Egg Gathering Apron

Got eggs? If you have a hobby farm or small homestead, you probably have hens. And, if you have hens, you have eggs. So. Many. Eggs.
Well, you need something to gather all those eggs with. A bucket works, a basket is cute, and in a pinch, you can use your hands and coat pockets. We've all been there. ;)

But, wouldn't it be fun and albeit easier to use an egg apron? Yes! You can live out your farm life dreams with a sweet egg-gathering apron. 

So, it's decided. You're going to make an apron for collecting those little breakfast nuggets. Besides, buckets are only made for livestock grain and treats anyway. 

Supplies

• Swoon Patterns Egg Gathering Apron pattern. This is free on their website. Grab it here.

• Sewing machine, thread, and notions

• 1/2 yard medium weight fabric

• 1 1/4 yards contrasting fabric (I didn't use a contrasting fabric)

• 1 1/4 yards lightweight fusible interfacing

• Chalk pen or erasable pen

• Ruler

• Clips and pins.

I chose to use the Swoon Patterns egg gathering apron. This was the coolest egg-collecting pattern I found while scouring the internet. I collect about a dozen eggs every morning and wanted an apron to hold eggs and keep them safe. It also needed to be comfortable for me to wear. 

Many patterns had pockets that were sewn in a way that didn't seem secure. If you were to bend over (to pet the cat, or clean out the coop) the eggs would fall out. Swoon Patterns created an egg apron that is pure genius! It involves a little extra sewing but, is well worth it in the end.
​I promise!

Let's Make an Apron

Grab the FREE pattern, print it out, and tape it all together. Decide on the size(s) you're going to make. Simply fold over the pattern for the different adult sizes. You don't have to trace off a new pattern, and it'll work perfectly. For this tutorial, I made the child size. 

Let’s Get Sewing

• First, apply your interfacing to the pieces following the pattern instructions. I used canvas as interlining because I was short on interfacing. I skipped using it on the main pieces. Secret lazy sewist tip. You're welcome. 

• After the pieces are cut and interfaced. You're going to make the pocket portions. Sew the long pocket panel RST (right sides together) along the long edge to form a tube. Turn out and press. Repeat with the other pocket panel.

Sewing the apron

My littlest sewing buddy making her own egg gathering apron.

Mark the fold lines.

• Next, grab your chalk or erasable pen, and ruler. Mark the heck out of the pocket tubes. Per the instructions, use your ruler to measure the distance from the edges and between the pockets. It helped to make the vertical lines a few inches long. You'll then take these tubes to the iron and press them. 

The pocket should look like this.

Not like this.

• Once the pockets are pressed, grab clips and pins to pin and clip the panel in place. I used pins to keep the pocket tubes attached to the apron. Clips kept the pocket folds together. I used a tape measure and the pattern to place the pocket panels in the exact places.

• Topstitch the bottom edge of the pocket panel to the apron, removing pins as you go. I took this part very slowly. No pedal to the metal here. 

Use pins to hold the bottom edges down. Clips keep the pockets folded together.

Go slow when sewing the pocket on.

Bottom of pocket edge.

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The Egg Shaped Pocket

• Now it's time for the fun part. Grab the pocket stitching guide piece. Choose chalk or erasable pen to trace.

• Line the top and bottom fold with the pattern piece. Trace the shape to create the egg pockets. You'll make 8 for the child size and 10 for an adult-sized apron. I found that clipping the piece helped to keep it in place while I traced. 

This part is where the Swoon Pattern really shines! The egg shape cradles the egg like a cup, inside the apron. Unless you're hanging upside down, they can't move around. 

Continue tracing the pattern shape onto the apron for both pocket panels.

• Starting on one side, sew around each egg shape pocket. Go slowly, this is a lot of circular sewing. I hand cranked the wheel a few times around the edges. 

• After the pockets are finished, it's time to sew the apron back and front pieces together, RST. Sew the sides and bottom only. Clip your curves. Trim seam allowances.

Trim seam allowance.

Turn out.

Poke edges and corners out, carefully.

Yes, I made this apron while wearing jammies. Aren't they considered fashionable apparel these days? Haha

• Turn the apron right sides out. Grab your chopstick or other turning tool to push out the corners

Waist Strap

Sew the waist tie like you would with any other piece of bias binding. 

Make the waist strip following the instructions. Match the raw edge of one side to the top edge of the apron. Sew in the folded  area where I'm pointing.

*You can see my chalk marks on the egg pockets still. They'll go away when I brush the fabric with my hand and spritz some water on the area

Fold the other side over. Use clips to hold in place.

Clip the entire strap together.

Blurry photo, but turn end under and sew from one end to the next.

Your apron is finished! Hooray!!! Now, go gather some eggs and don't forget to take treats with you. The girls work hard for their eggs.

Notes on the Pattern

• I didn't really change anything. This pattern was great. In the instructions, they tell you to baste the raw top pieces together. I skipped that because it seemed unnecessary. If a child or beginner is making this, then maybe that step shouldn't be skipped. 

• I prefer a narrower waist tie than what was called for. But, that's a personal preference.

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After making the first apron, I was commissioned to make a few more as gifts. I sewed them the same as well. There wasn't anything I wish the pattern had or didn't have. It's a wonderful pattern and I'm thinking of making a few to add to my shop. I think every chicken mama and papa needs one of these aprons!

