This Apron Has a Tail

Er, TALE.  It goes like this... sometime around Christmas last year, I was at a white elephant gift exchange.  As one of the very last people, I opened an apron.  It wasn't so cute or anything but since I'm a messy fun, spontaneous cook, I said "ooooooo, I need an apron, I'm keeping it"!  Well, naturally, in true white elephant fashion, it was snatched away.  That's right, I said snatched. 

Fast forward to May 2010, just a few weeks ago.  My super thoughtful friend, Michelle (I love my friends!), who witnessed the loss of the apron, now works at a library part time and spotted this book:

(sorry the picture is so tiny, it's called 'The Apron Book')

Well, she checked it out for me right away and said 'Sara!  You should just make your own!  There's a pattern in there and everything!" And that is how this apron was born. 

And technically, it does have a tail.  When you tie it in the back... you know, it kinda hangs down like a tail.  Just sayin'.

The pattern was for a one-sided apron - what I mean is there is no back to it, so the back of the fabric is what you see (is that how they all are??). Personally, if I'm using an apron I want it to be more than just one thickness of fabric and, more importantly, to look pretty from the back too!  My manipulations to the pattern started there. This apron is almost reversible, I didn't actually think of that in time, so that will be my next apron attempt.  Also, it had this super long tie that went around your neck, through loops on the sides and then tied in the back. Well, I like simplicity and call me crazy, but I could see myself ending up looking like this in that apron.

I decided to create a loop around the neck and the tie around the back.  Nice and simple.  So, despite my best efforts to finally use a pattern (I've never used a pattern before) I ended up changing it anyway!  For my next apron, I will just use my new found apron knowledge and make my own pattern!  I think I'm gonna change it up some more...

Oh, and this was FREE (well, once upon a time I bought the fabric in the clearance bin- but it was so long ago that it doesn't count, right?)!  

My kind of project.