It’s finally Christmas! Well, December anyway, which means you guys can’t get mad at me anymore for celebrating Christmas too early. Today I have a very exciting DIY project for you, because I’m working with Simplicity, who you might know best for their sewing patterns. I’m definitely a newbie at sewing, so if you are too, keep reading to check out this beginner’s Mrs. Claus Apron and learn more about how to make it!
The first video is a step-by-step DIY about how to follow the It’s So Easy Simplicity Pattern #1147 to make this cute apron. I love the layers in the skirt, and how versatile it is, if you wanted to make it in spring-time colors like the girl on the package or in holiday colors like I did.
For the accompanying video on my channel, I’m showing you how to turn the plain red apron into a Mrs. Claus apron that is perfect for the holidays. We’re adding faux fur trim, gold buttons, a Santa belt, and felt snowflakes made from Simplicity Pattern #1027.
I LOVE how this apron came out, and I want to give a huge thank you to Simplicity for sending me the pattern, sewing machine, and supplies to make it. I’ve been wanting a sewing machine for ages, and now I have the Simplicity Professional Computerized Sewing Machine by Brother. It’s a bit of a mouthful, but it’s so easy to use, and there are so many different types of stitches already built in. The last sewing machine I tried out was my mom’s ancient beast of a machine from before I was born, which obviously doesn’t have any of the fancy new features of the modern ones. I’m so excited to keep experimenting with it and getting better at making my own clothes.
I do have a slight confession to make though. Since I was under such a tight deadline to get the video finished and I wasn’t 100% confident in my sewing abilities, I did have help putting it together. A friend of a friend who is much more experienced than me in dressmaking came over to help me, since she is much better at reading patterns and can sew way faster and more neatly than I can. If you’re still a beginner too, having someone there who knows that they’re doing is a huge help, and it becomes a bonding activity as well as a fun DIY project!
I think one of my favorite parts of this project was learning about the existence of double-fold bias tape. Look at how nice those edges look! You just pin it on and go, and you have beautiful finished edges in minutes. You’ll definitely be seeing a lot more bias tape on my channel in the future.
So after making the apron using the Simplicity pattern, I decided to dress it up as a Mrs. Claus apron for my channel. The first two changes were pretty simple – just basting on a piece of faux fur to the top and sewing on a couple buttons onto the bib. One lesson I learned – definitely measure for the buttons and don’t just try to eyeball it. I definitely had to adjust one of them last second before shooting the video because I realized they weren’t perfectly spaced out and it would have bugged me forever if I didn’t change it. Luckily since the buttons are so wide, the old stitching holes are hidden so no one will ever know.
The next project was the Santa belt, which I made out of felt by using the same pattern piece as in the original apron. I made the buckle out of felt too, because real belt buckles at the fabric store are surprisingly expensive! I think it came out so cute.
The snowflakes are from the Simplicity pattern I mentioned above, though of course you could make similar ones by drawing any sort of snowflake design you like and sewing them in the same places. This project was very easy and perfect for beginners, though be warned it’s a LOT of threading your needle, doing two or three stitches, and then tying it off, so definitely put on a TV show or something once you get into the rhythm. Each one took me about the length of a half-hour sitcom, but if you’re making a ton and get into an assembly line process, you could probably knock them out a bit faster.
And that’s how I made this ADORABLE Mrs. Claus apron. Now that I’ve moved into my new apartment that has a much nicer kitchen than my last place, I’ll definitely be baking more. Let me know if you have any favorite Christmas cookie recipes and maybe I’ll give them a try!
Once again, I want to give a huge thank you to Simplicity for sponsoring these two videos and giving me a reason to finally learn how to use a sewing machine! Be sure to check out the video on their channel and the video on my channel to get the full DIY on how to make this apron, and I hope you all have a great start to the holiday season!
