holyhillbilly March 16th, 2009
An apron is something we saw on our grandmother..or in my case, my great grandmother. I can remember as a child….the amount of things that would fit in her apron pockets…a small paring knife, a napkin or towel, a hair pin or two, sometimes even a hairbrush…depending on what she was doing.
My mother didn’t wear aprons that I can remember. She isn’t here any longer, so I can’t ask her if she ever did…but I doubt it.
As a newly wed..I didn’t even own one…thought they looked old fashioned and tacky…LOL! My how things change!
About a year ago, as our lives began to shift toward environmental consciousness and a more simple life, I started collecting aprons. I would find them at our local thrift store and at yard sales. I was amazed to find that my daughter absolutely adored aprons.
Thus our collection grew! 
We have aprons for Christmas, vintage aprons, tie dyed aprons, half aprons and full aprons. Then I started making them…half aprons are my favorite…I’m still trying to work out the pattern I like best for a full one.
But now, I look back on my grandmother and great grandmother…and realized that those aprons were so much more than just an apron…they were a uniform…it meant that they were a mother, grandmother, homemaker, nurse, cook, bottle washer, fire tender, seamstress, and a home builder. The apron didn’t do it, but it was such an important part of what they did…they wore them every day…those aprons helped gather food from the garden, protected clothes from cooking and cleaning, held cleaning supplies, cooking supplies, clothespins, hankies, safety pins, sewing supplies, and sometimes even a treat. They wiped children’s faces and hands, they wiped away dirt and tears alike. They helped get hot food out of the oven. Then at night, they were hung on a hook by the door of the kitchen until morning.
Now, I wear an apron…I have one especially for hanging out clothes..it holds all my clothespins. I have ones for cooking…washing dishes, etc. But most of all, these aprons…they tell people…what I do, who I am.
Aprons are a part of our heritage…a part that is disappearing in today’s fast paced world. Grasp this piece of history…embrace it as a mother…and put on your apron…wear it with pride!
The practical side of it makes since…fewer stains on your clothes, pockets to make up for those extra 4 hands that you just don’t have…they work as a portable basket if you have a garden…a comfort for that little child that needs a face or hand wiped. Have fun…have several….choose them to reflect your own style…Fancy ones, plain ones, half ones, full ones…pick one for the holidays too!
They are not only useful and practical, but also feminine…which we need to cling to! Aprons fit in with my modesty theme…they make you feel more feminine…and remind you of the importance of what you do..what God has called you to do and be! A mother, a homemaker, a woman of God!
Don’t know where to start? Check out my aprons in my Etsy store…
