Woodhaven Apron Sew-A-Long Day 1: Gathering Tools and Materials

The Woodhaven Apron is a fun pattern to experiment with mixing and matching materials and hardware. This apron is all about the details. On this first day of the Woodhaven Apron Sew-A-Long, we will go over choosing a variation, what materials and tools you will need, and some pattern adjustments. 

Each variation has different lower pocket designs, the option to add rivets, grommets, additional webbing loops, or buckles. The fit is generous and boxy and is intended to cover your chest and upper thighs, keeping your clothing protected from whatever you are working on. Depending on what you intend to use the apron for, such as for use in the workshop or the kitchen, you may want a different style of lower pocket or add certain details. 

 

Pattern Adjustments:

Some minimal adjustments that may need to be made to the Woodhaven Apron are lengthening or shortening the hem, and adjusting the length of the chest area. 

Due to the pattern body being a rectangle, adjusting the length of the hem is very easy. If you wish to make the apron shorter, simply trim off the bottom of the apron to the appropriate length. Make sure to leave enough room for the pocket variation you choose and hem allowance. To make the hem longer add to the bottom of the apron.

If the chest of the apron is too long or too short, you can slash and spread the pattern to fit better. To do this, draw a line in the center of the chest parallel to the hem. Cut along the line.

Lengthen: If you wish to make this part of the apron longer, spread the top and bottom of the pattern to the desired amount. Connect the pieces by taping a piece of paper between the gap and blending the pattern lines.  

Shorten: If you wish to make this part of the apron shorter, overlap the top and bottom pieces the amount needed. Tape the pieces together and blend the pattern lines.

Fabric:

The Woodhaven Apron is designed to be made with sturdy fabrics such as denim, canvas, or medium-weight linen. For our studio samples, we used denim and waxed canvas from Blackbird Fabrics shown here:

Hardware:

The Woodhaven Apron requires certain hardware and also provides options for using additional hardware for an individual style. In the sew-a-long, we will detail how to install the hardware using the necessary tools. 

You will need a 7" metal zipper for the top zipper pocket

4 sets of grommets at least 1" (2.54 cm) wide. TIP: Your grommet and webbing width should match for the best result. For example, if your grommets are 1" wide, make sure to purchase webbing the same width.

For our Woodhaven Apron samples we purchased hardware from Emmaline Bags shown here:

For the Woodhaven Apron straps, you will need about 4 yards (3.6 meters) of webbing. As mentioned in the tip above, make sure to purchase webbing that is the same width as your grommets. Here are some options of webbing from Emmaline Bags:

OPTIONAL HARDWARE: To add fun details or reinforce the corners of your pockets, we recommend adding rivets to your Woodhaven Apron. Most fabric stores carry rivets or hardware sets including rivets. We have some jeans-making kits in our haberdashery that include rivets. Core Fabrics also has an assortment of hardware kits that include rivets, and Emmaline Bags has a selection of different styles of rivets. Check-in with your favorite local fabric store to see if they have rivets in stock!

If you would like to create adjustable straps with buckle closure, you will need to purchase adjustable sliders and a side-release buckle set. Make sure to purchase these in the same width as your webbing. 

 

Tools:

To install some of the hardware for the Woodhaven Apron, you will need tools to get the job done. A tool that we recommend adding to your collection for a variety of reasons is a rubber mallet. Rubber mallets are great for installing grommets, rivets, eyelets, and the like. Rubber mallets are also handy for hammering bulky seams so that they can fit under your presser foot and are easier to sew. 

Depending on the type of grommet you purchased, you will need a grommet setter tool. The image below is one example of what a grommet setter looks like. You will need to acquire a grommet setter that can fit the size grommet you will be using.

To install rivets, you will need a similar tool as the grommet setter. The rivet version will be slimmer and usually comes with style options to fit the top of the rivet.

Below you will find two additional tools you can choose from for installing rivets or smaller hardware, such as jeans buttons, eyelets, and snaps. 

This is our Prym Vario Pliers:

We also have 2 versions of the Prym Jean Rivets with an applicator tool. These sets come with colored rivets! Check out the notions section of our haberdashery for other tools you might find handy for your sewing projects.

Once you get all the materials and tools you need for the version of the Woodhaven Apron you would like to make, join us for Day 2 of the Woodhaven Apron Sew-a-long where we will assemble the pockets.