I’ve been wanting a sturdy crafting apron with pockets that can hold scissors without being punctured and made from a fabric I won’t mind wiping paint and glue hands on. Denim is so perfect for that and I just so happened to have a pair of jeans the man bought and decided didn’t fit him quite right. Ordinarily I would donate such a useful item but all the second hand shops are closed so I’m having to find creative ways to use up out-grown clothes, etc.
I drafted the pattern as I went along, added some shaping darts to the bib because I find the flat fronted sort of apron a bit awkward and gaping, and stitched the front divided pocket out of 2 layers for extra strength.
Folding the hem edges over twice was out of the question but I had just enough of that deep red bias to go round and I like the contrast. I had a screw-on button for overalls that I added to the back of the waistband so it’s adjustable in case I’m chilly and want to wear a sweater under the apron.
I carefully removed the waistband from the pants first so that it could be reused as shown, including the belt loops which I think will come in handy for hanging snips etc.
There’s one panel of denim left, I want more pockets and am considering options. What do you think, a large one about halfway down the skirt or 2 smaller pockets on each side?
ETA I decided on the pocket, a large divided panel across the front. Slightly pleated at the bottom edge to hold lots and situated so I can get into them even when seated.
AIMR
(Linda -2024 Choose Projects that You Want to Do :us:)
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I love how it looks like a piece of clothing! Nice that you saved the jeans details…I would add pockets on the front along with the jeans pockets…more pockets is a good thing…
The pink binding is a very nice pop of color…and yeah for making something for yourself!!
Oh, cool! I hope you will! It wasn’t too difficult, I wish I’d taken some process photos.
I do have another pair of pants I was thinking of making an apron out of for gardening, maybe I’ll do it again and take pics this time!
This is so fabulous! I have a craft apron somewhere, but it’s small- I like the coverage that this one provides- it’s perfect for messier crafts! I am sure I have an old pair of jeans I can use (I’m hoping they weren’t donated already). You are so darn smart!
A lot of aprons like this are made from the rattiest jeans at the end of their life and they look great! There’s something about old denim, it’s not an easy fabric to work with but it just looks so good.
Awesome upcycling job, and an even more awesome design job. My undergrad design professor used to tell me that design is the best possible solution to a given set of problems. That it didn’t matter if you were designing coffee makers or wedding dresses, you would always have a given set of problems to get past, and your design needed to address them all. You apron absolutely fits the bill. And in the best way, looks as though it were designed to be that way from the start, rather than the result of what you could make with a random pair of jeans. Heck yeah lady. Well done.
