Shop Apron Project

Well, a project finished, but boy, did I bite off a lot more than I thought I was!


Some time ago, I came into possession of about 25 pairs of old jeans. I made a quilt with some (see "Denim Quilt")and had it in mind to make a shop apron, cleverly using pockets and parts of the jeans. When Elaina suggested an apron exchange, it seemed like a good time to attack this project, and I called all the guys on the list and suggested that we participate, making shop aprons.

I can now say that my shop apron project is accomplished. Would I do it again... Well, maybe...


I had thought it would be all kind of straight forward and my process would work for others, but I seriously doubt it. Working with old jeans in this context, trying to save and use parts of them, involves a lot of layering of the old jean seams with new apron seams and hems, etc. Also, the jeans have been worn enough to stretch the fabric, so sections don't lie flat. I don't think a regular sewing machine would be up to it. I used my industrial Pfaff 134 and a leather needle, and it was OK, but I had to manually lift the walking foot at times to clear the material. We won't even talk about avoiding hidden rivets! It was interesting, and fun, but I do not recommend it for anyone else. You'd be far better off to use the pattern Elaina provided, or simply design your own pattern from the picture of Chuck Galbach's completed apron, which I will show below.


It did get to be kind of fun, because i was working in Ann's shop while she worked, and she kept asking about a "pattern" or "a plan" and I kept saying "no pattern, no plan... just doing it the Guy Way." That amounted to cutting up jeans and laying pieces out and kind of saying, "Yeah, I think I can use that piece..." I ended up cutting up legs to create the main sections, using the curve of the crotch to project to the sides where the apron would go under the arms. I used the original hip pockets for bib pockets. I stitched some lines on the top pockets for pencil sleeves. Another pair of hip pockets, from a much darker pair, went across below the waist, making a real large pocket, with the original pockets still on its outside. The watch pocket also went on the chest piece, as did the leather jeans brand logo... Calvin Klein, no less! With darker jeans seat across the middle, Ann says it looks like a guy is hugging a girl in short shorts!


In spite of all that, it is one heck of a shop apron... IMHO

I am choosing to put this page up with Elaina's referral links first, then the picture of Chuck Galbach's apron, then mine last. I think folks will find my project interesting, just because it makes use of old jeans, but I would recommend you do as Chuck did... use nice new denim yardage and rectangles.

 

Dick

 

Elaina's References for the Apron Exchange

Here is the fastest, easiest, most basic pattern I can find. The pockets are just add ons:

http://sewing.about.com/library/weekly/aa051801a.htm


Here is a link for step by step instructions for flat fell seaming:


http://www.sewneau.com/how.to/flat.felled.seam.html


Elaina

 

Note from Dick:

Given the vagaries of the internet, the above links may or may not be good some time from when this is posted. Should the links not work, try Googling for "Apron Pattern", "Barbecue Apron", "Shop Apron" and/or "Flat Felled Seam". You should find some material that would be helpful.

Dick

 

Chuck Galbrach's Apron

Chuck was the first of the guys to send me a picture of his finished apron, and it looks like he really did a nice job on it. Certainly his pattern is much simpler than what i did.

Hi Dick,


I thought if you were thinking of putting a picture of my apron anywhere, I
should send you a better picture. I am also sending another better picture
of my 31-15 that I dragged all the way to the Florida and North Carolina
TOGA's this year. I wouldn't expect you'd put that picture anywhere but I'm
including it because I had a lot of fun using it for this project. And, I
had fun taking it to the TOGA's and think that most folks enjoyed playing
with it - at least those who weren't heads down doing their own things on
their own machines. It was my traveling industrial treadle. It did go
through at least six layers of heavy denim when I was practicing playing
with heavy denim. There's a practice sample of a felled seam on the table
from when I was practicing them.
My seams aren't very good looking - but that industrial treadle certainly
made them very strong. It was used by a tailor in a town just outside
Pittsburgh, a long time ago. I'm certainly glad I've got it. I didn't think
to take pictures as I went. I had no real plan. I found some old scraps in a
container that Jeanette had in the basement and had to piece two of the
largest horizontally to get enough length. I only had a few pieces left. The
pockets are actually two smaller scraps joined vertically in the middle with
seam pressed open and then sewed to the apron with the scrap of the outdoors
print fabric. The upper pencil pockets were the last rectangular scrap
bigger than a postage stamp. I guess my "plan" was to make an apron and
figure out everything as I went along. I think it worked, considering my
mediocre skills. I'm getting better, but it is slow going. I mailed the
apron yesterday morning.


Chuck Galbach

 

Chuck's Apron

Note how neatly you can work with new material and rectangular cutting. This is the way to go! Nice neat work, Chuck.

