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Fancy, flirty aprons are all the rage, and they sell for good money at a lot of stores. But if you can sew, you can make your own, and I’ll show you how. Seem a little too frilly? Use it any old time, but especially when you have guests. People get a kick out of them! And don’t be afraid to use it; it’s just fabric, and you can wash it. This pattern is for a fully reversible, gathered, scalloped apron with pockets. Have fun with the fabrics and mix them up to make it more interesting. This apron uses the same fabrics on both sides, but in opposite placement. |
| NOTE: This is one of our more popular projects. If you make it, please share pictures with us on our Flickr page! Also, submit anything made with fabrics from Warehouse Fabrics Inc. to our gallery page. Simply click “Add Photo to Gallery” just above the pictures. |
Supplies
(Click fabrics for direct links for purchase at Warehouse Fabrics Inc.)
 Madison black/candy pink: MANBLK |
 Dottie black/white: DOEBLE |
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| Main fabric and lining fabric, 1-1/2 yards each. |
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The pattern
Scalloped apron pattern piece 1
Scalloped apron pattern piece 2
Scalloped apron pattern piece 3
Scalloped apron pattern piece 4
Scalloped apron pattern piece 5
Scalloped apron pattern piece 6
Scalloped apron pattern piece 7
Scalloped apron pattern piece 8
Scalloped apron pattern piece 9
Scalloped apron pattern piece 10
Scalloped apron pattern piece 11
Scalloped apron pattern piece 12
Scalloped apron pattern piece 13
Scalloped apron pattern piece 14
Scalloped apron pattern piece 15
Here is a picture of the layout before I took the pages apart so you can see a basic idea of the end result.
Pattern. Click for bigger view
| I have provided the pattern pieces in a manner that allows you to print from home on regular computer paper. Due to the large size of the skirt of this apron, the pattern requires 15 pages. You’ll see a border around each page; you can either fold or trim, but you’ll see that the pattern pieces are marked where you should tape them together. You’ll tape from the border, and not from the edge of the paper. I have used letters and lines to show which pieces line up where. Make sure you print at full size. The border allows you some space in case your printer tries to cut a bit off. |
The process
 Pockets |
Start with the pockets. You’ll place the pieces right-sides together and sew all the way around except for a hole for turning. Use a 3/8″ seam allowance. Normally, I try to leave the turning hole on the bottom of an item, but due to the curves on these pieces, I chose the straight-edged top instead.
Clip the curves by snipping the seam allowance up close to the stitching, but don’t cut through the stitching. |
 Pockets, turned |
Turn the pockets right side out through the hole and press. Then top stitch 1/4″ from the top edge. This adds a nice visual touch and simultaneously closes up that turning hole. |
 Apply pockets, part I |
Apply the pockets to the skirt pieces. I chose to match the pockets to the waist band I’d be using for each side. On this apron, it can be a bit tricky because it hasn’t been gathered yet and it’s hard to tell just how the skirt will fall when finished. I got it right on one pocket, and in the end my other pocket was at a bit of an angle. I totally fudged this in the photos with my pose so you couldn’t tell. But, heck, I just told you anyway.
See the pocket to the left? In hindsight, I would have tilted it just a little bit to the right on the bottom. |
 Apply pockets, part II |
Pin your pockets in place and sew around the sides and bottom, close to the edge. |
 Line up skirt pieces |
Place the skirt pieces right sides together and pin around sides and bottom. Line up all the scallops. |
 Clip scallops |
After sewing (1/2″ seam allowance) all the way around the sides and bottom, clip each scallop to just below the stitches and trim some of the bulk away. |
 Turn right-side out |
Turn and press. With the scallops, this will take a little time. |
 Top stitch |
Top stitch along the sides and bottom. |
 Gathering stitches |
The top of your apron is still open. Now you need to make some gathering stitches. Set your machine on the longest stitch and sew two parallel lines (aim to get them within the 1/2″ seam allowance) near the raw edge. With this heavy fabric, I recommend two sets of stitches running from the center to either edge (my thread broke and I had to redo my gathering stitches; it seems to take some of the pressure off this way). It’s thick and much heavier than your thread, so when you start to pull, be very gentle so you don’t break the thread.
We’ll get to the gathering in a minute.
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 Sew waist band |
But first we need our waist band. Take your waistband pieces, right-sides together, and stitch along one long side. Flip around and press.
