Tutorial: Making a butcher apron from vintage flour sack

CLICK ON ANY PICTURE TO MAKE IT LARGER

If you don't want your logo to gradually fade with repeated washings, soak your sack in a strong vinegar solution (one cup to a gallon of warm water) to further 'set the dye'.
The dyes are oil base and will hold up to repeated washing but will gradually lighten.
You can do this now or after you have completed the apron.

Remove the stitching that holds the sack together.
Turn the bag inside out and snip off the tail end.
 Fiddle with the stitching so it begins to come undone.
And then pull each side until it is all undone.

PRESS PRESS PRESS...Your apron will never be this wrinkly again, but this first pressing is so important. Use steam - a spray bottle and hot iron.
It should look like this when you have all those wrinkles out.
Fold the sack so the logo is centered on the fold.
Be fussy, I use pins to make sure I have it exactly centered.

Then pin to keep it in place as the apron is cut out.
Before any cutting is done...
Fold 'back' the long edge of the sack like this.

Because when the sack is stitched it may have stretched a little it may be a little wonky on the top or bottom, that is okay.
Just fold the best you can.
NOTICE...I have overlapped the fold to about the original bag stitching line.
We are going to make a flat felt seam here and so fold for this seam allowance.

See how the bottom is a bit wonky..like I said, just carefully trim this to square it up.

Okay now for the cutting.
First cut off THREE inches from the folded NON LOGO edge.

This will become the neck straps.
Now cut that fresh cut strip in half along the fold edge to form two pieces the length of the sack.

Position the pattern piece as it shows in this picture.

Along the just cut off edge and the top of the sack.
Again the top seam may be a bit wonky...it doesn't matter as this will be cut away.

Now cut along the edge of the pattern. The pattern edge is the cutting line.

Before going to the sewing machine.
Fold back where we will be making our flat felt seam.
Right sides together. (See in the picture below how this is folded back over the top of the logo?)
Just fold it back and pin this seam.
NOTE: I have off set the seam, the off set is about 1/2 inch.
This will make it easier to flat felt.
Trim any loose threads and tidy up these edges.

When you fold this edge back  even if the seam is wonky...make sure the bottom selvage edge is even. This will make your apron hang even around the bottom.


First sew this seam  a quarter inch from the narrow edge.

Then fold over the wide seam tucking all the edges inside to make a nice clean flat felt.
(No need to trim the edge because we off set them)

Can you see at the top where I have begun tucking the raw edges inside?

When done the seam is nice on both sides.
I like to give it a quick press at this point.

Make that seam nice and flat.

Now clean finish all the edges in this order.
First do the apron sides.
Then the apron 'arms eye'.
Be more generous that a traditional clean finish - about 1/2 inch and then 1/2 inch instead of the 1/4  inch fold under like on a normal clean finish.

 For the apron top...fold down 2 1/2 inches folding under one half inch and stitch. The finished hem will be 2 inches.
All in one procedure - like a 'fat' clean finish.

For the bottom fold up and stitch one inch. No need to 'clean finish' as this is a selvedge edge

The neck strap:
Make the strap by folding both long edges to the center and folding again then stitch.
No need to pin as you sew - the 'hand of this fabric' is so nice, it will fold easily.

Then sew a top-stitching line on the other side of the strap.

Do this on one complete long strap and then do 8 inches of the other strap.
So you will have a long (selvage to selvage [top to bottom of the piece you cut from the sack] strap and a short 8 inch one)
With the 8 inch piece make the neck strap loop and attach to top edge.

Attach the long strap to the other to edge.

Then tie adjusting to your size.

Now cut the  enclosed twill waist strap in half  and cut creating two straps,  fold back one inch on one end for extra strength and attach to the sides.

A final press to give that professionally finished look. 

p.s.

Sometimes these genuine sacks will have small holes or tears in them. I've found the best way to repair them is just to cut a small piece from a scarp (from your arm hole cut out) of the sack and place it behind the hole. Sew back and forth - sort of like a machine darn and then trim the back scrap piece to tidy it up.

 Press and it will almost disappear. Well, not totally disappear, but we want it to show, because after all, this apron is the real deal made from an honest to goodness vintage flour sack!