T-shirt Apron Tutorial #freefromtrash

Today is the first day of July and the first day of my Upcycled Crafting Challenge.  The first day is to create something using t-shirts.  Many of you may wonder where I get my patterns from.  I usually make them up by looking at pictures or by looking at items I see in the stores.

Today I started with a quick Pinterest search for ‘Aprons‘ and decided I wanted a full apron and not just the one that goes around the waist.

Here is a list of materials you’ll need to complete this project:

• 3+ large t-shirts (I used 3 of my husbands old shirts)
• scissors (invest in some good sewing scissors, mine are lost at the moment)
• straight pins
• sewing machine
• thread (I used only 1 color but you may want to change it up to coordinate with your fabric)
• iron and ironing board
• Optional: an extra needle in case you break one like I did!

I started by sketching a pattern on some old newspaper.  I used my own measurements to decide how wide and long I wanted it.  

After I cut my pattern out on newspaper I “tried it on” to make sure the sizes would fit.  Then I began to cut out my fabric.  Don’t forget to leave some margin around the edge to fold over and sew.  I ironed the seams to make it easier to sew since t-shirt material tends to roll when it’s been cut.  Then I began to pin my pieces together.  Once I got all of the pieces together I began to sew the top of the apron first.  I only sewed the edging on the sides and the top at this time.

Before I attached the top and bottom I finished the edges of the sides and bottom, leaving the top raw.  Next I attached the top and bottom together using the waist band.  The waist band is 2 pieces of t-shirt that measure twice around your body, leaving enough for a flowing tie in the back.  Once I had the top and bottom attached I decided I wanted to add ruffles.  Using a white t-shirt I created strips (similar to the ones I showed with the grey above) and attached them using a gathered approach.  I simply tucked and folded pieces of the white and pinned it to the bottom.  Once I had the desired look I sewed the ruffle on the bottom part.  I used 3 pieces of white and needed a little extra.  Remember that when you gather like this the strips that were once too long are now much shorter.  Finally I sewed a black seam around the outer edge of the white for some decoration.  

I added the strap at the top using the same grey fabric that I used on the waist.  After looking at the finished piece I think I want to add a small pocket and a bow (or two) to make it a little more girlie (not like the ruffles aren’t girlie).  I realized that I can’t sew a straight line to save my life.  I also realized that when your fabric is really thick that you shouldn’t force it…I ended up breaking the needle and can’t figure out where I placed the spare ones.

Want to learn more about crafting with t-shirts?  Here is a past post I did that shows some more of my t-shirt creations and gives you some suggestions for t-shirt crafting books.

How many t-shirts do you own?  How many of those do you actually wear?  And what do you do with them when you don’t want them anymore?

Find out what other people are doing with their old t-shirts by following the #freefromtrash hashtag on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Looking for cloth diapering resources and tips? Visit my cloth diapering archives, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and on Pinterest.
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