How to Sew a Child's Apron

Trace the bib piece you need for style 'A' in the pattern, adding markers and notches with a washable fabric marker. For the other pieces, as they're rectangular, you can cut them directly from the original pattern and fold the edges in for the smallest size.

Cut all your pieces out. Because we're using fat quarters for the apron, we need to adjust the skirt front to make it smaller and less gathered. Fold your first fat quarter in half and place you skirt pattern piece on top. Trim to the height of the pattern piece.

You need to trace the same notches and markers onto the fabric. Line the edge of the skirt pattern piece at the edge of the fabric and mark the points from each edge.

Continue cutting your pieces out. You can fold your fabric in half to cut two at a time, but be careful to save as much fabric as possible for the other pieces. We laid our pieces out as follows:

FABRIC 1: Skirt and Waistband

FABRIC 2: Bib Fronts x 2 and Neck Straps x 2

FABRIC 3: Pockets x 4

FABRIC 4: Tie Ends x 2

Get your four pocket pieces and lay them on top of one another, right sides together. Pin and sew around all sides, leaving a small gap in the bottom curved edge. Trim seam allowances down by half, trim corners and cut notches in the curves.

Turn pockets the right way around through the gap and press flat.

Fold your skirt front in half to get a pressed line. Place pockets on top of your skirt front on either side of your pressed centre line. Make sure the skirt front has the pattern going the correct way. Pin pockets 6.5cm from the centre pressed line and top of the skirt.

Stitch really close to the edges of your pockets, doing a back stitch at the start and end, leaving the tops open.

Press the sides of the skirt in by the hem allowance of 15mm. Then fold this in half, tucking the raw edge under to meet this pressed line, press again to create a narrow rolled hem.

Stitch side hems in place, then repeat the process on the bottom hem, but with a 3cm hem allowance.

Set your machine stitch size to the largest it will go and sew a line 10mm from the top raw edge without back stitching. Leave the ends loose. Repeat 10mm below that line of sewing. Grab one thread from each line and give them a pull to start gathering the fabric. You don't want to gather it too much as we made this piece a little narrower.

Using the notches on the waistband piece as a reference, make sure your gathers make the skirt fit between these marks. Once you're happy with your gathers, pin your skirt to the waistband piece, right sides together, lining up raw edges and making sure the pattern on your waistband ends up the right way around.

Sew the waistband piece and skirt together, your seam allowance should sit between both gathering stitches. Press waistband and seam allowance away from skirt.

Get your neck strap pieces and fold them in half lengthways, right sides together. Pin and sew two sides, leaving the angled short ends open. Trim seam allowance down by half and clip corners. Turn right way around and press.

Lay your neck straps on top of one of your bib front pieces, line up with your marked notches. The angled ends should mean the straps cross over like pictured. Pin and baste in place 10mm from raw edge.

Place the other bib front over the top, right sides together, lining up raw edges. Pin around the curved edge, leaving bottom open. Sew, trim seam allowances down by half and clip into the curves.

Turn right way around and press flat. Topstitch really close to the curved edge, then baste the bottom edge closed, 10mm from the raw edge.

Place finished bib front on top of your waistband piece, lining up notches. The bottom edge of the bib will line up with the raw edge of your waistband. Pin and stitch in place.

Press the bib upwards, with seam allowance press downwards. Press the same seam allowance downwards on either side of the waistband to match.

Next, get your two tie pieces and fold them in half lengthways, right sides together. Pin and sew two sides, leaving one short end open. Use the open end to turn the right way around and press flat.

Pin open ends of the ties to the bottom half of the raw edges on either side of the waistband piece. Make sure the pattern is the right way up when folded back on itself. Pin and sew in place 10mm from edge.

Fold the top half of the waistband down, right sides together, to meet the tie end. Pin in place and sew to meet the same line as the edge of the apron skirt.

Press the rest of the waistband down to meet this line, including the bib front. The pattern calls to hand slip-stitch the next part but I'm going to show you how to machine stitch in the ditch. Pin through the front of your apron close to the seam line of the waistband, catching the back of the waistband piece as you go. You want the back of the waistband edge to be a couple of millimetres longer than the front seam line. Continue pinning all the way along. Sew with a small stitch length through the front, as close to the waistband seam line as you possibly can.

Press bib back upwards and pin in place to the top of the waistband. Stitch close to the waistband edge through all layers to secure bib front. Press whole apron to finish.

Your apron is complete!