Crafty Tuesday – Bottle Aprons

Yeehaw, it’s Tuesday which means it’s time to get crafty!  Today we’re making ‘Bottle Aprons’…

The Danes are very environmentally-friendly and buy most of their drinks in glass bottles. Recycling is big business and there’s a deposit system, even on tin cans of coke. At traditional Danish lunches where we eat ryebread with lots of toppings, beer and snaps (and which can last for hours on end) you’ll see lots (and lots…) of beer or soda/soft drink bottles on the table.

I first remember seeing these ‘Bottle Aprons’ at my DMIL’s house. OK, I admit they’re kitsch but they’re also rather cute! 😉

She made me a whole set of them in Christmas material but you can, of course, make them for any occasion. What about making one for a wine bottle, then give the bottle and apron as a homemade Christmas hostess gift? Or make some in yellow fabric for the Easter lunch table, orange and black for Halloween? Or make one in plain fabric and customize by adding a friend’s name or message in felt letters à la “Mum’s Daily Tonic?” You get my drift…

I used my sewing machine to make these, but you could do them by hand if you have (too much) time and (shedloads of) patience…

You’ll need:

• small fabric remnants
• bias binding or ribbon
• thread

Cut out a basic apron shape. I did mine 15cm/6″ high and wide. The narrow part at the top of the apron was 6.5cm/2½”. Those measurements are pretty good for a ‘one size fits all’. Yes, I know the picture below is ‘sideways’ but I don’t have the energy to turn it round for you…

Take a small length of  bias binding or ribbon and attach it to the ‘top’ of the apron. As you no doubt already know, I always take the easy way out so I don’t bother attaching one side of the bias binding and then the other. I just go ahead and sew it straight on. Without pinning either. Remember what the Flylady says – it doesn’t have to be perfect! Just get it done… 😉 Then do the same with the ‘bottom’ of the apron. Thus…

Then take a long, long length of bias binding. Pin it on to the apron at the sides and at the top, making sure to leave a ‘hole’ big enough for the apron to go over the neck of the bottle. If it’s for a wine bottle, you should make the loop even longer. Sew from one end of the bias binding, all the way round to the other end.

And bob’s your uncle, we’re finished – what do you think?!

Have fun! 🙂