(Thanks Zack for being my fabulous model and rockin' out my apron! You are a great kid and a really good sport!)

Supplies

1 tea towel (mine measured 20" X 28")

1/4 yard of coordinating fabric 44"-45" wide

4 yards of ribbon (mine was 1/2" wide)

about 21" of twill tape (width of towel plus a touch extra to turn ends under)

Before starting pre-wash fabric and tea towel

The Ruffle

With right sides together sew across each end of fabric.

Turn right side out and press.

Gather the fabric. I zig zag stitched over dental floss close to the edge, then pulled the dental floss to make my ruffle.

Sew ruffle to bottom of tea towel(right sides together). Before turning lay a piece of twill tape across the raw edge and stitch using a long stitching length. Tuck ends of twill tape under before stitching

Turn (open ruffle flat) and lightly press. This is how it will look from the back.

Edge stitch across on the front.

The Apron

Fold in top two corners  of the tea towel and trim. I folded my towel in thirds to decide where to cut. If you want it wider at the top try folding them in only 1/4.

Trim off corners, turn raw edge under slightly and stitch close to the edge. Fold edge over wide enough for the ribbon to slip through,  allowing enough for seam. Press. Really though, you could just fold over the corners like the above picture and sew the casings!

Stitch, making a casing for the ribbon. Feed ribbon through each casing.

The ribbon goes through each casing, crosses in the back and ties in the front.

Finished!

You might be interested in the half apron made from a tea towel, or this cute apron for kids. Don't forget the chef's hat!

]]> http://www.skiptomylou.org/2010/02/25/simple-apron-tutorial/feed/ 21 http://www.skiptomylou.org/2010/01/20/simple-applique-towels-for-valentines-day/ http://www.skiptomylou.org/2010/01/20/simple-applique-towels-for-valentines-day/#comments Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:20:34 +0000 cindylouh http://www.skiptomylou.org/?p=10956 I was looking for a quick way to give my kitchen some Valentine's Day bling so I made some embellished tea towels.

I had everything I needed in my stash --tea towels ( from IKEA left over from another project), Heat N Bond Lite, bits of fabric, ribbon and trim.

To make the applique I drew  hearts on the paper side of the Heat n' Bond lite. Next, iron it to the WRONG side of the fabric. (If appliqueing a letter or number it must be drawn in reverse on the paper.)

Cut out the hearts.

Peel the paper from the fabric hearts. There will be a layer of glue on the backs of the hearts.

Stack up the hearts and iron to the tea towel. Stitch around the edges. After washing the edges might start to fray. If this is not okay, go around the edges with Fray Check.

Sew trim across the bottom of the towel.

Don't want to applique? Sewing a ribbon across the bottom of the towel is another simple way to dress it up.

If you want to learn more about applique check out this tutorial on simple monogram appliques. Reverse applique is another great technique that can be used to dress up a birthday crown.

Grab a tea towel and a half yard (or at least 16")  X 45" wide matching fabric and you are ready to make a great gift!

I wanted to make cute holiday aprons and found these tea towels from the Martha Stewart collection at Macy's.

Making the waistband/sash

Cut the half yard or 16" of fabric in half lengthwise, so you have two long pieces at least 8" wide.

Using about 1/4" to 1/2" seam, sew right sides together at one end.

Press entire length of fabric in half lengthwise, wrong sides together.

Open fabric up and press each edge to the middle. Yes, it is a long piece of fabric but the pressing  is the hardest part and this makes such a nice looking waistband!

Fold in half and press again.

To finish each end, fold the fabric in half the other way and stitch 1/4" from the edge. Repeat on other end.

Turn right side out, make sure corners are pointed and press.

Attaching the apron to the waistband/sash

Cut tea towel in half, or if you want it a bit longer, adjust accordingly.  Place left edge of towel even with the seam and insert the  cut edge of tea towel inside the long strip of waistband fabric (make sure the tea towel goes clear up to the fold). Pin.

Start at the end of the sash and edge stitch all the way around, stitching the open side (making sure edges meet)  first, then around to the top edge until you are back to where you started.

Finished!

The apron ties on the side with a bow.  The ties are long enough that the apron will fit most everyone!

Wrapping

There is half (or a little less if you made apron longer) of an apron.  This fabric could easily be used to make pockets, ruffles (or something I will show you later in the week) but this time I made matching fabric gift bags for the aprons!

Are you making something crafty for the holidays? Skip on over to Today's Creative Blog and link up your project. You will love all the creative ideas you will find.

She is giving away 5 free copies of my e-book, "Gifts Kids Can Make."

Enter by simply linking up your crafty post!

I used this simple pattern that makes a nice scalloped border without having to crochet around the edge. You can find the pattern here.  I was able to get two dishcloths from 1 ball of Sugar n' Cream cotton yarn.

Package with a nice bottle of soap and you a really useful gift! By the way there is free shipping today at Mrs. Meyer's Soap.

Don't forget to check out other handmade gift ideas.

You will need:

1/4 Insul-Bright insulated lining
1/4 yard of fabric
1/4 yard fabric for lining
extra wide double fold bias tape

Download pattern

Oven Mitt Template (top)
Oven Mitt Template (bottom)

Cut out your pieces or cut out 9X14 rectangles

I found it easiest to cut the fabric and linings into a rectangle 9 X14, sandwich them together and then machine stitch them together.  You can use any design.  I just simply stitched straight lines. Once you are finished, cut out your pattern.  Doing it this way allowed me to work quicker since I didn't have to fuss with keeping all 3 pieces perfectly lined up while I stitched them together.

Place the two quilted pieces right sides together. You may place a fabric loop 2 inches up from the bottom in the side seam. I made loop by cutting a rectangle 3" X 4". Fold piece in half lenghtways, press. Open up and fold each edge to the middle, press. Fold in half, press. Stitch along both edges.

Sew around mitt 1/4 inch from the edge.  Trim and clip seams (especially between thumb and first finger).  Sometimes I get a nicer look if I sew a really tight curve instead of pivoting between the thumb and first finger--it is a tricky spot.  Zig zag, overcast or cut with pinking shears to finish seams.

Turn right side out and apply seam binding around the bottom edge to finish.  My plan was to use the HO HO HO I used for the lining and make my own binding, however the words were upside down and said OH OH OH (not what I was going for). Next time I am thinking some trim would really make it extra special.

I hope you enjoy!