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Look what I made...a really cute and very, very nice apron.
This is a full coverage apron that is nicely finished and turns out amazing! I'm super pleased with the finished results and want to share my experience sewing this split leg apron with the Erin pattern from TOTOShopUA.
It's designed to be an apron for a potter and if you've ever thrown pottery on a wheel, it is SO messy. It covers you head to toe in clay splatter so this apron is full coverage.
Even though it's designed as a potter apron, it's also just a great cross back apron. The split leg style makes it comfortable to move around in and the seam in the center provides some structure to hold up the fabric. I made a cross back apron before but it felt like it was wearing me. The middle was bulky and saggy since there weren't waist ties to cinch in the middle and it felt like I was wearing a big tube of fabric. I was hoping this one would feel better to wear and it does!
Pattern Pieces
This is like my Grocery Bag pattern in that some pieces are included, but the big rectangles are measure and cut. To me this is the perfect compromise! There are only 8-pages to tape together and these give you the straps, top, and pocket(s). I was more than happy to not need to print and tape the many additional pages that would be needed for the skirt pieces and then have a giant pattern piece to store somewhere.
Seam Allowance
The pattern includes a 1/4" SA, which is a common SA for professional sewing, but a little narrow for a lot of home sewers and it should not be used for fabrics that fray.
The good news is the apron style is very forgiving, so it is easy to make modifications and not be too concerned about fit. For some perspective, I made a large according to my measurements and a small to use less fabric for the sample. I can wear either one. The small is a little short at the top for me and doesn't close as much in the back, but I can get it on.
If you, or your fabric, aren't up for the 1/4" allowance, either add in additional allowance, add additional allowance in some places (like the length of the top), or sew it with a larger allowance knowing it will come out a tiny bit smaller/shorter. Don't forget to use the same allowance for the straps so they fit where they attach at the back.
Fabric Widths
The instructions give cutting layouts for the different sizes and fabric widths.
For the large size, you should consider one of the wider fabric widths. See how it says 45" wide fabric in the instructions? In the US market most fabric will not be wider than 44" and that includes the selvedge and is before skrinkage. For the large size you MUST have 43" of usable fabric and that is if you use the 1/4" SA. For a larger SA you will need more than 43" of usable fabric so keep that in mind.
Top
The top portion is short and that is on purpose for this style of apron. The seam should be at or above your natural waist so the split portion falls correctly while seated. If you are short-waisted, the top length should be fine. Look at the model--she is 5'5" and she looks short-waisted to me. If you are tall or have a regular or long waist, you'll want to add to the bottom of the top to make it longer.
Straps
The straps are short to help hold the apron close to your body and keep the apron from wearing you. If you want/need the top longer, another option is to make the straps a little bit longer.
The straps are also easy to sew on wrong in the back! There is a photo, but it's hard to see exactly how they are supposed to be inserted. From experience, I'll tell you there are steps where it really isn't possible to show what is happening in a picture and this is one of them. So here is how I started sewing this part:
With the top turned mostly RS out, straighten up the straps, cross them, tuck the raw ends of the strap opening down into the center, and then insert the strap ends into the openings. Then pull that section out the bottom, neaten everything up, and sew the seam. In the photo above, the strap on the right is tucked in and the one on the left is pulled down and ready to be sewn.
Many Other Aprons
TOTOShopUA has a lot of other patterns for different apron styles. It looks like there are 10 different styles.
Next I'd like to sew the Gardening Apron. There's not much to gather around here as far as veggies and fruit, but I think it will make a roomy work apron or vendor apron.
If you are on my email list, I've sent you something special to go with this post so check your email before going shopping! If you are not on my email list, you should consider joining. I'll give you a little sneak peek at what you get by being on the email list: Take 20% off any pattern in TOTOshopUA with the code NEWAPRON20
Thank you TOTOShopUA for the excellent apron and instructions!
P.S. Check out this etsy collection for cotton/linen and Oxford fabrics I think are be perfect for this pattern. These fabrics are all fairly stable and easy to sew.
