Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Wistful Wednesday: Apron Day

I have an apron or two, but I rarely wear them.  My Mother wore an apron on Sundays when she was cooking.  Far Guy’s Mom always had an apron in the kitchen hung over the step stool/chair that sat next to the stove, it was ready at a moments notice…they were mostly gingham aprons…red or turquoise. My grandmother wore aprons that covered her whole dress…they were some busy flowery material, with huge pockets, the apron slipped over her head and tied in the back. 

Do you wear aprons?

Aprons were worn more “back in the day” an apron kept your dress clean, the pockets held a hankie...or tiny treasures. Aprons were easier to wash than dresses.

I have an old photo of Great Aunt Frances in 1920.  It was Apron Day at school.
Apron Day Frances
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27 comments:

Tom said...

times have changed

Karen51 said...

For day to day kitchen work, I don't wear an apron. But I do wear one when I am doing big holiday cooking. I still have , somewhere, an apron I made, I think for a 4H project. Now that's old!

Anonymous said...

I love the idea of the apron over the chair/stool near the stove. I do wear an apron - a full one, not half. Two of my early jobs were in kitchens, so the apron habit has stayed with me.

linda m said...

Both my grandmothers wore an apron. My one wore the full apron the other a half apron. The one that wore the full apron had grown up on a farm the other was a city girl. I always wear a full apron when I cook as I must be a messy chef. Sure helps with keeping the clothes cleaner. Would no be without one. I make hubby wear one as well when he helps in the kitchen.

DJan said...

I have a half apron in my closet and wear it for holiday cooking only. Otherwise, the hubby cooks! :-)

Karen said...

I have loads of aprons, and wear them all the time when I am making jam. Not so much for regular cooking, but definitely if I am a bit dressed up while cooking. More people must use them than you might think, as I've sold 26 already this year at just 6 farmer's markets:)

Lynda said...

We learned to iron clothes on my grandmother's aprons. After washing and then line-drying them, she would sprinkle each one with water; roll them individually; and put them in the refrigerator until ready to iron. If I remember correctly, her iron was not one with steam so we would sprinkle more water on the apron to iron it. The water was in a Coke Bottle with a cork-bottomed top that fit in the neck of the bottle. It had holes in it to sprinkle the water.

Mac n' Janet said...

I have an apron and wear it when I'm making something messy, you know, red sauce and stuff like that.

Intense Guy said...

The last time I saw an apron being worn was by my grandmother (pre-1970)

Rita said...

Both my grandmothers wore full aprons. I never have, but have always thought it was a very practical item to have, actually, to catch flour or grease or whathaveyou. Me--I should probably have a full apron just to eat--LOL! Really! I never used to get little spots of stains on my blouses and t-shirts like I seem to do these days--ROFL!

PS My mailbox was not empty yesterday!! Whoohoo! :):)

Tired Teacher said...

My Mom wore half aprons more in the 50s and 60s, made from fabric flour sacks. After my Dad died she did more outside work and stopped wearing aprons and dresses.

Aprons must be making a comeback based on the patterns that are available in stores.

Henny Penny said...

I make and sell aprons, and NEVER think to wear one myself. Mama never wore an apron but my grandmas and all my aunts wore them. I love aprons!

Linda said...

My mother always wore an apron and threw it over her feet when she took an afternoon nap.

Wendy said...

Both of my Grandmothers wore them. One was full and one was half. Mother wore both styles, depending on what she was wearing. I have just become a person who wears one which is usually a half sized one. I plan on starting to make my own.

Anonymous said...

I haven't used an apron for about 40 years now.(I am now 86.) I wore both half and full aprons and loved them. It seems that when cooking these days, wearing slacks, I don't seem to need an apron. Of course we do so much now with the microwave.

Shirley H.

thecrazysheeplady said...

I have a cute sheep apron but I never wear it because I'm afraid I'll get it dirty...so I need an apron for my apron :-D.

Cynthia said...

I love aprons, mainly because my grandma wore them, the kind that went from shoulders to knees. One of my prized possessions is one of her "everyday aprons" which she made herself. Every time I look at it, I can see her in her little kitchen baking delicious things. My mom wore half aprons and the first thIng I made in my 4-h sewing class was an apron. Lots of great memories!

L. D. said...

My grandmothers both wore aprons that covered most all of the front of their dress. When I would go to town with one of them I thought she looked so strange taking off the apron. She of course had those black shoes with tall heals. That same one grandma live most of her life barefoot.

Still the Lucky Few said...

There was certainly a use for aprons then, but now, in the days of casual wear by women of all ages, not so much. This look back was great!

Red said...

I wonder why women or men don't wear aprons today!

Granny Marigold said...

I have a number of nice aprons that I don't wear often, just when I have put on fresh clothes and want to avoid wiping my hands down my front, as I am apt to do. Also during the Christmas season I'll wear my Christmas aprons just because I like them.

Sam I Am...... said...

Love your photo! Apron Day...imagine that. No, I don't wear aprons but I should as I get mighty dirty some days! LOL! I have some old ones I picked up at a sale and I keep thinking that something along that line would be a good part of my retirement uniform as I could always use more pockets. I was looking at cobblers aprons from the old days. My Aunt Alice used to wear them all the time as she was a ceramic artist and didn't want to get paint on her clothes. They're like a sleeveless vest or tunic with pockets. I'd like to get a pattern for one and make a bunch for myself...again, still working on my retirement uniform.

Linda Reeder said...

I do wear aprons when I am cooking anything where oil or butter or other fat might spatter. Grease spots are hard to get out of cotton tee shirts, which is what I am most often wearing. I also wear them when baking. I use chef style aprons.

Jacqi Stevens said...

If they had an Apron Day at school now, I'd have to play hookey ;)

Meggie said...

I must confess I never wear an apron, but I do have two beautifully made ones from Susan at "My Mother's Apron Strings".

Anonymous said...

I never wear them. I do however have a Kliban Kat apron. And...I have my childhood apron.

MTWaggin said...

Do not wear them but love the memories of all of our family womenfolk wearing them.