Everyone needs an apron – and many of us can justify having several, and this is an apron option I can highly recommend! For me, the most important apron is the crafting apron – something I can throw on quickly to protect my clothes and stow my supplies when the urge to craft strikes.
A few months ago I saw a number of aprons in some variation of this style on Pinterest. I liked it, but my tired old Brother starter sewing machine that I had abused for more than a decade was on its last legs, and I wanted to make it out of a thick denim. When I got Bertie, I had some heavy fabric projects like this in mind, and I’m pleased to say Bertie performed admirably. Helen and I sketched out the basics before I started researching, which is alternately a spaceship and doofus in an absurd hat!
I found a pattern and some discussion of the piece at japanesesewingbooks.com, and drafted a few modifications so that it would better fit and so that I could include a lining (thanks to Helen for her advice and helpful drawings – seriously though she’s killing garment sewing at helenscloset.ca). After taping together the pages of the PDF I cut out my pieces from the denim front, and the soft checked lining. I added a few pockets and loops to the front to make the apron more versatile.
I’m overwhelmingly happy with how the crating apron turned out, and I’m looking forward to wearing it on a regular basis.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t be realistic about the areas where I’ve got room for improvement! This Japanese style crafting apron represents a number of firsts for me: my first “garment” in years, my first buttonholes, my first topstitching, my first lining, and my first experiments with a PDF pattern. Some of the details show a pretty steep learning curve!
Notes for Next Time:
- Scooped Neck was a gong show
- Longer Wings so it doesn’t sit so close to my head
- Mitred Pocket Corners as like I learned at the end of this post on the Granger SewAlong