by Texas Homesteader ~
My baby sister has recently been bitten hard by the ‘green’ bug. Oh she’s been environmentally-aware all her life, but now all of a sudden she’s taking it to the next level. These days she’s even making her own homemade yogurt and cottage cheese.
And although she’s always enjoyed hanging a few things on the line, she’s transitioning into hanging more & more clean laundry under that blue Texas sky to dry. Not only does she love the savings, but she’s discovered there’s really no substitute for that amazing aroma of sunshine on clean laundry!
When she had a birthday recently I put on my thinking cap. Y’all know we like to make homemade gifts whenever possible, but what would she like. Hummm… I KNOW! I’ll make her a clothespin apron!
First off let me say this gift is truly a labor of love.
I. Hate. To. Sew!
But if I’m going to make this gift myself I’ve gotta get out the mammoth sewing machine & get to it. I hope she understands exactly how much a part of me this gift is! Apparently I love her.
A LOT! LOL
Looking For Used Fabric
Now I know I could have gone to the fabric store & picked up the fabric that I needed, but I prefer not to buy new if at all possible. It’s just an environmental preference for me.
Luckily I found the perfect fabric at our local thrift store. This cute country red & white checkered pattern will be perfect.
Finding A Tie Material
But I wonder what I’ll use for the tie. Ribbon didn’t seem heavy enough & I’m not about to sew a tie from scratch. (see sewing hatred statement above) I decided on braided cotton cord. Let’s see how this goes…
Putting The Apron Together
So I cut a piece of fabric that measured approximately 17″ by 21″. You can make yours larger or smaller, I just eyeballed it and this is the size I decided on. Then I folded the top just a bit and then folded it over again & sewed along the seam to make about a 1″ casing for my apron. This will be where the tie will go though.
When the casing was done I folded the bottom up to make a single 6.5-inch deep pocket. I had already hemmed it so I sewed each side of the pocket to attach them to the back. Now I have a pocket that’s folded at the bottom, open at the top with both right & left sides attached.
I decided to run a stitch down the middle so I could divide it into two smaller pockets. Each pocket ended up measuring about 6.5″ deep and 10.5″ wide.
Creating A Boxed Bottom
Then I stood back to see what I thought. Humm… Not bad. But I really want a more boxy bottom to the apron.
I decided to use the same method as when I’m making my denim baskets using repurposed denim from old jean legs. So I turned the pocket inside out and laid it out flat. I measured 1.5″ from the corner and drew a line evenly across. Then I pinned it and sewed a straight line across to make a triangle.
I only boxed the outside edge of the pocket, then I did the same thing to the other side so both pockets would be boxed. Then when I turn the pockets right-side out again the bottoms of my pockets now form a boxed bottom.
I love it! That’ll make the pockets a little more airy which will make it a little easier for her to fetch the clothespins.
Then I used that cotton cording for my tie. I measured off way more than I needed & threaded it through the casing. I purposely made the tie much longer than needed because if it were my apron I’d want to criss-cross it behind my back & tie it in front. Personally I think having the tie in front would just make it more comfortable to use.
So although I left a super-long tie, my sister can cut it as short as she likes. Because you can cut it shorter, but you can’t make it longer ya know! I’d rather leave it longer than needed so she can make it work best for her.
I asked RancherMan to singe the ends of the cord to keep them from fraying. Then we tied a knot in each end. To reinforce the casing I hand-sewed the edge of the casing where the tie would come out to make sure it was tightly tacked.
Adding Vintage Clothespins
Finally I wanted to include some vintage clothespins. So I contacted our local antique store & asked if they had any vintage clothespins. Of course they hooked me up! Gotta love living in a small town.
So there ya go. For only the price of a little cloth, some cotton cord and a handful of vintage pins, I have a gift that I know my sister will love. And a gift straight from the heart is always well received!
~TxH~
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Hey Colleen and Tammy, I can’t remember the last time I actually bought fabric anyplace other then a thrift store, or I hit the jackpot a couple weeks ago at a garage sale. Nice thick fabric, too.
Your apron is very cute. I love to sew and I made clothespin aprons for both my mom and myself many years ago ( in the early 90s). We both loved them. I’m hoping to get an umbrella clothesline when we get to Milwaukee. But I do have racks for winter weather.
You and I both look at the thrift stores for fabric we can use for something else. I look for old cloth tablecloths, sheets, etc. that I think I may be able to use for one thing or another. Men’s flannel shirts; makes for great throw pillow covers
Love your handy, dandy pin apron.. Love that fabric. Noticed that you are getting to be a quite the seamstress.
I love making and wearing aprons.
I remember growing up my mother had one of them clothes pin bags that had a metal hanger inside and it hung on the line.
I don’t even own an electric dryer; haven’t owned one for several years. All my clothes get hung up.
I still have (and use) one of those clothespin bags with the metal hanger Colleen. I love that it’s vintage, but having a clothespin apron would be even simpler. I often find that I have to step down the clothesline a few steps to retrieve that hanging bag and reaching up & over into the bag isn’t as convenient as just reaching down & retrieving clothespins from a clothespin apron. I really, REALLY need to make one for myself. They’re not hard to make but DANG I don’t enjoy sewing! ~TxH~
I love being able to make homemade gifts. I especially love when I can make an apron!!! I just love aprons.
I typically strive for homemade gifts whenever possible Tracy. They always seem to be well received by gift recipients too. RancherMan & I are currently working on our homemade Christmas gifts. Yes it takes much more time (and sometimes even more money too, depending upon our project) but we feel it’s important to live our values so it’s worth the effort for us. I absolutely love this clothespin apron and am planning to make one for myself soon.
Love this idea! I always hang my clothes on the line and can’t remember the last time I used the dryer. This apron is so cute and handy! I will be making one of these and I am sharing this post with my readers!
I hang my jeans outside unless it’s raining I know you like to hang things inside but that would make the air conditioner work much harder. What do you do about washing jeans in damp weather? Do you Break down and use the dryer, or just wait for better weather?
I like your clothes pin apron. Good job!
I haven’t used my drier in several years, Judy. We typically wait for better weather if it’s raining, or if it’s raining for an extended amount of time we use the folding racks in our guest bedroom. I turn on the ceiling fan in there & if need be I can close the door. If need be I would use the drier, I just prefer not to. There are only 2 of us here so we have some flexibility with the laundry chore. So far it’s worked well for me. ~TMH~
Homemade gifts are absolutely the best. I hear you on the “Hate to sew” at least when I’m crocheting if I make a mistake It’s easy to rip it out and fix.
LOL Ruth. I envy people who have the talent to crochet / knit. ~TMH~