Spring is in the air, and people are starting to prepare their gardens for fresh produce and spring flowers. If you are looking for an easy spring craft to make, then this homemade DIY harvest apron is perfect for gathering fresh produce and flowers from your garden.
When we moved into our house last year there was an overgrown vegetable garden at the back of the property. There were no rows or garden beds, the fence was falling down and it was full of weeds. We removed everything and are starting it from scratch this spring. We also recently added chickens to our little family and are building a coop and fenced outside space.
This inspired me to make this harvest gathering apron for not only collecting fresh produce but also fresh eggs too.
How to make a DIY harvest apron
The fabric you use for this project will determine how sturdy your apron is. Remember that you will be filling the basket front with produce or eggs and it could get heavy. I loved the linen I picked up at a fabric store, but found I needed to double it over for the basket, and triple it for the waist tie. The print fabric is naturally heavy and more like the fabric used for outdoor cushions.
Supplies needed:
- Fabric – two kinds. I used linen and then a heavier print fabric leftover from our phone purse project.
- Elastic
- Scissors
- Sewing machine
- Measuring tape
- Pins
- Safety pin
Instructions:
Cut the main pieces for the apron, you’ll need a waist tie, front and back pieces, and the basket. Measure your waist to see if you need to adjust these measurements, but these are what I used.
- Waist tie – 78 inches long, by 6 inches wide – this was to fold the fabric over three times to make it sturdier. If you use a heavier fabric, then you might want to just fold it twice, so adjust to 4 inches wide.
- Apron – both the print fabric and a piece of linen on the back of it measure 20 inches by 15 inches.
- Basket – check the image below for how to cut this. I doubled the fabric over (again if you use a heavier fabric you won’t need to). The length of the longest section is 34 inches, the shortest is 20 inches, and the height is 10.5 inches.
Along the longest side of the basket sew a panel to thread the elastic through. Make sure that it’s just a little bit wider than the elastic so that it threads through easily.
Using a safety pin, ease the elastic through the panel, and then stitch the ends so that the elastic doesn’t move.
Place the back piece of linen, the floral fabric, and the basket on top of each other. Pin them into place, and then stitch around the sides and bottom only. Turn your apron back in the right way so that the stitches are on the inside.
Fold over the waist tie, and then make a hem on the top of the apron. I find it easiest to iron these into place before pinning them together. Make sure to measure the waist tie so that there is the same distance on either side of the apron for tying it around your waist. Sew it into place, and then tuck the ends of the waist tie inside, and sew that too.
Now you have the perfect waist apron for gathering eggs and fresh produce from your garden.
Please Pin Post For Later:
I wish there were better pictures, or just a drawn pattern diagram, this is a little hard to follow, and I’ve sewed a lot of aprons. I think the piecing instructions are written in the incorrect order of layering the 3 pieces of fabric as well, so it turns right side out correctly.
horrible directions…what is the cutting diagram for the “basket”. Very confusing
Hi Sarah. I would make the elastic around 35 or 36 inches. The top of the brown fabric is 34 inches so, this would give you a couple inches to be able to maneuver the elastic. Once you get the elastic to the tightness you want, you can clip the ends off.
I am going to make this but, will add little pockets for eggs inside; that way it can be used for egg collecting and harvesting. Good luck! : )
Hi! How long should the elastic be? How should you bunch it up? Thanks so much!