Embroidered Sewing Machine Apron

Keep your tools and notions close at hand with this nifty sewing machine apron. The organizer has six pockets to conveniently hold your scissors, marking tools, calculator, and other small items. The sewing machine apron also features a handy pincushion.

Read below for these free project instructions.

Supplies & Materials:

Supplies Needed:

**3/4 yard sturdy fabric (for pocket section and base section - we used lightweight canvas)

**1/2 yard sturdy fabric (for pocket section and pocket lining - we used lightweight
canvas)

**1/2 yard of cotton fabric (for the bias trim and pin cushion - we used flannel)

**Medium-weight cutaway stabilizer

**Temporary spray adhesive

**Air-erase pen (or other marking tool)

**Polyester fiberfill

**Nylon monofilament thread

**Medium sized button and needle and thread for some hand sewing

The designs used in this tutorial include:

- E8941, Sewing Notions Stack
- A689, I Love Sewing

Pair this clever project with the Crafty Tool Belt and the Fabric Basket for a creatively coordinated sewing room! Here are a few more design suggestions that will bring the look together nicely: Sewing with Sunbonnet Sue , Creative Filigree , Flourishing Stitches , Itching to be Stitching Redwork and Flowers of Creativity .

Gather Materials:

To begin, measure the length of your machine along the front edge (we measured our machine without the embroidery arm attached). Ours measures 18 inches long.

Close-up of a white sewing machine with a digital touchscreen displaying stitch options, placed on a wooden table with a metal ruler in front.

Now, measure the width of the machine from the front to the back. Ours measures 10 inches wide.

We will use these measurements a bit later to size the base section of the apron.

White sewing machine on a wooden table with a metal ruler held by a hand wearing a silver ring, measuring the length near the machine's front edge.

Prepare the fabric for the front left panel of the pocket section. Using an air-erase pen or other marking tool, draw a 6 inch wide by 8 inch high rectangle on the canvas fabric. Measure and mark the center of each side of the shape by measuring and dividing by two. Draw lines to connect the marks; these lines will be used for hooping.

Hand holding pencil marks measurements with a wooden ruler on light blue fabric with two overlapping rectangles drawn in pen on a wooden surface.

Create paper templates of the designs by printing them at full size using embroidery software. If you don't have embroidery software, you can cut a piece of paper the shape and dimensions of the design to help with placement and centering.

Poke a hole in the center of the template of the left panel design and align it with the center point on the fabric. Make sure the design fits well within the shape - there should be at least one inch of space between the outer edges of the design and the edges of the shape.

Hand holding a pencil tracing a printed black and white sewing machine illustration with thread spools and pins onto blue fabric, with drawn guidelines.

Start Embroidering:

Spray a piece of medium-weight cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive and smooth the fabric on top. Hoop the fabric and stabilizer together by aligning the marks on the hoop with the lines on the fabric. Attach the hoop to the machine and load the design. Move the hoop so that the needle is directly over the center point on the fabric and begin embroidering.

Embroidery hoop holding light blue fabric with stitching guidelines, placed on a wooden surface, ready for embroidery work.

When the design has finished, carefully trim away the excess stabilizer on the back of the embroidery and cut out the shape.

Light blue fabric square with colorful embroidery of a tomato pincushion, spools of thread, buttons, pins, and a measuring tape next to orange-handled scissors on a wooden surface.

Prepare the fabric for the front right panel of the pocket section by drawing a 12 inch wide by 8 inch high rectangle on the canvas fabric. Measure and mark the center of each side of the shape by measuring and dividing by two. Draw lines to connect the marks and align the template for the right panel design with the center point on the fabric. Make sure the design fits well within the shape - there should be at least one inch of space between the outer edges of the design and the edges of the shape.

Hoop the fabric with medium-weight cutaway stabilizer and embroider the design as you did before. When the design has finished trim away the stabilizer and cut out the shape.

Close-up of a hand holding a white paper slip with "I ♥ Sewing" handwritten; the heart is filled with vertical lines and the "S" stitches through the heart shape.

Lay the right panel flat with the right side facing up. Align the left panel on top (right sides facing) with the right edge of the left panel aligned with the left edge of the right panel. Pin in place and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned edge only.

Blue fabric with red embroidered word "Sewing" and a partially revealed section showing colorful embroidery of a sewing machine on light blue fabric.

Press the back seam open using an iron.

Blue apron fabric with two embroidery designs: a red "I" and heart with thread spools on one side, and sewing machine parts on the other, being ironed.

Now, to prepare the fabric for the bias trim, draw a 18 inch long by 2 inch high rectangle diagonally on the cotton fabric (we used flannel) and cut out the shape.

Close-up of a hand holding a pen, drawing a straight line along a metal ruler on white fabric with blue grid lines on a wooden surface.

Fold the raw long edges of the shape over 1/2 inch to the wrong side and press. Then, fold and align the folded long edges together and press.

White fabric strip being pressed flat with a white and blue iron on a light gray ironing board surface.

Wrap the trim around the top edge of the front pocket panel and pin in place. Sew a seam along the inner edge of the trim.

Close-up of a fabric apron panel pinned for sewing, with red embroidered text "I ♥ Sewing" and a small fabric piece with sewing-themed appliques on a wooden surface.

