Anthro-inspired Apron: Making-of/Tutorial

tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.comHeeeeeeeeeeello!

After being a bit ill (and lethargic, blogging-wise) I finally managed to write up the ‘tutorial’ for my Anthro-inspired apron. I use quotation marks because I realised that I actually didn’t take quite as many pictures of the process as my busy brain had imagined. Oooppsi.

Well, think of it as an entertaining collection of commented making-of pictures. You will surely unterstand the process, since it’s really not that complicated. Think as if you had to sew with Burdastyle pattern instructions – at least I have pictures 🙂
tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.com

First of all, I chose suitable fabric. (Obviously.)
It wasn’t quite as easy as it sounds, since I have many leftover fabric pieces in different sizes, colours, styles. When using fabric scraps you should map out what goes where before you start cutting to make sure you have enough fabric. (Ask me how I know this!)

I pinned different fabric combinations on my dressform, which helped a lot with figuring out the ‘design’. (And no, I didn’t like the neon-cupcake version.)

Anthropologie apron
Anthro-version

tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.comAfter choosing my fabrics, I used some black tape (you can also use ribbon and pin it) to mark the lines of the apron on my dressform. Alternatively, if you do not have a dressform, just draw it on paper and use it as a pattern piece. (It’s a kitchen apron, so don’t worry about the perfect fit too much.) I tried to make it very similar to the Anthro-version, as I really loved the shape of the neckline.tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.comPinning my fabric (wrong side up) on my dressform, I traced the marked neckline with tailor’s chalk.tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I cut out two pieces, one for lining the bodice (yes, even a kitchen apron appreciates lining). FYI, the side seams of my bodice meet the waistband about 1inch/2.5cm behind where your side seams normally would be (hope that makes sense). So the bodice part of the apron hugs the body and fits more snugly.

Before sewing together the two bodice pieces, all embellishments need to be applied first to get a neat finish.

tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.comI cut out a bib (don’t forget the seam allowance!).tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.comI marked the center on the bib (and also on my bodice piece) with a small notch.tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I stitched around the bib and clipped the seam allowance. This step helps you to keep the exact shape of the bib when pressing and topstitching.

Still with me?

Grab a cup of coffee before we go on – now comes the exciting part. Topstitching (YAY!).
tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Tada!

Yeahh, I sort of got so excited about the whole topstitching part that I forgot to take pictures of the steps in between.

Just a few tips:
Fold and press the seam allowance of the appliqués first. Align them with the center (important!) and pin/baste them in place. I would recommend handbasting in place, especially when sewing the bib onto the bodice. Round shapes are tricky enough to topstitch. Pins can cause the fabric to be a bit uneven or stretch out of shape. When you baste, the fabric lies completely flat.

I stitched the faux placket onto the bib first, then topstitched the bib onto the bodice. In a separate step I added some lace trim, stitching very close to my topstitching (I actually used contrasting thread for that).

Now it’s time to sew the bodice parts together, stitching around the side seams and neckline.

tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.comUsing the same marking and tracing technique on my dressform, I cut out the straps. I stitched around the edges like so:
tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I left the bottom part (where the straps are attached to the bodice) open. This way you can easily turn the tube inside out and you can use the opening to slip in the top edge of the bodice, then topstitch around the neckline and all the raw edges are neatly hidden.

tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I messed up my topstitching here (probably too much coffee?) and had to unpick twice. In the end that wasn’t even necessary. After adding the trim to the neckline, the topstitching was hidden anyway. Sewing is about the things you don’t see, I know.tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Fold and press the seam allowance of the bottom edge of the bodice. Pin both bodice pieces together (left sides facing) and stitch together close to the edge.
tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.com
I then attached the waistband to the bodice. When cutting out the strap/straps for the waistband, make sure it’s long enough to tie it in the front.

I basically cut out two waistbands, topstitched together, enclosing the bodice and skirt. This way the apron also looks nicely finished on the wrong side.tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.comBefore gathering and attaching the skirt panel, I hemmed it and added trim. It’s easier to do that when the fabric lies flat. tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I gathered the skirt panel and sewed it onto the waistband.tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.comAfter the apron was finished, I decided to add a ‘second hem’ (is there a name for that?) in a contrasting colour/the same fabric I used for the bodice. I simply cut out a strip twice as wide as I wanted the hem to be, folded it over in the middle and stitched it onto the skirt, both hems overlapping.tutorial: anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.com

And that’s it. I hope my instructions made sense  – sorry for the lack of pictures.anthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.comanthro-inspired kitchen apron by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Happy Sewing!

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5 thoughts on “Anthro-inspired Apron: Making-of/Tutorial

    1. Somehow I knew you would like the placket, hehe 🙂 I love your doll designs with these cute faux placket and miniature buttons 🙂

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