 

 

 

I guess both Chuck and I saw shop aprons as a natural project for industrial machines. This is Chuck's 31-15.

 

 

Dick's Blue Jeans Apron

 

OK... here we go on this project. You will need at least two pair of old jeans... three gives you more flexibiiity. I did not work to a pattern... I just mentally pictured what I wanted and tried to cut material out and put it together to end up with that.

 

 

My original idea was to use the hip pockets as the bib pockets on the apron, so I began by looking at how I was going to get them into useful shape. Obviously, the major areas of fabric are the legs, so I began by cutting the legs up the seams toward the waist band.

 

Front jeans pockets are separate pieces sewn (and riveted!) to the fabric. You can't really use them, so I cut up to the inside edges of the pockets and then across.

 

Here is the front waistband and pocket, plus the leg seam... shows what I cut out.

 

OK... here are the two major pieces I was after... the backs of the legs with the hip pockets intact.

 

Two Pictures in this Panel!

 

Reverse the two back leg pieces and you get something that looks like the bib top of an apron. Here I have pinned the pieces so I could hold them up to myself to see if it would work. The edges weren't even, though.

 

Here I have trued the edges with a steel rule and roller cutter, ready to make a flat felled seam.

 

Flat felled is the name for the type of seams used in jeans and most shirts. Essentially, it is a seam that is facing the front, then folded over and resewn, making two seam lines and a raised hem or seam on the front. It's tricky to do.

 

Here is a flat felled seam being sewn. Note that it is being stitched wrong side to wrong side, and with one edge sticking out. You are looking at the front of the garment! When you finish, the seam you have just sewn will be on the front!

 

OK.. Here is the flat felled seam, half sewn. This is the front of the apron bib, with the hip pockets, and you can see the seam I just stitched sticking up. This hem is now folded over, with the edge rolled inwards, and then stitched down again. Read several different instructions for flat felled seams and practice on scraps till you get it.

 

 

here is the basic front, flat felled or double seam down the middle, two hip pockets at the top, which will be the apron bib.

 

I also stitched a couple of lines down one of the hip pockets to make pencil holding sleeves.

 

 

This piece is not wide enough for a good apron, so I needed to add additional materal at the sides. This required that I true the edge so I could add another piece.

 

After truing edges, I flat fell seam joined the other leg pieces (see picture of pieces cut and laid out above) to the sides and drew lines to determin how big an apron I could get. I shouldn't hav drawn the lines... I ended up with one showing on the finished product. What can I say... I did it the Guy Way!

 

The next step was to hem in some manner. the amount of material remaining above the hip pockets was not sufficient for a good hem, so I added a top band.

The curved areas under the arms also required bands, but because of the curves, these had to be bias strips cut from the legs of another pair of jeans.

The sides I simply roll hemmed.

At the bottom, I added another band.

Here you can see the project considerably further along. You can see the top edge band and the edge bands on the arm curves. I hav also added a second pair of hip pockets, from the second pair of jeans. These are stitiched so that the whole hip pocket panel is used...making a very large pocket, but with two smaller pockets (the original hip pockets) on the outside. If you wanted to, you could stitch up the middle, between the hip pocked, and turn the big pocket into two smaller ones. I have also added the small watch pocket from the second pair of jeans, and tacked on the leather jeans brand panel.

 

 

Here is a bit of a close-up of the edging. I opened up the top band and fed the curved bias edge under it. If I had thought ahead, I would have put the curved edge on first.

 

 

This is a picture of the bottom tape. As mentioned, the sides are just roll hemmed.

 

For ties and the neck halter, I needed long strips. These are laid out on a front leg pane that was carefully cut out all the way up to the waist band.. They are 4" wide. To make the ties, I ironed them over in half, then ironed each half over into the center, folded the whole and stitched town each side. I had to make a separate piece for the halter buckle, since it was wider.

 

 

 

 

Here you can see the halter and buckle, available from your local sewing notions department. You can also see the heavy stitching at the corner, where the arm band went under the top band. The machine has to deal with 9 layers of jeans denim at this point!

Note also that here you can make out the stitching of the pencil sleeves in the pocket.

And here is the finished apron.

 

 

 

finished apron being modeled.

(Note: Model is paid professional...)

 

 

Aside from the fact that it took two afternoons to complete what could have been a simple hour and a half project with new material, the biggest problem I see with this approach to an apron is that the width of the two hip pockets used on the bib is too much... the bib tends to bag out if you wear it as high as I like it. This could be alleviated if you mounted the halter straps more into the center.

 

Pfaff 134 Industrial Treadle

This is the machine I used for this project. (Note: For a series on the restoration of this machines, see: Pfaff 134 )

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's all folks!

Dick