The Men’s Apron

Might I even say the perfect men’s apron? 

If you need the myth busted, you can scroll all the way down and see the finished apron, but the planning and executing the details is half the fun, right?

I found this picture of an apron when I was looking at aprons to finish one for our neighbor. 

I fell in love with the striped fabric and my friend Barb found it for me on fabric.com and sent me a link. 

I ordered a bunch of fabric that day, including a yard and a half of the stripe and a yard of the yellow (or citron) print.  It is a funny yellow and I’m glad I ordered a piece from the same line so it would match.  Nothing in my stash would have worked quite as well, but I did add a great steel gray and a black on black from my stash.

I started looking for men’s apron patterns.  I started with free men’s apron patterns and it didn’t take very long to decide I was willing to pay.  But, I never found what I was looking for.  Something masculine, but not plain.  Definitely not plain.  But not feminine.  Not a ruffle or a sleeve or a big bow on the butt.  It didn’t need criss-crossing suspenders.  And, did I say, no ruffles?  I knew I was going to have to draw my own, and incorporate what I saw and liked from all the pictures and patterns I’d seen.

I started with some preconceptions…a pocket the size of a recipe card in the center of the chest (I just like that)  A wide sash across the middle, but narrow ties (no point in drawing too much attention to that horizontal line).  Instead of the buttonhole and buttons on the neck strap that I usually use, I wanted D rings.  Deep side pockets for big hands, with curved access, like blue jeans (didn’t hit that one so much).  Bound edges instead of turned hems.  When I was reading about aprons, I read about the importance of a lining because food will pass through a single layer of fabric and still stain a shirt, so I wanted it lined with white (yes, I see the irony of lining an apron that will not likely ever be close to anything that would stain… because of the apron, not the shirt). 

I can’t find my first sketches, but this is the last one I made.

An artist I am not.  But it worked.

Next was the general shape of the apron.  I have three aprons, so I tried them all on and picked the one that fit best…the Hannukah apron (and, yes, Sara, I’ve been wearing it all through the holiday season.  Thanks for remembering). 

The yellow apron is my oldest and is a linen baker’s apron, from my Martha Stewart days.  It’s been stained and I slopped a bunch of yellow dye on it, so threw it in the pot that day and it has taken a beating for me and was worth every penny that I thought I overpaid for it when I bought real linen to make it.  The blue one was a plan, but I never really fell in love with it.  It needed to be edged in black, not blue.  Or maybe just not that blue.  The Hannukah apron is one I made several years ago.  I wanted to make one as a gift for a Jewish friend and this was my “tester” to work the kinks out of my own, made up pattern because even then, I couldn’t find one a liked. 

I laid the apron on top of the new fabric and cut around it, knowing I was going to bind all the edges, so I didn’t need hems, except on the bottom.

Pocket the size of a recipe card in the center of the chest…check

Wide sash, narrow ties…check

D rings in the neck strap…check

Deep pockets with curved access…wish I hadn’t made the curved access so deep.  It was supposed to be more like bluejeans…but check, anyway.

Bound edges instead of hemmed…check

And, here it is…ta-da!

Yes, I know I cut my face off, but I’m using my new favorite Christmas present, my mini-tripod and I haven’t quite got it all worked out yet.  It’s that or wake the kiddo and believe me, waking her to ask…no, make her do something for me is NOT A GOOD IDEA!

This is one of those last minute, saw it and grabbed it in Best Buy and handed it to Rob and said “put this in my stocking” and I am so glad he did.  It changes taking pictures for the guy that can’t quite seem to hold the camera still enough to take a good shot anymore.  Believe me, I took all these pictures twice and the difference between those with the tripod and those without is tremendous!

Be well and have a great Friday.  Apron finished, my next task is to start cutting two inch strips for Bonnie’s clue 7. 

At some point, I plan to get out of my pajamas long enough to pick up all the fallen sticks in the yard.  It’s become a danger zone out there.  But, not until it warms up a little bit more. 

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I did wash the dishes yesterday.  Late.  Like just before Rob got home.  That’s probably when I’ll pick up the sticks, too.

Lane