Farm Girl Apron Tutorial from Recycled Jeans

Learn how to make a cute apron out of old recycled jeans


I am so glad you are here!

You're here to learn how to make a cute apron from recycled jeans, right?

I made it as a gift for my stepmom's birthday a few years ago. Not only did she love it - but thousands of Pinterest and Facebook users loved it, too! 

This apron pattern has taken off like wild fire. I can't wait to teach you how to make it! If you consider yourself at least an "adventurous beginner" with a sewing machine and can follow instructions, you can make this apron!

If you have any questions or need clarification on any of the steps, leave me a comment and I will get back to you!


UPDATE: You can now download this pattern as a printable PDF!

As you are about to see, this pattern is a little long because I wanted to provide as many photos as possible to make it really easy for anyone to follow along.

To make it easier to follow along without losing your place, I broke it up into several pages.

Since originally publishing this pattern in 2013, I have gotten MANY requests to make an easy, printable version.

To make this happen, I paid a professional sewing pattern illustrator to help me create high quality illustrations that will make it easy for you to follow along on a printed pattern.

As you can imagine, this was not inexpensive and so for those wanting a clean printable version, I am charging a small fee to help recoup the costs of hiring the professional pattern illustrator.

DOWNLOAD THE PDF HERE - use promo code CGLREADERSROCK to get 50% off at check out



Want to see more versions of this apron? Be sure to read all the way to end where I show you five different ways I have made this same apron pattern - including two for kids! You can really personalize this apron to fit your personality or the personality of the person you are giving it to.

Before we get started, be sure to pin this post so you can save it for later!

Ready to get started? Click the link below!
 Click here for directions

59 comments

  1. The apron is adorable!! It is too cute!! Love it!!

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  2. Am excited about making your jean apron. We all have jeans in our closet that are in need of recycling. What a great idea!

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  3. A fabulous refashion and a great way to reuse pre-loved jeans. Such a comprehensive tutorial. I would love for you to share this at our Ongoing link party that's just for Refashioning with Denim

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  4. This is a wonderful apron for summer!

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  5. This is a wonderful apron for summer!

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  6. Love this! My kids just outgrew some jeans, so I will give this a try!

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  7. love your idea! I am about to make some right now! :D

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  8. Something fun to help my niece learn to sew.

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  9. Love it!!!! I want to rush out and buy old jeans and make an apron NOW!!
    Presumably, you could also use the back (with both pockets still attached) to make a second apron - perhaps more masculine looking for DIY jobs??

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  10. Do you have a picture of the back? I'm wondering how finished it looks? VERY cute too!

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    1. I don't have a picture of the back. How finished it looks will depend on the skills of the seamstress. You can always add bias tape to cover raw seams if they bother you

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  11. I think this is one of the cutest projects I have ever seen!! Would you ever consider doing a Youtube video on making one? I'm somewhat stunned when it comes to reading patterns, lol Thanks so much for showing this, I love it!!! Wendy

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    1. Thanks, Wendy. Due to how long making YouTube videos takes, I probably won't. I hope the pictures I show of the process help you, though. Maybe you have a friend who wants to make one with you and you can help each other?

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  12. So cute, I'm going to make one, thanks for posting it! I was wondering why you didn't use a seam ripper to remove the pocket. It would be SOOO much easier. I had to use those little embroidery scissors the other day to remove a seam, because I couldn't find my seam ripper. I almost went crazy. I went out and bought two more seam rippers the first chance I got, LOL.

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  13. My hubby found this for me and just in time too! He has jeans that he doesn't want and I was already planning on making an apron out of them. This saves me the trouble of figuring it out myself! Thanks

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  14. This is so cute & I really want to make this but step 4 is confusing me. Do u mind elaborating? I'm visual and just not picking up what you're throwing down in that step. Thank u!! :)

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    1. In step 4 you make the ruffle. You have cut 2 pieces of fabric and you will sew them together to make a really long strip. Then you find it in half - so that it is still really long but now there will be a folded edge on the bottom and two raw edges on the top.

      Does that help?

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  15. I love this apron. I've already made 3, 2 kid sizes, which i just subtracted fabric. I know you posted about being able to sell them at farmers markets and craft fairs, are they allowed to be sold at a local mom n pop store?

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    1. I'm so glad you love my pattern. Feel free to sell them at local mom and pop stores. I maintain exclusive rights for online sales, though.

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  16. I made an apron that kooks much like yours (including the ruffle) when I was just a teenager. That was way back in the early 70s, when I was making quilts and adding ruffles to them!

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  17. Uncanny, I made an apron much the same (including the ruffle) when I was a teenager, back in the early 70s. That was at a time I was putting ruffles on my home made quilts as well!

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  18. I've made these since the late 60s, early 70s, only I used premade ruffle to sew around the apron and used a piece of ruffle for the neck strap (when I put a bib) and for the waist ties. My Sewing teacher showed us this in class in 1967.

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  19. what a lovely idea to recycle old jeans! i am going to make one, love your site! thank you very much!!!

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  20. Es una excelente idea, gracias por compartirla

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  21. My sister made me one of these, and I love it - with one exception. So here's a note for anyone making this in the future - the seam down the middle of the top will tend to fold when you wear it and stick out in front. It tends to get in the way if you're moving around a lot. Two ways to fix this - make it narrower toward the top (taper), or instead of tying the neck ties together at the back of your neck, make them longer, and attach them straight back and down to the waist ties (like overalls) so they pull straight back instead of inward toward your neck.

