Rustic Scandinavian Apron With Decorative Stitches

Published on Sew4Home Rustic Scandinavian Apron With Decorative Stitches Editor: Liz Johnson Wednesday, 26 October 2011 9:00 Like whipped cream on a plain piece of pie or a marshmallow dropped in a mug of hot cocoa, decorative stitches can turn an ordinary project into something special. We started with a basic bib and skirt design in two natural colors of cotton duck, then added multiple lines of 9mm decorative stitching. The result: our charmingly rustic Scandinavian apron. It's perfect as a gift for your favorite holiday baker or wear it yourself while whipping up a little appelkaka (Swedish apple cake) or chockladbullar (Swedish cocoa balls). We were excited to use Janome's new Horizon Memory Craft 12000 for this project, getting to choose from over 400 decorative options that could be stitched up to 9mm in width. Our apron mixes a plain cotton duck accent (the nutmeg) with a strone-washed cotton (the natural). The wrinkly look of the stone-washed fabric added to the rustic look, as did our technqiue of leaving two of the accent bands with a raw edge that fluffed or "ragged" when laundered. We found good selections of cotton duck online at Fabric.com and Fabric Depot. Sewing Tools You Need Any Sewing Machine (we recommend the Janome Horizon Memory Craft 12000 - because we love its 9mm decorative stitch) Fabric and Other Supplies

Main fabric for apron skirt and bib: 1 yard of 45-54" wide heavy fabric: we used a 54" cotton duck in Natural with a "distressed" type of finish so it retained a stone-washed, slightly wrinkled look Accent fabric for apron bib, waist and neck ties and bottom border: ¾ yard of 45-54" wide heavy fabric: we used a 54" cotton duck in Nutmeg NOTE: The top of the pocket and the bottom border of the skirt are both left raw to "rag" or fray to complete the "rustic" look of this apron design. So, you need a fabric that will rag when laundered. An all-cotton selection is your best bet. Two 1½" D-rings: we used a gunmetal finish All purpose thread in colors to match fabric for sewing: we used natural and nutmeg All purpose thread in colors for decorative stitching: we used persimmon, nutmeg and dark steel gray NOTE: Some people prefer a rayon thread for decorative stitching, but the rustic design of this apron calls for a matte rather than shiny finish, so we suggest the regular all-purpose thread. Tear away stabilizer or spray starch to stabilize your fabric for decorative stitching See-through ruler Fabric pencil Iron and ironing board Scissors or rotary cutter and mat Straight pins Hand sewing needle Getting Started 1. Download and print the two apron bib patterns: Apron Bib Part 1 and Apron Bib Part 2. IMPORTANT: Each pattern is ONE 8.5" x 11" sheet. You must print the PDF files at 100%. DO NOT SCALE to fit the page. 2. Cut out each pattern along the solid line. NOTE: There are arrows on the two pattern pieces, but they are NOT meant to be taped together. These are reference arrows so you can orient how the two pieces of fabric will go together. 3. From the main apron fabric (Natural cotton duck in our sample), cut the following: ONE 15" x 28" rectangle for the skirt base ONE 8½" x 28" rectangle for the pocket panel Use the Apron Bib Part 2 pattern to cut TWO bibs on the fold as shown on the pattern piece 4. From the accent apron fabric (Nutmeg cotton duck in our sample), cut the following: ONE 4" x 31" strip for the long neck tie ONE 4" x 4" square for the short neck tie tab FOUR 2½" x 25" strips for the waist ties ONE 1½" x 28" strip for the top pocket border ONE 3½" x 28" rectangle for the bottom border Use the Apron Bib Part 1 pattern to cut TWO bibs on the fold as shown on the pattern piece At Your Sewing Machine & Ironing Board

1. Press all your cut pieces so they are nice and flat. 2. Pin each Apron Bib 1 piece to an Apron Bib 2 piece. 3. Using a ½" seam allowance, stitch together to create the complete bib front and bib lining. Decorative stitch planning, testing and stitching 1. Pick out three decorative stitches to accent your apron. I used the amazing new Janome Horizon Memory Craft 12000 and so had 425 to choose from! I tested several and decided on Decorative Stitch #84 and Heirloom Stitches #11 and #15. 2. I stabilized a scrap of my base fabric to test the stitches I was interested in and to figure out how far apart I wanted them to be. In the photo below, you'll see my tests at ½" apart (too far), ¼" apart (too close) and ⅜" apart (just right). 3. Using a fabric pen or pencil you know will easily wash away, draw guidelines on both the apron bib front and the pocket panel. 4. The apron bib front requires THREE guides lines. First find the center point (top to bottom) of the bottom portion of the bib (the center of the Natural fabric in our sample). Draw this line first - horizontal across the entire piece. Then, draw one line ⅜" above the center line and one line ⅜" below the center line. NOTE: Remember, ⅜" was my chosen spacing; you might want yours closer together or farther away, depending on the width of your stitches.

