What is a bapron you ask? It's a nerdy-named baby apron. I found a great tutorial
here at Craftiness is Not Optional (great blog for anyone wanting to make pretty things for little girls) for these great bib meets apron that covers more of June's wardrobe than a regular bib. Why do I need a bapron? It's because my little June is now trying rice cereal! So far, so good. She's not eating too much yet, but she's looking stylish doing it!
I loved the variation (
found here), which suggested using laminated cotton for the baprons. If you're not familiar with laminated cotton, it is a 100% cotton that has a vinyl layer on the printed or "right" side. You can buy it already laminated in 44" width by the meter or you can buy the iron-on vinyl from a fabric store and laminate your own cotton! The only disadvantage to doing it yourself is that the iron-on only come in about 24" widths. I've made 3 so far, one with an Amy Butler print and 2 with a Kaffe Fassett print. The bias tape is bought, not made for a quicker process (and because it's not worth burning my fingers for a bapron) I picked up some iron-on vinyl today in a matte finish today, so I hope to be whipping up a few more in a couple of days.
For anyone who is thinking of tackling these (really it is a simple project-it only takes about an hour), I have a few tips. When using bias tape, make sure to put the narrower half on the front. This way you don't have to worry as much about making sure you catch the bias tape on the back. Also, for sewing laminated cottons, sew with the cotton side down against the feed dogs of your machine, not the vinyl side. The vinyl side will stick if it's down. I find that using small metal paper clips works better for holding the bias tape around the edge of the laminated cotton than pins. Pin holes in laminated cotton will not self-heal as they would in regular cotton. Just make sure you don't sew over the paperclips, or they'll be an unwelcome part of your bapron.
I enjoy making things for June, but sometimes they end up more expensive than a store-bought version. In this case each bapron only costs approximately $3.75 in materials! Cute and cost-conscious? Yes, please!
