Upcycle a Pillow Sham to Create a Beautiful Bib Apron

Money is tight in many households and the thought of trying to stretch a paycheck to include Christmas gifts may be heart wrenching. If you have a sewing machine and minimal sewing skills, you can create many gifts by using fabric you already own. Fabric does not have to be a purchased piece off a bolt, it can be clothes and linens you no longer use or need. This clever project creates a bib apron from a pillow sham. You are probably thinking that an apron isn't going to cut it for your kid's Christmas. You're right, they have probably written a list with every electronic doodad they can dream up. That's okay, this apron project will knock a couple of girlfriends, your mother and aunts off of the list, leaving you with the money you saved to buy the things you can't make.

If you don't have extra pillow shams in your closet, your local thrift store is the perfect place to purchase them. The price is right and they have usually received little to no use in their previous home. This pattern can also be modified to use a vintage embroidered pillowcase. Grandma will love it.

Things You Will Need:

Standard size pillow sham with straight flange edges (no ruffles)
Measuring tape and yardstick
Marking pen
Scissors
2 inch wide bias tape, 3 yards
Straight pins
Sewing machine
Iron
Hand sewing needle and thread
Assorted doilies, if desired

Steps for Creating a Pillow Sham Bib Apron:

1
Place the pillow sham face up on your work surface. Position it so the short edges are laying horizontally. The short edges are the top and bottom of the apron. Measure down one long side from the corner 10 1/2 inches. Mark the edge of the sham. Measure across the top of the pillow sham from the same corner 7 inches. Mark the edge of the pillow sham. Line up the top mark with the side mark, using a yardstick, and connect the two marks with your marking pen. Repeat the measurements and markings for the other top corner of the pillow sham. Cut off the corners along the drawn lines.

2
Fold the 3 yard length of 2 inch wide bias tape in half, matching the short ends. Place a straight pin at the fold to mark the halfway point. Open the tape and measure 10 inches from each side of the pinned halfway point. Remove the pin at the halfway point. The measurement between the two remaining pins should be 20 inches. This will be your neck loop of the apron.

3
With the cut pillow sham right side up on your work surface, lay the bias tape wrong side up an inch from the cut edge of the apron, below the pinned neck loop. When pinned, you will have a tail on one side edge of the pillow sham, a pinned section on the cut edge, the neck loop, a pinned section on the other cut edge and another tail. Sew the pinned edge of the tape to the cut sections of the apron.

4
Lay the apron wrong side up on your ironing surface. Flip the bias tape in half, to the wrong side of the apron and press. Fold the apron tails and neck loop bias tape in half, matching the wrong sides, and press. Pin the long edges of the tails and neck loop together and topstitch with matching thread. Pin the pressed bias tape to the cut section of the apron and hand sew to finish.

5
Lay the apron wrong side up on your work surface. Pin the opening of the pillow sham closed. Hand stitch the opening closed to finish. Some pillow shams have a zipper closure. In that case, simply zip the opening closed.

I arranged an assortment of doilies over the bib of the apron to cover a few small stains. They were hand stitched in place, but fabric glue could also be used.