With a lot of us facing a lot more free time at home, many (myself included) are turning to gardening as a way to stay busy while also social distancing. For anyone with sewing skills, this means a whole new world of new sew-able accessories! Today’s post will detail how you can make two different types of gardening aprons: a long gathering apron for those of you who may be planting herbs or veggies, as well as a shorter waist apron that can hold all your tools! For cuteness’ sake, I chose to work with a lovely cotton sateen, but for more durability you can also try a canvas or twill. Personally, I’d love to make one with each of Mood’s fruit and vegetable prints!

Purchase Materials Used for Gathering Apron:

• 1.5 yards Mood Exclusive Frolicking Florescence Stretch Cotton Sateen
• 1/2 yard Theory Olive Stretch Cotton Sateen (or bias tape)
• 1/2 yard 1/2″ Elastic (Note, thin elastic is harder to come by at the moment while people make masks, so you could use wider elastic instead. Just be sure to widen the top pocket binding accordingly.)

Purchase Materials Used for Tools Apron:

• 1 yard Mood Exclusive Frolicking Florescence Stretch Cotton Sateen
• 1 yard Theory Olive Stretch Cotton Sateen (or bias tape)

How to Sew a Gathering Apron:

First, you’ll need to cut your fabric pieces. The main portion of your apron will take the shape you see below. (Note, I am about 5’9″, so you may want to shorten your apron if you’re not as tall.) Alternatively, you could make the main apron a rectangle, but I like having it taper out toward the bottom.

Pieces needed:

1. Main Apron
2. Gathering Pocket: 42″x21″ rectangle
3. Top Pocket Binding: 26″x2″ rectangle (or 26″ of pre-made bias tape)
4. Bottom Apron Binding: 18″x2″ rectangle (or 18″ of pre-made bias tape)
5. Top Apron Binding: 12″x2″ rectangle (or 12″ of pre-made bias tape)
6. Sides/Neck Apron Binding: Two 38″x2″ rectangles (or 75″ of pre-made bias tape)
7. Waist Ties: Two 40″x2″ rectangles (or two 40″ pieces of pre-made bias tape)

Begin sewing by gathering the top edge of your pocket into the top pocket binding. Double fold the binding toward the wrong side and stitch down. You can top-stitch here or use the stitch-in-the-ditch method as I did. Just be sure to leave enough room above the stitches for your elastic.

Next, feed your elastic through the casing that was just created with your binding and pin the edges to each end, gathering the pocket more.

Gather the bottom edge of your pocket to the bottom edge of your apron and stay-stitch into place.

Pin the top ends of your pocket 12″ up from the bottom edge of your apron at the sides. Gather the remainder of the sides of the pocket onto the side of your apron as you did with the bottom. Stay-stitch into place.

Add binding to the top and bottom edges of your apron the same way you did with the top of your pocket.

Next, attach your two side binding pieces at one of the short ends and press open the seam allowance.

Add your binding at the sides of your apron similarly to how you added the top and bottom. At the bottom edges, fold the raw edges inward slightly before top-stitching into place.  Once the two sides are done, double fold the remainder of the binding for the portion around your neck and top-stitch as well.

Lastly, create your two waist ties. This can be done by double folding your pieces and top-stitching, similar to binding your apron, or by sewing along the edge with right sides together and then turning right side out. I chose to do the latter.

Once they’re created, they can be added in line with the top of your pocket, like you see below!

How to Sew a Gardening Tool Apron:

First, let’s get started on the pieces you’ll need to cut out:

1. Main Apron: 24″x14.5″ rectangle
2. Upper Pocket: 24Xx11″ rectangle
3. Lower Pocket: 24″x8.5″ rectangle
4. Pocket/Bottom Apron Binding: three 24″x2 rectangles (or three 24″ pieces of pre-made bis tape)
5. Side Binding: Two 14.5″x2″ rectangles (or two 14.5″ pieces of pre-made bias tape)
6. Waistband & Ties: 50″x6″ rectangle

To begin sewing, bind the top edges of both pockets, like you see below. I chose to do this by sewing face to face before double folding the binding and then using the stitch-in-the-ditch method.

Place your upper pocket on top of your main apron pieces, both panels facing upwards with the bottom edges aligned. Mark 8″ in from the side and stitch a line straight down, securing the pocket to the apron.

Next, place your lower pocket on top of your upper pocket, lining up the bottom edges again. This time, measure 8″ in from the opposite side and mark. From the top of the upper pocket, sew straight down to the bottom, securing both the upper and lower pockets to the apron.

This leaves you with three equally sizes pockets within the upper tier, and a small and long pocket in the lower tier.

Add your binding to both sides of your apron, similarly to how you attach it to the top of your pockets.

After the sides have been sewn, you can also add you bottom binding, tucking in the raw edges on the ends.

With fabric faces together, sew your waistband/ties along the top of your apron, aligning the center of the band with the center of the apron.

Fold your waistband/ties in half along the length, faces together. Sew the short edge, as well as the long edge until you hit the apron. Clip the corner seam allowance, pull the fabric right side out and press.

The open portion of the waistband can be tucked in and pinned along the back of the apron. Sew closed with slip-stitches to complete!

Which apron version will you be trying? Let me know in the comments below!