Apron Tutorial

So thanks to a number of factors, I happen to have an extra men's dress shirt lying around that my Medic can't wear. So I decided to turn it into an apron and show you how!  Now there are many tutorials online that show how to make this, but I don't happen to have all of those links readily available for you. Any duplication of their wording or "steps" is coincidental and unintentional. 

So, do you have a ton of dress shirts laying around that don't fit your husband/boyfriend, dad, grandfather or even son anymore?  Turn it into an apron!  I've alway heard "waste not, want not" and this up cycle is a great way to reuse something. So what do you need?

-men's dress shirt

-scissors

-needle and thread (or sewing machine)

-ruler

-straight pins

Now what do you do?

Well, you start with a dress shirt like this:

Then you cut the sleeves and back off. Trim as close as you can to the collar, like so:

When you stand and look at your shirt, this is what you should see:

Now we need to shape the apron. I used a seamstress tape measure but anything with a straight edge will work (ie cutting board, ruler, piece of paper, etc). Lay your straight edge on top of the shirt from armpit to shoulder. 

Because I don't have a rotary cutter, I drew a line to mark what I needed to cut. 

Cut along your line, and flip piece you've just cut onto other side to ensure they're even. 

Draw a line and cut section away. Now you have the basic apron. It's time to make it fictional. For straps you have several options. You can use ribbon, or even a different fabric for a unique look. I opted to use the back of the shirt and cut strips for my ties.

Now it's time to pin all out rough edges. 

I pinned one end of the tie straps so they would have a more finished look. 

Now you can thread your needle, or drag out your machine. I opted for machine. Isn't mine pretty??

I started by sewing my straps first 

Then once they were sewn I did this frustrating thing:

Once they were turned the right way, I pinned them to the inside of the apron. 

Time to sew it all. 

Once all the rough edges were sewn, I trimmed all strings and overhang of fabric. (Because I'm that girl). But once that was completed I had my very own apron!

Many thanks to Pinterest for the inspiration. (Even if those directions are in Russian). Now if I can just find more unwanted dress shirts I can show you how I turned one into a dress for Munchkin!!

🌸Jenny🌸