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Saturday, March 12, 2011

For the Love of an Apron

I am borrowing much of this from an email forward I got this morning~Thanks Aunt Linda~ As some of you know I adore aprons and am one of the few women of my generation that appreciates wearing one when cooking.  This forward not only gave me a smile but made me want to share. So I hope you enjoy!

Remember making APRONS in Home Economics? I do. It was the first garment I made, and I was so proud of it. It was just a simple half apron, but I took much pride in making it and shared it with my Mom. She used aprons often and it, as well  as the apron my Sis made, eventually wore out.
I recently found a couple when we had the estate sale for my Aunt. I rescued them both. When my cousin came to Indy I presented them to her. She was tickled and one of them was actually an apron she had made for her Mom! She kept that one but gave me the second {which I tenderly use & love}.

note the medium is a 14-16 size
THE HISTORY OF APRONS
I found this endearing, please read on:

The  principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect  the dress underneath because she only had a few.  It was also because it was easier to wash aprons  than dresses and aprons used less material.   But along with that, it served as a  potholder for   removing  
hot pans from the oven.
 
 
It  was wonderful for drying children's tears, and  on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty  ears.  
From  the chicken coop, the apron was used for  carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes  half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming  oven.
  
When  company came, those aprons were ideal hiding  places for shy kids..
  
And  when the weather was cold Grandma wrapped it  around her arms.
  
 
  Those  big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow,  
bent over the hot wood stove.
  
Chips  and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen  in that apron.
  
From  the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.  
After the peas had been shelled, it carried  out the hulls.  (pods)
 In  the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples  that had fallen from the trees.  
When  unexpected company drove up the road, it was  surprising how much furniture that old apron  could dust in a matter of seconds..
  
 
  When  dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the  porch, waved her apron, and the men folk knew it  was time to come in from the fields to  dinner.  
 
It  will be a long time before someone invents  something that will replace that 'old-time  apron' that served so many purposes. 

Makes me want to go make an apron...or better yet,  go to Etsy.com...

7 comments:

Lori ann said...

I love this! That was so sweet to read, and I am like you Janis, I love aprons and wear them too.

I made one also in Home Ec, and remember feeling proud too. It started a lifelong love of sewing for me.

I have a few of my grandmothers aprons that i wear (with care)and treasure, i remember her wearing them.

You've made me want to go make one now!

Unknown said...

I love aprons, have made some and still wear them on occassion. Have collected some vintage ones from Ebay. I had a great grandmother who made several for me as a child, still have those:)

Scott said...

A nice look back. I can remember Mom wearing an apron (over her dress,) but both the dress and aprons eventually went away. My oldest sister made my wife and sister aprons to wear when cooking Thanksgiving dinner. My sister still dutifully dons hers each year. It is those simple things that I miss. Thanks for bringing back those memories.

Linda said...

I love aprons and own and wear several. My current favorite is an Owl-patterned apron that Jim got me for Christmas from Anthropologie.

:)

Anonymous said...

Yes, I made one in Home Ec, and so did my daughter. Aprons are awesome!!

Love Ya Sis~
julie

Anonymous said...

Yes, I made a half apron at school as well, only we didn't call the class anything like domestic science or home economics, just 'sewing'. It was a small private school and did things it's own way!
I wear aprons for cooking mainly because I am such a messy cooker! But find I need big ones, not the half aprons which look so fetching on the right body, which mine isn't. Plus, it wouldn't keep the top half clean. Loved those old ones though. Interesting fun post.

Tegan said...

i am in grade 8 doing home economics, and we are making aprons for cooking, next term. And mine is almost finished but it has been fun and great and i loved making it, but i pricked my self quite a bit putting pins in it.....i dont own a sewing machine or any sewing aquipment so this was pretty much one of the first time i have sewn, it was deffinetly the first time i had sewn on a sewing machine and also the first time i had ever made anything. Trust me though when i say it was deffinety a good experience..... :) :)