how to sew an apron without a pattern

Julia Bostock, CICO Books

Project excerpted from Making Baby's Clothes: 25 fun and practical designs for 0-3 year olds.

Minute motifs of fauna and flora add a delicate touch to this hybrid of the classic "workwear" staple—the dungarees. Flaring skirt panels replace traditional pant legs and cute little shoulder ties replace the standard strap. This is pocket-sized fashion at its best—a neat, no-fuss wardrobe essential, pretty, yet practical.

You will need:
Pattern F: skirt front (F9), front facing (F2), front waistband (F3), front/back bib (F4), skirt back (F10), side extension (F6), back waistband (F7), and shoulder tie (F11)
21 1/2-in. (55-cm) piece of 54-in. (138-cm) wide printed fabric
Four x 3/4 in. (18 mm) diameter buttons
Matching thread
Pattern sizes: 3, 6, and 9 months
Note: Take 3/8-in. (1-cm) seam allowances throughout, unless otherwise stated

Pink, Fruit, Artwork, Drawing, Illustration, Vegan nutrition, Coloring book, Produce, Banana family, Child art,

1. Trace the pattern from the pull-out sheets provided, remembering to transfer all balance marks. Cut two skirt fronts, two front facings, two front waistbands, four front/back bibs, two back skirts, two side extensions, two back waistbands, and eight shoulder ties.

Product, White, Pattern, Pink, Carmine, Magenta, Clothes hanger, Design, Illustration, Creative arts,

2. With right sides together and aligning the edges, pin, baste (tack), and machine stitch around all four shoulder ties, leaving the short end open. Trim off 1/4 in. (5 mm) from the seam allowance and cut out little wedges around the tip. Turn right side out and press.

White, Pink, Line, Black, Pattern, Pillow, Cushion, Linens, Bedding, Design,

3. Pin two shoulder ties to a bib piece 3/8 in. (1 cm) in from the top side of the bib and secure with machine stitches.With right sides together and aligning the raw edges, lay another bib piece on top of the piece with the shoulder ties attached. Pin, baste (tack), and machine stitch all the way around apart from the straight lower edge. Turn right side out, press, and close the opening with a row of stay stitches. Topstitch the bib close to the edges. Repeat to make the back bib with shoulder ties.

Product, Textile, Pattern, White, Pink, Purple, Magenta, Line, Bed, Linens,

4. With right sides facing, stitch the front skirt sections together at the center front seam. Press the seam allowance to one side, turn right side up, and topstitch close to the edge of the seam through all thicknesses.With right sides together, stitch the front facings to the front skirt pieces.

Line, Pattern, Beige, Artwork, Design, Illustration, Home accessories, Drawing, Sketch, Lighting accessory,

5. Turn the front facings to the inside, press, and topstitch close to the edges.With right sides facing and matching the center front notches, stitch one front waistband to the upper edge of the front skirt.

Automotive design, Pink, Line, Automotive lighting, Purple, Magenta, Lavender, Artwork, Design, Illustration,

6. With right sides facing and matching the center front notches, stitch a bib to the upper edge of the front waistband. Press the seam allowance at the lower edge of the other front waistband to the wrong side and trim off the overlap.With right sides facing, stitch the two front waistband pieces together along the upper and side edges, as illustrated, ensuring that the bib is caught in between.

Pink, Bed, Bedding, Linens, Bed sheet, Bed frame, Bedroom, Violet, Duvet cover, Illustration,

7. Trim off 1/4 in. (5 mm) from the seam allowance along the upper and side edges of the front waistband, and trim the corners diagonally. Turn the waistband right side out and press. Slipstitch the opening closed, ensuring that the seam allowance is neatly tucked inside and out of view. Turn the front section of the dress over to the right side and topstitch the front waistband close to the edges.

White, Pink, Pattern, Throw pillow, Purple, Lavender, Pillow, Cushion, Violet, Design,

8. To make the back section of the dress, stitch the back skirt sections together at the center back seam. Press the seam allowance to one side, turn right side up, and topstitch close to the edge of the seam through all thicknesses.With wrong sides facing, fold the side extension pieces in half and press.With right sides together, stitch them to the back skirt pieces. Press the side extensions and seam allowance away from the center of the skirt.

Textile, Purple, Pattern, Rectangle, Lavender, Cushion, Linens, Throw pillow, Pillow, Drawing,

9. With right sides facing and matching the center back notches, stitch one back waistband to the upper edge of the back skirt. Attach the back bib and complete the back waistband in the same way as the front (see Steps 6 and 7).

Pattern, Pink, Line, Creative arts, Pattern, Illustration, Drawing, Pack animal,

10. Lay the front and back dress sections right sides together and machine stitch together along the side seams. Start stitching at the point where the edge of the front facing and the side extension seam converge. Press the seam allowance toward the center front.

Pink, Pattern, Artwork, Drawing, Illustration, Home accessories, Rolling, Clip art, Graphics,

11. Stitch a double row of stitches on the front skirt section below the opening, as illustrated, to hold the side extension in place. Repeat for the other side. Make a buttonhole in each end of the front waistband and at the mid-point along the side openings, and attach buttons. Knot the shoulder ties together to finish.

Human, Finger, Product, Cheek, Skin, Photograph, Child, Joint, White, Pink,

Courtesy ofMaking Baby's Clothes: 25 Fun and Practical Projects for 0 - 3 Year Olds , by Rob Merrett. CICO Books, $19.95, 2010. Available at CICOBooks.com.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io