Craft Vendor Apron Tutorial

As I have been preparing for my first craft fair this weekend (eek!) I realized I needed some kind of apron to hold my money and a few other important items (pen, paper, chapstick). I searched high and low for a tutorial on how to make one but I couldn't find one that I liked (and was within my skill level ☺ ). So I decided to come up with my own design. (Plus I was feeling confident after my successful fat quarter aprons).

Here's what I came up with...

Cute, huh? And it's super functional, too! It securely holds my money on one side (good thing since I'm planning to make lots of it at the craft shows ☺) and my notebook, pen, cell phone, etc...on the other side.

Here's what you'll need to make your very own Craft Vendor Apron:

2 Fat Quarters or similar size pieces of fabric (the liner piece is slightly heavier duty than the outside "decorative" fabric).
1.5" Piece of Velcro
2 pieces of 27" Quilt Binding Bias Tape (or other trim/bias tape for your ties).



Prewash and Iron your pieces of fabric.
I got this cute Fat Quarter for FREE on Mother's Day at a local quilt shop. Isn't it so sweet?
Take your liner fabric and lay it out about 3" from being folded in half.
Decide what side you want your velcro pocket on (I put mine on my right since I'm right-handed). Then pin your velcro in place making sure the 2 pieces line up together (I wanted the scratchy side against my body so my hand wouldn't get scratched every time I reached in and out of the money pocket...which hopefully will be a lot! So put the scratch part on the long half and the soft part on the short half).
Now stitch your velcro in place. I used a zig zag stitch to secure it well (since I'll be reaching in and out of it so much to put all that $$$ in there ☺).
Now you want to prepare your apron ties. Start by ironing your bias tape and cut 2 27" pieces. Unfold it slightly at one end and fold down the end about 1/2".
Now fold the bias tape back in half. This will finish off the ends of your ties nicely.
Now stitch along the entire length of your ties to "close" the bias tape. You should have 2 ties that look something like this when you're done.
Now place your 2 pieces of fabrics right sides together. Sandwich your ties between the 2 pieces and pin in place (make sure to pin the ties about 1" from the top to allow for the stitches and turning the fabric).
Now pin the 2 pieces of fabric all around to prepare to sew. (Your ties are between the 2 fabrics)
Sew all the way around your fabric, leaving an opening to turn your fabric. Clip the corners and turn your apron right side out. It will look something like this...
and this on the other side...
Iron your apron giving a nice crisp line to all of the edges. Before you fold your apron in to it's "apron shape" you want to stitch across the top of your pocket (the short side of your apron that doesn't have the ties). Now you can fold up your apron, matching the velcro pieces together and pin it in place. My "rectangle" wasn't exactly a perfect "rectangle" at this point, but it doesn't really matter. Just make sure you line up the edges perfectly.
Now you want to sew around all of the edges, reinforcing and securing the apron in place. It will also serve to close the hole where you turned your apron right side out. And finally, stitch down the center, forming your 2 pockets. I stopped my stitch about 1" from the top because I figured it'd be a little easier to get my hand in and out if there was little slack.

And there you have it! The perfect craft vendor apron (or so I hope it will be! I'll let you know after this weekend!). These would actually be great as an all-purpose craft apron, a garage sale apron, really anything where you want pockets. There are lots of details you could add to this simple apron. You could embellish them with appliques, round the corners, add some decorative trim. The possibilities are endless!

If you make one, I'd love to see it. Send me pictures to happybabydesigns@yahoo.com. And as always, please only use this design for personal use (ie you or your friends, not your Etsy shop ☺).

And if you're in the DFW area, come see me at Unity Church of Fort Worth at 5051 Trail Lake Drive this Saturday and Sunday from 9-3. (My mom will actually be working the booth for me on Saturday because I have to work my "day job". But I'll be there on Sunday). I will have some fun baby and toddler gifts in my booth so come say hi and do a little shopping while you're at it!


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