Wednesday, January 13, 2010

4 Generations of Aprons

I've been really, really bad and haven't posted for a while.  A long while.  I started a new job a couple of weeks ago, and have been trying to settle into a new routine of leaving home while it's still dark, and getting home after it's once again dark. Even though I haven't actually posted anything (for weeks now!), I have been keeping up with everything you've been writing about.  I really enjoy reading all of your blogs!  I can hardly wait to get home so I can catch up on everything.  I don't know what I'll ever do if I end up without electricity for an extended period of time!


Annnnyway...


I just looove vintage aprons!  I've got a few that were my grandmother's, and I even have one that belonged to my great-grandmother who was born in 1852!  Talk about vintage.  They were both excellent seamstresses.  These aprons were sewn by them, and are very special to me.  Please forgive the fold lines from being stored.  I just don't feel comfortable putting an iron on the fabric.  My grandmother was a quilting goddess who learned to sew from her mother. Grandma had won many, many blue and purple ribbons in fairs for her work.  She was an outstanding seamstress and continued to quilt well into her 90's.  She did have a Singer treadle sewing machine, but all of her quilting was done by hand on her huge quilting frames.  Her aprons were a combination of treadle sewing machine, and hand stitching.


Here is some of her apron work...





 And another whimsical one...






And one more with her beautiful embroidery

 






And this one was made by my great-grandmother.  It's over one hundred years old.  It's not flashy, but it was an effective way for her to keep her skirt clean.  It's hard to tell, but there's a patch pocket near the top.  Notice how short the ties are...she was a tiny petite little thing and stood right about 5' tall.  Gathered up, her apron was a basket she used to gather eggs, and harvest fruit and veggies from her garden.  I imagine it came in handy when she removed down-feathers from her ducks to stuff pillows with too!





Finally, I'm hoping to find some time really soon to begin working on my own apron.  I recently bought a vintage apron pattern and have already carefully traced all the pieces.  I looked for a long time before I found the fabric I wanted.  Well, I actually ended up buying "Plan B" fabric, because I couldn't find any really cute vintage-looking cabbage rose prints in any of the stores in my area.  It even took me a long time to find the Plan B fabric!  But I think this fabric is really cute and it should have a nice look once it's finished.





4 comments:

Andora said...

That is awesome that you have those..I remember my mom wearing hers when us kids were growing up...brings back a lot of memories...THANKS for sharing

Callie Brady said...

The family aprons are a treasure! I love the fabric pattern and color you selected for your apron. How neat to make an apron to add to the collection and for you to enjoy wearing. Have fun sewing!

Diana said...

I'm happy that you enjoyed my post! There's just something that warms the heart about an apron with family history isn't there. I'll keep everyone posted about the progress of my "new/vintage" apron.

Janet, said...

I love vintage aprons! I have lots, but do not have any of my grandmothers. She always wore an apron, I so wish I had one of hers. You are soooo lucky to have those of your grandmother's and gr grandmothers. Thanks for sharing them.