Easy Half Apron

Easy Half Apron

~This looks like a long, hard pattern but it is actually very easy!
You will need:
1 piece of fabric of your choice 44 x 20 in. (main piece)
1 piece of coordinating fabric 22 x 4 1/2 in. (waistband)
2 pieces of fabric (matching or a contrast color - I used white) 31 x 4 1/4 in. (ties)

Make sure you start out with washed and ironed fabric!
1. Mark the half and quarter way points on your apron and waistband. (this helps you line them up perfectly later on) Mark your tie pieces on one end 1/4 inch from the bottom edge and 5/8 inch from the end.

hem on bottom and side

2. Press under 1/4 inch on bottom and sides of main apron piece. Press under 1/2 inch on bottom and sides. (so you have a doubled over hem)
3. Sew seam a comfortable distance from the edge (about 1/8 in.) on the three pressed under edges.
4. Machine baste top edge of apron 3/8 in. from edge, and then a second time 5/8 in. from edge, leaving long tails. (try to start and finish at approximately the same distance from the edge on both lines)
5. Gather top edge. (pull the front OR back strings {not both} simultaneously while gathering the fabric) Be sure to pull evenly on both strings on each end in order to have a nice even gather.
6. Press under 3/8 in. on the unmarked edge of the waistband.
7. Place your waistband on a flat surface with the right side facing you and the pressed under edge down (so you have a plain edge up).
8. Now put your apron piece with the right side down (so that you have right sides together) onto your waistband piece.
9. Line up your halfway point marks and pin. Next pin the ends together so that the waistband sticks out 5/8 in. beyond the apron piece on both ends. (this allows you to sew the tails on later without having to redo it like I did!!)
10. Next, pin your quarter way points together. Keep pinning, dividing each section in half and pinning it there so that it is even. You may need to make it more or less gathered (by pushing the fabric towards the ends of the strings) in order to make it even.
11. Once you have it all pinned (the pins should be about 1 to 1 1/2 inches apart), sew the seam just past the 5/8 inch gather line. (try to sew pretty close to it but don't sew right over it or you won't be able to take it out).
12. Remove your baste stitches by pulling on one or the other of them until they are out.
13. Sew over your seam that you sewed in step 11 again (just for safety's sake so that it is VERY secure). Tie ends. (or you can backstitch and then go forward again...or both ;)
14. Now take your tie ends and fold them in half lengthwise with right sides together. Sew seam 3/8 inch from edge, leaving the end with the dot open to turn it right side out. Once you have sewed that seam, go back to the end that you sewed together and resew it from the edge around the corner about 1 inch, and then turn around and go back to where you started. (confusing?!!) This is to secure the edge for when you turn it. Now sew the other tie just like this one, and tie the threads on the edge that you started on.
15. Trim the corners and seams. (trim corner not too close to stitches but pretty close - about 1/4 inch is fine) When you trim the seams - just trim one of the edges of fabric about 1/8 inch so that it lays flat.
16. Turn ties right side out and iron. You may want to use something flat to push the seam out flat because it really doesn't like to otherwise.
17. Baste the open ends of the ties together 5/8 in. from the edge. (this is on the right side)
18. Now take the apron piece and lay it down with the right side facing you, and place the tie ends (with the right side facing you if there is a right side to your ties) down on the waistband with the raw edges and bottom edges even.
19. Baste the tie ends to band right over the other baste seam or just to the inside of it.

slip stitched edge of waistband

20. Fold band with right sides together. Make sure your ties are sticking towards the middle. Sew the ends together (twice so they hold good) and tie threads. Trim seams and corners (optional).
21. Turn band so it is right side out. Iron so that the tie ends are out and the waistband edge comes down just far enough to cover the seam.

tie meets waistband

22. Slip stitch the pressed under edge of the band to the back of the apron just below the seam. I used double thickness of thread because ~just in case you can't tell~ I like seams to hold :)
23. Put on your apron with right side facing out :D Enjoy!!!!