Easy-to-sew kid's apron

Do you ever notice how lopsided children's products are? It's like 80-20 of girls to boys products. And really it's more like 80-10, because half the boy things out there are just lazy. I mean, just because I have a boy doesn't mean everything in our house has to have cars and dinosaurs and footballs on it. Not that I dislike those things (well, except football) but let's just get a little more creative with the boy things, please?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against gender roles. It's gotten me out of having to do a lot of things I don't want to do, (i.e. take the trash out when it's cold, cut things with a power saw, enlist) but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I'm a little jealous of all you moms to girls.

LUCKY FOR ME, I have friends with little girls, and a niece! And another niece on the way! So I can get my little girl fix in plenty of places. (BONUS, I haven't gone broke on baby girl products yet.)

A friend's little girl recently turned the big Oh-One, and I knew she was planning on getting her a play kitchen. After the jealousy subsided, for all the play kitchens I've seen are either pink or have girl undertones, I thought she needed an apron for her play kitchen. 

All you need for this is 1 fat quarter of fabric, and some scrap fabric or ribbon for the ties. 

Plus a sewing machine and thread, duh.

After you pre-wash your fat quarter, lay it out so the top and bottom hems will be made up of the shorter sides.

I made the top and bottom hems about 1/2 inch, and I folded them over twice so there wouldn't be any frayed edge showing on the back. Iron them down for easy sewing.

Fold the fabric in half long-ways. Match the two un-hemmed edges together (see photo above.)

Use a straight edge to cut from the corner of the bottom hem to the middle of the top hem.

Unfold the fabric and it should be this shape now.

Iron down the edges to hem on the sides. This is what it will look like on the back. Sew a straight line on each edge.

Sew a ribbon across the front for one tie, and two more ribbons to the top for the neck tie. I used fabric and made the ties, but ribbon would've been MUCH easer. I just didn't have any ribbon that I liked for this apron.

After making this, I decided that Campbell needs an apron. He may not have a pink play kitchen, but I think I found juuuuust the thing for him:

Franklin says: "I don't want no part of yo' tight-ass gender roles, ya freak b****!"

I don't know what he had to do with anything, but I whole-heartedly agree, Franklin!

That's why I made Campbell try it on. Mostly because I needed to make sure it would fit, but also because I don't have a little girl to dress up, and sometimes you just gotta use what/who you got.

He was humiliated. He wouldn't even sit up long enough for me to take a picture. He just kept curling up into a ball. Poor thing.

This is the picture I want displayed when I receive my 'Mom of the Year' award.

The good news is: it fits!