How to Sew Apron Ties — Aprons make great gifts for the whole family! #HolidaySewing #ChristmasGiftIdeas

Here we see the front of Simplicity kitchen craft pattern number 2691. It includes an apron with a single pocket, a table runner, and placemats. The discussion on ChellyWood.com that accompanies this image offers advice for making aprons as Christmas gifts, including ideas for fabric to purchase for apron making and where to buy aprons as Christmas gifts.

Maybe you’ve been thinking about sewing an apron for each of your family members as Christmas gifts, or even to use at Thanksgiving, when the whole family is visiting. It’s definitely not too early to start planning your holiday sewing projects!

And honestly, aprons don’t take long to make.

Before I go on, I need to make my required disclaimer statement: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how affiliate marketing works on my website, please go to the Privacy Policy page. Thank you!

The image shows handmade aprons, which can be purchased online at StayWellHealthFoods.com — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

Simplicity apron pattern number 2691 is a simple pattern to follow. It comes with a table runner and placemats, and although it was published in 2009, it’s a timeless shape and design.

What most people struggle with are those apron ties, so today I’m going to give you some quick advice about making the apron ties even easier than what the pattern package and instructions may suggest.

Take a look at my Chelly Wood doll below. See the apron she’s wearing?

In this photo, the Chelly Wood doll (a Spin Master Liv doll) wears a tiny Barbie-sized apron (made using a free pattern from ChellyWood.com), while holding up Simplicity Apron Pattern 2691 that includes a table runner pattern and a placemat pattern. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable PDF sewing patterns and tutorial videos for making doll clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

When I create an apron for a Barbie or similar sized doll, I use folded ribbon or double-folded bias tape all along the edges of the apron. Have a look at this one, for example:

Now compare this to the Simplicity apron pattern number 2691 shown at the top of this page. The neck tie area of that apron is very similar, but instead of using ribbon or bias tape, the folks at Simplicity are creating their apron ties from contrasting fabric.

You could buy bias tape to sew around the apron’s neck and to add as apron ties, and it might save you a little time. You can see what I mean in my video about making an apron for dolls (see video just below this helpful photo):

In this photo (which bears the watermark for ChellyWood.com) we see the side of an apron where a sewist is applying ribbon to create ties for the apron. The sewist has curved the ribbon around the raw edges of the apron's fabric and is using a whip stitch to secure the ribbon over the raw edge. The ribbon is being attached to the part of the apron that goes from the breastbone to the the underarm area, and the ribbon extends from the breastbone upward, to form the ribbon around the apron's neck. The same ribbon extends from the underarm area to outward at the apron's side, to form the ribbon tie at the back of the apron. — Please visit ChellyWood.com for free printable sewing patterns for making clothes to fit dolls of many shapes and all different sizes.

To see how I applied ribbons to the Chelly Wood librarian’s apron, revisit this video:

Now for a doll, silk ribbons are perfect because they add shine to doll clothes (which children love), but I’ve made human-sized aprons with ribbons and found them to be less effective than bias tape because they’re slippery. This makes the apron come undone while you’re wearing it.

Instead, I recommend using Wrights Double Fold Quilt Binding (7/8″W x 3yds) in a color that matches (or nicely contrasts) your apron fabric. The cotton/poly blend fabric that bias tape is made from will be less slippery and will hold the ties closed better than silk ribbon will.

Today’s blog post is a re-post, and I want to make a correction to the original posting, in which I said, “Bias tape doesn’t shrink when you wash it, so you’ll find your apron ties won’t look wrinkly or weird after washing the apron.” Actually this isn’t always the case. It’s best to buy bias tape that’s a blend of polyester and cotton to prevent shrinkage, as 100% cotton bias tape can shrink in the wash.

You can always pre-wash both the apron fabric and the bias tape before cutting out your project, but bias tape will likely lose its folds in the wash.

To learn more about bias tape specifically, you might want to look back at this video:

Now let’s talk some more about your apron’s fabric.

If you’re wanting to make people-sized aprons for the whole family for Christmas, choose fabric that suits the individual and/or the occasion. Here are some ideas:

Have any of you started to make a project list for the holidays yet? And if so, what ideas have you come up with for your list? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Most of the patterns I display and talk about here on ChellyWood.com are also available for sale on eBay. However, if you’ve never purchased a pattern on eBay before, it’s a good idea to read the article I wrote called, “Tips for Buying Used Doll Clothes Patterns on eBay.” It will save you time, money, and will likely prevent buyer’s remorse.

Today’s blog post was a re-post of a similar article I wrote and posted here about three years ago.

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Chelly Wood and the ChellyWood.com website are not affiliated with the pattern company or companies mentioned in this blog post, but Chelly finds inspiration in the doll clothes designed by these pattern companies. To purchase patterns from Simplicity, McCall’s, Butterick, or other pattern companies shown and discussed in this blog post, please click on the links provided here. These links below the “Disclaimer” section do not help raise money for this free pattern website; they are only offered to give credit to the company that made these patterns.