More birds! More clouds! More chambray!
Yep, all my favorites, in one reversible Emmeline Apron from Sew Liberated. The pattern is an oldie but goodie. I was drawn to the apron right away when Kristin posted her version (vintage skirt as top post alert!) – and now, almost three years later, it made its way on to my project list. I made mine for my sister, too, but my neighbor was kind enough to model for me and keep me out of the photos, which was very much appreciated. I owe you some baked goods, neighbor!
The pattern has some nice, feminine features – a gathered bodice, a skirt with darts, and nice long ties that you can wear in the front or back. And reversible is always a plus in my book – especially for something that’s bound to get pretty dirty.
This was an easy sew – maybe a little time consuming since you’re essentially making two aprons, and there is a good amount of bias cutting for the straps, but it was fun to put together. I skipped hand-sewing the bias binding for the straps, but if you want it to look extra neat and tidy, you should take the time to do it by hand. The only tricky part for me was positioning the ties between the two skirt pieces – they need to be placed just so to extend out straight and just below the waistband piece, and it took me a bit of trial and error to get there. Luckily that spot is pretty hidden once the apron is tied on, so if it doesn’t line up exactly, no one will be the wiser.
The print is Fly by Night from Bonnie Christine’s Sweet as Honey line from Art Gallery Fabrics. There are a few prints in this line that really tempted me – I especially love the little deer. But I ended up with the birds (as I often do), and paired them with another Andover chambray (Espresso this time). The bands and ties are a yellow crosshatch (Bluebird Park Linen Texture in Sunrise). You need quite a bit (1.75 yards) of the contrast fabric to accommodate those long ties, but you’ll have a lot of it left over.
I’m kind of enjoying the thought that this won’t be outgrown in a few months like almost everything else I make. Perhaps more sewing for grown-ups is in order…
probablyactually.wordpress.com 