I took close-up photos with another one I made. The light-colored fabric makes it easier to see all the details.

UPDATE: This apron is the best egg-collecting apron in my opinion. I can usually put 2 small eggs in each pocket. It keeps the eggs safely inside the pocket while I change bedding, change water buckets, and refill the feed buckets.

This is the child sized apron. It holds 8 eggs. I am in love with how this turned out. I love the lace detail, it’s so sweet.

Now that you've made an apron for the eggs, I am curious...

What do you make when you have oodles and oodles of eggs? We usually opt for a frittata or an angel food cake. Those seem to disappear pretty quickly in our house.

I hope you make one of these aprons. It's definitely a useful farmer’s tool. And a cute tool at that!

Happy farming!
Annette

DIY Advent Calendar

Are you itching to do some holiday sewing? This advent calendar is a quick-ish sew if you want to whip up a fun Christmas item now! Get some stash-busting done too.

Tools needed:

• rotary cutter or scissors

• ruler

• 1/4 yard of a few different fabrics or scraps

• 1/2-3/4 yard of sturdy solid fabric for the front and back. (duck cloth, canvas, denim, etc.)

• Matching thread

• Iron on numbers, cutting machine with HTV vinyl, or template for sewing them on, if you don't embroider them. 

• All the sewing notions and a machine

• A piece of 1/2" wooden doweling and twine for hanging. 

Machine embroidered numbers on pockets

I chose Christmas fabrics similar in color, grabbed them, and started cutting. I liked the size of my phone, so I used it as a pattern. Find something around the house that is the size you want, and use that as a pattern template.

My phone roughly measured 6.5" by 3". I added 1 inch to the width and length for seam allowances to make rectangles. Fold them in half RST (right sides together) and stitch with a 1/2" seam allowance. Sew the sides only. Leave the bottom open, clip corners, turn out, and press flat. 

**If you decide to sew or embroider the numbers on, do this before sewing the pocket together. If you use vinyl or iron-on numbers, you can add the numbers after the pockets are sewn and turned.

Organize them vertically if you’d like.

After you have your pockets made, lay them out and switch around until you decide which assortment you love the best or go crazy. I liked the taller version better.

Arrange them in a horizontal way if you like that better.

I did this part backward, sorta. After laying the pockets out, I cut my fabric for them to be sewn onto. I measured the size of all the pockets and added 2" on each side. 5" to the top and 2" to the bottom. This allowed extra room for seams and the top to get turned down and stitched to create a loop for the wooden doweling.

I added length and width to the solid piece of fabric to sew the pockets onto.

I worked from the bottom up, sewing the bottom row of pockets first. You do what works best for you. :)

Measure from the bottom row of the pockets to see how much room you want.

Flip pockets the wrong side up and stitch along the open edge.

I sewed the second row 1/2" above from the top of the first row. You decide on your own spacing.

I decided to sew the bottoms of all the pockets on first. Then, I flipped them up to sew the sides. As you can see, I used pinking shears to keep the edges from unraveling. This whole project was on the fly and meant to be fun, without overthinking. Sometimes you just gotta sew something! LOL

Sewing the sides. Start from the bottom and go up, backstitch at the beginning and end.

Be sure to backstitch at the start and end of each pocket side. I also added extra stitching at the top where little hands will reach in and out to discover the treasures inside.

After you have all the pockets sewn on, it’s time to put it together.

Grab the backing fabric and pocket piece, and lay the pocket side RST on top of the backing fabric.

Pin or clip the pieces together, and sew a 1/2" seam allowance. Leave a 4"-5" gap at the top for turning. It’s a lot of fabric and layers so, you’ll want a nice size gap for turning out.

It’s starting to come together and look like an Advent calendar now.

Leave an opening for turning.

Clip the corners and trim thread tails. Turn out and top stitch around the whole calendar. 

Decide how big of a loop you need for your wood doweling to slide through, pin, and stitch to create the loop.

Fold the top over and pin in place.

Topstitch to create a tunnel.

Insert dowel, add string, and hang!

Slide the dowel through. Tie string or twine on each end with a double knot. Hang up and fill it with lots of little treasures.

You're done! Yay!!! Now, what do you fill it up with?

Filling it up

What are you going to fill the pockets with? Who is going to use the advent calendar? Little ones or big ones? I've listed some ideas below of what to put inside for all ages. Wrapping each item would make it extra fun and keep wandering eyes from peaking.

• Chapstick or lipgloss

• Fruit snacks

• Small fruits, a tiny orange

• Movie theater ticket

• Handmade coupons

• Small packs of beef jerky

• Cash

• $5 gift card

• Hair elastics or barrettes

• Small lego sets

• Candy

• Toy cars

• Earbuds

• USB stick

• SD card

• Crayons

• Package of nuts

• Hot cocoa packet

• Socks

• Soft gloves

• Squishy toys

• Stress ball

  These are just a few ideas, the sky is the limit on fun little treasures. Just think of anything that will fit in the palm of a hand.

Well, I'm off to buy some items to fill our calendar with. If you think of other ideas, please share those in the comments below. The more ideas, the merrier! Are you going to make an advent calendar? Or make one as a gift? Let me know in the comments below.

Merry Christmas,

Annette