A New/Old Apron

For a very long time now, I have wanted to replicate a favorite apron that was my Mother's. She made it in Home Economics in High School, sometime about 1938-39. I have used it for years now too, and it has held together wonderfully well. I have blogged about it before, in a Thanksgiving post.

I didn't want to tear it apart to make pattern pieces, so my wish remained just that...a wish only. Until a year ago, when a friend of a friend was visiting and noticed the apron on it's hook. She asked about it, and when I expressed my wish for it, she told me she could make me the pattern. So the three of us stayed up to midnight with some tissue and pencils, and lo and behold I had myself a pattern to try. As things go (and with me it's usually the gardening season) I hadn't got around to doing more than purchasing some fabric and rick-rack. So, last month I decided to make up a new apron for Julie's birthday on the 1st of March, using my 'old' pattern.

I had found some vintage looking fabric in small sunflowers on a cream background, and decided to trim it in light blue, Julie's favorite color.

Here it is, all finished and hanging by my ironing board, before being wrapped up and sent off to West Virginia. That back 'strap' across the shoulders is really the secret to the comfort of this apron, as it never wants to slip down or off the shoulders, like so many do.

It has the requisite pockets, that every good apron should have, and miles of rick rack, my mom-in-law says. We found in making the pattern that this little simple looking apron is much more difficult than it looks. It has a princess neckline, where the pretty shape is repeated in the waistline. (None of that really shows in the photos) My original has bust darts, but my pattern maker was able to adjust those out of the pattern. It was one of my first projects with no instructions at all, but that went fine. I did have to interrupt my sewing to go and buy a new sewing machine during this project. I had been fighting with my original 1973 Kenmore for a while now, and it was time. As I shopped, the tweenie salesgirl looked at me with concern when I asked for a machine without a computer. She told me she didn't think one could sew a garment without a computer sewing machine!

Anyway, this was a fun project, and I'm so glad I was able to finish it before getting sick. Julie received it in time for her birthday, along with a new cookbook she had been wanting from King Arthur's. She has promised to model it there, and post a few photos of it being worn. When I feel better, I will be back to making a few more of these aprons.