Sew a Cath Kidston strawberry apron :: Free vintage-style sewing pattern

What you'll need...

● cotton apron
● Felt: 25cm x 30cm each of red and dark red; 10cm x15cm each of light green, dark green and white
● Bondaweb
● Iron and pressing cloth
● Sewing thread to match felts
● Sewing workbox

● See page 2 for the templates (or click on the 'print' button above to print out this page and the templates page together).

To make the strawberry pockets, enlarge the outline on the templates page link above by 120%, so that it is about 19cm tall (including the stem). Cut the photocopy out around the outside edge to make a paper template. Pin this onto the red felt and cut out carefully around the edge.

Trace the dark red shadows onto Bondaweb following the dotted line, cut them out roughly and iron onto dark red felt. Always use a pressing cloth when ironing felt. Cut out accurately and position on the red strawberry. Secure with a round of red straight stitches around the edge.

Make the hull and stalk from light and dark green felt and the seeds from white felt. Fuse them in place with the iron, remembering the pressing cloth. Anchor each piece with a round of straight stitches, using matching sewing thread.

Now make a reversed copy of the enlarged template and put the second pocket together in the same way, as a mirror image of the first.

Pin the pockets on the apron, making sure they are level. Secure with red straight stitches, all around the berry from 2cm away from the green hull on the left to 2cm away from the hull on the right. Make a few extra stitches at each side of the opening to reinforce it.

If you don't want pockets, simply cut the strawberries with a Bondaweb backing and iron them directly onto the apron, using a pressing cloth.

If you are a keen seamstress, you could make your own apron from a rectangle of plain fabric trimmed with a gingham border.

Taken from 'Make!' by Cath Kidston (Quadrille, £16) - the book contains a free tote bag with sewing thread to decorate.