2 and the pocket in fabric 2 to fabric 1. Sew close to the edge of the pocket to secure it to the apron. Please leave the top of the pocket open ;)

Ruffles around the apron

Join the strips of fabric 1 to form one long strip of about 2 m (75″). Do the same for the strips of fabric 2. Place the strips right sides together and sew them together at on side. Press open.

Fold (and press) the strip with the wrong sides together. Now you have a pretty strip with fabric 1 at one side and fabric 2 at the other.

Then it’s time to make some ruffles! It was my first time ruffling anything, but I think it went pretty well. I put some extra strong yarn on my machine. (After braking the bobbin threat a few times I also used extra strong threat there.) Then you just sew with the largest stitch size on you machine along the whole strip. I sewed about 1.5 cm (2/3″) from the open side.

Now you can just simply pull the top or bobbin threat and your strip will start ruffling. Just ruffle it until it fits around the rounded shape of the apron. After ruffling I sewed over the strip one more time to secure the ruffles.

Waistband

Join the strips of fabric 3 together to form a long strip of about 2 m (75″). Fold it, right sides together. Now mark with some pins a opening in the middle of the width of the apron. The area in between the pins we will not sew together yet.

The ends of the waistband, outside the pins, you can sew together.

The turn it right side out. This might be a little struggle, but with the help of a pencil you will manage. Press the waistband, and also fold and press the seams of the opening in the middle. That way we can easily sew it over the apron in the end.

Let’s put the half apron together!

Put the part of the apron with fabric 2, right side up, in fornt of you. Now pin the ruffles on top of it. The ruffles will also go with fabric 2 up, with the finished side inwards and the frayed side outwards. Then place the part of the apron with fabric 1, right side down on top. Pin this neatly together. Of course you could also do this in one go if your a better pinner than me ;)

Now sew over the rounded side of the apron. You can leave the top open. And thennn turn it right side out quickly! Look how pretty your ruffles are placed between the two fabrics! :D

The only thing left to do it attach the waistband. Place the opening over the top of the apron and pin it in place.

Sew along the edge of the waistband to attach it to the apron.

And there you are! A super cute half apron that is wearable at two sides. That wasn’t so hard was it? I would love to wear this to visit the Oompa Loompas once ;)

I loved the mystery challenge, and I couldn’t have though of a better theme myself. Thank you Tasha!

Love Irene

Please click over and check out everyone else’s themes and projects! I am really excited to see what everyone else made.

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Becca at Becca Duval Photography & Lisa at Stubbornly Crafty

Meriel at Create 3.5 & Amy at Friends Stitched Together

Kelly at Kelly J Designs

Carmen at Mar Abierto (Out To Sea)

Shawnta at Shawnta Sews & Jessica at Make Me Crafty

Tasha at Friends Stitched Together & Irene at Sugaridoo

Fenna at FABulous Home Sewn & Stephanie at Swoodson Says