It was my step mother’s birthday recently and I had a hard time trying to think of the perfect present for her. I always try to think of thoughtful presents for loved ones to show how much I care about them. I usually choose something that I know they will appreciate that highlights how special they are to me.

My step mother really loves gardening. She has an amazing vegetable garden complete with broody chickens and large compost bins. When she harvests her vegetables she usually carries around a basket, but a harvest apron would leave her with two free hands. A harvest apron is a normal half apron but with an elasticated front pocket to the apron which allows you to open it wide.

I found some harvest aprons on Etsy, but the shipping costs were astronomical, so my only option was to devise a pattern and make one myself. Being an amateur sewer meant that my pattern had to be easy enough for me to make. I’ve tried to attach the pattern I created in this post, so hopefully it works.

Harvest Apron Pattern_amyseparovic.com

Items I used to make the harvest apron

• 2 metres of sturdy cotton or linen material
• 50cm waistband elastic
• Fabric scissors
• Pins
• Ruler
• Sewing machine
• Cotton thread

This pattern was free formed. I had an idea of how it should look and just went with it. I measured the apron’s back panel 50 cm wide, then measured down 30 cm each side. I had already decided that I didn’t want a square apron, so I then cut across at an angle. The apron ended up being 50 cm wide with a 40 cm drop in the middle.

The front apron panel needed to be elasticated, so I cut out a panel 70 cm wide with a 40 cm drop. I kept the angles in place to match the back panel. I then used the back and front panels as a template to cut out another front and back panel. As my apron was going to be used for outdoor work it really needed to be lined. I used two different fabric patterns, but you can use the same fabric for both sides.

I also cut out two 1 metre length strips of fabric 10 cm wide to be turned into apron ties. I ironed the edges over to form a seam and then folded over the fabric in the middle and ironed again. I finished up by sewing along the open edges.

For the front panel, I sewed a 5 cm turn down waistband wide enough for the elastic to be thread through. The easiest way to do this is to pin a nappy pin to the elastic and thread it through. The pin ensures you don’t lose the end of the elastic while threading. I then sewed a 5 cm waistband on the back apron panel.

 The final step was to sew it altogether! Making sure that everything was inside out, I pinned together the front and back panels as well as the apron ties. After sewing a straight stitch, I also sewed a zigzag stitch to ensure that the sewing was secure and that the fabric didn’t fray. This is especially important if you want to wash the apron regularly. Unfortunately my sewing machine doesn’t have an overlocking function which would do this for me, but a zigzag stitch does the job.

Turn it the right way out and  it’s ready to use. I might even make one for me too as I have a mandarin tree full of fruit that needs picking. It sure would come in handy.

Feel free to use my pattern to make your own harvest apron (that’s why I’ve included it), though I’m sure a more experienced sewer could improve the design. I’m also happy if anyone wants to make these to sell commercially, just quote this website for the pattern.