5. The pocket panel requires NINE guides lines. First find the center point (top to bottom) of the pocket panel. You can fold the piece lengthwise to find or center or measure 4½" from the top raw edge. Draw this line first - horizontal across the entire piece. Then, draw FOUR lines above the center line, each ⅜" apart and FOUR lines below the center line, also each ⅜" apart. 6. Following your manual, set up your machine for decorative stitching and stabilize your fabric with tear-away stabilizer or spray starch. 7. Thread the machine with the first accent thread color. NOTE: Because the back of all our decorative stitching is hidden, you can use white bobbin thread with all the top thread colors to speed up the thread changes. Just make sure your tension is correctly set so none of the bobbin threads pull up to the top. This is part of the stitch testing steps above. 8. We started with the decorative stitching on the apron bib. First stitch the center row.

9. Re-thread and stitch the two outside rows. 10. Re-thread again and stitch the row that bridges the seam between the two fabric colors of the bib. Use the seam as your center guide. NOTE: If you are new to decorative stitching, check our our article: Decorative Stitches: Love Them! Use Them! for some handy tips and techniques for flawless sewing. 11. Re-thread again and stitch the rows across the pocket panel. To reduce the number of thread changes, do all the rows of each color and then switch to the next color. Our pocket patten was as follows: Decorative Stitch #84 in dark steel gray

Heirloom Stitch #11 in nutmeg Heirloom Stitch #15 in persimmon Heirloom Stitch #11 in nutmeg Decorative Stitch #84 in dark steel gray Heirloom Stitch #11 in nutmeg Heirloom Stitch #15 in persimmon Heirloom Stitch #11 in nutmeg Decorative Stitch #84 in dark steel gray Bib pleats 1. The bib front and back both require two ¾" pleats along the bottom. To do this, first mark your fold positions. 2. Find the exact center of the bib back by folding it in half, mark this point with a pin along the bottom edge. 3. Measure 2¾" to the right of the center point and mark with a pin. Then, measure 2¾" to the left of the center point and mark with a pin. 4. Finally measure and mark 1½" to the right of the rightmost pin and 1½" to the left of the leftmost pin. 5. Remove the center pin; you don't need it now. 6. Use your fabric pencil to place marks along the bottom edge of the bib at the the pairs of pin points.

7. With each pair, pinch the fabric right sides together until the two marks meet and pin in place. 8. With the pleats folded in place, flip the bib over and measure 2" from the bottom edge up. 9. Run a line of stitching along these measurements to hold each pleat in place: ¾" from the pleat fold and 2" from the bottom raw edge to the end of the seam.

10. Repeat to create identical ¾" pleats along the bottom of the bib front. Press all pleats toward the center. Make and attach the neck ties and finish the bib 1. Find the 4" x 31" long neck tie. 2. Fold in half, right sides together, lengthwise (so it is now 2" x 31"). Pin, and stitch, using a ½" seam allowance, across one end and all along the long side, pivoting at the corner. Leave the other end open and raw. 3. Find the 4" x 4" short neck tie tab. 4. Fold in half, right sides together, (so it is now 2" x 4"). Pin, and stitch, using a ½" seam allowance just along the side. Leave both ends open and raw. 5. Turn both tabs right side out and press. Even though these aren't super tiny, check out our tutorial for an easy way to Turn and Press Tiny Tubes. 6. Place the apron bib front right side up on your work surface. Pin the long tie 1" in from the left side of the apron with the raw edges of the tie and the top of bib aligned. 7. Fold the short tab tie in half so the raw ends match up. Slip the two D-rings into the fold. Then, pin the folded tab tie 1" in from the right side of the apron. The raw edges of the tie and the top of bib should be aligned and the folded end of the tie with the D-rings should be hanging down.

8. Layer the front bib and back bib right sides together, sandwiching the ties in between the layers. Pin along both sides and across the top; leave the bottom open for turning. 9. Stitch front to back, using a ½" seam allowance. Remember to pivot at the corners. Keep the long tie out of the way of the seam as you sew. 10. Trim the corners at an angle. 11. Turn right side out, push out the top corners and pull up the ties. 12. Press well.

Assemble the skirt Top pocket accent strip 1. Find the 1½" x 28" accent strip. 2. Pin the RIGHT side of the strip against the WRONG side of the skirt panel along the top edge. 3. Stitch together, using a ½" seam allowance. Then, trim back the seam allowance to ¼" and finish with either a serger or with an overcast or zig zag stitch on your sewing machine. 4. Bring the accent strip up and over to the front, encasing the finished seam allowance. Pin in place.

5. Stitch the strip in place ⅜" from the top folded edge. This leaves the bottom of the strip as a raw edge. When you launder the apron, this edge will ravel or "rag," creating a fluffy accent across the top of the pocket. The seam will stop the rag, but it is unlikely it will fray up that far. Skirt pleats 1. As you did above with the apron bib; measure, mark and make two ¾" pleats along the top edge. The measurements are the same because you want the pleats in the bib to line up with pleats in the skirt. 2. Find the center point of the skirt, measure 2¾" to the right of the center point and mark with a pin. Then, measure 2¾" to the left of the center point and mark with a pin. Finally measure and mark 1½" to the right of the rightmost pin and 1½" to the left of the leftmost pin.