NOTE: I hadn’t made one of these in a while, and I made the mistake of top stitching at this point. I shouldn’t have. That comes later, so you may see some top stitching in the next few photos, but don’t do it until I tell you to. I had to remove some stitches to finish the next few steps. |
 Mark seam allowance |
(again, ignore the top stitching along the top of the band. Oh, and the horribly blurry picture. Sorry)
On either end of your waist band, it is helpful to mark off the 1/2″ seam allowance with some sort of fabric pen or pencil. |
 Gather |
Now you’ll gather your skirt a bit. You won’t have to gather too much, but try to evenly distribute the stitches. Your goal is to have it be the exact length of the waist band WITHIN the seam allowances you just marked. The skirt should stop 1/2″ from either end. |
 Pin waist band on |
Open up your waist band and pin one raw edge to the raw edge of your skirt, right-sides together. In this case, I wanted the polka-dot band with the pink fabric, so that is what I pinned together. The other side of the band just hangs there. |
 Press seam open |
Sew and press band away from skirt of apron. Set aside. |
 Ties |
It’s time to make the ties. Place your tie pieces right-sides together and sew a 1/2″ seam around the whole thing, except the small, straight end. |
 Turn and press |
Turn the tie through the end and press it smooth. |
 Finished ties |
Top stitch the ties. I think it looks nicer this way, but also, when you wash the apron, everything will stay in place much better. |
 Press seam allowance under |
Press under the seam allowance 1/2″ on the loose end of the waist band. |
 Attach tie |
This one is hard to see, so I labeled it. I have turned it so the right sides of the band are facing up. At top, you see the side of the waist band that is not yet sewn down. Below that in the photo is the polka dot band, but it is covered by the tie. The polka dot side of the tie is face-to-face with the polka dot waist band. The raw edges of the tie and waist band are lined up. |
 Fold band over |
Now I’ve flipped over the loose part of the waist band. Essentially, I’ve made a sandwich:
pink waist band Now sew a 1/2″ seam allowance on that raw edge. This is easy to do since you made sure the skirt of the apron stopped 1/2 inch from the end. |
 Turn right-side out |
Flip the band around right-side out, and this is what you’ll see. (Repeat with other tie.)
Now is when you should top stitch the top of the waist band. Your ties are already top stitched, so just continue that along the top of the waist band. Now, the only unfinished part of your apron is one side of the waist band. |
 Slip stitch closed |
You’ve already pressed your seam allowance, so everything should sort of fall into place here. Pin your waistband to the skirt and slip stitch closed by hand.
Now your apron is beautiful from either side, and it’s like having two aprons in one! |
Other views
 Front, side I |
 Side, side I |
 Back, side I |
 Side II |
Tags: Accessories, apron, reversible apron, scalloped apron, sewing, sewing tutorial
Hi, I love that cool fabric. Could you post where you got it? It seems like it would be cool cut on the curved lines so the bottom followed the pattern of the fabric too. that’s what I’d like to try. Thanks for any info, Kitty
Kitty,
The fabric is from this site, Warehouse Fabrics Inc. If you click on the icons for the supplies at the top, it will take you to the pages for those fabrics.
Lining up the fabric was sort of tricky, unless you were to make the scallops specifically for this particular fabric, which I didn’t. You could certainly try it! Good luck!
I made this apron for a friend’s birthday yesterday. Your pattern was great. It was very easy to follow your tutorial. It was just the project I was looking for. She loved it.
I did want to note that if you are using a fabric that has direction(top/bottom) to it you need to be sure and reverse the ties. I ran into this problem and didn’t have enough to cut a new one so I had to piece the tie. She didn’t care, and loves it anyway.
I took pictures, but am not sure how to post them for you to see how it turned out.
Thank you so much for sharing your work.
Janni
Janni,
I’m so glad you made one of the aprons! You can submit photos to share through the Warehouse Fabrics Inc. photo gallery. We’d love to see them!
Robyn
Muy lindo el delantal y gracias por el grafico para poder confeccionarlo. Saludos
Very fun and love the fabric. Do you happen to custom make items to sell? I would love to have a few in tween size for my 10 year old daughter’s party to hand out. Thank you!
[...] 5. Reversible Scalloped Half Apron [...]
I love this tutorial….it is so darn adorable. Thanks a ton for sharing!!
[...] Craft Link : Reversible Apron Tutorial [...]
LOVE IT!! Wonder if there’s a way to make it a full apron? I’m a messy cook but love to look as cute as possible!! Thanks for sharing!!
It’s not too hard to add a top. If you’d like to contact me through the contact form on the right of the page, I’ll give you a basic idea how.
[...] or roommate? Well SkiptomyLou has a collection of cute apron patterns. I particularly like the Reversible Scalloped Half Aprons. (10 Free Apron [...]
HI, I was just wondering, about how many hours this project takes to complete?
it’s lovely by the way
Hi Lia,
I’ve never timed it and I’ve probably never done every bit of it at one time. I usually cut at one session and sew on another, and since I have a baby, I really have to break things up and do them as I have time.
But I would estimate maybe 3 hours. That would be my guess for having to print out the pattern, tape it, cut everything out and sew.
Robyn
Just finished this apron yesterday! I LOVE IT! I got my first sewing machine for Christmas, and this was my first official project. Thanks so much for the pattern!
Thanks for the fabulous tutorial! I’m about to have a go at one of these! x
thanks for the fantastic pattern and clear instructions…I’m looking forward to making this…my pattern is put together…i’ll send you a pic of the final product!
Trish
I would love to see it!
