Written by Joanne Banko - Brother Ambassador
Posted in the Foot of the Month archives on brothersews.com.
Continuing with the apron theme, I thought I would share this cupcake and polka dot one with you today. There's a story to tell about this apron. It's a bit of a blast from the past. This unique apron was originally featured in a Brother Foot of the Month post back in 2016. It's a fun apron to make with wipe clean fabric. We'll talk more about fabric options later in this post. If you'd like to make one like this, you'll find the full instruction file I created for this project on the www.brothersews website, inside the Brother Foot of the Month archives. Just click on the apron image to read or download the file.
If you're not familiar with Brother Foot of the Month projects, I contribute these tutorials on a regular basis. FOM as I call it, is now posted on the official Brother blog called Stitching Sewcial. Recently, FOM had a title change to Accessory Spotlight. Hope I haven't confused you with titles and websites! Suffice it to say that I've been creating these foot of the month projects, monthly of course, since 2010. Within the various links and archives, you'll find lots of techniques for using various presser feet!
If you're not familiar with Brother Foot of the Month projects, I contribute these tutorials on a regular basis. FOM as I call it, is now posted on the official Brother blog called Stitching Sewcial. Recently, FOM had a title change to Accessory Spotlight. Hope I haven't confused you with titles and websites! Suffice it to say that I've been creating these foot of the month projects, monthly of course, since 2010. Within the various links and archives, you'll find lots of techniques for using various presser feet!
At the time the apron was published, Brother was celebrating a relationship with the Laura Ashley Company and I was commissioned to create a few special items with their fabric. I received a roll of pink with white polka dots and a roll of pretty pink cupcakes along with free rein to come up with samples to showcase the material.
I checked the fabric section of the Laura Ashley site today and believe it or not these two fabric coordinates are still listed there. CLICK HERE if you'd like to take a look at them. In the photo above you can see how cute these two fabrics look together. While I had sewed with some similar fabric before, I never thought about what it was called. Laura Ashley had it listed as PVC and I went with the term. Now I see that their category listing for the fabric says Oil Cloth. I think there's some confusion with these two terms, along with another similar wipe clean fabric called laminated cotton. I'll try to sort out these fabric terms in the next couple paragraphs so stick with me.
I have worked with cotton coated with clear vinyl, also known as Laminated Cotton. In fact, I've even made my own version by adding therm-o-web iron-on vinyl to the front side of cotton fabrics. In my experience, this is a great way to make your own version of a wipe clean fabric that has a smooth backing. If you haven't done this yourself, I highly suggest you give it a try! It's perfect for items like cosmetic cases, travel bags, pouches, wallets, and more! Curious about laundering this unique combination? I have washed small items treated with the afore-mentioned vinyl, it may be a little trickier with larger items because you don't want them to be wrinkled up. Keep the fabric piece as flat as you can and you should be okay. Obviously, since the top side wipes clean, laundering can be kept to a minimum and depending on the project may be totally unnecessary. CLICK HERE and you'll find instructions for laundering coated fabric directly from therm-o-web, the manufacturer of the clear iron on vinyl.
I'm sharing this apron with you today to give you both inspiration and instructions. I think once you see how easy it is to make your own coated fabric you won't have to hunt for pretty prints in the Oil Cloth aisle of the fabric store. Yes, I switched my terminology from PVC to Oil cloth. Seems they are sometimes used together or as interchangeable terms. Technically, PVC, or polyvinyl chloride is a vinyl fabric that comes in a variety of different forms. Herculite.com is a site that provides more technical information if that interests you. As a laminated fabric, you may think of diaper covers when you hear someone talk about PVC material.
Oil cloth material is different. It is rather stiff and has a mesh like backing. It is readily available if you do some searching online and comes in some pretty prints.
Whatever fabric you choose, this apron is easy and fun to make! Purchase wipe clean fabric or make it yourself by fusing iron-on vinyl to the front side of a cotton fabric.
I checked the fabric section of the Laura Ashley site today and believe it or not these two fabric coordinates are still listed there. CLICK HERE if you'd like to take a look at them. In the photo above you can see how cute these two fabrics look together. While I had sewed with some similar fabric before, I never thought about what it was called. Laura Ashley had it listed as PVC and I went with the term. Now I see that their category listing for the fabric says Oil Cloth. I think there's some confusion with these two terms, along with another similar wipe clean fabric called laminated cotton. I'll try to sort out these fabric terms in the next couple paragraphs so stick with me.
I have worked with cotton coated with clear vinyl, also known as Laminated Cotton. In fact, I've even made my own version by adding therm-o-web iron-on vinyl to the front side of cotton fabrics. In my experience, this is a great way to make your own version of a wipe clean fabric that has a smooth backing. If you haven't done this yourself, I highly suggest you give it a try! It's perfect for items like cosmetic cases, travel bags, pouches, wallets, and more! Curious about laundering this unique combination? I have washed small items treated with the afore-mentioned vinyl, it may be a little trickier with larger items because you don't want them to be wrinkled up. Keep the fabric piece as flat as you can and you should be okay. Obviously, since the top side wipes clean, laundering can be kept to a minimum and depending on the project may be totally unnecessary. CLICK HERE and you'll find instructions for laundering coated fabric directly from therm-o-web, the manufacturer of the clear iron on vinyl.
I'm sharing this apron with you today to give you both inspiration and instructions. I think once you see how easy it is to make your own coated fabric you won't have to hunt for pretty prints in the Oil Cloth aisle of the fabric store. Yes, I switched my terminology from PVC to Oil cloth. Seems they are sometimes used together or as interchangeable terms. Technically, PVC, or polyvinyl chloride is a vinyl fabric that comes in a variety of different forms. Herculite.com is a site that provides more technical information if that interests you. As a laminated fabric, you may think of diaper covers when you hear someone talk about PVC material.
Oil cloth material is different. It is rather stiff and has a mesh like backing. It is readily available if you do some searching online and comes in some pretty prints.
Whatever fabric you choose, this apron is easy and fun to make! Purchase wipe clean fabric or make it yourself by fusing iron-on vinyl to the front side of a cotton fabric.
So, at the beginning of this post I told you the apron was a Foot of the Month project. A focal point for the project was the use of the non-stick rolling foot. It's really essential for smooth stitching on this sticky fabric. This foot is also perfect for sewing on leather and suede. You'll also find the non-stick foot in a flat, non-rolling version.
I hope you're inspired by the apron photo and the instructions linked at the beginning of this post. If you'd like to take a peek at a coordinating project, hop on over to the official Laura Ashley blog post archives. I see that they still have the napkin, napkin rings, and placemat project I submitted in September of 2016. Although you won't see my name, you will see the cupcake and polka dot fabric used in some unique ways. CLICK HERE to view the project and instructions. I think this set is just as endearing today as it was back then.
I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
I hope you're inspired by the apron photo and the instructions linked at the beginning of this post. If you'd like to take a peek at a coordinating project, hop on over to the official Laura Ashley blog post archives. I see that they still have the napkin, napkin rings, and placemat project I submitted in September of 2016. Although you won't see my name, you will see the cupcake and polka dot fabric used in some unique ways. CLICK HERE to view the project and instructions. I think this set is just as endearing today as it was back then.
I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
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