How to Make a Child's Apron

Children love messy activities. They love to play with finger paint, sink their hands in the dough, make meals out of mud, and play in the plain dirt.

Aside from letting them wear old clothes, you have the option of creating aprons to cover your emerging artists, cooks, and gardeners.

Both kitchen and bathroom towels make great aprons with just a few modifications.

Kitchen Towel Apron
This type of apron will be great for the child eager to help with the cooking.

Materials needed:
- Kitchen towel
- 1 ¼ yards of 1" Ribbon to match a color on the towel
- ¼ yard of fabric, the color of the ribbon, to create two pockets
- Scissors
- Thread
- Sewing machine (or needles)

1. Cut a piece of ribbon long enough to sew along the length of the towel and to be tied in the back. Secure the ribbon by sewing along the top and bottom borders for the whole length of the towel.

2. For the pockets, you can choose to cut the fabric in half and make two side pockets, or you can choose to leave the piece whole and make one large central pocket.

3. The easiest way to proceed is to just sew the fabric on the apron. However, if you desire something that will look better and last longer, you will need to fold and secure the borders of the fabric to avoid fraying. Once done, you can sew on the pocket(s).

You can also fold the ribbon over the sides of the pocket. This will not only stop the fabric from unraveling, it will also add accent to the pocket(s).

4. If you have opted for one central pocket, you may want to sew one line in the middle to create a divider.

Kitchen Towel Double Apron
This kind of apron will keep your little one safe from spills both in the front and back.

Materials needed:
- Two kitchen towels
- 1 ¼ yards of 2" Ribbon to match a color on the towels
- ¼ yard of fabric to make one or two pockets
- Scissors
- Thread
- Sewing machine (or needles)

1. Cut two pieces of ribbon about 5" to 6" in length and four more about 8" in length.

2. You will use the two shorter pieces of ribbon to connect the two kitchen towels by their width.

3. Secure one of the shorter pieces of ribbon about 1" from the border along the width of the towel. Proceed the same way with the other piece on the opposite end.

4. Take the second kitchen towel and place it against the first one so to align the borders and secure the other end of the ribbons to the second towel. This will allow the apron to be slipped over your child's head.

5. You are now ready to place the ribbons that will be used to tie the apron on the sides.

Take one of the longer pieces of ribbon and secure it at waist's height on the side of one of the kitchen towels.

6. Proceed the same way, until the other three ribbons have been secured at the same height on each side of the two towels.

7. For the pockets, you can choose to cut the fabric in half and make two side pockets, or you can choose to leave the piece whole and make one large central pocket.

8. The easiest way to proceed is to just sew the fabric on the front of the apron. However, if you desire something that will look better and last longer, you will need to fold and secure the borders of the fabric to avoid fraying. Once done, you can sew on the pocket(s).

You can also fold the ribbon over the sides of the pocket. This will not only stop the fabric from unraveling, it will also add accent to the pocket(s).

9. If you have opted for one central pocket, you may want to sew one line in the middle to create a divider.

If you want an apron that is thicker and absorbs more, you can follow the above directions and choose bathroom towels instead of kitchen towels.

Bathroom towels come in different thicknesses and sizes. Because they are thicker, remember to use a larger needle in your sewing machine to avoid it breaking during the stitching.

Larger needles will work well also if you opt for hand sewing. They will make it easier to perforate the fabric.

Don't forget that you can use appliqués to personalize the apron. You can use letterings to monogram the apron or you can use designs to embellish it.