This is exactly what I need for a bridal shower gift, love it!
I’m fairly novice to sewing, etc, can you tell me if this would be appropriate for someone that is plus size, or if I will need to make it larger. The bride to be is a bit larger than I and is in another state, so I can’t really measure or anything. I also want it to be a surprise.
I’m not totally sure of her size, but I’m going to guess 16 or so. I’m a 10-12 usually, so I’m not sure if using myself as a model will be useful.
Sorry — I was having technical difficulties replying to you before …
You might want to try to make it a little bigger, though that might be slightly complicated with the scallops. When I wore this apron pre-baby and was about a size 2-4, when I tied it the edges of the waist band touched together in the back. I don’t have one on hand to try on now that I have a couple of extra pounds yet to lose to see how it fits. It could always just set wider apart in the back. Or maybe you could add another small scallop to each side and then also add to the waistband accordingly. Good luck. Feel free to ask more questions.
I just finished making one of these to wear to my cake decorating classes, and i’ve gotten so many compliments already! I plan to make a top that I can button on when I want it, as I’m a very messy cook. I had to remove the outer scallop on the pattern and shorten the waistband because I’ve got a very tiny waist, but with some measurement and careful adjusting, this apron turned out just as adorable as the one in your pictures! I’m so glad you shared with us! Thanks!
Thanks for reporting back, Jessie! I’d love to see a photo, if you have one. If you’re on flickr, you can put one in our group. The link is at the top right of the blog.
I love this pattern. I’m planning on making aprons for all the girls in my wedding party but I can’t seem to get the attachments to open for me. Is there any way you can send them to me in an e-mail. I’m hoping I can open them that way.
Thank you for your tutorial. http://myhomespunthreads.blogspot.com/2011/07/apron-giveaway.html#disqus_thread
It turned out beautiful.
Aimee, it’s just gorgeous! I absolutely adore how you pieced it together. It’s just beautiful! Thank you for sharing it with us.
Aimee, I just made your apron and it turned out beautiful! I love how you made the patterns so easy to be printed off and put together. They were perfect. Thank you for sharing this!!
[...] something about scallops that makes this apron just a touch more feminine and fun. I love that it has a big pocket and it’s reversible. So [...]
I was wondering if you could tell me how much of each fabric is needed. Please!
Hello Michelle. Under the photos of the fabrics used, it says 1-1/2 yards of each. Thanks!
Wow! I’m blind. Thanks!
It’s a little hard to see!
This is such a cute idea. I would love to make one for my sister but I’m a little confused about the pattern. Is it just for one side of the apron or two? The skirt pattern says to cut 1 fabric and 1 lining but what if you want to have it double sided with 2 different fabrics like yours? I’m assuming I cut 2 fabrics and 2 linings then. Can you tell I’m new to this?
Sorry for the silly question!
Hi Kelly,
The apron is two-sided — i.e. a different fabric on each side so that it’s reversible. The apron skirt pattern piece is cut on the fold, so it’s a half-piece. Place the part marked “fold” on the fold of the fabric so that when you cut it out, it’s twice as wide as the pattern piece. Do that for both the front and back of the apron skirt. So you’ll have two full-sized apron skirt pieces in different fabrics. I hope that made sense. If not, please let me know.
Robyn
I saw the question about making the apron for a tween. Where you able to find it for a smaller size?
Sorry, right now I just have this pattern in one size. If you want to make it smaller, you could perhaps trim off the last scallop and adjust the waist band accordingly.
I just finished one of these scalloped aprons in two contrasting holiday prints. It is absolutely beautiful. I added some holiday ribbon and rick on the pockets and waistband. I am making another one tomorrow. I did make it about an inch longer because I made it for a very tall person. I just cut an inch below the scallops following along the lines estimating with my scissors and it came out great. I also used some interfacing for the waistband. It looks so festive.
Sounds lovely! I’d love to see a picture. If it’s made with our fabrics, you can submit to the gallery on our web page. If it’s made from tutorial and/or with our fabrics, you can submit to our flickr page. The link is all over the blog.
I cannot wait to make this darling apron!! Just one question: On pieces 14 and 15, after taping them together, it says to cut on the fold. There is not fold indication. I am assuming it is on either of the short ends?? I am a grandma and would have to double that waistband easily, but not sure if that was the intent.
thanks
Jeannie,
Yes! I forgot to mark the fold line, but it is definitely cut on the fold. Just line up a short end on the fold. Thanks for pointing it out!
I can’t print out the pattern yet to measure, but I’m wanting to by the fabric. How much of each fabric would I need to make this apron? Also, is there a lining between the two fabrics? Thanks!
Kandi,
It takes 1.5 yards of each fabric. I should probably put that in a more noticeable place because nobody sees it! There is no lining between them, although some people like to interface the waist band.
Hi,
I love this apron! Your tutorial was very easy to follow… thank you!! I just finished making this apron for my mom for Christmas. After I finish making a set of matching pot holders, I post the pic to your Flikr page.