Pants to Apron DIY UpCycle

If you are a maker it’s bound to happen – you WILL get dirty! Plus there’s all those tools that you have to carry. Let me help you with this Pants to Apron DIY UpCycle.

Save the Pants!

The curse of a maker; assess every article before getting rid of to figure out if there is another use. Yup, perfect! Those big-pocketed pants are fabulous to become aprons of the utility kind. Most of the work is already done for you.

Rough cut the large rectangles of the parts: The big back pockets can be in the middle front upper and lower pockets. The slash pockets (front sides) will become your pockets for stuff. Just make sure to cut so as to save the entire inside pocket. Add a couple triangles to fill the top sides.

Don’t be too fussy about the seams or ‘bits and bobs’, any extra loops may come in handy.

Ta-da! All pieced with simple seams and some zig-zagging to keep seams from fraying. Most of the work has already been done for you so it’s super quick. Use some of the remnants to make some straps for tying and any other additions. Sure. add more pockets if you’d like.

OK, I confess:

I remember vividly as a little girl trying to sew with a toy machine, it was so frustrating that my parents gave me my own Kenmore at 12 years old. I still have it over 45 years later (ok, don’t do the math!!) and have also collected a few friends for it! They are work-horses and have nifty attachments as well.

Even though something is utilitarian it can also be pretty! I wanted to test some of the stitches that these machines make. How novel to pick a ‘cam’ and pop it into the machine to create all kinds of pattern stitches! No software or computer hookup!

Even though something is utilitarian it can also be pretty! I wanted to test some of the stitches that these machine cams make. The ‘swirly stitching is meant to keep items from falling too deep into the pocket and also for fun.

No one questions a car enthusiast about their fleet of cars do they? Well, each machine has it’s function and I like them all. These days many are sadly rejected so I give them a warm home and some oil. I have not met a machine that would not run for me yet. There’s a future post for that so I won’t do a count yet.

Make yourself a nice apron and maybe even give a new home to a lonely sewing machine and she will reward you with much satisfaction and pride as you become more self sufficient. Here’s a dedication to all who sew & a thank you to the ‘Home Economics’ classes they used to teach in school…

Happy Sewing!

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24 Comments

  1. Love your upcycled work pants! I’ve been using jeans for aprons as gifts for special friends. Because a narrow neck strap can make for headaches, I reuse the waistbands to for adjustable, cozy straps around the neck. My last 2 were custom painted jeans from a friend’s auntie and repurposed for work aprons.

  2. Just found your blog!Thanks for this post, I’ve been hiding jeans so my hubby doesn’t take them as rags…I knew they would be something else one of this days. Now I just have to leave the calligraphy aside and start the sewing again. By the way, my loving mother in-law left me her own Kenmore machine when she started teaching me how to sew (1997, plus watching my grandma on her old Singer back in the 70s, I’m 58)…identical 🥰beauty as yours 🤩,strong yet forgiving if well treated, surely a work horse, it will stay in the family.
    Thank you for all you do, I read your post of AI, please continue your blog, we Humans 💪 never will be out by artificial “something” 😉

    1. Oh, aren’t you lucky to get a machine handed down! Those machines have never disappointed me! I did have quite the collection and have gotten new homes for many. ‘Getting the world into more sewing one at a time! I’ll try to keep going as long as I can!