No Sew Mommy and Me Aprons for $1

My three kiddos love to make a horrific mess cook with me.  They are always asking to stir and mix any and every little thing that makes its way through my kitchen.  That includes my husband’s coffee…must be triple stirred by children each and every day.  And let’s be honest, at 7, 5 and 4 they aren’t too concerned about making a mess or destroying their adorable clothes.  So here is a super quick and simple solution to keep them involved in the kitchen and keep my poor debit card out of Gymboree.  I had seen this idea floating around the internet for some time now and just hadn’t truly believed that it would be as easy as it was made to look.  I’ve been duped into doing a day long project that had been advertised as 5 minutes to actually think that something this cute and useful could be so idiot proof.  But it was, and here is the proof.

You start with a large reusable shopping bag.  I bought this super sweet one at Michaels for $1.  Yep, one buck!  Loved the fun pattern and bright colors.  And I am really looking forward to seeing some holiday ones in the stores soon so I can make Christmas aprons.

Take your bag and cut along the seams on the sides like so:

Cut all the way around on both sides so that you are left with something like this: (ps: you can easily make a doll or stuffed animal apron with the leftover material from the sides)

Remember that this material will not fray, so you can just use your regular everyday scissors and you won’t have to worry about hemming.  Make sure to leave both handles attached as those will become your neck straps.  We’ll cut the adult apron now as it is longer.  You will need to cut at the end of the entire bottom seam for this.

Can you see where I am cutting here?  Make sure to do this so that the adult apron is long enough.  You could always add ruffles or ribbons to extend the length, but that takes more time and patience than I had available.  The smaller side will become the child’s apron.  You now have the basic shape of both aprons.  I cut small arm areas on both aprons so that it is easier to move around, but this it totally optional.  Just trace and cut one side then use the piece that you cut off as a pattern for the opposite side so that they match up.

For the next step you can pull your sewing machine out or you can use some fabric glue.  My sewing machine was already out so I used it, but next time I will just use fabric glue.  It will work just as well and takes no time at all.  I cut ribbon in a length that would wrap around my waist twice and then cut it in the middle.  I sewed one ribbon onto each side to serve as my ties, and then repeated the process for my daughter’s apron.

The neck strap (handle) fit perfectly for me but was a bit too long for my daughter.  I cut hers in the middle and it had plenty of room to tie it behind her neck.  You could always add Velcro, but again, I am lazy trying to make this quick and easy.

And that’s it!  It was so fun to make and my daughter loves it.  The best part is that you can just wipe this apron down with a damp cloth and it is good to go.  Now my crazy kids can stir to their heart’s content and I won’t have to worry about the mess.  Well, on their clothes at least…the floor and counter are another matter!

Linking to: Tatertots and Jello and Practically Functional