To prepare the fabric for the back of the pocket section, cut a piece of canvas 17 1/2 inches wide by 9 inches high.

Place the assembled front pocket panel on top of the back pocket fabric, right sides together, with the bottom edges aligned and pin in place. Sew a 1/4 inch seam along the side and bottom edges only - leave the top edges open. Then, turn the fabric right side out

Piece of blue fabric on brown surface with white strip embroidered with red "Sewing" and purple heart with needle and thread; hand lifts corner showing yellow tape measure embroidery.

Prepare the fabric for the pocket lining by cutting a piece of canvas 17 1/2 inches wide by 8 inches high for the front piece. Then, cut another piece 17 1/2 inches wide by 9 inches high for the back. Align the bottom edges of the pieces together (with right sides facing). Pin in place and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the side and bottom edges - leave the top edge open.

Light blue fabric folded with sewing pins securing one edge, lying on a wooden surface, no embroidery or stitching visible yet.

Insert the outer shell of the pocket section inside the pocket lining. Then, align the top edges, pin in place, and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the side "tabs" on both outer edges -- just above the trim and along the top edge of the back (leave a 3 inch gap open for turning). Sew a 1/8 inch seam along the front edge.

Light blue fabric apron held open showing inside lining with partial embroidery in red and purple thread on white fabric inside pocket section.

Turn the pocket right side out and insert the lining inside the pocket. Press the seam along the front trim edge and allow about 1/8 inch of the lining to extend up past the trim. Top stitch along the front edge in between the trim and lining.

Close-up image of a blue apron with sewing-themed embroidery including a tape measure, buttons, and scissors, being ironed with a white iron.

To create the pocket separations, measure and mark in one inch starting at the right edge along the top trim and bottom edge. Measure and mark in another inch, then three inches in from the last mark, and then another three inches. Draw lines to connect the marks - this indicates five pocket spaces along the right pocket panel. Using nylon monofilament thread in the needle (and regular sewing thread in the bobbin), stitch along the lines and along the seam between the left and right panels through all the layers of the pocket.

Blue sewing machine apron with appliqué of colorful buttons and spools of thread on one side, and red embroidery reading "I ♥ Sewing" on the other. A hand marks fabric with a pencil beside a wooden ruler.

To prepare the base section (where the machine will rest) take your machine length measurement and add 8 inches (for seam allowance and to create an area for the pin cushion). Our machine measured 18 inches long - so, 18 inches plus 8 inches equals 26 inches.

Now, take your machine width measurement and add one inch for a seam allowance. Our machine width measurement is 10 inches - so, 10 inches plus 1 inch equals 11 inches.

Using the width and height dimensions you just calculated, cut two pieces of canvas. Align the two pieces of fabric together, right sides facing, pin in place, and sew a 1/2 inch seam along the short ends and one of the long sides - leave one long side open for turning.

Light blue rectangular fabric piece pinned with multicolored sewing pins, lying on a brown wooden surface. No embroidery or stitching visible.

Turn the fabric right side out and press the seams. Also, turn the fabric of the opening in 1/2 inch and press.

Hand holding a white and gray iron pressing a folded blue fabric on an ironing board with a light blue cover.

Insert the top edge of the pocket section inside the opening of the base section leaving one inch of space between the pocket and the lower left corner of the base.

Partially sewn gray apron fabric on a wooden table, with embroidery including a red tomato pincushion, yellow scissors, pink heart, and red text "I Sewing.

Pin in place and top stitch a 1/4 inch seam around the entire outer edge of the base section.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching white trim onto a blue fabric with red and pink embroidered heart and letters, secured with pins.

Prepare the fabric for the pin cushion by cutting two pieces of cotton fabric 4 1/2 inches by 4 1/2 inches (for the top and bottom). Also, cut four pieces of fabric 5 inches wide by 2 1/2 inches high (for the sides).

Lay one of the square pieces right side up. Then, align one of the rectangle pieces with one of the sides of the square, right sides together, and with 1/4 inch of the ends of the rectangle extending past the edges of the square. Pin in place and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned edge.

Hand holding two layered pieces of light blue and white checkered fabric pinned together with a blue-headed pin on a dark wood surface.

Attach all of the remaining rectangular side pieces to the square just as you did the first piece. Remember to allow 1/4 inch of the side pieces to extend past the edges of the square.

Light blue and white checkered fabric pieces laid out on a dark wooden surface, some cut into smaller squares, no embroidery visible.

Align all of the short ends of the side pieces together, right sides facing, pin in place, and sew a 1/4 inch seam along each pinned edge starting and stopping 1/4 inch from each end.

Hand holding a small fabric piece with white and light blue checkered pattern, partially sewn with pins on dark wooden surface.

Align one edge of the remaining square piece with one of the side edges - allow 1/4 inch of the side piece to extend past the edges of the square piece. Pin in place and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned edge. Repeat this process along the remaining sides leaving a 2 inch gap for turning.

Hand holding a piece of light blue and white checkered fabric pinned with red and white sewing pins, edges folded and stitched.

Turn the fabric right side out and stuff the pin cushion with polyester fiberfill until it's firm. Turn the fabric of the opening in 1/4 inch and hand-sew the opening closed.