How to Make a Child's Smock

A child's smock will protect clothes from fingerpaints, Play-Doh, watercolors, glue, sparkles and other craft supplies. A smock can be made quickly with a sewing machine, a few measurements and a cute piece of material. The smock can also be sewn by hand.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Measuring tape
• Fabric
• Scissors
• Sewing machine or needle and thread
• Pins

Steps to Make a Simple Child's Smock

1. Measure the child from his neck down to his mid-thighs or knees. Write this number down as the height of the child's smock.

2. Measure from the outside of the child's shoulder to the outside of his other shoulder, and then add 2 inches to this number. Write this number down as the width of the child's smock.

3. Cut a piece of material using the height and width measurements for your child. The result will be rectangular in shape.

4. Cut four pieces of material 1 or 2 inches wide and 12 inches long. A 1-inch-wide piece will yield a skinny tie string, while a 2-inch-wide piece will make a tie string that is 1 inch wide when finished. These pieces will be the tie straps for the neck and for the waist of the smock.

5. Fold and pin the edges of the rectangle to make a little seam around the entire smock. This can be 1/4 inch wide or up to 1 inch, whatever you choose. Sew this seam and remove the pins.

6. Fold the straps in half with the wrong side of the material out; pin if needed. Now sew up the open side. Repeat this for all four straps.

7. Turn each strap right side out. Sometimes a coat hanger, dowel or the end of a cooking spoon helps with turning things inside out. Now sew the ends closed---there will be eight ends to sew closed.

8. Attach the two waist straps with the pins, one on the left side and one on the right side, where the child's natural waist falls. Now sew the straps in place with a few simple stitches.

9. Pin the last two straps to the top of the smock, one strap on the left and the other on the right.

10. Test the placement on the child to make sure that the smock falls nicely. Adjust the straps to the left or right or closer or farther from the corners as needed. Pin the final placement.

11. Sew the neck straps on to finish the child's simple smock.

Tips & Warnings

• Ribbon, 1/2 inch to 1 inch wide, can be used for straps instead of sewing your own.
• Pins and needles are sharp; use caution when sewing and when trying the garment on the child.