Simple Linen Apron

From rolling out cookie dough to mixing champagne cocktails on New Year’s Eve, so much holiday action takes place in the kitchen. The warmth and cheer of this time of year just seem to belong there!

With this in mind, we are launching Cooks Week here on the Purl Bee. This week we’ll be posting three great sewing patterns, all for the cooking enthusiasts in your life. These quick and ultra-useful projects make perfect gifts that will be appreciated long after the tree comes down!

First up is our lovely Simple Linen Apron. With handy adjustable neck ties and long waist ties, I designed it to fit anyone, and I made it with sturdy 100% linen, which lends both durability and timeless charm. The pocket is Robert Kaufman’s Double Cloth, a very special cotton fabric that has two distinctly different sides and adds just a hint of playfulness and color. And best of all, this apron takes about an hour to sew! What better way to celebrate the cooks in your life! -Molly

Materials

Our Materials for Simple Linen Apron kit includes…

• 1 yard of Robert Kaufman’s Waterford Linen in Natural
• 1/2 yard of Robert Kaufman’s Double Cloth in Plaid Indigo
• 100% cotton thread in color 1040 (ecru)
• 100% cotton thread color 7380 (blue)
• A pair of 1-inch D Rings
• 4 yards of 30mm Cotton Twill Tape in Ecru

You will have enough fabric to make two aprons, but you would need to buy another pair of D Rings, as well as an additional 4 yards of Twill Tape.

Update May 2024: While no longer carry some of these specific materials, you can find all of our sewing related products at this link

Size

33 inches tall by 25 inches wide (at the widest point)

Pattern

Cut

From the Linen, cut a rectangle 27 inches wide by 35 inches tall. This is the Apron Piece.

From the Double Cloth, cut a rectangle 14 inches wide by 9 inches tall. This is the Pocket Piece.

From the Twill Tape cut…

Two 38-inch lengths; these are the Side Ties.

One 20-inch length; this is the Left Neck Piece.

One 17 ½-inch length; this is the Right Neck Piece.

One 11-inch length; this is the Dishtowel Loop.

Press the Apron Piece in half lengthwise so that the two 35-inch sides meet each other, wrong sides together. Orient this folded piece so that the 14-inch sides are at the top and bottom; the folded 35-inch side is at the right; and the raw 35-inch sides are at the left.

Make a mark on the top edge 6 inches to the left of the fold. Make a second mark on the left hand side 11 inches down from the top. Cut a diagonal line from the top mark to the left mark through both layers of the folded piece.

Sew

Preparing the Ties

Fold one raw end ½ inch towards the wrong side of each of the Side Ties and the Left Neck Piece. Press and pin these folds into place. Using the ecru thread, edgestitch these folds down. Put these pieces aside for now.

Press one end of the Right Neck Piece 1/2 inch towards the wrong side. Then press it over again, 2 inches towards the wrong side. Slide both of the D Rings into the folded end, lining up their straight edges with the fold. Pin the fold into place, as shown above.

Using the ecru thread, edgestitch the end of the fold into place. Then sew a seam 1 1/4 inches from that fold to secure the D Rings into place.

Hem the Apron and Attach the Ties

Fold the two diagonal edges of the Apron Piece ½ inch twice towards the wrong side of the fabric. Press and pin the folds into place. Using the ecru thread, edge stitch these folds down.

Fold the bottom edge ½ inch twice towards the wrong side. Press and pin the fold into place. Using the ecru thread, edge stitch this fold down.

Fold the 12-inch top edge ½ inch twice towards the wrong side. Press the folds down. With the wrong side of the apron facing up, insert the raw end of the Left Neck Piece, wrong side facing up, under the left corner of the Apron Piece’s top-edge fold. Insert the Right Neck Piece’s raw end, right side facing up, under the right corner of the fold. Pin the fold and Neck Pieces into place.

Using the ecru thread, edgestitch this fold down, sewing in the Neck Pieces as you go.

With the wrong side of the apron still facing up, press the Neck Pieces upwards to create a 90-degree angle with the top edge of the Apron Piece. Pin the Neck Pieces into place.

Turn the Apron Piece so that the right side is facing up, and using the ecru thread, edgestitch over just the Neck Pieces to secure them in this orientation.

Attach the Side Ties in the same manner: Fold one of the raw side seams of the Apron Piece over ½ inch twice towards the wrong side and press the fold into place. Slide the raw end of a Side Tie, right side facing up, into the top corner of the fold. Using the ecru thread, edgestitch down the entire fold, sewing the Side Tie in the process.

Press the Side Tie outward so that it ipreads out perpendicularly from the side seam. Edgestitch over just the Side Tie to keep it in place.

Repeat on the opposite side with the other side seam and Side Tie.

Make the Pocket

Pick which side you’d like to be the right side of the pocket (I chose the white side).

Orient the Pocket Piece right side up and with the long sides at the top and bottom and the shorts sides at the right and left.

Fold the top edge ½ inch twice towards the right side of the fabric. Press and pin the fold into place and using the blue thread, edgestitch down the fold. Zig zag stitch over the other three edges to keep them from fraying.

Turn the Pocket Piece so the wrong side is facing up and press the three zig zagged edges ½ inch once towards the wrong side.

Press the Dishtowel Loop in half so that the two short raw edges meet one another.

Slide the raw ends of the folded Dishtowel Loop under the top of the Pocket Piece’s right side fold.

Keeping the ends of the Dishtowel Loop inside of the fold, fold the Loop outwards so that it points away from the Pocket Piece and is perpendicular to the side edge. Pin the Dishtowel Loop into place like this.

Press the Pocket Piece in half, wrong sides together, so that the short sides meet each other, making a center crease. Unfold the pocket piece and place it right side up onto the right side of the Apron Piece, lining up the center crease of the Pocket with the center crease of the Apron. Arrange the Pocket so that its top edge is 2 inches below the start of the Apron’s diagonal sides.

Pin the Pocket to the Apron along the sides, bottom edge and center crease.

Using the blue thread, edgestitch along the Pocket at the right, bottom, and left sides, then sew along the center crease to create two pocket sections and you’re all done!