Paisley Pincushion Shopkeeper Apron

I went looking for a fun retro style apron with good coverage and a bit of style and found the Shopkeeper Apron from the Paisley Pincushion at my local quilt shop. It is also available online direct from the manufacturer
http://www.paisleypincushion.com/apr...-patterns.html

I am very pleased with the pattern and have certainly gotten my $9 worth as I have used it to make at least 9 aprons at this point and plan on making more in the future :)

The main advantage to this apron is that it is a sized pattern and as I am a plus-sized person one size does NOT fit all so it was great to find an apron that wrapped around me rather than covering the 6 inches of me in front. The sizing is a bit unusual however. It goes by "high hip" measurement rather than anything you would normally expect. Sizes xs-2xl are included in the pattern though so it is easy to find your size as long as you are aware that it will be different than expected.

The pattern calls for bust darts as well as vertical tucks at the waist, tucks in the pocket to pull the corners open, and another tuck in the back sections to curve them and further fit them over the hips. I did make the pattern as instructed and marked the first time, but found I didn't like the tucks at the waist. I didn't like the extreem fit of it or how it pulled and distorted the print of my fabric. I omited the tucks with no adjustment to the pattern and it worked just fine, just fit a little more roomy at the waist. I also chose to use snaps rather than the buttons called for. The button on neck strap is kind of an interesting design feature.


There seems to be a skipped step in the instructions toward the end, and the instructions for assembly and button placement are really sketchy, but those are easy to figure out for yourself. There does need to be some clarification on how to do the waist tucks.

My only other issue with the pattern is that it is printed on tissue paper, which makes this kind of difficult to trace and since it is a multi-sized pattern that is a definate necessity.

All in all I really do like this pattern though, it is a fun style with lots of possibilities.