Christmas family aprons
Holiday season is upon us, and what better way to enjoy time at home than by baking cookies together? Aprons therefore come in very handy.
Let me show you how to sew adjustable aprons in any size without a pattern. In this project I'll also show you how to decorate them with multi-coloured heat transfer vinyls (HTV) that can easily be cut with your ScanNCut.
Materials needed
- Sewing machine
- Sewing thread to match your fabric
- Fabric (canvas, cotton, linen):
- For children: 49 x 59 cm (apron), 16 x 22 cm (pocket), 8 x 160 cm (tie belt)
- For adults: 72 x 86 cm (apron), 26 x 34 cm (pocket), 8 x 300 cm (tie belt) - Ruler
- Scissors
- Fabric chalk or fabric pen
- Pins
- Fabric clips
- Safety pin or pull-through pin
- Small ruler
- Iron and ironing board
How to
Apron tie
For this apron, the tie closure is not only there for tying, but also for adjusting the fit of the apron. With my aprons, I like it when I cross the belt on the back and then bring it to the front and tie it - that's why I chose a strap length of 3m. If you only want to tie the belt at the back, you can choose to sew the belt shorter.
First, fold the long strip of fabric in half lengthways (so it becomes 4cm wide) and iron the crease in.
On the fabric for the pocket, mark 2 cm seam allowances on each edge with fabric chalk. Cut away the resulting triangles at the intersections between two lines at each corner.
Apron body
Please refer to the drawing below for dimensions.
Sew only the bottom edge of the pocket onto the apron (the rest comes later)!
Decorating apron with heat transfer vinyl patterns
Materials needed
- ScanNCut with a standard cutting mat and an automatic or vinyl knife
- Heat transfer vinyl (HTV) in white, beige, brown, light red and black
- Baking paper
- Iron and ironing board
- Weeding tools (spatula and hook)
- Scissors
How to
I recommend you cut a piece of HTV to test the ScanNCut settings. Iron it onto a piece of fabric as a test as well, to make sure it adheres properly.
The ScanNCut pattern consists of different elements in several colours that are gradually ironed on top of each other. Therefore, they must be cut out separately.
Tip: When incorporating text into a design that you will you will use with HTV, make sure that text is mirrored, or it will come out back to front! The file for this design is already created mirrored.
In the cutting settings you must make sure that the 'Half Cut' function is activated. I set the cutting pressure of the half cut to 2 for my vinyl. However, all HTV is different, so please perform a test cut before you cut your full designs. When working with HTV you need to make sure that the clear carrier material does not get cut through.
Apply each of the different coloured HTVs to the cutting mat and cut each design separately.
After cutting, carefully remove the HTV from the cutting mat using the spatula and weeding tool. Cut each of the design elements out with scissors, so they are closely cropped.
Assembling the apron
Place the ruler on the apron at the desired height parallel to the top edge, then place the white elements so that the lettering is parallel to the ruler or edge.
Place baking paper on the gingerbread man and iron with pressure. The correct temperature will depend on the vinyl so check the manufacturer’s instructions.
The carrier film can now be removed, and the white lettering placed back on the apron in the position you marked. Cover with baking paper and iron as before.
Tip: make sure that all HTV design elements (including the gingerbread man ironed on beforehand) are covered with baking paper so that the iron does not stick to them.
Once all the HTV design components have been added, the pocket can be sewn onto the apron.
On the children's apron - mark one seam down the middle of the pocket and sew, to create two pockets.
On the adult's apron - the pocket is larger, so you can split one half of the pocket again so you have one large and two small parts to the pocket. See the diagram at the top of the instructions for placement lines.
Now the tie strap can be attached. To do this, secure one end either in a safety pin or with a pull-through needle and thread it into a tunnel you formed on the side of the apron. Repeat with the other end in the other tunnel. Now the fit of the apron can be adjusted with this tie strap.
A little hint: as mentioned at the beginning, the apron can also be sewn in other sizes relatively easily. If you have an old apron, measure it (measurements a-e, as in the drawing). Add 2 cm to each edge for edges a, c and e, and 3.5 cm for edge d. Cut fabric, sew as above (fold over edges, iron and sew). If an old apron is not available, measure the person’s (measurements a-e), make a drawing and measure, cut and sew fabric accordingly.
I hope you enjoy tailoring, sewing, and cutting – and of course baking!
I can’t wait to see what you make! Remember to tag in Brother on Instagram and Facebook, and myself too!
