Tuesday, April 17, 2012

DIY: The Rock Star Apron

Dude, am I in tune? Oh, wait, I'm the lead guitarist. I don't have to be for the ladies to love me.
So I was recently asked how I managed to keep my clothes clean in the art room. Firstly, lemme just say that I have a very loose interpretation of clean. As long as you don't get too close to me, I always look relatively presentable. But, just like a specimen under the microscope, up close and personal, it's a whole 'nother dirty, dingy paint-splatterly story.
Hey, man, can we turn down the bass? And the drums? And maybe the vocals? No one can hear my sweet riffs.
Secondly, what I've failed to show you in my outfit posts is that I wear an apron daily. I've been wearing aprons since my first year teaching when one of my sweet hands-covered-in-paint kindergarten friends decided to give me a hug...and left two paw prints on my tooshie.

But I grew tired of the traditional kitchen apron so, several years ago, I made this one. That's right, this is an oldie. But just like Classic Rock, it's yet to go outta style. Says me, anyway.
Wanna make a Rockin' Apron? Just get your groupies to collect the following:
  • Pair of old jeans (I thirfted these little girl jeans...in my rock star fantasy, I got the hips like Jaggar)
  • 1/2 yard of felt for the guitar
  • 1/4 yard of felt for the guitar
  • A heavy cotton fabric for the apron itself
  • Buttons for the guitar
  • Some sweet rockin' fabric for the shirt
Okay, I didn't go about this sewing project the traditional way. I was too busy at the School of Rock to pay attention in sewing class. So, this is a hot mess of an assembly. Just follow my lead, man.

Puttin' it all together:
  1. Lay your favorite apron on top of the background fabric and trace around it leaving a couple inches for the hem. Fold hem under and stitch around the entire apron.
  2. Using your funkiest fabric, create a shirt. Lay your apron over the shirt fabric, trace around leaving a couple of inches, fold under and sew this to the apron.
  3. Cut off the back of the jeans. Lay this on top of your apron but do not sew yet.
  4. Using a sheet of large thin paper, lay this over your apron and start sketching out your guitar. Once you have that sketch complete, cut it out.
  5. Lay this guitar sketch over your apron (which should still have the jeans on it). Trace where you plan to add the guitar onto the jeans and cut off this portion of the jeans. If you don't do this, you'll end up with a lumpy guitar. Chicks aren't into that. Pin jeans into place.
  6. Trace your guitar onto the felt and pin into place. Do the same with the neck and the white part of the guitar (I'm sure it has a name, but when I asked a guitarist, he didn't know it either). Use a zigzag stitch to attach.
  7. Add the strings with a zigzag. Sew on your buttons.
  8. Sew your jeans to the apron.
  9. Add straps for the neck and waist ties. I used an old belt to give it that guitar strap look.
  10. Now, ROCK THAT APRON.
I added a little flair to my jeans. Notice the paint splatter.

For being several years old, this apron has held up pretty well. I wash it occasionally on a super gentle cycle and allow it to air dry.
What does a lead guitarist use as birth control? His personality.
Well, man, I do hope you'll give this Rockin' Apron a go. It's super easy and very fun to wear. Though I do know what you're thinking...this apron needs more Cowbell.

Rock on, dude!

4 comments:

  1. This is fantastic! I bow to your supreme creativity!

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  2. Oh my word! this has to be the best apron in the history of aprons ever!

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  3. haha! The first picture and the the line about birth control made me laugh! ;)

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  4. I absolutely LOVE this!

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