As I spend hours, washing, mending and ironing all these aprons, I can't help but think about the women who made them. Almost all of them are homemade. The women who made them had varying skill levels. You can tell the ones that were quite expertly made and the ones made by beginning sewers. Some of them are quite fancy, others very plain. They all have a story to tell.
With all the aprons to choose from, I have kept very few. There were a couple I recognized as mine. My mother made them for me when I took home ec in the 7th grade and we all had to have two aprons. Those I saved since my mother made them for me. There is one from the 1920's or 30's that I love. If I ever get skinny, I will wear it like a pinafore over a plain white dress. It is so delicate. A couple I have saved for the fabric to make doll clothes. Then there is this one.
This apron is so delicate and pretty. Really, it is quite simple. Just what I think is a barred lawn printed with delicate little pink and green flowers. But it tells quite a story. The waistband is pieced, as is the pocket. Obviously whoever made it didn't have much in the way of fabric, but used what she had. There is even a mend in the center front. It was a decorative apron I think, with all that lace whipped by hand around the edges. The simple scalloped hem. It's all very neatly made. I just wish I knew it's story.
~Jane
