Quick Christmas Half Apron

During the holiday season I like to keep my apron in style by wearing a special Christmas apron, but I don't want to buy an apron just for the few months of year that my home is decorated for Christmas, as they can be quite pricey. Instead, I made my own Christmas apron using fabric and ribbon I already had around the house in my stash.

What you need

3 yards of 3″ wide ribbon
A scrap of holiday fabric at least 6″ square.
A piece of solid-colored fabric that is 24″ square.

Instructions

Christmas usually calls for lots of baking, cooking and cleaning in preparation for the house guests you’ll welcome into your home to share the holiday with. Whenever I am working in the kitchen or cleaning the house, if I don’t wear an apron, I often find myself wiping something or another on my pants or shirt. Especially with kids to chase after at the same time, which constantly requires me to quickly free my hands of any mess.

Start by heating the ends of your 3 yards of ribbon by holding them close to the flame of a lighter to seal them. This will prevent them from fraying over time from the tying and untying of the apron. It only takes a second or so for the ends to heat enough to melt.

Next, fold the ribbon in half lengthwise, and iron the fold. This will create a 1.5″ wide strip that will become the waistband of the apron. Set this aside for now.

Next, take your 6″ square of fabric, and fold three sides to the back of the fabric .5″, and iron the folds. Fold the last side of the square, which will become the top of the pocket, down .5″ twice, and sew along this edge with a .25″ seam allowance to complete a hem.

Place the pocket on your 24″ square of fabric on either the left or right side, depend on which hand you write with or whichever you prefer. Position the square roughly 6″ from the top of the square, and 6″ over from the side edge. Positioning the pocket isn’t an exact science, just eye it. Pin the pocket in place. Sew along the sides and bottom edge of the pocket with as thin a seam allowance as you can comfortably manage. Remove the pins.

Take your 24″ square of fabric, and create a .5″ hem on the left and right sides. Then, along the bottom, create an 1″ hem.  Tuck the top edge of the square in the fold of your ribbon from earlier. Make sure the fabric square is centered along the length of the ribbon so you have ties of equal length on either side of the apron. Pin the square of fabric in place first.

Then, pin the rest of the length of ribbon folded in half to keep the two edges of the ribbon aligned. Sew along the open edges of the folded ribbon to close it permanently. Sew this seam with as narrow a seam allowance as possible. Press the ribbon waistband flat as the seam is likely to cause it to become a bit wavy.

Press the rest of the apron, and it is ready to be worn!