The design for this apron came about because we loved the Daisy Dot border prints in Patty Young’s Flora & Fauna collection. We were very happy with the sample when it was finished, but were thrilled to earn the, ‘Hey-this-is-really-cute Award’ from our teenage model. Praise like this is hard-won, and we are now clinging to the awesome coolness of our Daisy Dot Apron. We won’t, however, be wearing it to the mall. We do understand where coolness ends.

The design for this apron came about because we loved the Daisy Dot border prints in Patty Young’s Flora & Fauna collection. We were very happy with the sample when it was finished, but were thrilled to earn the, ‘Hey-this-is-really-cute Award’ from our teenage model. Praise like this is hard-won, and we are now clinging to the awesome coolness of our Daisy Dot Apron. We won’t, however, be wearing it to the mall. We do understand where coolness ends.

Our Nature Brights projects were made using Patty Young’s wonderful Flora & Fauna Collection by Michael Miller Fabrics. To learn more about the collection and all the tutorials available, read our article: Nature Brights Kitchen: A Bowlful of Color with a Generous Helping of Style. You’ll find Flora & Fauna online at FatQuarterShop.

Sewing Tools You Need

• Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome Jem Platinum 760)

Fabric and Other Supplies

• Fabric for apron skirt and pocket: 1¼ yard of 44-45″ wide fabric: we used Patty Young’s Flora & Fauna Double Border Daisy in Stone
• Fabric for apron bib: ⅓ yard of 44-45″ wide fabric: we used Patty Young’s Flora & Fauna Daisy Dot in Stone
• Fabric for waist ties and binding/neck ties: ½ yard of 44-45″ wide fabric: we used Patty Young’s Flora & Fauna Ta Dot in Black
• 1/8 yard of medium weight fusible interfacing
• D-rings: we used a gunmetal finish to coordinate with our fabric
• All purpose thread in colors to match/contrast with fabric: we used a light gray, which almost matched our main skirt fabric, but acted as a nice contrasting line of stitching in the black areas
• See-through ruler
• Fabric pencil
• Iron and ironing board
• Scissors or rotary cutter and mat
• Straight pins

Getting Started

1. From the apron skirt fabric, cut a rectangle 45″ x 27″. If you use the same, or similar, border fabric, it’s important to pay attention to the direction in which you cut the fabric. The 45″ width of the apron skirt is cut along one border edge of the fabric. So, the actual edge of the fabric, including the selvedge , is one 45″ side of your 45″ x 27″ rectangle. It’s okay to use the selvedge in this case because it will be turned into the hem, so you won’t see it, and it helps give us just enough width.
2. For the apron pocket, cut a 6½” x 13″ piece from the remaining skirt fabric. You’ll butt right up against the skirt piece.
   NOTE: You’ll be left with the opposite border as a large scrap, which would be great for hot pads or towel accents …. or a scarf; you are allowed to make items other than home décor.
   
3. From the apron bib fabric, cut TWO squares 11″ x 11″.
4. Layer the apron bib pieces right sides together. Draw a gentle curve along what will be your top edge. The curve should dip approximately 2″ down at the center.
   NOTE: This is pretty easy to draw free-hand, but you could also use a compass or trace the edge of a dinner plate.
   
   
5. For the waistband and binding/neck tie, cut FIVE 3″ x 44″ strips.
6. Cut a 2½” x 5½” piece from the fusible interfacing for the pocket.

At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

Pre-hemming the skirt

1. Fold under and press the sides of the apron skirt piece ½”. Fold and press another ½” to create a double fold hem.
2. Using a straight stitch and contrasting thread, sew right along the inside folded edge on both sides. This will give you a line of topstitching from the right side just under ½” from the edge.
3. Fold and press the bottom of the apron skirt 1″. Fold and press another 1″ to create a double fold hem.
4. Sew along the folded edge as you did with the side seams.
   

Making and placing the pocket

1. Fold the pocket piece in half along the 13″ side, wrong sides together. Press. This folded edge will be the top of the pocket.
2. Open pocket piece. Position the 2½” X 5½” interfacing piece along one side of the pressed fold. Press in place.
   NOTE: We interfaced the top folded edge of the pocket to make a crisp edge and strengthen the fabric.
   
3. Fold the pocket piece again, this time with right sides together.
4. Sew along raw edges, using a ½” seam allowance, and leaving a 3″ opening along the bottom of the pocket. Trim the corners.
   
5. Turn pocket right side out through the opening and press. Turn in the seam allowance at the opening so it is flush with the sewn seam.
   
