Waterproof Tablecloth Apron

I must admit that the apple did not fall far from the tree for me when it comes to keeping things tidy. Just like my mother I tend to get water everywhere when I wash the dishes and am hopeless at keeping cooking oil off of my clothes. This easy-to-make apron would make a great gift for my mother and maybe yours, even if your mother doesn't have difficulties in the kitchen!

The main advantages of this apron, in addition to being cute, are as follows:

1. Waterproof so that the clothes you are wearing underneath do not get wet when cooking or doing dishes.
2. Plastic coating makes it super easy to clean without having to worry about oil stains.
3. Plastic-lined tablecloths are cheap and easy to come by.
4. It can be made from a used tablecloth and other various fabric scraps, thereby cutting down on your environmental impact.
5. The main section can be cut from one piece, and only steps 1-6 are necessary to make a operable apron, making it simple and less time consuming for those of us working without a sewing machine.

Step 1 Gathering Materials

Plastic-coated tablecloth: about 55x71 inches (140x180cm)
3-4 scraps of fabric in varying (approximate) lengths: neck strap - 23.5x3 inches (60x8cm), top support - 14.5x5 inches (36x12cm), a waist tie - 71x50.5 inches (180x128cm) and bottom - 30x5 inches (76x12cm)
Pins, Needle and thread

These materials are pretty easy to come by; you can either use an old tablecloth that you have lying around or you can buy one at a thrift store. Any fabric will do in a jiff, but the waterproof material is what makes this really handy. Mine was purchased at a thrift store, and was originally used as a tablecloth until my roommate described it as a little too vibrant for our dining room.

Comments

[DasBus]

 I've been wanting to make an apron! I, too, get water all over myself when I wash dishes. LOL!

[Mafiamissy31]

thats really cool and the second i see a table cloth i will buy it and do this in a instant

[Goodhart]

Very nice.

[Andilinn]

Such a good idea, the waterproof apron! In fact, I put a new colorful plastic tablecloth outside for a few days, only to find the rats had nibbled the fold, so I had to cut it in half to save it. Now I will make aprons! Plus it is brilliant clothes saver when teaching children cooking or painting (and in some cases, there is no difference!).

[Ninzerbean]

Congratulations! My cat does the exact same thing when I am sewing, or reading the paper too.

[Aly]

Congratulations.

[DebH57]

Big, Big Congrats on winning Grand Prize Heidi!

[benkatz]

Can someone decipher centimeters into inches for me. I am basically dumb as a rock unless it's in inches and yards. Thanks.

[unexpired]

Sorry about that, I am in China right now and only have a metric ruler at hand. I just updated the instructable, however, by adding all of the standard measurements. Hope that helps!

[benkatz]

Thank you for your quick response. I really appreciate it. Oh, and CUTE kitty!

[jessyratfink]

I love this! I have a ton of oil cloth, so I might try to fashion one of these out of it!

[cohofarms]

Very cute and handy. I love aprons so I will have to try and make one of these aprons. Thank Heidi!! Linda Allan