In the back of a wardrobe I recently came across an old apron, one of my mother’s many aprons. It was a dainty floral cotton material, edged with green bias binding, made in a wrap-around style with two large pockets. I associated aprons with my mother and grandmothers, who were great believers in keeping their clothes clean and tidy.
Thinking about the history of aprons over the years, they were basically to protect clothes, especially in the times when women didn't have an extensive wardrobe of dresses, and laundering was an arduous chore. Aprons had many other uses as well. When cleaning house odds and ends could be collected in the huge pockets, and small toys picked up. When unexpected visitors were sighted coming up the path a room could be hastily tidied, things stashed in pockets and the apron hastily pushed behind a cushion in time to answer the door.
In the garden, those large pockets carried small forks, seed packets, and vegetables. Around the farm yard eggs could be carefully carried in the pockets. Shy children could hide under mother’s apron and it was even used for wiping runny noses.
School and church fetes would have been bare without an array of aprons on their stalls. I even remember parades of aprons to decide the prettiest. One of the first things I made in needlework class was an apron. Perhaps they will make a come-back again as a fashion statement! My mother often supported the stalls by buying an apron.
Margaret Nelson
November 2020
Thinking about the history of aprons over the years, they were basically to protect clothes, especially in the times when women didn't have an extensive wardrobe of dresses, and laundering was an arduous chore. Aprons had many other uses as well. When cleaning house odds and ends could be collected in the huge pockets, and small toys picked up. When unexpected visitors were sighted coming up the path a room could be hastily tidied, things stashed in pockets and the apron hastily pushed behind a cushion in time to answer the door.
In the garden, those large pockets carried small forks, seed packets, and vegetables. Around the farm yard eggs could be carefully carried in the pockets. Shy children could hide under mother’s apron and it was even used for wiping runny noses.
School and church fetes would have been bare without an array of aprons on their stalls. I even remember parades of aprons to decide the prettiest. One of the first things I made in needlework class was an apron. Perhaps they will make a come-back again as a fashion statement! My mother often supported the stalls by buying an apron.
Margaret Nelson
November 2020
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