Halloween Apron Dress

Throughout the year, whenever I find discount Halloween fabric, I can’t help but stock up a bit. It is so much cheaper buying things like that out of season, after all. I bought the fabrics I am using for this project in August, right before this years Halloween fabric came out, so I only paid half price.

This one is a bit different than the first one I did for fall, found here. It’s a pinafore again but this one ties on like an apron. It turned out pretty big, which is good, since then we will get lots of use out of it. 

Most of the pieces for this pattern are just rectangles, I like to keep things super simple. The top piece however, I made by tracing the basic shape from on my daughters dresses then tracing part of it onto another piece of paper. I cut two pieces using this pattern piece for the front and the front lining, then I used the same pattern and cut two more with one of the shoulders longer so it would overlap the front.

I cut 4 strips of a purple cotton for the ties. Mine were 23×3 inches.

I cut two large skirt rectangles of 15×12 inches, and two small from another fabric of 8×10 inches.

I made a couple applique patches by ironing some Heat’n’Bond onto the back side of my fabric, then cutting out the shapes that I wanted. I made a pumpkin for the apron front and a bat for the skirt.

I cut them out, did some trimming, then removed the paper backing and ironed them on. Since this was done before the hemming was done I was careful to make sure they weren’t too close to the edge.

To finish the applique I sewed a zigzag stitch with a bright orange thread and went around the whole border.

I sewed the front and back pieces of the apron bib together at one shoulder on both the main piece and the lining and pressed the seam open. Then I placed the lining and the front right sides together and sewed them together, leaving the bottom open.

After it was sewn, I trimmed around the curve, cutting little snips into them to stop it from bunching up on the inside. Then, I turned it right side out and pressed it.

Next I attached the tie. I centered it on the apron, placing one strip on the back right side facing in and one on the front, sandwiching the bib. Once they are sewn the tie will fold down, so this is sewing the top of the band/ties to the bottom of the apron bib. I sewed the band on all along the top, continuing down the sides, tapering the edges and then around part of the bottom, leaving a section where the skirt would be attached open.

For the skirt I hemmed all 4 pieces and sewed the smaller pieces onto the larger ones. Then I ruffled it up by stitching along the top with a long and low tension stitch. I pulled one of the threads carefully to bunch up the fabric. Once it was the size I wanted I sewed along the same line with a regular stitch to secure it in place.

Then I inserted it into the tie and did a top stitch all the way around it. The front and back were constructed the same way.

I trimmed up all my loose threads and marked the spot for my button. I sewed in a orange very wonky button hole on the longer piece of the shoulder then sewed a button on the shorter piece.

And it’s done!… mostly. I plan on finding or making a nice spooky button for the shoulder in the future but for now it is complete.