Читать книгу Needlework Economies: A Book of Mending and Making with Oddments and Scraps - Группа авторов - Страница 10

Table of Contents

In a Christmas parcel sent to me from Italy this year, I found two of the dearest little aprons I have ever seen—much less owned.

AN EASILY SLIPPED-ON APRON.

They were so very unusual and yet so simple of make, that I feel every girl who is fond of aprons would love to have one. To these two I have added one other, equally simple, and which costs but a few pence all told.

An Easily-Slipped-on Apron.

The first one of the three is one of the Italian ones, and is made of two yards of ordinary kitchen roller towel. This particular one is made from unbleached linen, utterly free from coloured stripes or borders.

From a two yard length of towelling, cut off a strip ten inches long, which will be used for the waistband.

At one end of the long length make a three inch hem, this being the front.

Now lay this strip on the table, and measuring 39 inches from the hem, make a dot with a lead pencil, and take this dot as the centre of a circle 33 inches in circumference, which also mark out with the pencil with the help of a compass. Next cut out this circle and neatly turn in the raw edge, making a tiny hem. At the back of the apron, that is the end unhemmed, make three pleats—one box pleat in the centre and two outward turning ones on either side of the centre pleat.

Cut the ten inch strip into two 5 inch ones, and join in the middle to form a long band. Fold this neatly in the middle and point one end, letting the other end be straight.

Join to the back of the apron and stitch on firmly by machine. Put a fastening in the form of a button and button-hole, or hook and eye, or patent fastener, on each end of the belt, to complete the apron.

Slip the head through the circular opening and let the apron fall on to the shoulders, and join the waistband in the front, and there you have the simplest and quickest made apron one could possibly imagine.

The decoration on my little apron consists of a design of three conventional red roses with green leaves and stalk, separated by 5 graduated dots, the largest being in the middle. This occurs across the foot of the apron, about half an inch from the front hem, and again around the neck, but three inches from the edge of the circle. Right round the circle is a line of stitching in brown silk, then a row of green French knots, and then another line of brown, making a narrow band.

In the centre of the belt is a large button covered in linen, and a single red rose, minus the stalk, worked on it.

An Apron with Smocking.

The second apron is also Italian, but this one is more suitable for needlework or knitting, when one’s frock is apt to pick up pieces of thread or fluff from the wool. It is easily made from a piece of white alpaca, 22 inches long by 27 inches wide. A straight piece of material is used, and the edges are scalloped in three inch wide scallops. Down both sides and along the bottom there is embroidered in white silk, a design of leaves, with a centre flower worked in Richelieu openwork, and the effect of this on the alpaca is really very beautiful.

AN APRON WITH SMOCKING AND RICHELIEU EMBROIDERY.

At the top the apron is narrowed by means of three groups of honeycomb or diamond smocking, terminating in points. A tiny pocket on the right hand side has also a little smocking at the base to correspond. This pocket is made from a 6 inch square of the material and is fastened to the apron by means of feather-stitching.

The band consists of a piece of alpaca, one yard long and about an inch wide. This band is stitched all around by machine.

A Pleated Work Apron.

A PLEATED APRON.

Last of all comes the little odd apron, but I should not be at all surprised if many of you did not prefer it to either of the others.

For this, one yard of zephyr is needed in a pretty check or plaid design, and a quarter of a yard of plain zephyr to match or tone in colour. One of the many that I have made was of white zephyr, with a plaid design of pale blue and brown. To go with this I chose a plain chocolate brown, and it really looked exceedingly pretty when finished.

From the yard of check material cut a strip three inches wide along the selvedge. Then from the remaining piece, cut a strip six inches wide on the width of the material. This will leave a piece 27 inches wide and 30 long. Most zephyrs run 30 inches wide in the single width.

Lay the material flat on the table and turn down a narrow hem, where the selvedge has been cut off, also making a hem the selvedge side as well. Then take two corners of the square and join them together to form a mitre, being very careful to match the design of the material. This forms a pocket, which is useful for holding anything. Next cut the plain material into three strips of 3 inches each, and join into one long piece. Then the 6 inch piece of checked zephyr should be cut into two pieces, each measuring 3 inches wide, and also joined into one long strip.

This leaves you with one long strip of plain, one middle-sized piece of check, and one shorter strip of check.

Take the short piece of check, which measures just a yard long, and cut off a piece of plain one inch shorter. Lay the plain material on top of the check, and tack them together with a line of thread down the centre. Fold the check material over the plain to form a narrow border either side, and stitch with machine. Leave one end of this band rough, and the other end round off, continuing the little border the same as the sides.

From the 60-inch strip of check, cut off a yard length, and the same from the plain, proceeding exactly as before, only finishing off one end quite straight. This makes the shoulder straps and band of the apron, and should leave two strips of material, one check measuring 24 inches and one plain measuring 18 inches. This latter cut into two strips one-and-a-half inches wide, and join into one strip again. Turn down either side of this strip to make a band, and sew along the top edge of the pocket, slanting each end to make a pretty finish.

When this is done, take a stitch with a needle through the centre of the pocket and the apron, and this prevents it from gaping.

Take the top of the apron next and lay in twelve half inch tucks, six going one way and six the reverse, but both facing in towards the centre of the apron. Before doing this, turn down the rough edge to make a neat heading. Sew on the two straps at either end of the top. From the remaining piece of zephyr, cut a strip one-and-a-half inches wide and the length of the top of the apron bib. Turn in each side and both ends, and stitch across the bib top to cover the straps.

To finish the apron, work a buttonhole in the rounded end of one of the strings, and sew a button on the other strap. Then take an iron and pleat the whole apron from top to bottom in half-inch pleats, using the stitched pleats of the bib as a guide.

When wearing the apron the straps should go over the shoulders and cross at the back, and come round the waist and button in the centre front.

The description of this apron may sound a little difficult, but it is really simplicity itself, and very quickly made, besides being very inexpensive.

Hardanger and Cross-Stitch

Edited by FLORA KLICKMANN

This shows some handsome Hardanger patterns, also Natural Designs in Cross-stitch for Violets, Cyclamen, Creeping Jenny, Nasturtiums, Daisies, Roses, Fern, Daffodils, Clover, Cherries, and Wild Birds. The book is uniform in style and price with “Needlework Economies,” and issued by the same publishers.