Garden Aprons. Easy, fun and economical to make. I like to make them out of “duck” (which, when overheard caused a child to ask why I would use a duck and what happened to the feathers?) . . . also known as outdoor fabric. I have found that some of the most beautiful and vibrant patterns are found in this family of fabrics.
I made my own pattern which requires one third of a yard of fabric per adult apron. I cut the piece of fabric into two pieces. One for the apron itself and one which I fold in half for the pockets. The aprons above are cut, pressed and ready to be sown. It takes about 45 minutes start- to- finish to make an adult apron.
My daughter chose this apron out of several I had finished. She said she liked the colors and the beads along the pockets. I made the ties out of ribbon long enough to wrap from the back to the front to tie. It is easier to tie something in front of you than behind you.
I love the current trend of mixing and matching prints and colors. Used to be that you NEVER put a stripe and a print together. Not any more. This was the first apron I made and it is a little fancier than those which followed. That is because I figured out the shortcuts along the way. I am so glad that in December, American Crafts held a month-long warehouse sale not far from where I live. They offered 25-yard spools of ribbon for $3. Needless to say I bought several. That is why I have felt NO anxiety about using long lengths of ribbon to wrap around the waists of the gardeners who will wear these aprons !
A pattern for every taste and an apron for every waist. That became my motto as I sewed merrily along. Since the aprons can wrap around anyone’s hips, by leaving the ribbon long, the aprons truly become “one-size-fits-all”. (I have always loved patterns and colors like the apron above)
What about the “princess gardener” who has no intention of getting dirty? I even made an apron for her . . . whomever she turns out to be. We will know when she chooses the apron with the completely impractical lace!
We can’t forget the children. They love to help in the garden. Here are three aprons for little girls. One third of a yard of duck fabric makes two child-sized aprons.( I love the ribbon on the green apron.) These aprons also have generous ties so that aprons will stay on little children who have no hips to speak of.
BUT, WAIT !!!!!
What if a little boy wants to help in the garden and needs some pockets to put things in? How about this apron for a 3-year-old? The fabric is cotton instead of duck so I used a lightweight fusible interfacing to make the apron a little stiff. Even if the gardening gets old, playing in the dirt with little cars never does and a snack will fit nicely in the pockets.
You will need: fabric, bias tape, ribbon, trim like rick rack (optional) and thread.
“God made rainy days so that gardeners could get the housework done.”
-Unknown-