From Folded Napkin to Cafe Apron

I've had these adorable fabric napkins for about 3 years now - got them on the clearance rack at Target - and they've served me well through face wiping, dish drying, food spilling, hand sliming, as well as rescuing my dainty hands from hot dishes on many occasions. So it is with great pleasure that I take one of my beloved napkins and give her a face lift and new purpose!

And, ladies, I'll be honest with you, this will only take you about an hour if you don't have any distractions. 30 minutes if you're pretty quick on the 'ol machine.

You can do this cafe style apron with any piece of fabric but for measuring sake, I'm going to give these dimensions and you can play with them however you'd like.

You'll need:
1 Fabric Napkin (or hemmed fabric) 18" x 20"
Two 4" x 21 1/2" strips fabric
Two 4" x 43 1/2 " strips fabric
Rotary Cutter, Quilt Ruler & Mat

Note: Strips do not have to be exact! Make them as skinny or wide as you'd like.

FOLDING FABRIC: To get my strips, I folded 1 yard of fabric (43 1/2" after cutting off white strips) in half width-wise. So you'd fold the entire length of the yard in half, then fold that in half, making a long, skinny, perfectly folded piece. You should have a managable piece with which to cut strips with a cutting blade, ruler, and mat. Cut yourself three 4" strips. Keep two strips aside and cut the other two to the specified measurements.

One of your shorter strips is going to go up on the waistband, joining with the longer strips, and the other short strip is going to line the bottom of the apron. You can alter the strip size once you've got your apron lined up just right. But leave the waistband strip just the size I've specified.

Iron your strips in half, and then 1/2" from the bottom on all sides. For the ends of your strips, you're going to press 1/4" just like the rest and then fold over once more about 1/2" and press again, sort of hemming that down so no raw edges will be exposed when you sew.

With right sides together, stitch one short strip (already pressed) to one long strip - repeat on the other side. Press seams open. Now you have one huge strip!

Center your long strip on the apron and pin everything down, including your open ends at your ties.

Pin the bottom strip to the bottom of the apron, cutting the strip a little shorter if there is a little extra.

Stitch everything down, making sure your seam allowance is at least 1/2" so you catch the waistband in front and back.

AWESOME! Now the old napkin is reborn and ready for more action in the kitchen! Now all I need is a pocket in the front for my phone & iPod to fit inside. Maybe I'll do that, maybe I won't. I kind of like it just the way it is!

Also, you can wear the apron down on your waist, or you can tie it up higher, right below the bra line to protect your clothes from that area that catches the most splattering!

This would make a GREAT gift around the Holidays. Maybe a fun Thanksgiving treat for all of the hard-working cooks - or something sweet to put under the Christmas tree for someone you know who would get some good use out of a beautiful, functional work of art!

With all of the COOL fabrics out there to choose

from, the possibilities are endless with this easy apron!