Twelve Weeks of Christmas: Half Apron

These little waist aprons are so easy to make and so economical.  A few years ago, I made longer aprons out of the pants legs, but couldn't stand wasting any of the leftover material.  Thus the half apron was born. I think they're great for working in the yard.  I have two hanging in my garage near the back door and use them for all kinds of things.  Let me show you how I did it.

I went to my local thrift store and bought women's jeans in an average 8-10 size.  I cut off both legs and used those for full length aprons.  Then I took off the back seat of the pants, cutting up the side seams.  I wanted the full waist band so I carefully cut that out, leaving it attached to the back of the pants.

Then I cut all the way around the waist band.  I liked the way the belt loops looked so I cut around them to reattach later.  I measured a piece of material to the width of the pants and as deep as I wanted my pocket.  I gave the bottom edge of the material a finished look before attaching it to the V of the pants.  Then I reattached the waist band to the top, sewing down the belt loops as I went as well.  Finally I sewed up the sides of the pocket.

I opened up the ends of the waist band and tucked in finished ties of material before sewing it back shut.  Lastly I finished of the front of the apron with binding and some pretty stitching.

You could easily pretty these up with some yo-yo's, small embellishments, buttons, etc.  I use this one for keeping my clothespins in.  When I don't have clothes on the line, they are tucked away in the pocket and the apron hangs near the door.  I have a second one that I use when working in the yard, sometimes to keep the portable phone with me, other times to carry gardening tools.

I love them.  And how much more frugal can you get?  A pair of jeans at my local thrift store runs $1 and I got 2 full length aprons and a half apron out of it.  Add some leftover material from my box and some matching binding and you've got a great gift.  Perfect for crafters, gardeners, bakers, and chefs.

What will you craft up for the holidays?  

*Don't Forget to check out this week's Giveaway!!!

*Linked to these Parties