Sew in Love {with Fabric}: Handmade Holiday Blog Hop: Day 6

It's Handmade Holiday Blog Hop time! We're sharing both gift and decor ideas here on the blog. Make them now; bookmark them for later. Either way, we hope you'll enjoy the inspiration and ideas to help you get in the holiday spirit and/or cross a few names off your gift list.

Today Kristen from KD Quilts is sharing an adorable patchwork apron made with Cherry Guidry's Frosty Forest collection. She fussy cut part of the Frosty Forest panel for the apron top and then stitched a patchwork skirt--super easy and super cute! Enjoy her tutorial and then head over to her blog for a chance to win a Frosty Forest bundle.

Here's Kristen:

Hello to all the lovely Benartex readers! I'm thrilled to be back here today sharing my super quick, super easy apron tutorial! If you aren't a garment sewer, don't worry. If you know how to work a sewing machine and cut fabric, then you will be wonderful!

You will need:

6 fat quarters and 1 panel (you will have enough fabric left over for a child size apron as well! Perfect for baking cookies for Santa!)

Frosty Forest panel

Cutting:

From the panel:

Trim main panel design down to 16.5" x 19" (for the apron top)
Fussy cut a 17-1/2" x 4-1/2" strip from directly below the panel (for the waistband)

From each of 4 fat quarters:

Cut two 10" x 9" pieces

From one remaining fat quarter:

Three 2" x 22" strips joined to create a binding strip measuring at least 53" long

From the last fat quarter:

Four 4" x 22" strips for ties

Let's get to making!

Sew together the 10" x 9" pieces, short sides together, in pairs. You will now have four segments measuring 17.5" x 10".

Sew these segments long sides together to make the apron skirt.

Time to gather! There are lots of ways to gather, but I haven't ever veered away from the old fashioned method:

With the longest stitch length you have, run a line across 1/4 inch from the top. Be sure to leave super long tails on either end. Hold the top thread on one side and gently work the fabric down the stitch line you made. Keep gathering (you might have to do some from the other side too) until your skirt measures 17-1/2". The gathers should all be even across your skirt.

Right sides together, attach the waistband to the skirt. The stitches that were used to gather should be inside the seam allowance so they are not visible on the front.

We will set this aside and start the binding and apron ties.

On all four ties, you need to fold the fabric in half lengthwise. Press. Open and fold each side to the center line. Press. Fold in half again. Press.

On one end, fold ends in to make triangles before sewing down the final fold. This gives your ties a finished point at the end.

Topstitch down the angled end and open side of each tie.

Now repeat the folding process for the binding piece, this time leaving the ends open. Set aside for now.

Turn the apron top wrong side up and measure 3" in from the top edge on each side. Sew down the neck apron ties here. (They'll be flipped up after the binding is attached.)

Starting at the bottom of one side, attach the binding around the sides and top of the apron panel, sandwiching the raw edges of the panel in the center fold of the binding. Be sure the raw ends of the apron ties are pointing down and are encased in the binding also.

At the corners, open the binding and pinch it closed again. A tricky process to put in words, so hopefully these pictures help!

Trim remaining binding strip if needed after adding to all three sides. After the binding is sewn on, flip the neck ties up and stitch across again. This way they stay up and don't crease funny.

Tack down the apron waist strings onto the sides of the apron waistband as shown (position waist tie on right side of waistband). Hem all around the apron sides and bottom with a 1/2" hem (Fold in 1/4" wrong sides together. Then fold in 1/4" again and sew). The waist ties will fold into the hem.

Are you ready?! Last step!! Right sides together, attach the apron top to the waistband of the apron skirt. Now proudly wear and bake some cookies! (Or just wear it and browse the Benartex blog hop, you worked hard this afternoon!