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  22. I am going to make all my grand daughters aprons from my Daddy's jeans and trim with his old shirts So grateful for the idea and the great directions.

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  23. Made 3 for Christmas gifts..thanks for great tutorial!

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  24. I love these and can't wait to try my hand at making them!! I do have a question though, do you us a special gauge of needle to sew with the jean fabric? I have never attempted to sew anything this thick before. Thanks!

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    1. That's a great question! Yes, I would use a heavier gauge needle. Your local fabric or sewing shop should be able to help you choose the right one based on the thickness of your denim and your machine.

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  25. I am going to make one for me and my sister out of our late father's bibs and old shirts. Thank you for the idea.

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    1. What a wonderful way to feel close to your dad.

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  26. Cute! It will go with the tote bags I make.

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  27. Thank you so much for sharing this idea! I loved it so much I made a video tutorial! http://youtu.be/PyXmpq9o4BM

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    1. Thanks for the link, Heather. I would really love it if you could you please credit Creative Green Living in your video description along with linking to my tutorial.

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    2. Thanks for the link, Heather. I would really love it if you could you please credit Creative Green Living in your video description along with linking to my tutorial.

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  28. Thank you for the tutorial! I love the finished result!
    http://bonnieblogyou.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-pinterest-apron-project.html

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  29. I have to say this is one of the first Jean aprons that I really like and want to try and make!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

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  30. Do you know anyone that makes these that I could purchase one?

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    1. I know a seamstress who can make these. If you email me at carissa@creativegreenliving.com telling me the size, color, etc that you are looking for, I will put you in touch.

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  31. Great idea thanks for sharing! This is a awesome apron for summer! thanks once again!!!

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  32. Hello! Great idea! How do you handle the white cotton pockets that are typically in the front pockets of blue jeans? They drop down lower than the apron length on mine. Cut them off? Sew them up? Have you (or anyone) run across this?

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    1. That's a great question. I would cut across the pockets when cutting the front of the leg. When you get to the step where you attach the ruffle, be sure to stitch over the pocket fabric layers in addition to the denim and it will seal the pocket right back up

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    2. Excellent! Thank you so much!

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  33. Wonderful site! You stated in a previous blog that you were going to make a version of the blue jean apron pattern that we could print? I am old and it is so confusing to me to keep clicking to next page and having to scroll so much. I have no one to help me. Do you have it so I can print it off yet? Please say yes!! I want to make these for my sisters for Christmas. Thank you for all the work you put behind bringing all this good stuff to us.

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    1. YES! Thank you for coming back to ask. It's so new I haven't even had a chance to get this post updated. You can buy it here: Printable Farm Girl Apron on Etsy

      If you use the code CGLREADERSROCK it will get you a 50% discount.

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  34. This looks very cute and I grasp the construction instructions but not the cutting, i.e., " Fold your fabric so that the 1/2 yard length is running in front of you. Fold the fabric widthwise or "hamburger" style twice so that the 1/2 yard length is across the table in front of you and the piece is about a foot tall, making it a manageable height to cut strips from." I am an experienced seamstress and I have no idea what that means.

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    1. Hi, Eloise! You may feel better knowing that you are not the first experienced seamstress to leave a similar comment or email - I tried to write the instructions in a way that someone without a lot of sewing experience could still follow along - and that unfortunately left some experienced sewists confused as these are not typical sewing terms.

      "Hamburger style" and "hotdog style" are paper folding terms used to teach grade school kids how to fold a paper width-wise or length wise.

      Another way to phrase the instructions would be to lay the fabric out in front of you so the half-yard length is running in front of you. Then fold the top of the fabric down toward you. Do it one more time. This way you can cut the fabric strips by cutting a short length that will unfold into a long strip.

      I hope that makes more sense!

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  35. I have made a lot of aprons. All of my family, male and female now have aprons for all seasons!! I'm ready to branch our to make these cuties for friends and family...however, the tutorial will note open. I've clicked many times without any tutorial populating. Can you advise how to I can correct this problemand receive the tutorial??...Thank you.

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    1. Thanks for your comment. The tutorial is broken up into several pages since it is so photo heavy it won't load on just one page. The next page is here: http://www.creativegreenliving.com/p/blog-page_28.html

      Look for the teal "click here for the next step" button at the bottom of each page.

      You can also purchase a printable copy in my Etsy shop here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/558979191/farm-girl-recycled-denim-apron-pdf?ref=shop_home_active_5

      If you use code CGLREADERSROCK you can get a 50% discount!

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  36. I loved this version of Jean aprons that I made one for me and great grandaughter. They are just alike and she loves them.

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  37. This pattern is perfect. I have several pairs of jeans that have ripped in the back at the waistband and/or the pocket corners while the fronts and most of the legs are intact. This will use most of the useable fabric and the rest of the pieces can go into potholders or other scrap projects.

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  38. How cute, thank you. I am making this with a few tweaks-folding my strips in half and sewing on that way, only because I'm too lazy to make bias strips =) I think I will hand sew the ruffle after I tear it, and sew it with the tornside in half and toward the top. I think that will be cute. I really appreciate your idea about cutting above the crotch. I like that little heart shape it gives the skirt. Thank you so much, great video.

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