I lOVE the Stake!

This year I was called to be the ward camp director for a stake camp. One of my biggest concerns would have been feeding the 36 of us for the 4 days we will be at camp, but the stake (I can hear the angels singing) decided to cover the food for the whole stake! I LOVE the stake! They put together a food committee and I wanted to do something nice to show our appreciation for the wonderful women who will be coming to camp and taking care of all the food for girls! Camp is such a special time, whether you are there as a service or there to enjoy the camp itself, I think a lot of special memories are made while at camp, so I wanted to do something for them that would last a while and remind them of their time at camp. I thought aprons would be appropriate. Here's what I came up with. (We're the Giraffes, for the theme Be BRAVE, It's a Jungle out there!)

Here is my daughter Madelaine modeling it for me.

I came up with the most simple pattern I could because there are so many to make. 

Here's what you need: 

Fabric cut to 34 inches by 28 1/2 inches

4 1/2 yards of double fold bias tape

Matching thread

Start by folding your fabric in half long ways. Measure in from the raw edges (not the fold) at the top 9 1/4 inches, mark it either with a pin or a sewing marker. Measure down  from the top 10 inches and mark it. Free hand a gentle swoop from the top to the side to create an under arm.

 

The rest is simple! Cut a 10 inch strip of bias tape and sandwich the top of your apron between the folds. Pin it in place and top stitch about an 1/8 of an inch from the opening. Trim the ends flush with the apron line.

Hem the remaining straight edges starting with the sides of the apron. Fold the raw edge under 3/8 of an inch and then again 1/2 of an inch. Iron in place. Top Stitch 3/8 of an inch away from the edge. 

Repeat for the bottom of the apron.

To create the waist straps and neck hole center the remaining bias tape with the middle of the bias tape over the center of the apron. The distance between either side of the top of the apron is about 20 inches of bias tap to make the neck hole. After you have centered your bias tape pin it from the top of the neck hole to the sides.

 

Top stitch from one end of the apron string to the other in one continuous seam.

Tip: Many times when you are working with small bits of fabric it is handy to grab a scrap of fabric and use it as a lead so that the machine does not eat your fabric. You can snip the two apart after you have finished.

The last step is to tie the ends of your apron strings in knots. Hope you enjoy!