Thrifted Sheets Project: Aprons #1

Do you remember the lovely red gingham sheets I found at a thrift store last week? Well, I always think of kitchens and country when I see gingham. I am in love with ginghams! So my first thought was to make an apron with it.

I searched on Etsy to see what kinds of aprons were out there, just to get an idea of how I wanted to make mine ... and I found the exact apron I was looking for. It was even made from a sheet, too!

The only problem was that I didn't have the pattern, and it didn't list one as being used (obviously). So I sat down with a calculator and my brain and figured it out. :)

Here is the finished product:



It's a bib-style apron with a full skirt, pockets, and a tie closure. But take a look at this closure:



Isn't it cool? No D-rings, no bias tape, nothing of the sort. It's 60" long ties that get threaded through loops on the waistband to make it custom-fitted to almost any size.

I say "almost any size" because the size of the waistband does make a difference. I made the first waistband 28", and there was just no adjusting it to my petite figure. It would fit my mother or mother-in-law perfectly, though, so I'm setting that one aside for my mother-in-law for Christmas. On the second apron, I adjusted the waist to 25" (before sewing, so it's smaller than that finished), and it worked perfectly.

All together, I was able to make three of these aprons from one queen-size flat sheet. I was pretty happy!

I have appliques to add to the bibs, but I haven't gotten them added just yet. (I'm knee-deep in another sheet project that I want to make sure gets finished first.) I'll share pictures of the decorated bibs when I finish them!

I hope this has inspired you to take a fresh look at sheets ... and to try your hand at designing a few patterns. If it doesn't have sleeves or armholes, every pattern is just a matter of squares and rectangles and a healthy dose of math. :)