Simplicity 9435: Pattern Notes

     The votes were in, and this fabric set won! The mix of floral prints seemed to call for something a bit ruffly, but not too formal, so I decided to use Simplicity's 9435 apron pattern, view B. As a first apron, I probably should have started with an easier pattern. I say 'first' because I have three other apron projects lined up. But S9435 felt like a good fit for these fabrics, which are both Keepsake Calico 100% cotton. It's just so cute! I especially like the flounce around the bottom of the skirt. It has another interesting detail that's not really visible from the line art or pattern photos: the waistband has a sort of button hole on one side, and one of the tie ends goes through it to wrap around and tie in the front. Because of the way it wraps around in the back, I feel like it would also work as a wrap skirt/jumper, although I'd wear leggings, a slip, or bike shorts under it just to be safe.

    I only made a few minor changes to the pattern. The biggest one was leaving out the carpenter’s loop. I had one all ready to sew on, but then I decided I just didn’t like it with these particular fabrics. The other changes involve topstitching; I used some of the topstitching from view A, mainly on the shoulder straps and along the center front seam in the skirt. This worked out as a nice finish for the raw edges of that center seam. I tucked them under and pressed them, so that when I sewed those two lines of stitching, it caught the seam allowances right along the folds and enclosed the raw edges. I also added some topstitching to the sides and top of the bib, connecting it with the stitching lines from the straps, and on the waistband. It doesn’t really show, but I like how it holds everything in place.

    Before we get to the main list, I'd like to mention a couple of unofficial notes. First, it did come out a bit longer than I expected. Based on the length listed on the pattern envelope, it seemed like the hem would fall right in the middle between my ankles and knees. It ended up being a lot closer to my ankles than I thought it would. I don't really mind, and it has happened with other patterns I've made as well. I have short legs or something. But I thought I should mention it. Second, it came out a little smaller than I anticipated. The envelope listed size L as 18-20. That seemed ideal, since I usually either cut a size 20 and take it in a bit, or try to cut a half size somewhere in the middle of 18 and 20 (size 19?). To me, it feels like it runs a little small, closer to 18. This could be because I've been wearing it over sweaters, though, since it's still chilly here. I didn't check the ease or finished measurements when I was making it. It's not a huge problem, but it might be something to keep in mind. It still fits, and the tie ends are long enough to tie in the front. Now, on to the notes!

S9435 Pattern Notes:

• Printing Errors: (maybe only certain copies?)

- The grainline goes the wrong way on the back flounce piece. The layout images show it placed correctly, but it did throw me off for a minute when I first saw it. 

- The bib pieces shouldn't be cut on the fold, but the pattern tissue says they should. 

• French Seams + Flat-felling: If you want to do French seams on the sides, press the flounce side seams toward the center front, and the skirt side seams toward the back, to reduce bulk. I did all French seams on the sides, and then flat-felled the seam that attaches the flounce to the skirt, because I love that they have such a nice, clean finish. Folding and stitching the edge of the flounce to make it flat-felled was very easy, even with the sharp corner in the middle and the gathering.


• Baste in the angled section of the flounce before sewing. That little point looks nice, but it was rather tricky to sew. I had to take it out three times before I got it right. In the end, I hand-basted it, then sewed each side separately, with the stitching meeting in the middle, because sewing it as one continuous seam just wasn't working.


• Attach the skirt to the waistband before basting on the bib. I found it easier to do it this way, using the notches to line everything up, than to try to attach the skirt after the facing was already on. There was a bigger pile of fabric on my table while I worked on the remaining pieces, but I felt it was worth it.


• Seam Allowances Block Tie Hole! I know it sounds like a newspaper headline, but this was the biggest problem I had with the pattern. Even after trimming the waistband and facing seam allowances, they still blocked part of the hole. The directions didn't mention trimming the skirt/waistband seam allowances, so I only slightly graded them, and they ended up blocking nearly half the hole. After some deliberation, I took out a few stitches from the start of the seams where I could, then made snips in the rest of the seam allowances and put Fray-Check on the cut edges. This worked out well, and all the edges were enclosed when I slip-stitched the sides of the hole together. The hole did end up slightly smaller, but it was big enough to easily get the tie end through it. I also reinforced the top and bottom edges of the hole when I was slip-stitching.

    Overall, it was a fun project! I really like the colors and prints, and I'm happy with how it came out. It was slightly more complicated than I expected an apron to be, but it wasn't too difficult. It's nice that it can also work as a wrap dress. The tiny flowers on the cranberry fabric made me think of Little House on the Prairie, although it's definitely too fancy to be a pioneer apron. I couldn't resist putting eyelet lace on the skirt hem. There were a few small issues that came up, but they were all easily fixed. Now I have a super-cute, frilly apron to wear while I experiment with herbs and veggies from the garden!