Aprons for a handicapped friend
 

I have a friend who is wheel-chair bound and has very limited mobility. During the winter months she uses fleece aprons which help keep here warm as well as providing modesty covering. She uses a pillowed tray in her lap to support one arm and to hold her tablet and telephone.

My friend has asked me to make her some lighter weight aprons for the summer months. I'd like to make them out of a fabric with a high percentage of cotton so they will breathe well. They need to be easy to wash also.

What weight of cotton fabric would you suggest?

Thanks so much.

How cold does she get in the summer? My mom needs some extra warmth all year long. In my younger days when I was making aprons, I would use a poly-cotton. It doesn't get as wrinkled as pure cotton and won't need ironing. Before you buy anything, hold it up and see if it is see-through. I am assuming you will be a single layer for a summer apron. I searched for "Apron for a wheelchair" and I had no idea they made the aprons out of so many different types of material. Some even had plastic on them and were waterproof. Some had extra pockets for phone and other stuff. Some went up onto the chest. You have opened my eyes to possibilities. I hope someone has real info to share with you.

Thank you for your reply. After I wrote the original message, I realized some polyester would be needed to prevent wrinkling. Summer temps are 70's - 90's. I was thinking of using duck or something a little bit lighter. Her lap pill table will give her some warm.

Unfortunately, I don't have much available to me locally regarding a medium weight fabric. I'll probably have to order online.

You are right, Ordering on line may be your best bet. Fabric.com has a great deal on poly blends available. Where at in MI are you located? I might be able to help you find a LQS or other source for fabrics in your area. (Then maybe not but I will try).

Maybe aight weight denim or "bottom- weight" fabric? I would go for a print that would hide grease stains.

I sent you a PM.

Thanks for your suggestion. That's what I was originally looking at, but was hoping I could find something lighter wt. than denim. She wants the apron to hang down to mid-calf and denim might become too heavy for her on hot days. In the old days there was a poplin-type fabric line called Dan River. That is what I'm looking for.

Dan River was a brand name and they no longer are in business.. I cut many yards of their poplin back when I worked in the fabric department of a store. Kaufman makes a poly/cotton blend poplin https://www.fabric.com/collection/ro...erfecto-poplin Denim also comes in different weights. This is a shirt weight denim, only 4 ounces https://www.joann.com/sew-classic-bo.../11771649.html. It is much lighter than the 7-12 ounces bottomweights.

I once made a dear friend some aprons out of terrycloth and I used bath towels.

How about seersucker for summer aprons? They are already wrinkled and contain some polyester. When my children were babies, seersucker was all cotton and I made summer-weight receiving blankets from it. Love them!