Being a stay at home mum (on parental leave) you would think leaves you with all this time on your hands.... Let me tell you, it doesn't. But that doesn't stop me from having high hopes of finishing a whole lot of started projects (and starting a few new ones along the way).
I find when I'm not scrapping or doing something paper crafty, I am finding myself sewing or playing with material. I tend to go in phases. I'll be inspired to scrap for a while, then the sewing bug will kick in (usually after a trip to spotlight and buying things that I really don't need, because a random idea jumped into my head). This project is one of those!
I found this idea on the Moda website and it took my interest... A child's apron made from layer cake squares (10"x10" material square). The issue with me is that I read the very first part of the pattern, then made the rest up as I went. With this being the case, I was relatively happy with the outcome. This project could easily be achieved in a couple of hours with a beginner sewer, and could be a great project for children to learn on.
This has been made for my 2 year old niece, who loves to cook cupcakes, hence the material choice.
The things I changed and why:
- I have stitched the ties into the seams of the apron rather than as a feature on the outside. There was no real reason for changing this, except that I didn't read the pattern and followed the sewing rules that I was taught as a kid.
- The neck piece I have made as 2 separate pieces so that it can be tied rather than sip over the head. my theory for this is that the apron should fit better and last longer as the child grows.
The pocket was super easy. I simply used the other 5 inch x 10 inch piece from the raspberry material and cut it in half to make a 5x5 inch square. With a hot iron I pressed the sides and top under. This was enough to hold everything in place for sewing.
I cut the backing material in one piece by laying the front over the top and freehand cutting around the outside. It wasn't exact so I made sure that when sewing both front and back together, I used the lines of the front piece to get my straight sewing lines.
I used fat flats for this project so that I had the material already available for the backing in one piece and it gave me extra matching materials to make the ties.
To make the ties my way, I simply cut 4 x 2 inch strips from my fat flat. I folded them in half length ways and sewed with just a bit less than a 1/4 inch seam.
If nothing else, this project opened my eyes to alternative uses for layer cake pieces. There are so many things that can be done with them, and so many more quick and easy projects added to my list! Look out early Christmas present sewing.
