It is almost there end of the year and the season of family, guests, and entertaining will be upon us. Make an easy tea towel apron (also called dish cloth apron) in under 30 minutes to protect your clothing and to make you look fun and festive.
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Tea Towel Apron Tutorial
The best thing about making a tea towel apron is that the edges and hems are already done for you, significantly cutting down on the amount of work. Since tea towels are usually used for the boring job of drying dishes, they are extra absorbent and great for absorbing spills. I also think today's tea towels have gone beyond just checks and you can find some really nice fabric designs.
Tea Towel Apron - Supplies
- Standard-sized tea towel. They do vary slightly between brands but make sure it is large enough to cover your front. Look for tea towels with attractive borders as they give the illusion you have used more than one fabric and make the design pop. If you are feeling really adventurous and want to make your own tea towel, I have a tutorial on DIY tea towels.
- Straps - ⅜ yard of cotton fabric for the straps.
- Cut 2 side straps - 27 x 3.5 inches (68.5x9cm)
- Cut 1 neck strap - 21 x 3.5 inches (53x 9cm)
If you really want to save sewing time you could substitute some 1 inch (2.5cm) ribbon.
Tea Towel Apron - The Video
If you are a visual learner, then please watch this short video that shows you how I made the aprons. I post weekly sewing videos so please subscribe to my YouTube channel!
Tea Towel Apron - Instructions
Step 1: Place your tea towel widthwise on your table with the wrong side facing up. Measure down 10 inches (25cm) on each long side.
Step 2: Mark 9 inches across the top (shorter end) making sure it is centered. (Just fold to find the middle and then mark 4.5 inches in each direction.
Step 3: Fold in each edge from mark to mark to form a triangle.
Step 3: Stitch down the triangle edges with a matching thread,.
Step 4: Fold the 3 straps in half lengthwise with right sides together and stitch one end and along the length with a ½ inch seam allowance. The other end will be left open.
Step 5: Clip the corners and turn the straps right way out. Give the straps a press.
Step 6: Push the raw ends of the straps inside by ½ inch (12mm) and press. This way you will have no raw edges to fray in the wash. Stitch across.
Step 7: For the neck strap, sew it on the wrong side of the top of the apron. Overlap it over the edge by ½ inch (12mm). You might want to sew the first side and double check the length before sewing the second side. Backstitch the ends well so your strap lasts lots of washes and wears.
Step 8: Attach the open ends of the side straps the same way at the bottom of the triangles. Once again backstitch well.
All ready to get cooking! If you're a good cook perhaps you can give me some tips!
DIY Tea Towel Apron FAQs
How to Make a Beginner Apron
The easiest way to make a beginner apron is to use a tea towel and add straps. Tea towels have the edges already hemmed making it a quick and easy way to make aprons.
What is the Difference Between a Tea Towel and a Dish Towel
Tea towels are usually made from linen, cotton or a blend while dish clothes are often made of terry cloth. These terms are often used interchangeably though and you can make your tea towel apron from either.
More Apron Patterns
If you liked making a tea towel apron, why not check out these tutorials for more aprons.
- How to Make an Apron - This free pattern comes with a printable PDF pattern in 2 sizes
- Half Apron Pattern - This free pattern gives you everything you need to make a pretty half apron with pockets. You could also save time by using a tea towel for the body of the half apron.
Jean
What brand are the towels you show here? The prints are fantastic! Thank you!
Diane Black
Thank you for this: is there one is a children's size too? Or are there some hints for making same?
best wishes