Upcycling: pillow sham to apron

After reading many apron books, and thinking of sewing one for the Monthly Stitch's May challenge (but not getting it done in time - thank goodness for general amnesties!) I began looking at fabric bits a little differently.

Meet Dotty, my new dress form!

I saw a large pillow sham at the thrift store made out of a heavyweight cotton, yellow with a herbal print -- Eureka! I decided to upcycle it as it seemed just perfect for a simple bib apron.

Dotty in an apron in front of my pattern storage system...

It was a simple upcycle -- I cut the front and back apart, and used the front complete with piping for the apron bit. Then I cut up the two pieces that made up the overlapping back; one into the bib and the other I cut up into strips for the waist and neck ties. The neck was just finished with some D-rings.

 

I had to do some hand stitching after I'd cut the two apart, to remove the excess stitching lines from the flange which no longer existed but otherwise it was very simple. It just needed a good pressing to smooth it out after all that! 

Someday I'd like to make a "real" apron with a few fancier details, but this one is pretty, fits perfectly and is heavy enough to stand up to cooking. Yay for upcycling!

Piping left in place at the waist