3. Stitch down the pleats in the same manner as you did for the bib and press the pleats towards the center of the skirt. Sandwiching the bottom border 1. Lay the pleated skirt WRONG side UP on your work surface. 2. Find the 3½" x 28" bottom border strip. Place it WRONG side DOWN along the bottom edge of the skirt. So, that's wrong sides together for the skirt and the border strip. 3. Place the pocket panel RIGHT side DOWN on top of these two pieces. Again, aligning the bottom edges.

4. Pin all three layers in places and stitch together with a ½" seam allowance. 5. Trim the seam allowance back to ¼" and finish with either a serger or with an overcast or zig zag stitch on your sewing machine. 6. Fold up both the pocket panel and the skirt, encasing the finished seam at the inside bottom of the pocket. The skirt is now facing right side up, the pocket panel is also facing right side up and the bottom border strip is sticking out the bottom. 7. Smooth the pocket against the skirt so the raw sides edges are flush. Press in place. This will make the top of the skirt kind of blouse up. That's okay. The top part of the skirt, with its pleats, is designed with fullness so it lays nicely around the waist and across the hips. 8. The seam is hidden from both sides. Spiffy huh? We want the bottom of the border strip to be raw because it will rag like the top of the pocket accent strip. Pocket seams 1. Fold the skirt back up into place and smooth out the layers again so the sides of the pocket and the skirt are flush. 2. Measure and mark the lines for pockets. There are five pocket seams, which will create six even pockets across the pocket panel. 3. With the skirt and pocket panel still flat and smooth, find the exact center. The easiest way is to fold in half and measure with a pin. If you don't want to disturb your nice flat layers, measure 14" in from one raw side edge. 4. Make a vertical line from the bottom of the pocket panel to the top accent strip of the pocket.

5. Measure 4½" to the right of this center line and make another line. Measure 4½" to the right of this second line and make a third line. 6. Repeat to create to vertical lines to left of the center line. 7. Lengthen your stitch and topstitch along each drawn line. Use a thread that matches the base fabric and you won't notice the pocket seams against the decorative stitching. 8. Set up your machine again for decorative stitching, and, as you did above on the apron bib, run a decorative stitch across the pocket/border seam. Use the same decorative stitch that you did for the bib crossover stitch. Side hems 1. Make a ½" double turn hem along each side of the skirt. To do this, fold the raw edge towards the back of the skirt ½" and press, then fold another ½" and press again. Pin well.

2. There are a LOT of layers along these side hems. With all this bulk, I recommend you hand stitch the hems in place. I stitched with two different colors of thread - nutmeg along the border and then natural along the rest of the skirt. Waistband and waist ties 1. Find the four 2½" x 25" strips. 2. Take one pair, and using a ½" seam allowance, stitch, right sides together, along one 2½" side. Repeat with the other pair. This will give you two strips that are 2½" x 49". 3. Match these two 49" strips right sides together, lining up all raw edges and the center seams. This will become your waistband/ties. 4. Using your see-through ruler and fabric pencil, measure and mark the openings needed in the waistband to insert the apron bib and the apron skirt. You can use the center seam to insure the openings are centered. You need a 10" opening along the top of the waistband and a 24" opening along the bottom of the waist band.

5. Stitch the two waistband/tie pieces together, using a ½" seam allowance. Start at the bottom opening, stitch down one side, pivot at the corner, stitch across the end, pivot at the corner, and stitch along the remaining long side to the top opening. 6. Remove from machine. Move to the other end of the top opening. Start stitching again, down one side, pivot at the corner, stitch across the end, pivot at the corner, and stitch along the remaining long side to the bottom opening. 7. Turn right side out through the middle opening. Press. You might need to reach in to the corner points with a bluntedged tool, like a large knitting needle, to help push out the seam and make a nice point at all corners. 8. Make sure you press the opening seam allowances in ½" so the opening edges (top and bottom) are flush with the sewn edges. 9. Edgestitch along your finished seams, pivoting at all corners, but still leaving the top and bottom openings free and clear. Attach bib to waistband 1. Find the completed bib. 2. Insert the bib into the top opening (the 10" opening) of the waistband. Pin in place. 3. Edgestitch apron bib in place, being careful that your new edgestitching matches the existing edgestitching on the waistband/ties piece.

Attach skirt to waistband 1. Find the complete skirt. 2. Insert the skirt into the bottom opening (the 24" opening) of the waistband. Pin in place. Line up the pleats of the bib with the pleats of the skirt. 3. Edgestitch apron skirt in place, being careful that your new edgestitching matches the existing edgestitching on the waistband/ties piece. 4. Launder your finished apron to wash away all the stitch guidelines and to allow the two raw edges (the pocket accent strip and the bottom border) to rag and fluff. There might be some longer fabric tails when you first remove the apron from the dryer. Simply trim these flush with the fluffy frayed edges. Contributors Project Concept: Alicia Thommas Sample Creation: Liz Johnson Other machines suitable for this project include the Elna 3210 Jeans and the Pfaff hobby 1142. This project and patterns (if any) may be downloaded for personal use only. No electronic or printed reproduction permitted