Hey everyone. Today you will learn how to sew a sturdy, everyday apron in a rich olive cotton.
Here we go.
Meet the fabric first
This fabric is Adrianus Olive Marsh Havens QC Cotton, from Cloud9 Fabrics.
It comes from the Marsh Havens collection. Amy MacCready is the designer.
It is a quilting cotton. We call that QC cotton around here.
It measures 44"/45" wide. It is sold by the yard.
The color is right there in the name, y'all. Olive.
That is a really, really good color for a kitchen apron. It feels warm and earthy. It also hides a little flour dust between washes.
Quilting cotton is a smart apron choice, too. It presses crisp, sews clean, and holds a neat hem.
The project: a classic bib apron
We are not reinventing the wheel here. This is a classic bib apron.
It has a simple body, one handy pocket, waist ties, and a neck strap. No lining. No fancy hardware. Just good, useful sewing.
Finished, it measures about 27 inches wide and 32 inches long. That gives you real coverage from chest to knee on most folks.
Why does this fabric suit it? An apron needs to lie flat, take a good press, and wash up well. This quilting cotton does all three. And that open apron body gives the olive color a big, clean canvas to show off.
Want a waist apron instead? Just skip the top section and the neck strap. Completely up to you.
Materials list
- 1 1/2 yards of Adrianus Olive Marsh Havens QC Cotton, 44"/45" wide, for the body, pocket, ties, and neck strap
- All-purpose sewing thread in olive or a soft neutral
- A size 80/12 needle for the quilting cotton
- Pins or clips, a rotary cutter, a ruler, and a mat
- An iron and a pressing surface
- A point turner or a chopstick for the tie ends
- A safety pin to help turn the ties, if you like
Here is the cutting math. Cut one apron body at 28 by 33 inches. Cut one pocket at 9 by 10 inches. Cut two waist ties at 3 by 28 inches each. Cut one neck strap at 3 by 24 inches.
Your 1 1/2 yards covers it all from the full width. Lay it out once before you cut, just to be sure.
Brief steps to make it
Step one. Press your fabric well. Cut your body, pocket, ties, and strap square. Check your corners with your ruler.
Step two. Make the pocket first. Fold the top edge down 1/2 inch, then another 1/2 inch, and press. Topstitch that top hem. Then press the other three edges under 1/2 inch.
Step three. Pin the pocket centered on the body, about 7 inches down from the top edge. Stitch the sides and bottom close to the edge. Backstitch well at the top corners.
Step four. Make your ties and strap. Fold each strip right sides together, lengthwise. Sew the long edge with a 1/2-inch seam, leaving the ends open. Turn right side out, poke the corners out gently, and press flat. Topstitch if you like it crisp.
Slow down on those long tie seams, folks. Rush it and the seam wanders off the edge. Nice and steady wins here.
Step five. Hem the body. Fold the top, bottom, and both sides under 1/2 inch, then another 1/2 inch. Press as you go. Pin, then topstitch all the way around.
Step six. Attach the ties at the waist sides, about 12 inches up from the bottom hem. Attach the neck strap ends at the top corners. Stitch a small box, then an X inside it, to lock each end down strong.
Just like that, you have an apron. Try it on and tie it up.
Practical tips from my kitchen
Set your stitch length to about 2.5, roughly 10 stitches per inch, for the seams. Go a touch longer, about 3.0, for topstitching. It looks cleaner and presses flatter.
Press every hem before you stitch it. I skipped that once on a set of ties. They twisted, my stitching wandered, and I unpicked the whole run. Pressed them, stitched them again, and they laid flat. Lesson learned.
That is your permission beat, folks. It does not have to be perfect. You are your own worst critic. A slightly wavy topstitch still holds your apron on just fine. Take your time. It is not a race.
If I can do this, y'all can do it. This one is super duper easy, and super duper useful, too.
Thanks so much for sewing along with me today. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Adrianus Olive Marsh Havens QC Cotton 44”/45” Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
