Free Pattern Friday: Sam Apron for Adults

Welcome to my monthly 'Free Pattern Friday' feature, where I road test a free sewing pattern or tutorial: sometimes a children's one, sometimes an adult's one. I try to publish these posts every first Friday of the month, timed to provide inspiration for those who plan to get their sew on over the weekend. I firmly believe that, if you pick your projects carefully, sewing doesn't have to be a crazy-expensive way to clothe yourself and your family. Thanks to all the amazing pattern designers who have offered up their hard work for us to enjoy for free.

To be honest, I haven't done a great job this month in actually showing you what my chosen free pattern actually looks like made up. I've omitted the pockets and created my own 'fabric' for it that makes it tricky to see what's actually going on. ANYWAY. Hopefully you will get a sense of the proportions at least, and also the versatility of this pattern as a canvas of sorts. If you want to get a clearer idea of what this pattern can look like, I'd recommend checking out Amy from Craft and Thrift's awesome versions (here and here). But what am I even talking about? Let me introduce you to the Sam Apron pattern by Helen's Closet. Thanks so much to Helen for sharing this (and a number of others) for free. There are many free apron patterns and tutorials out there on the interwebs, but I wanted to highlight this one specifically because of the interesting details and multiple sizing options. In my experience, Helen's Closet patterns also have excellent instructions. You can access the Sam Apron pattern through the webshop on their site (no payment is required).

(image source: Helen's Closet)

 

Pattern type:

The Sam Apron is cleverly designed to be suitable for lots of activities. I can imagine cooks, bakers, barbers, hairdressers and all manner of artists and crafts-people wearing a version of this apron. It includes chest and waist pockets, towel loops, and two strap options. But what is really unusual about this pattern over most free apron patterns is the graded size range and instructions for creating a custom fit based on your width, height and even bust size. 

Sizing info:

The apron fits sizes 0-34 (up to a 62″ / 157.5 cm hip) which has been broken down into five size bands. There are also five height options, from less than 5" to over 6". My plan was to make a cooking apron that would fit both Mr SoZo and myself. Helpfully, our hip measurements are similar so I cut the size 8-12. He's taller than me, but I don't think a cooking apron needs to be knee length anyhow, so I used the length that's shorter than both of us. Included are instructions for adjusting the bib section to accommodate a larger bust. Not something I need personally, but I appreciate that they included that for others. 

Fabric info:

The pattern recommends medium to heavy-weight woven fabrics with no stretch. Cotton broadcloth, denim, linen, cotton twill, quilting cotton and canvas are all suitable options. Waxed Canvas can also be used for a water-resistant apron. I didn't have any suitable fabric in my stash (thanks Last Sewist Standing challenge!) so I 'made' fabric by combining scraps of non-stretch denim and twill. It's basically the same technique I used for my denim patchwork dungarees. If this approach to scrap-busting is of interest to you, I have an episode of my podcast planned for next month with an accompanying downloadable guide that will talk you through using scraps for garment making. 

I used a lighter weight denim for the straps, because I thought a heavy weight fabric would be difficult to tie. You could also use twill tape, wide ribbon, braid or cord for the straps. 

Findings:

Ah I love a Helen's Closet pattern. Your hand is so thoroughly held and it feels like no detail has been overlooked. Presumably, their free patterns have been created to give potential paying customers a sneaky peek into what their patterns and instructions are like, and they deserve to get a good conversion because the quality is high.

I literally found only one thing that didn't work well. I found that the bias strip pattern piece that's used to finish the side curves was too narrow if using the 1cm seam allowance that is suggested. It would have resulted in the bias strip being too thin to cover the seam allowance when you flip the bias over to the wrong side. I used a narrower seam allowance and trimmed down the seam allowance to prevent that happening. 

The finished apron is pretty cool though. The denim is perhaps a bit thicker than necessary for a kitchen apron. And if I were to make it again, I'd add velcro to one end of the neck strap so it could be tighter but we'd still able to get it on and off with ease. 

Would I make it again?

If I ever had the need for another apron, then yep. I'd give more thought to fabric suitability depending on the intended use however. 

Leopard Print Bikini

I'm going to make this a speedy post but I wanted to share a recent make. I'm lucky enough to have a holiday to Italy booked for later this summer and the accommodation we'll be staying in has access to a swimming pool. I decided to continue my exploration into swimwear making and make this, my second two piece set. It also gave me the opportunity to finally use this piece of leopard print swimwear Lycra that's been in my stash for over ten years! 

 

Patterns:

A few months ago I made the Vernazza two piece pattern by Friday Pattern Company, proof of which you can see on my Instagram account here. It came out far better than I expected, particularly the bottoms, which I combined sizes to make. I traced the size M for the main part and graded up to the size L for the waistline and the fit is pretty much spot on. Therefore I went straight for the same pattern for this version, the only difference being that I inserted elastic into the waistband to make them feel more secure. 

The top half is made using the Helen's Closet Sandpiper swimsuit pattern. I received this pattern for free sometime ago, and hadn't initially considered it one I'd be likely to make. But the relative simplicity of the style appealed and I felt it would be a good canvas for this fun print. I initially attempted a wearable toile of the pattern using some solid black swimwear Lycra, thinking if it worked I could then make the leopard version and have some mix and match pieces. Sadly that wasn't the case as my first version came out too tight. I guess that there must be a lot of variation in the stretch and recovery of different swimwear fabrics, and although I measured myself carefully, the size my measurements corresponded to was just too small. 

So for this version, I recut the pattern for the next size up AND added some additional length to the elastic that is enclosed in the armholes and neck hole. It worked well and this version looks and feel much better, although I don't feel super secure at the bottom edge to I might insert some elastic into the bottom band at some point. 

Fabric:

As I mentioned above, I've had this length of swimsuit fabric in my stash for an embarrassingly long time. It's survived a number of destashes over the years because I always knew I'd get stuck into making swimwear at some point. Both halves of this bikini are lined with basic, black, swimwear/dancewear lining fabric that I bought on eBay. 

Thoughts:

Unsurprisingly, I'm excited to try this bikini out when I go on holiday! I'm also committed to try swimming in the sea here in the UK this year, which is something I don't remember ever doing, despite living close to the seaside almost my entire life.