An Apron you can make from a Summer Skirt.
The attractive little apron illustrated on this page has been
made with the expenditure of very little time and trouble, from a
straight-gathered cotton voile skirt.
The simple gathered full type of skirt has been very popular for the
summer frock during the last two or three years, and when this has lost
its freshness for dress wear, the material will often be found to be in
quite good enough condition to turn to account in the manner suggested.
At the top of the page the skirt is shown before its transformation;
the two lower figures give the front and back views of the apron when
finished, and you will see that it is quite a becoming little garment
of the fashionable button-on-the-shoulder style, with straps crossing
at the back.
To make the apron, first take your skirt and rip the gathers away from
the band at the top, measure 30 inches from the centre front of the
skirt folded together, and cut away the extra fulness from the back.
The larger portion you have then forms the apron. If the skirt you are
using happens to be one that fastens with a seam at the centre front,
it will be best to use the back of the skirt for the centre front of
the apron, to avoid a seam down the centre.
[Illustration: The Gathered Skirt which was used for the making of the
Apron.]
[Illustration: The back and front views of the finished Apron.]
Unless the skirt is a very short one, you will find it will be quite
long enough without making any alteration in the hem, but as most
skirts have a fairly deep hem, it would be quite possible to let this
down if necessary.
To form the curved sides for the under-arm, measure 12 inches along the
top edge from the centre front, and cut a half-circle 7 inches deep and
12 inches across in each side of the apron.
Now take the piece you cut away from the back of the skirt, and from
this cut a straight double strip 12 inches long and 4 inches deep for
the front yoke band, and two further double strips each 17 inches long
and 4 inches wide for the shoulder straps. Mitre one end of each of
the shoulder straps and slant the other ends, taking 2 inches off the
length for the outer edge of the strap. If your skirt should not be
full enough to give sufficient material for the double straps, they
could quite well be lined with some other material, or could even be
made a little narrower.
Finish the back edges of the apron with narrow hems, also the armholes.
Gather the front and place between the double yoke band. The backs are
also gathered and placed between the slanting ends of the shoulder
straps, putting the shortest part of the strap towards the back.
Cross the straps at the back of the apron, and fasten the mitred ends
to the yoke band with buttons and buttonholes. Your little apron is
then complete.
[Illustration: SPINNING WITH A DISTAFF IN BRITTANY.
_Photo by
M. Parsons._]
Knitting Your Own Woollen Spencers.
Provided you are fond of knitting and can work fairly quickly, you will
find it a great economy to make your own woollen spencers.
If you are careful to select wool of good quality, you will be well
rewarded for the time spent in making, as hand-knitted woollens can
always be relied upon to show less shrinkage with constant washing than
even the most reliable makes of all-wool woven underwear.
Here is a practical little design that is very easily made, and
very comfortable for wearing, the cross-over front giving a double
protection over the chest.
Materials required.
7½ ounces of 4-ply white A.A. “Peacock” Fingering, and 4 No. 13 steel
needles.
Abbreviations used.
=K= = knit; =p= = purl; =st= = stitch or stitches.
The Back.
The body section is worked in one piece, and is commenced from the back.
Cast on 100 st.
Knit 20 rows of ribbing, 1 plain and 1 purl alternately.
Now commence working a plain and a purl row alternately, knitting plain
the first 4 st and the last 4 st of both the plain and the purl rows.
These plain stitches prevent the edges of the work from curling up, and
give a flat under-arm seam.
Work 60 rows in this way, increasing 1 st in the 6th st from each end
of every 15th row. Continue for 5 more rows, which will bring you to
the armhole.
_86th Row._—Cast off 12 st, p to 4 st from the end of the row, k 4.
_87th Row._—Cast off 12 st, k to the end of the row.
Cast off 1 st at the commencement of each of the next 4 rows. This
should leave you with 80 st on the needle.
Now work 49 rows, a plain and a purl row alternately, slipping the
1st st of every row. In these rows purl the return rows right across,
omitting the four plain st at each end.