6. Position the pocket on the apron skirt approximately 4″ from the top edge and 8″ from the right side. Pin in place. Adjust to match up the pattern so your pocket blends into the skirt.
   
7. Edgestich along the bottom and the two sides to attach the pocket. Set apron skirt aside.
   NOTE:When you edgestitch across the bottom, you will be closing the hole you left to turn the pocket right side out .

Gathering the skirt

1. Sew two rows of basting stitches along the top edge of the apron skirt, spaced approximately ¼” apart. Then tie the thread tails into a knot at one end of the skirt. Pull the bobbin threads from the opposite side to gather the skirt to 30″ wide.

NOTE:You will need to work the gathers by hand to evenly space them. For more information on gathering, read our tutorial:Gathering & Ruffles Made Easy.

Apron bib

1. Place your two apron bib pieces right sides together and pin.
2. Using a ½” seam allowance, carefully stitch the two pieces together along the curve. Clip the curve in the seam allowance – bdeing careful to not clip the actual seam. Turn right side out and press.
   
3. Clip off the little points that are left at the corners. Set apron bib aside.
   NOTE: If you wanted your apron bib to be super crisp, you could add a layer of fusible interfacing.
   

Binding/neck ties

1. Take one of the 3″ x 44″ strips. Press it in half lengthwise. Fold the raw edges in toward the center and press again to create binding for the bib.
   NOTE: If you’re new to binding, we have a good tutorial on it here.
2. Cut a 12″ length from this folded strip.
3. Place this 12″ binding strip on the left side of the apron bib to cover the raw edges. The binding should be flush with the bib at the bottom and extend past the curve at the top. Pin in place.
4. Starting at the bottom of the bib, sew the binding along the folded edges. Be sure to catch both sides. Continue sewing binding past the bib’s top edge. This end will be used to attach the D-rings.
5. Place the D-rings on the end of the binding. Fold the binding to the BACK side of the bib. Turn under the raw edges and press. Stitch along folded edge in the shape of a box to reinforce.
   NOTE: This step can be a little tricky, because you need to keep your folded edge even with the binding strip. Lengthen your stitch a bit, and use the hand-wheel to start sewing over the layers.
   
6. Attach the remaining length of bib binding to the opposite side of the bib. As above, start with the end flush with the bottom edge of the bib; the binding will extend quite a ways past the top of the bib because this is the part that will go around your neck. Sew the binding to the bib and continue sewing all the way to the end of the binding. Finish raw end of the binding with a simple double fold stitched in place with one line of stitching perpendicular to your binding seam.
   
   

Waistband and waist ties

1. Find your remaining four 3″ x 44″ strips.
2. Take one pair, and using a ½” seam allowance, stitch, right sides together, along one 3″ side. Repeat with the final pair. This will give you two strips that are 3″ x 87″.
   
3. Match these two strips right sides together, lining up all raw edges. This will become your waistband/ties.
4. Using your see-through ruler and fabric pencil, measure and mark the openings needed in the waistband to insert the apron bib and the apron skirt. You can use the center seam to insure the openings are centered. You need a 11″ opening along the top of the waistband and a 30″ opening along the bottom of the waist band.
   
5. Stitch the two waistband/tie pieces together, using a ½” seam allowance. Start at the bottom opening, stitch down one side, pivot at the corner, stitch at an angle across the end, pivot at the corner, and stitch along the remaining long side to the top opening.
6. Remove from machine. Move to the other end of the top opening. Start stitching again, down one side, pivot at the corner, stitch at an angle across the end, pivot at the corner, and stitch along the remaining long side to the bottom opening.
   
7. Turn right side out through the middle opening. Press. Make sure you press the opening seam allowances in ½” so the opening edges (top and bottom) are flush with the sewn edges. You might need to reach in to the corner points with a blunt-edged tool, like a large knitting needle, to help push out the seam and make a nice point at all corners.
8. Edgestitch along your finished seams, pivoting at all corners, but still leaving the top and bottom openings free and clear.
   

Attach bib to waistband

1. Find your bib piece.
2. Insert the completed apron bib into the top opening (the 11″ opening) of the waistband. Pin in place.
3. Edgestitch apron bib in place, being careful that your new edgestitching matches the existing edgestitching on the waistband/ties piece.
   

Attach skirt to waistband

1. Find your apron skirt piece (it should be hemmed and gathered to 30″).
2. Insert the completed apron skirt into the bottom opening (the 30″ opening) of the waistband. Pin in place.
   
3. Edgestitch apron skirt in place, being careful that your new edgestitching matches the existing edgestitching on the waistband/ties piece.