Saturday 4 October 2014

The History of Aprons....

Do children today know what an apron is?


We traditionally think of aprons being used for cooking, and while that is true, they have served as a cover-up for other tasks that tend to be messy.

The principle 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 Autumn 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

5 comments :

  1. I love this. Aprons are such a versatile piece of clothing - Jessica loves it when I wear mine when we do some baking together and I think I will have to get her a little one as wearing a coverall bib is just not the same!

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    1. Aww! You will have to get her one....So cute x

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  2. What a fab post! My nan still wears an apron or as she calls it a house coat :? over her clothes while cooking cleaning etc. shes a proper old school country bumpkin though. This was interesting reading xx

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  3. I think I need a wrap around piny , whatever I'm doing I always wipe my hands on my hips and ruin whatever I'm wearing, maybe it's cos I'm a granny?

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