Monday, May 27, 2013

Recycled Apron from Old Jeans Legs-Functional, Fast and Free

I love wearing aprons and prefer that they're made of a heavier weight material, denim is perfect. What I love about this Jeans Apron is how rustic and simple it is. I didn't add any hems, simply used pinking shears and a zig zag stitch all the way around the perimeter. This is similar to a rag quilt in that natural fraying over time will add to the look.
The ties are the outside leg seams and the part around my neck is the bottom cuffs. Again, nothing finished or fancy. You can see how the seam ties are already beginning to fray. I'll just trim them as needed.
I'm lovin' the cute back pocket and decided to keep as much "butt cheek" fabric as I could while making a rectangle because it was easier to sew on that way. So now I have a double pocket.

Here's a pic after the first washing, I love the fraying and just trim anything that's too sloppy.
While I planned to write up a detailed picture tutorial it didn't take me long to realize I was literally flying by the seat of my pants:@) and this was too experimental. But here's a quick overview of what I did...

Very briefly: Cut off the legs, cut up the outside seam so it lays flat, then cut that seam off totally with pinking shears. Cut the second leg open the same way and remove both bottom cuffs. Separate what would be the back leg of the second piece and sew to the front of the other leg after that front piece has been trimmed straight. Use an apron you already like as a template and cut the shape out with pinking shears. Sew bottom cuffs together and pin to each side of bib making sure it's easy to get over your head. Sew a wide, tight zig zag around the perimeter catching the ties and neck piece as you come to them. Sew on the pocket. Wash a few times to control fuzzies/strings and enjoy!
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