Monday, December 9, 2019

The History of Aprons


Someone recently shared with me the "history of aprons", which I thought I'd share with you below.  One of my daughters is currently taking a sewing course and surprised me with a beautiful apron she made for me!  I will have to get a picture of it to share with you.  For many years, I've been wearing an apron when cooking in the kitchen and never want to go without now.

The History of Aprons

I don't think most children today know what an apron is. The principle use of Mom's or 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, she 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, she 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.

Mom's and Grandma's used to set 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.

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3 comments:

  1. I love this----so sweet! I'm making my mom and three youngest daughters aprons for Christmas. If I have time, I'll make them for my two oldest, too. I love my aprons!

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  2. Simply beautiful.Thank you kindly,Blessings,Dawn E.Brown

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  3. Sarah--that's lovely! I'm sure they will love them! I hope to have some more time to sew soon.

    Dawn--you're very welcome. God bless.

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