Skip to main content

Sewing the Tessuti Apron

I've wanted to sew an apron for a while and came across the free Tessuti Apron pattern here. It was exactly what I was looking for, a cross-back apron with a square neckline. I decided to make it using this gorgeous pear print cotton twill fabric that I found at my favourite online fabric shop, DIY or Dye.




I did look up whether the Tessuti Apron pattern would be suitable for a larger body like mine - it comes in a 'one-size-fits-all' pattern which is never really true. I did find fatter sewists saying they needed to adjust the pattern to lengthen the straps and widen the skirt section. I decided to make it as it came as I had a friend in mind who I could gift it to if it didn't fit me well.



Above: Attaching the pocket


Above: needle break! The folded layers of pocket in the heavy fabric were too much for a normal needle. I switched to a denim needle for the rest of the project.


Above: halfway point. I still had the neckline to face and hem, and the straps to hem.

Below: completed back view


Below: The pattern suggests sewing a label to the pocket, which stumped me till I remembered I had some ribbon that stated "made with love" which was perfect, especially as I intended to gift it. 


The fit: as you can see, it definitely doesn't fit a larger body comfortably. I do intend to make this pattern for myself, but will definitely add around 4 inches to the straps and maybe a couple of inches to the skirt portion.




Reflection:

I really enjoyed making the Tessuti Apron. The instructions were very well written with clear illustrations throughout that made it easy to work out how to proceed. I felt that I was able to achieve a crisp, neat finish and it looks very effective. I did send it to my friend for her birthday and she is delighted with it - result!

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Eco-friendly Upcycled Face Wipes

 I recently ran up some eco-friendly face wipes for a friend. These are designed to replace cotton pads or face wipes, and are washable. To increase their green credentials I made the pad section from an old towel. I had some charm squares spare, so used those as the backing fabric. I cut the towel into squares that were slightly smaller than the charm square, and wrapped the fabric over the towel piece to form a small border.  I then sewed the top fabric down with a zigzag stitch. This meant I was mainly sewing on the fabric, as my machine can't sew through towel (unless I haven't found the right setting or needle of course)! Very very simple, but pretty and functional! There are lots of tutorials for other ways to make these face wipes, such as:  https://www.arosetintedworld.co.uk/how-to-make-reusable-make-up-remover-pads/ It seems to be even more simple with an overlocker:  http://juliawithanh.com/sewing/23-reusable-face-pads You can even crochet some! https://dab...

Musings of a Beginner Dress-maker: #historybounding

 I've always wanted to learn to make my own clothes, but it's not something I've had time or felt confident enough to try until recently. I am ENTIRELY a beginner - I didn't have a single sewing lesson at school and until I bought my first one had not so much as touched a sewing machine. I wrote in my Sewing Resolutions post about being plus-size and how I see dressmaking as a way to make clothes that fit me well. But that's not the whole story, and I've recently found a community of sewers who express exactly what I would like to achieve: #historybounding The term #historybounding was coined by Morgan Donner in this video: It refers to those of us who want to incorporate some historical elements to our daily style, whether that is going full-on vintage or using shapes, silhouettes and accessories that 'feel' historical. There's a strong overlap between "history bounders" and #costubers - those people who have YouTube channels where they f...

New Year Resolutions 2022

 Happy New Year! It's 2022 already... The #ConfinedCrafting blog is now a year old. Which brings me to my first resolution: update the blog more often ! I haven't been a regular blogger and I would really like to make a good go of regular updates here. My new sewing assistant is even more disruptive than the cats! Meet Rudolph the Spanador (Cocker Spaniel-Labrador mix). Spot my stolen tape-measure... My second resolution involves following projects through to the end before getting distracted planning a new project! I really enjoy the process of planning, choosing a pattern, assembling the kit, even cutting out the fabric, and often at that point I start to sew then run out of time to finish in one go, then just ... Never pick it up again. Even if I really want the thing I am making! Hence the resolution to focus and finish on a project before starting another. I still haven't hemmed this circle skirt that I made in May 2021... My third resolution is to keep my sewing area...