Tuesday, May 8, 2012


:


The History of 'APRONS'






I don't think our kids know what an apron is.



The principal use of 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 Grandma 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, Grandma 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.

REMEMBER:


Grandma used to set her 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...

6 comments:

Cheryl (aka Kayly) said...

A lovely history! Thank you.

Queen Of The Armchair aka Dzintra Stitcheries said...

Thank you Jeni for reminding me of how useful an apron is...I always wear one when cooking and doing those 'morning jobs'..Great post my Friend xo

Nellie put the kettle on said...

Thankyou for this post, such an enjoyable read, how very true. I have a wonderful trusty waterproof apron that I practically live in. Great for in the kitchen, bathing the dog and washing the car....ah so many uses. Think I'll have to make myself a 'pretty' apron so I can leave it on for the visitor's (or maybe not) haha.

Aunty Bee said...

How true, I laughed when I read about cleaning out the ears, so true. Thank-you for the memories.

GardenOfDaisies said...

Those are the cutest aprons in the picture!! I wear an apron when I'm preparing dinner for guests and I'm already dressed. Otherwise I get stuff all over myself. And there have been many other times when I've tried to carry so many things that I've pulled up my shirt by the bottom hem to create a "pouch" and wished desperately that I had my apron on, because it's bigger.
And a big NO to frozen pies! If one doesn't have time for a full fledged 2 crust pie, then a crumble or a Betty or whatever people call them, can save a lot of time. :-)

cottonreel said...

I love the quilt on your header . I'd like to do one similar I have a good stash of blue
I prefer a full pinafore