Saturday, November 21, 2009

Nursing Apron Tutorial

This is an easy beginning tutorial. BUT! If you want to just save yourself the hassle and buy a cute pattern already made, go to my etsy or ebay stores. OR! Send me your pattern, I will make it for 50% off of what I charge.
1.You will need one yard of fabric, 2 1/4 inch D rings, and 12” of boning.


2.Start by trimming your fabric. I measure mine out 32x44. This is larger than the standard size and gives room for side coverage. Then measure 4 1/2in x 32in. Once you have that, cut 12 inches off that for the other strap that holds the D rings.


3.Fold both straps right sides together and sew a tight seam 1/4in from edge. On longer strap ONLY, Stop sewing about three inches from bottom and curve towards the bottom corner as you see in this picture. Trim 1/4in away from the seam. Doing this prevents the strap from sliding off the D ring.

4.Turn straps right side out and maneuver the seams to the middle, press. It should look similar to this picture below. Take the 12in strap and place the two D rings on it and fold together with the seam in the middle, hidden. You will then run an inch long stitch right against the D ring to keep the rings from sliding as you see in the picture.


5.Take larger material and press all edges for clean hemming. You will want to do the sides first, then the top and bottom. You have to put 3/4in. boning into the top, so make sure your hem is wide enough. Once all four edges are pressed, fold material directly in half and press into it a middle line. This tells you where the center of the apron is and gives you a guide as to where to place the boning.

6.Take you boning and fold in half creating a crease in the center. Match this crease with the crease you just pressed into your fabric. This should automatically center the boning and your material perfectly.

7.By holding the boning down, you should be able to tell where to pin your straps down. Make sure you don’t pin over the boning on either side, but you pin as close as possible. Place the end of your straps inside the top hem. The seam of the larger strap should lay directly against the inside of apron fabric ensuring that you don’t see the seam from the front of the apron when in use.

8.Starting at the top left corner, start stitching the apron. Sew over first strap (this should be the long one) and continue to the D ring strap. Sew only a few stitches on the D ring strap and stop

9.By sewing only a few stitches, you will be able to unpin it without losing your guide of where it goes. I bury my machine needle into the fabric and lift the machines sewing foot to carefully slide the boning in. Once I have slid it all the way in, I continue hemming to the top right corner and stop.

10. I then, using the seam that I just created as my starting guide, sew a square on the front of the apron once I have pulled the straps up like they will be when wearing. I do this on both straps. This helps the boning stay in place and also keeps it from bending wrong during wear. Complete the apron by sewing your hem into the bottom, then lastly the sides. After trimming all your strings, your apron is complete.

I hope you enjoyed your project. If you have any more questions, please send me an email at jerrhe04@yahoo.com, or leave a comment on this page.
Thank you!!!

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