This DIY Father’s Day gift is so easy to make! An easy DIY apron with a fun stencil pattern that you can download is something that dad will love. Read on for the tutorial.

Father’s Day’s a-comin’, so let’s make something for dads and dudes! This DIY Father’s Day gift of an apron is perfect for your husband or dad, especially if he loves grilling.

It’s kind of an homage to a carnivore, if you will. It’s also an awesome sewing project because all you need is a flour sack towel and some black trim.

What Do Dads Actually Want for Father’s Day?

Take it from a mom who has received her fair share of very lovely and adorable handmade gifts from kids. Parents appreciate the cuteness of a handmade kid gift, but what they really want is:

something that’s actually functional, or
something that looks really great.

Luckily, this DIY Father’s Day gift covers both of those bases!

More Fun DIY Father’s Day Gift Ideas

If this DIY gift for dad doesn’t quite feel perfect for the dad in your life, check out these other great DIY ideas:

And how about something to eat and drink on Father’s Day?

How to Customize This DIY Father’s Day Gift

There are two parts to this DIY Father’s Day gift.

You could chose to do either one or both! The first portion is actually constructing the apron using a flour sack towel, and the second part is stenciling on the design.

There are plenty of ways you could customize it!

Try making the apron out of a different fabric. Something colorful or with a pattern could be fun!
Make the apron but leave it plain, without the stencil.
Purchase a plain apron and stencil on the design.
Try stenciling on an entirely different design!

Materials You’ll Need

Materials

Printable Apron Design File
flour sack towel, 33″x38″ (like these)
black woven trim, about 1″ wide
sewing machine
pins
scissors
freezer paper
iron
pencil
fabric paint
sponge brush

Make Time: 2 hours

Make a DIY Father’s Day Gift Apron

Arrange the towel or fabric so that a 33″ edge is at the top and the hems are wrong-side-down. Fold in the top corners 11″ from either side, and so that they fold at an angle down about 15″ on the outsides. Pin at the corners.
Cut in horizontally on both 38″ sides to meet the fold. It should be a 5″ cut, 15″ down the side.
On the wrong side, sew a straight stitch hem where you cut in on the sides. Then sew down the diagonal folds. Trim away the excess. This will form the top portion of the apron.
For the neck strap and waist ties, your measurements may vary. I cut three pieces of black trim, each about 20″. Pin the first behind the outer edges of the top of the apron and sew both sides down with a straight stitch.
With the remaining two, sew one on each side of the waist (the area where you cut in horizontally and hemmed). Pin one end behind the apron and sew with a straight stitch. Make a quick fold-over hem on the loose end so that it doesn’t unravel.

Download the Apron Printable

Click the button below to download the animal design to add to the front of your DIY apron for Father’s Day.

DOWNLOAD APRON DESIGN

How to Add A Stenciled Design To Your Apron

Download our template above! Cut it out of freezer paper.
Iron the freezer paper, shiny side down, onto the chest of the apron.
Using a sponge pouncer brush, liberally but carefully paint over the stencil with fabric paint. Be careful to put something down underneath the apron in case paint seeps through.
Gently peel away the freezer paper.
Be careful to let the paint fully dry before you wrap up your apron. Since we’re using fabric paint, you may want to wash the apron once before you give it as a gift. Be sure the dad in your life knows how much love went into this DIY Father’s Day gift! And then let him grill away to his heart’s content.

I love this DIY Father’s Day gift! As an update, this DIY was made in 2013 and now, in 2020, it’s still going strong! A perfect gift for dad if you want to make something useful with a handmade vibe. Have fun! xoxo

DIY Father's Day Gift // Stenciled Grilling Apron

Yield: DIY Stenciled Apron

Active Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours

Difficulty: Intermediate

Estimated Cost: $20

A stenciled apron makes a wonderful DIY Father's Day gift!

Materials

flour sack towel (approximately 33"x38"
1" black ribbon or trim
sewing notions
freezer paper
iron
black paint
foam pouncer brush

Tools

sewing machine
scissors

Instructions

Arrange the towel or fabric so that a 33" edge is at the top and the hems are wrong-side-down. Fold in the top corners 11" from either side, and so that they fold at an angle down about 15" on the outsides. Pin at the corners.
Cut in horizontally on both 38" sides to meet the fold. It should be a 5" cut, 15" down the side.
On the wrong side, sew a straight stitch hem where you cut in on the sides. Then sew down the diagonal folds. Trim away the excess. This will form the top portion of the apron.
For the neck strap and waist ties, your measurements may vary. I cut three pieces of black trim, each about 20". Pin the first behind the outer edges of the top of the apron and sew both sides down with a straight stitch.
With the remaining two, sew one on each side of the waist (the area where you cut in horizontally and hemmed). Pin one end behind the apron and sew with a straight stitch. Make a quick fold-over hem on the loose end so that it doesn't unravel.
Download our template! Cut it out of freezer paper.
Iron the freezer paper, shiny side down, onto the chest of the apron.
Using a sponge pouncer brush, liberally but carefully paint over the stencil with fabric paint. Be careful to put something down underneath the apron in case paint seeps through.
Gently peel away the freezer paper.
Be careful to let the paint fully dry before you wrap up your apron. Since we're using fabric paint, you may want to wash the apron once before you give it as a gift. Be sure the dad in your life knows how much love went into this DIY Father's Day gift! And then let him grill away to his heart's content.

Notes

There are two parts to this DIY Father's Day gift.