Child's Dish Towel Apron

Dish Towel Apron

This apron is perfect for fingerpainting or baking.  Just choose a cute dishtowel and add the ties.  It is easy enough to sew up by hand in an hour but cute enough to use for many hours of messy crafts or cooking!

You will need: 1.  A dishtowel 2.  A needle and thread to match the towel 3.  One yard of 1/2 inch ribbon 4.  One yard of 1 inch ribbon 5.  A large safety pin 6.  An iron (optional) 6.  Clear nail polish or fray stopper (optional)
	1.  Turn over 1 inch of fabric on the top of the dishtowel.  Press it so that it will stay in place.  Stitch it down using a running stitch.
	2.  Hook the safety pin on one side of the ribbon and thread it through the neck piece.  Center it.  Stitch the sides of the neck piece together to hold the ribbon in place.  The end will be the neck ties.
	3.  Trim the neck ties to the desired length.  Lightly coat the edge with the clear nail polish.  Turn it under twice and stitch the edge in place. 4.  Cut the one inch ribbon in half.  Finish both edges of both pieces by brushing them with nail polish and then turning them under twice and stitching them in place.
	5.    On the back side of the apron, place a piece of ribbon on each side with the top edge of the ribbon about seven inches below the neckline.  You may wish to measure your child and place the ties higher or lower for a perfect fit.  Stitch the ties in place.
	6.  The apron ties around the neck and behind the waist.

Aprons have been used since Biblical times by people in messy professions.  In the 1940s and 1950s, they were practically part of a uniform for a well dressed housewife.  In the following years, they suffered from backlash as women left the home, entered the workplace, and began to view the perfect housewife image negatively.  However, they are so practical that they did not fall completeley from use even though they fell from fashion.  Today, many women, men, and children enjoy wearing cute aprons while they avoid ketchup stains or grease splashes on their expensive clothing.