Tutorial Tuesday

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I have a Halloween themed tutorial for you today. I picked up this free embroidery pattern of a crow with a Halloween treat o'lantern over at Bird Brain Designs. I wanted to feature him somewhere in my kitchen, and thought an apron would be perfect. 

To make this apron, you will need:

-Embroidery floss

-Hoop

-Halloween Crow Pattern

-Sewing machine

-1 yard of fun Halloween fabric 

-Sewing machine

-Coordinating thread

-Iron

-Scissors

-Sewing needle

-Measuring tape or a rotary cutting mat

I used a variation of a simple waist apron pattern. I will include the steps here, but feel free to visit this site for a free pattern. 

Let's get started!

Step 1: Embroider your crow onto the fabric of your choosing. I decided to use white cotton. Cut your fabric into one 33 x 22.5-inch piece, four 3 x 36 inch strips, and one 10 x 10 inch square.

Step 2: Press under the edges of the embroidered fabric. I used a 1/4-inch fold here. Center the embroidery on the pocket front and use your sewing machine to stitch around.

Step 3: Fold all four edges of the pocket under a 1/4-inch and press. Then fold again and press to create a finished edge. Machine stitch around the edges to seal the fold.

Step 4: Pin your pocket on the front side of the apron piece. You can choose either left or right and make sure it is even. Following the stitch you used to seal the folded edged, stitch around the sides and bottom making sure to leave the top open. The pocket piece is finished!

Step 5: Fold and press the four edges of the main apron piece under at 1/4-inch. Fold over again and press. Machine stitch all the way around to close that fold. This will give you a clean hem for the entire apron.

Step 6: Now we move onto the straps for the waistband. Place two straps right sides together and machine stitch the shorter end. This will give you two long strips that will become the waist band. 

Step 7: Carefully press all the edges of both strap pieces under 1/4 of an inch. 

Step 8: Place the strips wrong sides together making sure to match the center seams and edges. Machine stitch all the way around to seal the waistband. 

This is what your waistband will look like. 

Step 9: Fold your apron in half and mark the top center. Do the same with the waistband. When you move on to gather your apron, it will be easy to sew because you will be able to match the centers. 

Step 10: Using a sewing needle and some thread, hand sew a gathering stitch at the top of your apron piece. I placed that stitch right underneath the top hemline. Begin to gather the apron until it measures 17-inches wide. 

Step11: Carefully pin the gathered apron to the waistband and machine stitch slowly, ensuring that you catch the gathered pieces on the underside of your waistband and it stays even. 

Step 12: Tie that apron on and get ready for the Trick or Treaters!

Hope you enjoy this tutorial and you have very happy Tuesday!