Dare to Make It: Holiday
How to Make an Ensemble of Accessories to Please Every Chef on Your List
December 5th, 2008 in sewing, patterns & designs, gifts, quilting
Mary Ray, contributor
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A denim bistro apron will surely be a hit in the kitchen or at the backyard grill.
Photo: Mary Ray
Anyone who likes to cook will appreciate this great straight-cut bistro apron with lots of room in the generous jeans-style pockets. It’s wide enough to wrap around the hips with two ties that are long enough to bring to the front and tie. The mitts, made from scraps of the apron fabric and filled with an insulated batting to reflect the heat, complete the package.
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These kitchen mitts are the gifts they’ll keep on using! |
Here’s what you'll need to do this project:
- 1-1/4 yards of denim fabric for the apron and mitts (this may vary if you make the apron larger or smaller)
- Thread to match the denim and gold thread for the quilting and topstitching
- 1/4 yard lining fabric for the mitts
- 1/4 yard insulated batting such as Insul-Bright™ by The Warm Company
The Apron
This finished apron is approximately 25 inches long and 38 inches wide. The ties are each 30 inches long and 1 inch wide.
1. Cut the following pieces from the denim fabric:
• A rectangle 29 inches long, 40 inches wide.
• Two rectangles 31 inches long, 2-1/2 inches wide. (Optional: Place one short end of each piece along the selvage if desired so the ties can be sewn as a tube, which makes finishing the tie ends easier.)
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Selvages make a neat finish. Just sew the ends together from the right side to close the opening. |
• Two rectangles 10 inches long, 11 inches wide. Shape each to resemble a jeans’ back pocket.
2. To form the waistband, press under 1-3/4 inches on the top of the main piece, then press under the raw edge 1/4 inch. (This forms the waistband facing, which will be stitched down later.)
3. Make the pockets: Press under 3/4 inch at the top edge of each pocket, then press under the raw edge 1/4 inch. Machine-stitch this top hem in place using contrasting gold thread. Stitch along the fold with the same thread.
4. Using the gold thread, stitch a design across the pocket to resemble blue jeans.
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Embellish the apron pockets with stitching to resemble the back pocket of jeans. |
5. Turn in the side and lower edges 1/2 inch and press.
6. Sew on the pockets: Mark the center front of the apron by folding in half crosswise and lightly crease. Place the pockets on each side of the center with about 1/2 inch between and 8 inches down from the top waistband fold. Pin in place and stitch around the sides and lower edges using the gold thread. Backstitch securely at the top of each pocket.
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Position the pockets and sew in place along the side and bottom edges. |
7. To make the ties: Fold each long rectangle in half lengthwise, right sides together, and sew along the open edge with a 1/4-inch seam. Press the seam allowance open with the point of the iron or with your fingers, turn right side out, and press. (If you haven’t used the selvage as suggested above, sew across one end before turning.)
8. Attach the ties and finish the waistband: Turn the waistband facing to the right side along the previously pressed fold. Sandwich the open end of each tie in between the facing and the apron, then sew in place with a 3/4-inch seam. Trim the facing and the tie seam allowances to 1/4 inch. Turn the waistband facing back and pin in place.
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Sandwich each tie between the apron and the waistband facing. |
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Trim the seam allowances on the ties and the waistband facing. |
9. Finish the side hems: Press the long side edges under 3/4 inch, then 1/4 inch along the raw edge, and sew in place using the matching thread.
10. Now sew the waistband facing in place using the contrasting thread so it resembles a jeans’ waistband.
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Sew the waistband facing in place from the right side so it looks like a jeans’ waistband. |
11. Turn up the bottom hem 1-3/4 inches, turning in 1/4 inch along the raw edge, and sew in place using the matching thread.
The Pot-Handle Mitt
1. Cut a rectangle of denim, batting, and lining 9 inches long, 6 inches wide. Cut a 2-inch-wide strip for the binding that’s 2 inches wide and 22 to 24 inches wide (on the bias or the cross grain).
2. Layer the denim, batting, and lining together, and quilt a design through all layers using the gold thread.
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To make the handle mitt, first sandwich the batting between the denim and the lining. |
3. Straighten the top edge of the quilted rectangle by trimming evenly with a rotary cutter or scissor and sew a piece of the binding to the lining side of this edge, right side of binding toward the lining. Sew with a 3/8-inch seam. Press the binding over the edge to the right side, turn under the raw edge to cover the previous row of stitching, press, and sew in place along the fold.
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Straighten the top edge of the quilted rectangle. |
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Finish the top of the binding by stitching close to the fold. |
4. Fold the quilted piece in half lengthwise, denim side out and binding at the top. Round off the bottom corners.
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Fold the quilted piece together and shape the lower corners. |
5. Sew the remaining binding around the outer edges of the mitt, folding in the ends at the top and finishing as in step 3.
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Sew the binding to the outer edges of the handle mitt. |
The Oven Mitt
1. Make a pattern using your hand or another oven mitt as a guide. Cut two from denim, two from batting, and two from lining.
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Cut two mitt shapes from denim, batting, and lining. |
2. Place a batting piece on the wrong side of each denim piece. Quilt together or sew a pocket design through both layers.
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Quilt each side of the mitt, or sew a pocket design across each side, through the denim and batting. |
3. Seam the sections together with a 1/4-inch seam. Notch the curves so the edges will be smooth when turned.
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Stitch the mitt sections right sides together, notch the curve, turn right side out, and press. |
4. Sew the lining sections right sides together with a 1/4-inch seam.
5. Slip the lining into the mitt. Fold in the top edges, pin together, and sew along the fold.
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Cutting the top of the mitt along a frayed edge of fabric gives a fun finish. Just turn in the lining at the top and sew to the denim. |
After you make this project, show off your work to other members!
Post your project in the gallery
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Posted: 10:17 pm on January 13th