Upcycled Vintage Apron Back Tee

Some of you may already know this, but I am a vintage apron collector. I love vintage aprons, and have bunches of them in my cabinet in the kitchen. The full aprons I use when I cook. Some of my half aprons that have deep pockets get used at shows or the flea market, but a lot of them just sit there and look pretty. Occasionally I might slip one on with a pair of jeans and a plain tee. I have been wanting to find another way to style them into something wearable. I thought I might try to add one to a back of a tee for a fun look. I was so happy with the tee that I made, I ended up adding one to a tank too! This is a really easy way to funk up a plain shirt, and a great way to show off some of your favorite old aprons outside of the kitchen!

Here’s What You Need:

*Tee Shirt or Tank

*Vintage Half Apron

*Scissors

*Ruler and Marking Pen

*Straight Pins

*Sewing Machine and Coordinating Thread

Instructions:

For the tee and the tank you will start out the same way. Lay out where you think the top of the apron should start. I wanted to start it near the top where the band of the apron would go across my back on the tee and meet up with the yoke on the tank. Measure and mark your placement and then pin your apron band on top of your mark line. Top stitch the band to the tee and then turn at the ends and stitch down the sides of the band. For the tank stop your top stitching at the end of the yoke in the back.

 

For the tank you will need to fold over the excess band to the wrong side of the tee where the yoke meets the curve in the back. Pin it in place and then top stitch over it.

 

To finish off the tee I cut a line from the end of the apron band to the end of the bottom of the side seam on both sides. Then I cut the fabric off of the underside of the band, so I cut away the whole chunk of tee where the apron was going to hang. Then I pinned the apron sides to the side seams and stitched all the way down. Then I trimmed and hemmed the front hem of the tee.

 

The tank I finished a little differently. I pinned the apron sides on top of the back of the tee at an angle from where the band ended to the bottom of the side seam on each side. Then I top stitched the apron down as close to the edge as I could manage. Once I had stitched the apron sides to the tee, I went back and cut out the back of the tee where the apron hung at the side seams and the top leaving a little seam allowance. To finish off the tank, I stitched top stitched the pocket that was on the apron onto the front of the tank.

I absolutely LOVE both of my new tops! They are super comfortable to wear, especially on those days you feel a little bleh! I love how easy they are to whip up and how you can customize them to coordinate with the apron. The tank I bought at target on sale and it ended up being perfect with my aqua apron. The stripe tee was a Walmart cheapie I had lying around for a while. The only thing I was not happy with on the walmart shirt was that the knit was ribbed like a thin interlock so the hem got all wonky when I was trimming and stitching it up. A regular hanes jersey tee would have been better. So, if you are an apron hoarder like me, or just have a few tucked away in the closet, give this simple diy a go. I think you’ll love it! I’ll be back soon with another fun project. Until then…

Happy Crafting!