Quick and easy jean mutations
Making a cobbler's apron, a jean-bag, and salvaging pockets.
by KAY L. MILLER
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I couldn't do it. I just couldn't bring myself to throw out those laced bell-bottom jeans that were taking up space in the bottom drawer of my dresser . . . although I knew that I should. After all, they were not only out of style . . . but, recently, they had somehow gotten snug in places. (I don't want to talk any more about that.) Clearly, there was no place for them in my wardrobe.
Nevertheless, the jeans were still bright in color and rugged . . . and with those flashy grommets and white lacings, they were just too spiffy to give to the scarecrow. In the end, frugality won out over temptation and—instead of banishing the pants to the trash—I embarked on another of my "leftovers" projects. Result: My old bell-bottoms metamorphosed into a cobbler's apron and a nifty "jean-bag" (see accompanying photos).
Maybe you'd like to recycle a pair of pants or two yourself if—like me—you've gotten "too big for yer britches". It's easy! Here's how.
THE COBBLER'S APRON
First cut away the top of the jeans from the legs and set the top part aside (Fig. 1). Next, rip out the hems and inseam of each leg. (Note: The inseam is often seam with a lock stitch which—if undone from the proper end—will pull out in one continuous thread.) Pin the two opened-up leg pieces together, wrong sides facing in. Leave the sideseams intact.
Now make a pattern similar to the one shown in Fig. 1 (the exact dimensions are not important). Pin this pattern to the still-pinnedtogether leg pieces and cut around it. (Cut neck and waist tie-strings—and maybe even a pocket or two, if there's enough material—from the remaining fabric, as shown in Fig. 1 and the photos.)
Pin the two new apron halves together wrong sides in, and stitch their long edges together. Afterwards, trim one flap of the seam allowance a bit, lap the other flap over it, and top-stitch. That should make the seam look like the other flatfelled seams used on most jeans.
Next, make a narrow hem down each side edge of the apron and top-stitch them. (If you prefer, you can use bias tape as I did on the workshop apron shown in one of the photos.) Make a little wider hem for the bib top and replace the bottom hem (which you ripped out earlier). Sew strips of fabric into narrow neck and waist tie-strings and attach the strings at the appropriate places. Add a few pockets if you wish . . . and there you have it: a nifty, no-cost cobbler's apron for use in kitchen, garden, or workshop.
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