Easy DIY Harvest Apron Sewing Tutorial
This beginner sewing project creates a cute and useful DIY gathering apron for harvesting fresh produce! The best part? I used an old shower curtain to make it.
For the most part, I am a woman who wants things that are functional. If they are pretty or cute, that’s a bonus. When it comes to this simple apron project, it has the benefit of being both cute AND functional. That’s hard to beat!
Supplies for a DIY Harvest Apron
For this easy DIY harvest apron, you will need a few basic sewing supplies.
When it comes to the fabric, I went with an old shower curtain that I got at a garage sale. Shower curtains are GREAT when you can find them for cheap.
You get a lot of fabric, typically cotton or even linen, at a cheap price. I’ve kept this curtain on hand for a few months waiting for the perfect use, and this was a great project to upcycle it!
Here’s what you need to round up to make your own garden aprons:
- Sewing machine or needle (if hand sewing)
- 32×41 inch piece of fabric—potentially less if you’d like a smaller apron
- Fabric scissors
- Thread in whatever color you like
- 1/2 inch or wider elastic
- Overall buckle or other buckle
- Pliers or hammer (if using an overall buckle)
How to Make a DIY Harvest Apron
There is a lot of give with this apron, so I’ll share the dimensions I used, but feel free to change it up to better suit your height and desired length.
Preparing the Fabric
First, cut your fabric to 32 inches wide by 41 inches long. If you are using an old curtain of some kind, try to utilize the hems so you don’t have to sew them later.
Hem both of the length (long) sides by folding in each raw edge a 1/4 inch, and then another 1/4 inch. Pin and sew.
Next, cut a length of fabric about 3 inches wide. This will be your top waist tie, so length again will vary. I made my apron ties about 50 inches long so I’d have plenty of extra. Fold each side in 1/2 inch, and then sandwich it onto itself. Hem this down. (If you’d prefer, you could also use a pretty, durable ribbon for your top waist tie.)
Bottom of the DIY Harvest Apron
Cut a piece of 1/2 inch or thicker elastic to about 39 inches.
Lay out the elastic on the bottom edge of your apron, wrong side. Fold the bottom over the elastic, and pin down. Fold the edge, and then fold again to make a clean hem. Sew this. I like to use a zig zag stitch.
Now I wanted to have a wide stretch of color at the top when I folded my apron up, but if you don’t care about this you can skip this next step.
With your apron laying wrong side up, fold the bottom up about 4 inches. Then fold over again 4–5 inches.
Next, place an overall button about 4 inches in from the outside edge. This is so you can fasten your overall buckle out of sight when you are wearing the apron in the down position.
The overall button comes with a screw and the large button portion. Push the screw through the fabric and press the button onto it. You can either hammer it into place, or use a pliers to pinch it together like I did.
Now, sew along the very top of the fold, widthwise across the apron.
On the same side you just placed the button, attach your overall strap to the elastic. Follow the pictures below for a guide.
On the opposite edge of the apron, fold over the elastic sticking out the end and attach the other button. Make sure it’s in the right place so when you flip the apron up, the button will be where you need it.
Top of the Apron
Lay out the apron, wrong side up. Take the top waistband/tie you sewed together and lay it at the top. Fold down the top edge over the waistband/tie so it comes 1/4 inch past the band. Fold it over again. Pin, and sew down. Make sure you do not sew the waistband into place.
Now, scrunch the apron a little bit towards the middle to give it a pleated look.
Variations on the Apron
You can change up the height, width, or fabric of your garden apron to whatever suits you!
This was my first stab at the project. If I were to do it again, I think instead of using elastic I would make the bottom piece out of the apron fabric as well for a cleaner look.
You could also make the top of the waistband solid and sew pleats. I think that would make it even cuter and polished.
This also makes a great gift and is endlessly customizable—you can add a big pocket of the same or contrasting fabric, a pretty center ribbon to decorate, or embroidery on the main body piece.
But for quick trips into the garden during harvest season, this works just fine for me.
