For the love of Apron History

Well it's no secret that I love cooking, but did you know that I love aprons too!! Yes I wear them, but not all the time, but there is usually always one hanging on the hook ready to be put on just by the kitchen doorway, my favourites are handmade ones, that I recieved as gifts and from an Apron swap that I hosted. But I also have a collection of vintage ones that need finishing off, they have been handed down by MIL, most of which she stitched during her time in Army Training.



They are stunning, from the crinolin ladies to the sexy legged lasses and the even more wonderful stitch work of some amazing flowers. .

The work that was in this one that I gave away was just stunning in it's Australian Native Flora. I hope one day to complete the remaining vintage ones I have in the same way with quilting and binding, so that they can last the test of time, in our family longer.

So it comes as no surprise that when i recieved this email of the History of Aprons, I just knew I had to share it beyond the email that it was, and then in search of some more images I realised that it has been shared many times over on blogs and websites....so perhaps you have read it before, but I am sure it will make you smile some more.

The History of 'APRONS'

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. 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.

REMEMBER:

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron. I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron - but love...