Hey everyone! Today we're making a festive holiday apron, and you'll learn how a simple striped cotton can become a cheerful, hardworking apron for baking days and family dinners.
Here we go.
Meet the Fabric
This is the 12 Days of Christmas Patterned Stripe Lime cotton, from Quilting Treasures.
It comes from the 12 Days of Christmas collection by Julie Lynch for QT Fabrics. The fabric is 100% cotton. It measures 44/45 inches wide.
The collection features beautifully illustrated holiday characters. You will also find elegant birds and florals. Ornaments, stripes, and stars round it out.
The colors feel rich and happy. Think teal, jade, and joyful red. Charcoal, gray, and soft aqua join in. Dark turquoise and touches of lime green keep it fresh.
This print is the patterned stripe in the lime colorway. Stripes give you a built-in guide for cutting straight. They also look tidy after a long day of cooking. Oh my goodness, that helps.
I reach for quilting cotton like this for aprons all the time. It presses well and sews clean. If I can do this, y'all can do it.
The Project: A Festive Holiday Apron
Our project is a classic full apron. We're finishing at about 27 inches wide by 32 inches long. That gives good coverage without feeling bulky. The ties will wrap and tie in front, completely up to you.
Here's why this fabric suits it. An apron needs to show its pattern from across the kitchen. This stripe does that. It also hides a little flour dust better than a solid would. And the lime brings a bright pop against a holiday table.
We're not reinventing the wheel here. Cut a simple shaped body. Add a pocket. Add ties and a neck strap. Hem it well. Just like that, you have a gift or a keeper.
Materials
- 1 yard of 12 Days of Christmas Patterned Stripe Lime cotton, 44/45 inches wide, for the apron body
- 1/2 yard of coordinating 100% cotton for ties, neck strap, and pocket, in a red, teal, or charcoal from the collection palette
- Matching thread, 50-weight for sewing and topstitching
- A size 80/12 universal needle
- Rotary cutter, ruler, cutting mat, pins or clips, and an iron
- Paper or a large ruler for drafting your simple apron shape
- Optional: a second pocket fabric scrap, about 8 inches square, for a divided pocket
Brief Steps
Step 1: Cut your pieces. Press your fabric flat first. Lay the stripe so it runs up and down the body. Cut one apron body, about 27 inches wide by 32 inches long, shaping in at the top corners for the arm curves. Cut two waist ties at 3 inches by 36 inches. Cut one neck strap at 3 inches by 28 inches. Cut one pocket at 8 inches by 9 inches.
Step 2: Make the ties and strap. Fold each strip in half lengthwise, right sides together. Sew with a 1/4-inch seam, about 10 stitches per inch. Turn right side out and press flat. Topstitch close to both edges. Slow down at the ends or the layers will shift on you.
Step 3: Finish the pocket. Hem the top edge of the pocket. Press the other three edges under by 1/4 inch. Pin it centered on the apron body, about 7 inches down from the waist. Sew the sides and bottom. Add one center stitch line if you want two smaller pockets.
Step 4: Hem and assemble. Hem the curved edges first, then the sides and bottom, turning under 1/4 inch twice. Attach the waist ties at the waist corners. Attach the neck strap at the top corners, adjusting the length on your own body before you sew the second end. Give everything a final press. Super duper easy, and really really cute.
Practical Tips From My Sewing Room
First tip: let the stripe do the measuring. Align your ruler with a stripe edge before every cut. Your body will hang straighter, and your pocket will sit level.
Second: test your strap length standing up. Aprons always feel shorter when you sit to tie them. A quick try-on saves you unpicking a seam later. Ask me how I know, folks.
And remember, it doesn't have to be perfect. A tiny wobble in your topstitching will not matter one bit at the dinner table. You're your own worst critic here. Take your time, it's not a race. Press often, and wear it with pride.
Thanks so much for sewing along with me today, y'all. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the 12 Days of Christmas Patterned Stripe Lime Cotton Fabric 44"/45" Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
