This is going to be the 1st of many of my apron diy blogs. This first apron is my basic apron pattern. This particular apron has a naturally full skirt. If you have basic or advanced sewing skills give this apron a try. It takes about 3 hours to make.

This apron I made as a gift for a special person. She does a lot for kids and her favorite color is green. Making an apron personal is a must, thus our fabric selection. Keep in mind to use a high quality cotton fabric and thread. Your apron will hold its shape better and last for generations. This special person has two young boys who love to help her in the kitchen, so we included two coordinating boy aprons. I’ll share that tutorial in a later blog. She loved her gift!

My oldest daughter and I have designed, created and sold 100’s of aprons. We were very busy with our online shop and outside sales. As sales and custom orders were rolling in we had to make a tough decision to close our shop and stop receiving outside orders. Our world was turned upside down as we received the cancer diagnosis of my youngest granddaughter, my daughters youngest daughter. Although we no longer have the time to fill apron orders, I thought I could share our pattern creations for you to create. Who knows, maybe even start your own apron business.

The first apron is our basic apron. It was a big seller. Depending on the cost of the fabric, we sold them between $25 and $35. Throughout out my apron blogs, I’m going to share many of our popular aprons. Our clientele ranged from moms, chefs, hairdressers, market vendors, cosplayers, brides, bridesmaids and the list goes on. We’ve created family aprons for Christmas pictures, bridal party aprons, his and her aprons, mommy and me aprons, special gifts, hostess aprons, again the list goes on.

Below is a small sample of our creations.

TUTORIAL

Supplies

2 yards of cotton fabric 44 - 45 inches wide - top, skirt, bias
1/2 yard cotton fabric 44 - 45 inches wide - waistband, neckties
coordinating cotton thread
scissors
large safety pin
pins
iron
sewing machine
Measuring tape
embellishments - I used ribbon 🎀 16 inches

optional
I used a rotary cutter, rotary ruler, and rotary mat for my straight cuts, but scissors will work as well.
I also used a serger for finishing some of the seams. A zigzag stitch on your sewing machine will also do the job. I finish certain seams to add longevity to the apron.

Start with the top. Turn right sides together and sew together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance leaving the bottom open for turning right side out. Clip corners and neck area as shown in pictures below. Careful not to cut the stitches. Turn right side out and press.

Fold 3 inch cut of the neckties right side together, sew down the entire length of fabric. Turn right side out using safety pin. Press. Turn in one end of each tie, press and stitch. Measure 1 inch over from sides of the bottom of top, place unfinished part of ties there. Use pictures below for reference. Top stitch. Finish bottom of top with matching bias, zigzag stitch or serge.

Now take two of the skirt pieces and with right sides together stitch together the 18 inch length. These seams I reinforce by serging or using a zigzag stitch . Press and add the 3rd skirt piece with right sides together to either end of already sewn skirt and repeat. Hem sides and bottom of skirt. Sew two rows of gathering stitches to the full length of the top of the skirt. Gather tightly. Careful not to break your thread. I secure the gather by wrapping the long threads tightly around a pin. Apply bias to top of gathering to secure and finish seam.

Lay waistband pieces right sides together stitching one end of the 6 inch sides together. Press. Fold together the 6 inches together and sew down the full length. Turn right side out and press. Tuck in both ends, press and sew.

Time to assemble your apron. Find the middle of your top by folding in half and place a pin there. Do the same to the skirt and waistband. Align the pins to the waistband and top follow by the waistband and skirt. The waistband should be over the top of the skirt and top pieces. Coving 1/2 inch of the bottom portion of the top and 1/2 inch of the top portion of the skirt. Pin together. Top stitch on the edge of the waistband starting at the end of the skirt to the other end working your way up to the top and continuing to where you started. Repeat 1/2 inch in following your first stitch around as a guide. Add any embellishments and you are done. Have fun cooking in your apron!!!

Over a year ago we ran across this old entertainment cabinet at a Local thrift store for $15. Many people were looking at this gem, including us. At first glance, I began picking it apart. It was pretty banged up and the baseboard was missing. It was such a large cabinet and wasn’t sure we could even get it into the house. But then I began thinking about how badly we needed pantry storage and knew if we didn’t buy this I’d regret it. This cabinet was made of solid wood with the aged charm I liked. Once I opened the doors, the baseboard that was missing was sitting inside. It was broke, but I knew I could make it work. The large bottom drawer opened and shut so nicely, which I didn’t expect. Ugh! I thought! Let’s buy it. Today I’m so glad we did.

Here are a few pictures of the cabinet once we got it home. Bruce, my husband is looking it over.

After measuring the cabinet, doorways, ceiling height, wall area, and considering light fixtures, we finally decided on its new home. It was gonna be a tight squeeze, but doable. Knowing this, I decided the best place to repurpose this cabinet was in its new resting place. As a rule of thumb, I would repurpose furniture outdoors or in the garage, but I quickly threw that rule out the window.

Once the cabinet was in its new home, it was time to go to work. I removed the hardware, knowing I’d reuse it. Kinda loved it. Used a good quality dish soap and water, old tooth brush, small utility brush, steal wool, and old dish rag to clean this beast. The bottom trim piece was broken. I decided to glue it back together and reattach it with liquid nails and leave it at that. It would just give it more character and charm. The only sanding I did was a few rough, splintered areas.

​Time to paint. I used what I already had. Reading more of my blogs you’ll find out I do this a lot. The primer was Kiltz odorless oil based primer. Two coats were applied with a paint brush. I was sure to read and wait the required dry time between coats. The paint used was an interior paint and primer, satin, white. Two coats were applied with a paint brush waiting required dry time in between coats. Using a brush gave me the country charm I was looking for.

The hardware was cleaned with soapy water and dried. Didn’t want to take away from its natural patina. Putting them back on was so exciting. I was so anxious to see the final look of this piece.

The inside received a good scrubbing. The decision was made not to paint. Placed wire racks I had sitting around on both doors. I purchased a wire rack for shelving and there was room for my bread box. Was happy to get it off my counter. For our canned good I dug out 2 large cake pans and an oblong basket. They fit perfectly under the shelf already there, and made for easy access. I’m so pleased with our new pantry. Tons of storage, great look, and very little money.
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It’s been well over a year since I repurposed this cabinet. Still love it. It was a great pantry solution. It looks great, fun addition to our holiday decorating, and great backdrop for other projects. It’s received many more dings in this past year which has only given it more charm. We received many compliments and even some offers to buy it. Won’t be parting with this gem anytime soon.
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 Who doesn't like to step out of the shower or bath tub onto a soft absorbent bath mat.  This mat can be made out of old discarded bath towels or inexpensive department store towels.  I chose this color scheme so the bath mat took 3 towels.   There was plenty of towel remnants left over to make a second bath mat.  These make nice gifts also. 

Choose your towels. I chose 3 different color towels. Cut 21 3 inch wide strips. 7 strips of each color. I cut across the width of the towel which made a nice size for the bath mat. I then folded the strips as shown above and stitched them. After all the strips were sewn some looked crooked. This was easily fixed by steam ironing them. Now it’s time to assemble. I started by laying two strips side by side and stitching them together with a wide zig zag stitch. Then repeat . Do this in sets of 3 strips. This makes it easier to handle and helps keep its shape when all the strips are assembled together. After all the strips are zig zagged together, give it a final press with the steam iron. Square off the ends of the bath mat. Finish by cutting 2 coordinating 3 inch strips and sewing to the squared off ends of the bath mat. Be sure to leave about an inch on both ends. Fold in ends and raw edges sew down and ta da a soft, absorbent, pretty bath mat.