Helen's Closet Sam Apron
I’m a messy person in the kitchen, the type who ends up with a giant wet patch on her belly when she does the washing up, for example. I try to be neat and keep water or flour contained, but inevitably it ends up all over the place, down the cabinet fronts and on the floor. I had two aprons, both of which I love dearly, but both of which were made from cloth fabric. They’re great for keeping dry things from embedding themselves into my t-shirts, but wet substances like water or oil, are fair game.
Enter the Helen’s Closet Sam Apron, a free download when you sign up to Helen’s newsletter. The practical cross-back design really appealed to me. As a short person, I always find the neck strap on an apron to be too long, so the chest bib drops down my front and I end up with several inches of exposed t-shirt, just waiting for chili sauce splatters. An apron with a cross-back design allows me to adjust the height of the bib to exactly where I need it on my chest. It also just feels super secure, like it’s not going to slip down at an inopportune moment.
As free patterns go, this one is really high quality. I really enjoy Helen’s Closet patterns, I find Helen’s outdoorsy, active styles fit well into my life. I’ve blogged about the York apron pattern expansion here and have made my Mum the York dress. I’ve made the Avery leggings several times, with varying degrees of success, am in the process of the Wildwood vest and have the Gilbert shirt queued up for summer sewing. So yeah, I’m a Helen’s Closet fan! I enjoy how detailed her instructions are, with simple line drawings of all the major steps and how easily they come together.
The first apron in this post was made out of a remnant of grey waxed cotton, gifted me by my sewing pal Franca of Apple Franca blog. I made two Sam aprons from this remnant, each as gifts for Christmas. I used black kimono silk from my stash for the straps and a remnant of leather for the details, like the cross-back channel and the towel tab.
Whilst we’re on the subject, let me tell you how much a game changer a towel tab is in the kitchen. Prior to watching The Bear, I probably wouldn’t have known what to do with a towel tab, assuming that part of the function of an apron was to wipe your hands. Now I wouldn’t be without a towel tab, it’s so handy to keep your hands clean as you go.
The third Sam apron I made for myself, using sailcloth from my stash. This is a special fabric I’ve spoken about before on the blog (here and here), it came from the sails of my grandparents boat. I foolishly assumed it would be waterproof, without testing it first. I thought it would solve my problem of getting a wet belly when I do the washing up, but it turns out I was wrong. The fabric is splash proof for sure, but not wholly waterproof. I ended up having to go back after about a week of using this apron, to add a piece of clear plastic (salvaged from an Amazon order) to the back, overlying my midriff. It’s an imperfect fix, but it does the job.
I love all the little details on this project, from the leather towel tab and cross-back channel, the black silk straps, the Craft & Thrift logo patch and the blue striped sailcloth detail at the top of each pocket. I wear it every day whilst cleaning or cooking in the kitchen and will definitely be making more in the future. I’d like to experiment with a split-front apron for my Mum, who does pottery, and make a completely waterproof version for myself. It makes for great presents as well, with minimal fitting and sizing and plenty of opportunity for scrap busting.