Homemade for the Holidays: Day 7, Melissa with La La Bliss

The last and final day of Handmade for the Holidays is here. I hope you all had a chance to cross off some family and friends on your list with these handmade gifts. I think all of our guests did a lovely job! We have one more to share with you - a festive apron for the holidays - by none other than Melissa at La La Bliss. 

 ARE YOU LOVING THE FABRIC ON THIS APRON OR WHAT? 

I like to make a majority of the Christmas presents that I give. I think it's nice to receive a gift that is personalized and full of thought. This gem is for my Aunt. We joke around with her all the time about her love for men. So when I saw this fabric on sale ages ago, I snatched it up knowing I would use it to make her something. I figure she can wear this while making fruitcakes or while entertaining her friends from the Red Hats Society.

Yes, that's my hubby modeling the apron :)

Novelty Fabric 32"x23" ( I used All I Want For Christmas by Michael Miller) Coordinating Fabric 44" width x 2 yards (for the back, pleated ruffle and waistband) 1 package extra large ric rac coordinating thread sewing machine scissors pins Prep: Wash all fabrics and ric rac in hot water and dry on hot. Do not skip this step. Since this is an apron and will get dirty and need to be washed, it's best to preshrink the fabrics. Don't argue with me, just do it. Once dry, iron and cut out the following: Novelty Fabric (front) 32 inches x 23 inches Coordinating Fabric For the back (side b) of the apron: 32 inches x 23 inches *For the pleated ruffle: 12 ft (144 inches) x 4 inches strip you can piece these together as long as they total 144 inches long and are 4 inches wide. For the waistband: 7.5 feet (90 inches) x 5 inches strip again, you can piece these together  *If you'd like to make a quicker version or a more masculine apron you can leave out the pleated ruffle, or you can purchase already made trim or lace.

Step #1: Sandwich together the two 32"x23" pieces of fabric. Fold in half vertically. Use a bowl or something round and trace along the bottom corner and cut to create rounded corners. Set aside. Step 


#2: Making the Pleated Ruffle Cut 4" wide strips from the leftover coordinating fabric. Piece together if necessary. I used 3 pieces of 48"x4" strips then sewed them together (see pic below)

pieced together long strip

Fold the 12 ft strip of fabric in half and stitch closed.

Step #3: Attaching the pleated ruffle

First things first. Place your novelty fabric right side up on a flat surface. Find the middle of the strip of fabric and pin to the bottom center of your novelty fabric. This will assure that you have equal trim on both sides. Place the raw edge of your trim strip on the raw edge of the bottom of the novelty fabric. Line them up. Next you want to continue to fold, pleat and pin your fabric strip all the way around the bottom and sides of your novelty fabric.

When you are done pinning it will look like this:

Now it's time to sew the pleated ruffle trim to the novelty fabric. Use the stitches on the trim strip as your guide and sew along the outside of the apron body attaching the trim.

Step #4: Sewing the apron body together Sandwich the coordinating 32"x23" piece of fabric right side down onto the novelty fabric (which now has the trim already sewn on).

Flip pinned sandwiched fabrics over. Now you will have the novelty fabric wrong side up. Stitch along the sides and bottom, again following the previous stitches.

Once sewn together, turn right side out and iron.

Step #5: Sew on the Ric Rac

Step #6: Attaching the waistband Grab your 90"x5"wide strip of coordinating fabric. You'll probably need to sew a few pieces together to make such a long strip just like you did for the pleated ruffle trim. Fold the waistband fabric strip in half and iron.

Next fold in the ends and iron. Then mark 1/2 inch from edge with a pencil the length of the fabric strip.

Next fold and iron at 1/2 inch marks along the entire length of fabric strip.

Then fold in the ends to create a point.

Fold the strip back together and sew the end shut.

Pin and sew the apron body to the open waistband strip. You will essentially envelope the top of the apron body so there's no need to serge or worry about fraying.

 

Lastly, fold the waistband strip back down and stitch at the bottom of the entire length. This will close the waistband and finish adhering it to the apron body. 

That's all folks. I included a ton of pictures and I assure you it was not time consuming at all. It took me a little over an hour to complete.

Thanks for having me Jen. Come visit me over at La La Bliss. I have tons of great DIY gift ideas coming up.