Viking Apron Dress Tutorial

My mother (left) made hers with a stiff upholstery like fabric, while mine is made of a soft green linen. Mine also has much larger gores, for extra flair.

Written and Illustrated by Katie Yearwood, Original Pattern by Merrie Busch

A Viking apron dress is one of the most common items you'll see in the SCA. Easy to make, affordable, yet highly customizable, a Viking apron dress is fantastic starter garb. I wrote this tutorial after seeing one of the most common questions on SCA and Ren Faire Facebook pages was people looking for patterns on how to make one. Because there are a lot of different ways to make Viking apron dresses and it isn't always easy to know where to start.

The pattern I explain below was given to me by Merrie Busch, but I have digitalized her sketches for this article. All credit goes to her and wherever she learned this design.

You Will Need:

Basic sewing supplies (a yardstick and a chalk or other marking pencil makes this much easier)
Several yards of fabric (how many you will need will depend on your measurements)
- I highly recommend linen, which you can purchase at your local sewing supply store or stores like the Fabric Store (non-affiliated link). Linen drapes well, takes abuse well, and will last forever if you take great care of it
Invisible zipper and medium weight interfacing (Optional!!! While not historically accurate at all, this is a great way to make more figure-hugging apron dress that you can get and out of easily. I added this method, this was not Merrie's idea. Sometimes, I like to put the Creative in SCA.)

Decoration:

Two turtle brooches. You can find them made out of metal, resin, and plastic. I own heavy pewter ones, but my mother's were 3D printed by my sister, as she wanted something lightweight.
As many strings of beads as you want in whatever pattern you want. More you have, wealthier you are.
Trim or embroidery floss, if you wish to get fancy
Belts, knives, pouches, and whatever other accessories you want!

Overview

This is our basic apron dress: it is made up of three rectangles (a front piece and two side panels that will also create the back), two gores, and two small rectangular straps. This apron dress pattern is customizable to your own dimensions and I will discuss further ways to customize below.

Planning

Remember! Measure twice, cut once!

You will need to make the following measurements:

Side Panels: Measure the circumference of your chest, then divide by three. This will give you the widths for two side panels and a front piece. Then make them as long as you want your dress to hang, from an inch or two to your collar bone to approximately mid-shin (always make it too long. You can always hem it shorter). ADD 1/2 inch on each side for seam allowance!
- ALTERNATIVE FRONT PIECE: I am small chested, so the Thirds Method causes my width seams to be in weird areas. Instead, I measure from the edge of my pectoral, across my chest, and then to the edge of my other pectoral for my front panel. Then I measure from pectoral, across my back, to the edge of my other pectoral and divide by two for the two back panels. ADD 1/2 inch on each side for seam allowance! This allows me to have a more fitted apron dress...but I always have to wiggle a lot to get in, so now I add invisible zippers for ease.
- “Why can’t I make the side panels one large rectangle if I’m not putting in a third gore in the back?” Because the seam down your back actually pulls the fabric in a way that makes your dress more flattering.
Gores: You will need at least two gores, but you can add a third (see below in Customization). To make the gores, measure from your waist to where your dress ends (make it too long. You can always hem later). This is how long each gore is. How wide your gores will be will depend on you. I'm fairly small, so my tighter fitting apron dress has two gores that are 13 inches wide each, while my flowing apron dress has three gores at 21 inches wide each. ADD 1/2 inch on each side for seam allowance!
Shoulder Straps: You'll want your two shoulder straps to be longer than you need them, you can always shorten them later. Measure from the bottom of your pectoral, over your shoulder, and to the bottom of your shoulder blade (ask a friend for help if you need!). However wide you want your straps, multiply by two (each strap will be two layers for strength) then ADD 1/2 inch on each side for seam allowance! I do one inch wide straps, so I cut them at three inches wide.
Pockets? See Customization.

Concerned about size? Just make everything a couple of inches too large. You can always make the top of the apron dress tighter or hem it shorter, but you can’t easily add width or length.

Reminder: Did you remember to add in your seam allowances?

Now, based on your measurements, figure out how many yards of fabric you need! I'm short enough that the width of the average fabric is my length, so mine is generally the width of all three panels added together, plus the width of my gores (which are longer than my shoulder straps) to find out how long my fabric is.

Once you have your fabric, draw out your panels, gores, shoulder straps, and optional pockets with chalk or other marking pencil with a yardstick or other measuring tool. Then cut once you have double checked everything!

Customization

You may wish to take into consideration adding pockets (a must-have in my book), an extra gore in the back for more flair, or even add an admittedly non-historical invisible zipper to make it more form fitting while still removable.

Here is a free pattern for pockets, but there are many others out there.

For an extra gore, just take your measurements for your first two and simply make a third.

If you wish to add a zipper, pick up a long, invisible zipper and a medium weight interfacing (I like iron on) that is as long as the top of your side panels to your waist (the length of your back) and about 2 inches wide. You can make the zipper longer if you don’t have a third gore.

Sew It All Together!

Start by sewing your two side panels together to make your “spine.”
1. If you are adding a third gore, only sew to your waistline. If you are not, you can sew all the way down.
2. If you are adding a zipper, do this now. You can follow this video.
Next, sew each side panel to your front panel, stopping at your waistline. Test fit, adjust as necessary.
Hem the top of your apron dress.
Sew in each gore, starting from the waistline, then sew downwards towards the hem. This is the hardest part, in my opinion.
1. Pockets! If you are adding pockets, place them according to the “Front” illustration in Customization.
Your dress is probably terribly uneven at this point. Ignore for now.
Create your shoulder straps, which is like making a super skinny pillow in a way.
1. For each one, fold in half widthwise to create even skinnier rectangles.
2. Sew the very long edges closed.
3. Sew one short side closed.
4. Turn inside out (this is the most annoying part, in my opinion).
5. Slip stitch the other short side closed.
6. Put the long seam on the bottom of your ironing board, then iron the strap so that it creates one, neat rectangle.
7. Repeat for the second strap.
8. Put on your apron dress and decide where you want the straps placed along the top hem. I always sew the straps onto the back hem, but I’ve both sewn the straps on to the front hem or left them loose and pinned them in place with my brooch. I prefer the pinned method now, but I see the value in both. Some people do loops, but I’ve never tried that.
Serge or use a zigzag stitch to clean up the inside seams.
Hem your apron dress to your preferred length.

Decoration

This is the fun part. Take your brooches and pin them where your straps meet your front hem. Attach your beads to your brooches. This is your basic apron dress. Put it on top of a t-tunic style underdress and you are good to go!

However, I like decoration. Some people add trim, embroidery, decorative front panels, leather belts, woven belts, pouches, knives, and more. Pinterest is a great place to look for ideas. I’m particularly fond of looking at Savelyeva Ekaterina’s work for inspiration for color choices and decoration.